Zenith Forum: 5/23 in PDX

 Rumble on the River Community Forum 7: What’s Up with Zenith Energy and the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub in Portland”

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Location

First Unitarian Church. Buchan Room
1211 SW Main
Portland
,
OR
97205
United States

Are you ready to rumble?

It’s time for the next, “Rumble on the River Community Forum: What’s Up with Zenith Energy and the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub in Portland” and you’re invited! This is the seventh in a series of community-driven forums to educate and activate around the threats to public health, safety, and our environment stemming from the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub, Zenith Energy’s dangerous oil-by-rail operations, and other threats to the Columbia River. Hear from a new panel of speakers—including Columbia Riverkeeper’s Conservation Director Dan Serres—to learn more about the issues and the efforts to find solutions to reduce harm from threats to public health and safety. 

Whether you have been to previous Rumble forums, or are new to the issue,
we hope you will join us. 
  • Event: “Rumble on the River Community Forum 7: What’s Up with Zenith Energy and the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub in Portland”
  • When: May 23, 2023, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. (info tables 6:00 p.m., panel 6:30 p.m.)
  • Where: First Unitarian Church. Buchan Room, 1211 SW Main Portland 97205
  • Cost: Free! Please invite anyone you know who cares about clean air, safe communities, and environmental justice.
  • RSVP: No RSVP necessary, feel free to invite your friends on facebook
  • Get to know the speakers: 
    • Dan Serres, Conservation Director with Columbia Riverkeeper; 
    • Jay Wilson, Past Chair of Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission, Former Resilience Fellow with National Institute for Standards and Technology
    • Sterling Stokes, Campaign Manager with Portland Harbor Community Coalition;
    • Ben Stevenson, Climate Justice Organizer with Sunrise Movement PDX, Student;
    • Moderator: Margaret Butler, Grassroots Climate Organizer/Former Union Organizer & President of Portland Jobs with Justice
Rumble On The River community forums bring together expert voices to explain the risks of the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub and other threats to the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

Located in NW Portland along the Willamette River just upstream from its convergence with the Columbia River, the CEI Hub is a six-mile stretch of old tank farms that stores more than 90% of all liquid fuel in Oregon. This area includes Zenith Energy, the source of dangerous oil trains plowing through our communities.

Concerned yet?

You should be! Despite years of public outcry against Zenith’s operations, on October 3, 2022, the City of Portland quietly approved a Land Use Compatibility Statement (LUCS)—giving Zenith the green light for five more years of oil trains, and all the hazards they present in our communities. This is a huge slap in the face to the thousands of community members who oppose these threats to our community and our planet. But, until the Department of Environmental Quality issues Zenith an air permit, the City still has the authority to reverse its decision—and that is what the community is asking the City to do.

To make matters worse, the entire CEI Hub is on what is known as a liquefaction zone—meaning in the likely case of an earthquake, the soil will become the consistency of cake batter. This would be catastrophic for our communities, the ecosystem, and the Lower Columbia River. Join us to hear from a fantastic panel of experts about these ongoing threats to the river, what’s next, and how you can get involved. 

Columbia Riverkeeper is pleased to be a partner in this community forum series, the collaborative effort of many local and regional organizations and concerned community members.

Co-Sponsors:

350PDX — Braided River Campaign — Breach Collective — Cathedral Park Neighborhood Association — CedarAction — Columbia Riverkeeper — EcoFaith Recovery — Extinction Rebellion PDX — Havurah Climate Action Team — Human Access Project — Linnton Neighborhood Association — Neighbors for Clean Air — Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club — Oregon Conservancy Foundation — Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility — P.E.S.T. Projection — Portland Audubon — Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group — Portland Harbor Community Coalition — Portland Jobs with Justice — Portland Youth Climate Council — Portland Youth Climate Strike — Portsmouth Neighborhood Association — St. Johns Neighborhood Association — Sunrise Movement-PDX — Willamette Riverkeeper

Missed the other community forums?
Not to worry! You can still watch the recordings: