Portland, County Officials Push for 100 Percent Clean Energy by 2050

PORTLAND, OR – A lot of attention has been given to cities and countries vowing to move energy resources to 100 percent renewables lately, and now Portland can be added to the growing list.

On April 10, city and county officials made their declaration to transition the city's energy resources to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. City facilities are already powered by renewable energy, officials said, with Multnomah County facilities planning to make the switch in 2018.

The city would like to extend that, however, to supply the community's needs (by 2035) as well as the rest of the city by the 2050 deadline. Twenty-five other U.S. cities have also committed to switching to renewables, along with roughly 90 major U.S. companies, officials said.

"Getting our community to 100 percent renewable energy is a BIG goal," said Mayor Ted Wheeler in a statement. "And while it is absolutely ambitious, it is a goal that we share with Nike, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Google, GM, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, and Walmart. We have a responsibility to lead this effort in Oregon."

Green energy is zero-emissions electricity generated from more environmentally-friendly resources, like wind, solar, and low-impact hydro-power. And Wheeler seems to believe the importance of using these kinds of sustainable resources shouldn't be driven solely by government initiatives.

"We don't succeed addressing climate change by government action alone," he said. "We need our whole community: government, businesses, organizations and households to work together to make a just transition to a 100 percent renewable future."

To get there, the city will focus on promoting Portland businesses that produce low-carbon and environmental goods and services, converting the city's vehicles to electric, and continuing to support county-wide initiatives that promote environmental protections while simultaneously resisting federal policies that could increase carbon emissions.

This isn't anything new to Portland, however. City officials have been working on climate change initiatives since 1993, according to the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, and have seen a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions per capita and a 21 percent reduction of overall emissions from 1990-era levels as a result.

These efforts, according to an analysis by the Portland Development Commission, have added roughly 47,000 jobs, officials said.

"By making smart investments now we will help protect our community from the impacts of climate change, reduce our emissions, save money, and create economic opportunity," said Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson. "Those are all huge positives for our county."

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