Dear Jay Harris,
The Critical Energy
Infrastructure (CEI) Hub Task Force invites the Kerns Neighborhood Association to join with other
organizations and neighborhood associations in signing a critically
important letter to the City Council about the CEI Hub Policy Project. The
mission of the CEI Hub Policy Project is to reduce risks at the Hub through
amendments to the City’s Comprehensive Plan and zoning amendments.
Through the CEI
Hub Policy Project, we
have a rare opportunity in the next two months to weigh in on decisions that
could significantly reduce risks due to operations at the Critical
Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub. It is a well-known fact that Portland and the
region are in serious danger because hundreds of millions of gallons of
flammable, combustible and toxic fuels and chemicals are stored at the Hub on
unstable soils on the Cascadia Earthquake fault. Background: Impacts
of Fuel Releases from the CEI Hub.
We are up against a time
crunch. The grant that launched the CEI Hub Policy Project is on a timetable
that will put the final decision on policy changes in the hands of the City
Council early in 2026. We would like to show the City Council that they have
community support to push for Comprehensive Plan and zoning changes that are
the most protective of public health and safety as possible well before
decision time. Hopefully Bridlemile Neighborhood Association will support the
call for public safety contained within the attached letter
If the Kerns Neighborhood Association decides to sign the attached letter,
please reply to this email. We are hoping that you can respond by the end
of September.
If you would like more
background about these issues, please let me know if your organization would
like more information and a slideshow presentation.
Community advocacy has
already pushed progress forward on the CEI Hub at the state and local levels.
Thank you,
Bonnie with the CEI Hub
Task Force, Kathleen Boylan, Mark Darienzo, Laurie King, Joana Kirchhoff, Nikki
Mandell, Lyn Neeley, Diana Richardson, Alice Shapiro, Taylor Villucci, Jan
Zuckerman.
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CEI Hub Sign-On Letter
2025
Dear Portland City
Council President Pirtle-Guiney, Members of City Council, Mayor Wilson
and City Manager Jordan.
The CEI Hub poses grave
dangers to our city, state and region.
We applaud the City's
commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels, but fossil fuels are not
the only dangerous fuels stored at the CEI Hub. It has been established that
renewable fuels, whether derived from plant or animal products, are as
combustible, flammable, or toxic as fossil fuels. (See Testimonies from Dr. Richard Pleven-10:17 and Mia Reback-56:00 before City
Council February 27, 2025.) Therefore, transitioning to renewable fuels at the
CEI Hub will not eliminate the huge risks posed by fuel storage and transport
at the Hub.
Public input on
decisions regarding our safety and health is vital in mitigating and preventing
further damage to the well being of our communities and natural
environment.
We, the undersigned
Portland Neighborhood Associations and community and faith based organizations
therefore support the following:
1.
The City adopt a policy
that any economic development must not increase the dangers at the CEI Hub.
2.
The
City of Portland’s CEI Hub Policy Project (to amend the Comprehensive Plan and
zoning code) should include all types of fuels or materials that are
combustible, flammable or toxic to reduce risks at the Hub.
3.
The
Comprehensive Plan must prohibit new or expanded storage or transport of any
type of fuels or materials that are combustible, flammable, or toxic on
soils deemed vulnerable to lateral spread due to liquefaction from earthquake
shaking.