A report released July 15 by Center for Sustainable Economy (CSE), “Crude Bailout: How Global Partners’ and Zenith Energy’s Oil Terminals Subvert Democracy, Endanger Human Life and Health, and Pollute the Planet,” reveals how billionaire … Read more
By Tom Housel* After a contentious 2019 legislative session, House Bill 2020 — Oregon’s cap-and-trade program — failed to pass the legislature because of a lack of Democratic votes in the Senate. For many, this … Read more
Center for Sustainable Economy (CSE) and local watershed advocates have asked 28 public water system providers in rural Oregon to intervene to halt the planned clearcutting of over 18,000 acres in surface drinking water supplies … Read more
The successful grassroots resistance to tar sands pipeline proposals across North America is resulting in an increase in the far more dangerous transport of tar sands crude by rail, putting communities and the environment in … Read more
In a new report released today, the Center for Sustainable Economy has documented taxpayer losses of nearly $2 billion a year associated with the federal logging program carried out on national forest and Bureau of … Read more
This morning, the Portland Audubon Society, OPAL Environmental Justice, 350 PDX, the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Center for Sustainable Economy sent a letter to Portland City Commissioners and … Read more
By Alex Renirie In this historic year –the first legislative session after the International Panel on Climate Change warned in a special report in late 2018 that we have less than 12 years to make “rapid … Read more
Download the publication here This spring, Oregon legislators are poised to pass legislation to establish a cap and invest system for regulating greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) statewide. The legislation has been commonly referred to as … Read more
On Jan 28, 2019, the King County Council in Washington voted by 6-3 to pass an immediate moratorium to prohibit new fossil fuel infrastructure, joining other jurisdictions on the West and East coasts in taking … Read more
Last week, climate activists cheered the news that the Western States Petroleum Association declined to pursue an appeal of Portland’s Fossil Fuel Terminal Zoning Amendments to the United States Supreme Court. After losing Dormant Commerce … Read more
Any lingering doubt about whether Portlanders were ready to vote for strong climate and energy action was extinguished on election night when the Portland Clean Energy Initiative (PCEI) garnered a 63% ‘yes’ vote. This grassroots … Read more
In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael unleashing 155-mile winds across the Florida panhandle, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report that said far worse was to come, if the world didn’t dramatically … Read more
In Fall 2018, the Oregon Renewable Energy Center and Population Health Management Research Center at the Oregon Institute of Technology are teaming up to host top experts in renewable energy and energy efficiency from throughout … Read more
July 31, 2018 (Portland, Ore.) — Today, a coalition of public interest groups celebrated news that opponents of Portland’s fossil fuel ordinance have failed in their efforts to overturn the City’s landmark law. In 2016, … Read more
One of the world’s leading climate scientists joined a coalition of 18 conservation, scientific, and community organizations calling on Oregon’s new Carbon Policy Office (CPO) and the Department of Forestry (ODF) to do an about-face … Read more
A new study by researchers based at Oregon State University and the University of Idaho corroborates Center for Sustainable Economy’s 2015 and 2017 research demonstrating that logging is by far the number one source of … Read more
On March 12, 2018, the Baltimore City Council voted to approve Council Bill 17-0150, which, if signed by the Mayor, will amend the city’s zoning code to prohibit new and expanded crude oil terminals. Community, … Read more
Of the 50 United States, Alaska best exemplifies the types of problems the rest of the country may well face in a matter of decades, if not years, if we don’t wean ourselves from fossil … Read more
By John Talberth, Daphne Wysham, and Nick Caleb Climate change is one of the most daunting challenges humanity has ever faced and requires a commensurate policy response. A robust climate agenda would consist of a … Read more
Carbon sequestration dead zones are expanding. Clearcutting is Oregon’s single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Millions of acres of industrial tree plantations present huge public health risks because they are far more susceptible to … Read more
In a new study authored by Dr. John Talberth and Michael Weisdorf of Portland State University, CSE has demonstrated a new methodology for the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) that promises to accelerate its adoption by … Read more
Deforestation, forest degradation, and unsustainable forest practices are major drivers of climate change. Deforestation and other land-use changes have released approximately 150 gigatons of carbon to the atmosphere since 1850, roughly one-fifth of the current … Read more
One of the most aggravating aspects of the climate crisis is the fact that fossil fuel companies are passing on huge financial risks to taxpayers and politicians are simply turning their backs on the problem … Read more
On Monday, July 15, the City held a public forum on the Zenith tar sands oil terminal in response to months of sustained pressure from activists and community members. It was a watershed moment in … Read more
Extractive industries have proven adept at generating record profits, then using those same profits to protect themselves from any responsibility for cleaning up the mess they leave behind. Oregon’s timber industry is a case in … Read more
On May 23rd, organizers and health advocates testified before the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners in opposition to a new fossil fuel project in Portland: the Zenith Energy facility importing oil trains of Canadian heavy … Read more