Portland could make big businesses pay to protect communities of color from climate change
“‘It’s a community-of-color-led initiative that is really born out of both a strong desire to address climate change and out of frustration at bearing the brunt of the fossil fuel economy, and not seeing the benefit of Portland’s clean-energy transition in their communities,’ says Tony DeFalco, Verde’s deputy director. The PCEF specifically targets companies in the Portland area that make more than $500,000 in revenue locally and more than $1 billion nationally, and would require that they pay a 1% surcharge on a fee they already pay to operate in Portland. Groceries, medicine, and healthcare services would be exempt. The measure targets large companies–in the Portland area, around 120 including Apple, Walmart, and Target meet the terms of the measure–because they have the longest and most complex supply chains, and as such, emit high rates of carbon that disproportionately impact low-income communities of color.”