Mayor Sam Adams Calls on Portland to “Kick the Coal Habit”

Mayor Sam Adams Calls on Portland to “Kick the Coal Habit”
State of the City Address links over-reliance on coal, obstacles to jobs

(Portland, OR)— Mayor Sam Adams today delivered his State of the City address at a sold out luncheon.  One of the primary topics covered in his address was Portland’s role in Oregon’s clean energy future, and specifically Portland General Electric’s Boardman coal-fired power plant as part of the City’s over-reliance on coal.  The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign offered the following statement in response:

Statement of Cesia Kearns, Regional Representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign

“We applaud Mayor Sam Adams for his leadership– both in taking steps to move Portland off coal, and to implement solutions for a clean energy future that will create jobs in Oregon.

“The Clean Energy Works Program, outlined by Mayor Adams in his speech, demonstrates the kind of innovative and collaborative solutions that can be implemented at a municipal level to replace dirty coal, and we are proud to support such a forward-thinking program.

“Moreover, Mayor Adams has demonstrated a commitment to protecting the health and welfare of Portlanders by urging PGE to phase out the dirty, outdated Boardman coal-fired power plant.  Mayor Adams has exercised great leadership in acknowledging our over-reliance on destructive coal and the fact that coal stands in the way of Portland’s ability to take advantage of the economic and employment opportunities clean energy industries can provide.

“In his speech, Mayor Adams said that phasing out coal ‘…means growing jobs right here at home.’  We agree with the Mayor and are committed to working with him to achieve these important goals.”

For more information about the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Oregon, please visit http://oregon.sierraclub.org/goals/energy.asp.

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And, if you really want to know what Mayor Sam Adams thinks about Kicking the Coal Habit, check out this video he made on his summer vacation!  We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

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