Portland’s Fossil Fuel Storage ordinance under attack.
Republican lawmaker files bill to stop local governments from banning or limiting fossil fuel infrastructure. The bill was filed at the request of lobbying firm PacWest, which has strong ties to trade unions.
A bill filed in the Oregon legislature takes direct aim on Portland’s ban on new bulk fossil fuel storage facilities. House bill 2480 would stop city, county or other local governments from regulating expansion of infrastructure for the transporting or storing of fossil fuels. It would also supercede’s any local ordinance.
Republican Cliff Bentz filled the bill at the request of PacWest. PacWest is a lobbying company with offices in Wilsonville, OR and Denver, CO. The company has strong ties to trade unions in Oregon. They list Oregon-Columbia IBEW and Oregon Building Trades Council as clients. In Colorado they have done “education” campaigns in support of fracking. One of their ad called fracking the “MVP’ of Colorado’s economy.
Rep. Bentz (R — Ontario) represents SE Oregon, including Hardy and Malhuer counties. His campaign received donations from Phillips 66, BP North America, Chevron and Tesoro Companies in 2016. Tesoro operates the Anacortes Refinery in Washington State, the site of massive citizen protest against fossil fuels in 2016.
Key points from the bill:
1)..supersedes and preempts any charter provision, ordinance, resolution or other provision of any city, county or other local government regulating the expansion of infrastructure for the primary purpose of transporting or storing fossil fuels.
2) The authority to regulate the expansion of infrastructure for the primary purpose of transporting or storing fossil fuels is vested solely in the Legislative Assembly.
3) A city, county or other local government may not enact any charter provision, ordinance, resolution or other provision related to regulating the expansion of infrastructure for the primary purpose of transporting or storing fossil fuels
