Jeremy Beausoleil Smith — Candidate for City Council, District 4
Endorsed 350PDX CJ platform? Yes
Will you support PCEF? Yes
Candidate statement:
Climate Change is the defining issue of our time and we don’t have any time to waste when it comes to achieving our 2050 net zero community wide greenhouse gas emissions goal. To reach that milestone we need a Green New Deal for Portland that includes a Just Transition to a Renewable Energy Economy, rapid buildout of net zero, affordable, and Social Housing, and investment in pedestrian, cyclist, and mass transit infrastructure so Portlanders can get where they need to be, when they need to be there.
We must address the existential threat of the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub. There is no amount of fuel that can be stored there safely and Zenith’s illegal actions are indicative of the disregard fossil fuel corporations have for the safety of our people, animals, and habitats. To ensure the safety of Portlanders, we must develop a full drawdown plan at the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub. This drawdown plan must be performed in conjunction with a Just Transition to a Renewable Energy Economy with good paying, union jobs that will help us meet our 2050 net zero goal and no longer depend on the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub’s Fossil Fuels.
We must address the Ross Island Toxic Algae Blooms by holding Ross Island Sand and Gravel and Robert Pamplin financially accountable to dredge flushing channels and stop the blooms. Once the Ross Island Archipelago is under public ownership we have the opportunity to create the Ross Island Ecological Park, a world class nature reserve in the heart of our city that would be managed along with Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge under a single Natural Resource Management Plan.
We must protect Forest Park and explore Municipalization of Our Power Grid to create a Portland where we can democratically elect the board that controls what electrical infrastructure projects are approved and who pays for them. We cannot depend on Corporations like Portland General Electric to have our best interests in mind as they have a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders to make a profit. That drive to make profit causes corporations to prioritize Data Centers over Portlanders and because of that we need a Data Center Moratorium NOW. Access to energy is a human right and it should be both accessible and affordable.
We are so lucky to live alongside such a wide variety of plant and animal life and we must do everything in our power to conserve and protect our citywide ecosystem. Portland is a city worth fighting for and I know our best days are ahead of us. I believe in a fully sustainable Portland by 2050 and that is the future I want to build with you.
