Sam Baraso News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Why should popular, valuable Portland initiatives wither away from a lack of funding when there’s a city treasure trove available to bail them out? That appeared to be the question on Commissioner Carmen Rubio’s mind when she offered Portland Street Response (PSR) a life raft in the form of $3 million from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) earlier this week. But clean energy fund advocates are hesitant about using money from the...

Portlanders will soon reap the benefits of a reformed Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) and the estimated $750 million it will have to spend on programs like electric bike incentives and residential clean energy upgrades from now until 2028. Guided by the PCEF Climate Investment Plan (CIP), which received unanimous City Council approval in September, fund leaders say the plan is on track to reduce Portland’s carbon emissions and address climate inequities at...

"PCEF will invest more than $750 million in projects that will make Portland a safer, healthier, more prosperous place to live."

Portland needs to act fast if it wants to achieve its goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Though the city has several plans on the books to slash citywide greenhouse gas emissions, the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) is among the most promising—and well-funded—avenues for local climate action. And after a somewhat rocky start, PCEF now appears to be finding its footing—almost five years after 65% of Portland voters approved the...

Oregon is working on how to be better prepared for excessive heat waves as climate scientists predict the region will continue to experience warmer weather, especially during the summer months.