Following a rally with hundreds of opponents and public testimony on April 17, Portland’s new City Council signaled its intent to reject a controversial PGE proposal to expand electrical wires in Forest Park. The Council voted to have city attorneys draft a formal resolution to reject the plan. They will take a final vote on May 7.
The Council opposed City of Portland Hearings Officer Marisha Childs’ approval of the project that would have given PGE the go-ahead to clearcut 4-acres of trees.
In her written decision, Childs said opposition to the plan was based on “feelings” and that PGE had demonstrated the project’s necessity to address increasing energy demand. That demand, as described in a PGE report to the public utility board, is largely due to Hillsboro data centers’ projected use of 2.2 million megawatt-hours of electricity this year. That’s nearly as much power as all the 237,000 homes in Washington County combined according to a report by the Oregonian.
Child’s decision came after massive opposition to the plan from residents and organizations such as the Bird Alliance of Oregon, Forest Park Conservancy, and Sierra Club. Other city bureaus also recommended rejection of the proposal.
The Hearings Officer’s decision was appealed to the City Council by the Forest Park Neighborhood Association and the Forest Park Conservancy, who said the plan was in violation of the city’s Forest Park management plan.
Opponents also cited factors including inadequate mitigation for the removal of 4-acres of trees, the lack of vetting of alternative routes outside the park, and extremely vague details about later phases, among other issues.
PGE can appeal the City Council decision to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.
