Finding Hope in Local Climate Action
Tom McCall Preserve. Photo by Eileen Hartmann.
It seems like every day we hear about a new record-breaking weather event happening around the world – heat domes, unprecedented rainfall, blizzards in May; we are watching the climate crisis unfold in real time. Meanwhile, the pace of progress towards climate action on a global and national scale continues to fall far behind the targets that scientists tell us are necessary to avoid catastrophe. Then, earlier this summer, we saw the U.S. Supreme Court severely hamstring the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Mother and child at a protest against the Zenith Oil by Rail expansion. Photo by Rick Rappaport.
Local Action, Global Impact
At Crag, we have always looked to local community leaders and activists to help develop strategic solutions to local environmental problems, whether it involved keeping Nestlé out of the Gorge or protecting the north side of Mt. Hood. The strength of local action carries forward to our shared global challenge of tackling climate change. In the past 15 years, local communities, Native Tribes, and climate activists have put a stop to over a dozen proposed fossil fuel developments throughout the Pacific Northwest. More recently, communities have turned their focus to advocating for long-term proactive policies to restrict fossil fuel infrastructure, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure a just transition for frontline communities. It is through these local actions, and our clients and partners behind them, that we find hope.
As we’re going to print, the Portland City Council is set to re-adopt the City’s landmark fossil fuel ordinance prohibiting new and expanded fossil fuel infrastructure after we successfully defended the ordinance against several rounds of attacks from fossil fuel industry opponents. Crag and our clients are prepared to continue to defend the ordinance and to see that it is implemented and built upon. Other Pacific Northwest communities have followed Portland’s lead in halting investments in fossil fuels. Last year, Crag supported groups in the Puget Sound area to advocate for restrictions on expansions at existing refineries in Whatcom County. Vancouver, Washington is currently developing a similar policy with the support and pressure from our clients and their coalition partners who helped establish Portland as a leader in the region.
Activists in Portland City Hall protest against the Zenith Oil by Rail expansion. Photo by Rick Rappaport.
Together we win
We’ve continued our work to hold the line against new and expanded fossil fuel developments throughout the Pacific Northwest. We recently celebrated our third victory with Columbia Riverkeeper and 1000 Friends of Oregon in our long-running challenge to the Port of Columbia County’s efforts to rezone 837 acres of high-value farm land for heavy industrial uses at Port Westward. We successfully defended the City of Portland’s authority to deny a key land use approval for Zenith Energy’s crude oil storage and transport operations. And, under pressure from a lawsuit brought on behalf of Columbia Riverkeeper and Friends of the Columbia Gorge, the developer of the Perennial Wind Chaser Station fracked gas power plant recently announced that it will terminate the project. If constructed, the plant would have emitted more than 1,000,000 tons of greenhouse gasses each year. A new Oregon law prohibits any new gas plants from being approved in the future, so this victory marks the end of new fracked gas energy in Oregon.
This victory marks the end of new fracked gas energy in Oregon.
At the state level, we’ve seen a wave of new regulatory programs designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support climate resilience in frontline communities, and plan for more equitable and climate friendly communities into the future. Broad coalitions of community and environmental justice groups, climate activists, Tribal governments, and business organizations have come together to support and defend these programs with the common objective of taking much needed action on climate change.
Concrete action on climate is possible. In the face of what often feels like an insurmountable challenge, local and state level efforts, supported by impacted communities, can be a source for hope.
Maura Fahey
Managing Attorney