A snapshot of County Commissioner activities, appearances and actions this week.
Commissioner Susheela Jayapal
This week Commissioner Jayapal, in partnership with Commissioner Vega Pederson, brought forward a resolution affirming the County’s commitment to clean air. The resolution was crafted in collaboration with a Wood Smoke Workgroup comprised of advocates and other partners, and chaired by Commissioners Jayapal and Vega Pederson. It establishes a vision of clean air for everyone, everywhere, all the time; and lays the foundation for ongoing work to curtail wood smoke pollution. Strategies will include a pilot wood stove replacement program funded by $500,000 in ARPA funding advocated for by Commissioner Jayapal, and secured by Senator Michael Dembrow.
As the legislature kicked off its short session, Commissioner Jayapal provided testimony on two bills related to air quality and the environment: SB 1567, which creates accountability for the risk posed by oil tanks at Portland’s Critical Infrastructure Hub; and HB 4141, which would provide a pathway for replacing dirty diesel with cleaner renewable diesel. The Commissioner also chaired the Worksystems Youth Committee for a robust conversation on new state investments in youth employment. She closed the week by attending an event with the international entrepreneurship organization TiE Global, supporting Portland startups and youth entrepreneurship programs.
Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson
This week Commissioner Vega Pederson partnered with Commissioner Susheela Jayapal and the Office of Sustainability to roll out proposed changes to the County’s wood smoke regulations. On Thursday, the Board passed a resolution that sets a new vision and aligns air quality targets with guidelines set by the World Health Organization. Next week, the Board will consider extending the seasonal curtailment program to year-round, modifying messaging, and removing certified wood stoves as exempt. These proposed changes are the result of recommendations from a workgroup commissioners Vega Pederson and Jayapal convened on this topic. Exposure to wood smoke worsens existing health conditions, and people with diseases that affect their lungs, older adults, children, and people in lower socioeconomic conditions are at greater risk. The Office of Sustainability estimates that wood burning alone pumps out about 148,000 tons of CO2 a year.
Commissioner Vega Pederson also submitted testimony in support of: HB 4141, which would shift petroleum diesel users to renewable diesel, a substitute that emits 60% less greenhouse gasses than petroleum diesel; SB 1543, which would provide universal representation to immigrants in need assistance navigating the immigration system; and HB 4002, which would extend overtime pay to farmworkers. She also attended the Region 1 Area Commission on Transportation meeting and met with advocates for banning flavored tobacco products.
Commissioner Lori Stegmann
This week Commissioner Stegmann was pleased to host Cure Violence Global and Parallel Networks at her quarterly East County Issue Forum, to explore ways to mitigate targeted violence and extremism in our community. Their new initiative Ctrl+Alt+Del-Hate adapts the public health model to violence prevention, and is innovative and extremely powerful. The East County Issue Forum is convened quarterly by Commissioner Stegmann in partnership with the City of Gresham and East County schools. The Forum brings people together to discuss housing stability, parks and community services, youth opportunities, community building events, youth employment, innovations in public safety, and distribution of human/social services.
This week, Commissioner Stegmann joined the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners in passing a resolution on air quality, addressing the impacts of wood smoke in our County.
Commissioner Sharon Meieran
On Feb. 7, the County released the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub seismic assessment final report, a jointly funded study by the County (led by Commissioners Meieran and Jayapal) and City of Portland. The ECONorthwest report quantifies the damages and associated costs of a CEI Hub infrastructure failure in the event of a major earthquake. Commissioner Meieran later testified at a public hearing in support of a related bill, SB 1567, which would require fuel storage companies to improve seismic resilience of their tanks at the Hub and direct the Department of Energy to develop a Seismic Security Plan. Read Commissioner Meieran’s SB 1567 testimony. On behalf of the Oregon College of Emergency Physicians, Commissioner Meieran also testified in support of HB 4045 which directs the Oregon Health Authority to establish grant programs for community violence prevention. Read Commissioner Meieran’s HB 4045 testimony.
Commissioner Meieran also participated in a ride along this week with the County Sheriff’s Office Homeless Outreach and Programs Engagement (HOPE) Team. She saw firsthand the compassionate work that the HOPE Team does to build relationships and trust with vulnerable community members, including those living unsheltered outdoors, and help connect them to resources and services.
At this week’s Board Meeting, Commissioner Meieran joined her colleagues in approving a resolution to reaffirm the County’s commitment to wood smoke curtailment and clean air. Commissioner Meieran was pleased to see the work continue as one of the sponsors of the County’s original wood smoke ordinance in 2017.