Portland, Oregon climate slush fund no help in addressing city’s real problems
Once known as the “City of Roses,” Portland has fallen from grace, joining its West Coast counterparts Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in becoming a cesspool of crime, homelessness, drug addiction, and other contemporary urban maladies.
Not to worry, though. Portland is tackling climate change and doing so in a big way. In 2018, the city’s voters approved the creation of a “Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund” (PCEF), which would spend taxpayer money on projects said to “reduce carbon emissions, create economic opportunity, and help make our city more resilient as we face a changing climate.” Originally projected to raise $50 million annually from a tax on large retailers, the PCEF – aided by inflation – is now bringing in over twice that amount.
“The primary reason for establishing the Clean Energy Fund in the first place was simply to redistribute wealth – from retailers and their customers, to a small group of politically preferred non-profits groups. More than 99% of Portland residents will never benefit from the fund,” the Cascade Policy Institute notes.
While the coffers of the PCEF are regularly replenished, essential city services have broken down. In his Sept. 28 testimony before the Portland City Council, economist Eric Fruits, Ph. D., pointed to the woeful state of affairs in a city he calls home:
- “The Portland Bureau of Transportation claims it has a $32 million budget shortfall;
- Portland Parks and Recreation claims it does not have enough money for basic maintenance, such as maintaining the Grant High School practice fields, tennis courts, or light poles;
- The city’s information technology system is in shambles;
- 911 response times are a national disgrace and may never recover to pre-pandemic levels;
- Almost every resident has had their car stolen or knows someone who has.”
Meanwhile, the Portland City Council is figuring out ways to spend $750 million the PCEF is expected to generate over the next couple of years. The council refers to the scheme as “a historic program that centers equity in climate action.” But Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center points out that the PCEF bears all the hallmarks of a slush fund tailor-made to line the pockets of political allies. Categories slated to receive their share of the largess include “clean energy in regulated multifamily affordable housing,” “equitable tree canopy,” “increasing urban farming opportunities – planning and land acquisition,” and “comprehensive e-bike access and support.”
Another Climate Boondoggle
The word “boondoggle” doesn’t begin to do justice to what the city is up to. As Myers writes:
“For example, the program provides $60 million for ‘Clean energy in regulated multifamily affordable housing.’ Writing, ‘It is imperative that these buildings are built and operated in a way that reduces carbon emissions, reduces operating costs, and improves resilience and health for tenants,’ the description does not explain how carbon reduction will be achieved. Instead, it promises the city will work with ‘community partners to define Phase II program parameters to see greater carbon reduction, benefit to tenants, and additional or different workforce contractor equity requirements.’”
Got that?
Inserting fashionable woke terms such as “equity’ into the climate debate was perhaps inevitable because it opens opportunities to funnel taxpayer money to so-called “frontline communities,” said to be at the greatest climate risk.
“If the people of Portland believe that spending taxpayer dollars on these projects is worthwhile, that is their choice, but given the large amount of money, there seems to be little certainty that the program will achieve its intended goals,” Myers writes.
As Portland – along with many other U.S. cities – descends further into chaos and lawlessness, the city continues to pursue climate goals that will have no effect on the climate while turning a blind eye to public safety and the things that really matter to everyday people.
Author
Bonner Cohen, Ph. D.
Bonner R. Cohen, Ph. D., is a senior policy analyst with CFACT, where he focuses on natural resources, energy, property rights, and geopolitical developments. Articles by Dr. Cohen have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Investor’s Busines Daily, The New York Post, The Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, The Hill, The Epoch Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Miami Herald, and dozens of other newspapers around the country. He has been interviewed on Fox News, Fox Business Network, CNN, NBC News, NPR, BBC, BBC Worldwide Television, N24 (German-language news network), and scores of radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. He has testified before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, and the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee. Dr. Cohen has addressed conferences in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Bangladesh. He has a B.A. from the University of Georgia and a Ph. D. – summa cum laude – from the University of Munich.
From cfact.org