Thousands of Portlanders have spent years calling for an end to Zenith Energy’s dangerous oil-by-rail operations. But at the end of last year, City Council turned its back on Portlanders, deciding to grant Zenith a land use permit. This allowed the company to continue bringing in crude oil trains for 5 more years.
City Council’s decision was a shock, as the City hadn’t made an effort to gather public input before granting the permit. Then this summer, records requests revealed the truth behind City Council’s decision: that Council members had struck a dirty backdoor deal with Zenith Energy – ensuring Zenith would receive its permit.
We deserve better — for our City Council members to be accountable to us and to listen to our concerns. We don’t deserve to have our elected officials going behind our backs, making a deal with an out-of-state oil company that is threatening our community’s health and safety.
Now, it’s critical we keep up momentum. The State of Oregon will soon be deciding on whether or not to approve a critical air quality permit for Zenith Energy.
Join us at two actions this week to tell the Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality: STOP ZENITH! DENY THE PERMIT!
Thursday (Nov 16) – Rumble on the River #10: Community Forum & Action Night
Join us this Thursday, November 16 at 6 p.m. at Havurah Shalom (825 NW 18th Ave) for our 10th community forum in the Rumble on the River series. In this series, we discuss the dangers of Zenith Energy’s oil-by-rail and of the whole Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) hub where Zenith is located, and how we can grow the movement to stop fossil fuel companies from expanding their operations in our communities.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will soon open the comment period for Zenith Energy’s Air Quality Discharge Permit, which is required for Zenith to continue its operations. Over the past decade, public comments have been instrumental in stopping numerous fossil fuel proposals across the Pacific Northwest. At this Rumble on the River forum, we’ll have a shorter-than-usual panel session to allow time for a comment writing workshop, where we’ll distribute talking points, provide tips for writing effective comments, and get to writing! We hope to see you there. Learn more here.
Friday (Nov 17) – Rally & Testify at the Environmental Quality Commission to STOP ZENITH
Join us on Friday, November 17, 10:30 am – 12 pm in-person at the DEQ office (700 NE Multnomah Street, Portland, Oregon 97232), or online (Zoom meeting info here) to testify at the Environmental Quality Commission (the rule-making body of the DEQ) to Stop Zenith.
If you’re showing up in person, WEAR RED! Our goal is for as many people as possible to testify — even just briefly. We need your voice to make this happen.
How to testify? Write a short comment (one minute or less), where you simply say your name, where you live, and a brief reason why you think Zenith should be stopped and the permit should be denied. If you’d like, you can refer to this document of talking points to fill in the blank in this example below:
“My name is _____ and I live in _____. Please deny the Air Contaminant Discharge Permit for Zenith Energy because _______. Stop Zenith!”
Do you live in the Blast Zone of Zenith’s Oil Trains?
Do you live in the blast zone of Zenith’s oil trains? Use this map to find out. If you do, you have an important role to play in this campaign. You should call and write to the City of Portland and Governor Kotek and share that you live in the blast zone and are concerned for your safety. You can also pick up a yard sign to have in your front yard or apartment window to educate your neighbors about the blast zone and what they can do to #StopZenith. Send an email to stopzenith@350pdx.org to coordinate receiving a yard sign from one of our team members. (If you will be at the Rumble on the River event this Thursday, we will have signs there for you to pick up!)
We’re also helping folks hold Neighborhood Parties to educate their community about the issue, reach out to dineen@350pdx.org and liseb
Thanks to our FFR Team Co-Lead, Story, for designing these yard signs! Come to a meeting, this week’s Rumble on the River, or to the 350PDX office to pick one up to put in your yard or apartment window if you live in the Blast Zone. Or, email stopzenith@350pdx.org and someone on our team will deliver you a sign.
Thank you for all you do for climate justice and for this campaign. Together, we believe that we will win! We just have to keep on the pressure.
Let’s do this,
Dineen O’Rourke,
350PDX Campaign Manager
