On January 29, 2018, Multnomah County, the City of Portland, and the three local utility companies, Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, and Northwest Natural, hosted “Pathways to 100% Renewable: Decarbonizing the Transportation Sector,” which was the third of six community discussions about transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy community-wide by 2050.
Co-facilitated by Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a panel of experts discussed transportation electrification, using alternative fuels in fleets and public transit, and transportation equity. Panelists included John Drayton, formerly of Los Angeles Metro, Matthew Nelson from Electrify America, Huy Ong from OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, and Kate Sargent from Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants.
In Multnomah County, 40% of our greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, and with those emissions come harmful air pollution that negatively impacts the health of our community. In order to transition to 100% renewable sources of energy by 2050 and clean up our air, the community must shift to electricity and other alternative fuels, like renewable natural gas, and increase ways of getting around that require no fuel at all. At the same time, while the climate and air quality benefits will be shared by all community members, we must ensure that this transition does not worsen existing inequities in our transportation system.
The following presentations are available for download:
- L.A. Story by John Drayton (4.64 MB)
- Electrify America ZEV Investment Plans by Matthew Nelson (6.02 MB)
- Battery Bus Feasibility by Kate Sargent (5.16 MB)
Email sustainability@multco.us if you would like to be invited to future “Pathways to 100% Renewable” events.
