Jamey Evenstar — Candidate for City Council, District 4
Endorsed 350PDX CJ platform? Yes
Will you support PCEF? Yes
Candidate statement:
I’ve committed to the 350PDX Climate Justice Platform, and it’s where I’ll take my priority actions from on council. My first priority is fixing how the city governs climate work at all. Right now, climate policy is scattered without clear direction. Council needs to give the administration explicit, intentional direction on climate justice priorities, prioritize the development of an updated Climate Action Plan, and put real resources behind the newly created Sustainability Office so it has the staff and oversight authority to actually deliver on that plan.
On the CEI Hub, I support the current efforts to regulate bulk fuel storage there but the current City proposal needs amendments. I’d close the transloading loophole that lets facilities expand capacity for “renewable fuels” without triggering the same seismic and safety standards as traditional fuel storage, and I’d make seismic retrofits mandatory, not encouraged. A drawdown timeline matters too: ours should align with the state’s own commitment to a 70% reduction by 2050. What’s on the table now is too little and too slow.
Beyond the Hub, I’d restrict data center expansion given the strain these facilities put on our grid and water systems, and I’d back energy workers’ unions building a skilled green energy workforce here in Portland. I want regulations and assistance that keep energy affordable for renters and working families, not just homeowners, and investment in the grid toward community solar and harm reduction in our existing fossil fuel systems. I’d also push back hard on falsely advertised “biofuels” and other so-called renewables that function as greenwashing rather than real emissions reduction. And I want to see community resilience built in directly, through micro energy hubs and battery backup plans so neighborhoods aren’t left without power during emergencies.
