Checking in on the Portland Clean Energy Fund
A little over three years after 65% of Portland’s voters passed the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) ballot measure, those of us who organized to pass the ballot measure in 2018 are deeply disappointed by the blatant effort by the Portland Business Alliance (PBA) and the wealthy corporations they represent to undermine voters’ intent. Their attempt to commandeer these funds is in order to serve the interests of CEOs and corporate shareholders who are indeed enjoying record breaking profits. We cannot ignore that the PBA continues to single out and attack a program intended to serve Black, Brown, and Indigenous Portlanders and help fix long-standing racial wealth and resource disparities in the face of the climate crisis. From our perspective, no other city program or service gets singled out the way PCEF does.
Investments from the Portland Clean Energy Fund are being used right now to diversify the green workforce, correct environmental inequities, and transition Portland to clean energy. Home energy retrofits and living wage jobs funded by PCEF dollars are part of the solution to Portland’s present affordability crisis. Portland Business Alliance is yet again seeking to shirk its responsibility to take action for climate, rather than identifying strategies to use their position and resources to reduce carbon emissions and build resilient communities that can adapt to the accelerating climate crisis.
PCEF’s funding comes from just 1% from billion-dollar corporations who make over half a million annually in Portland sales, so PCEF’s higher-than-anticipated revenues are a signal that these largest businesses have money to spare that could be invested in fixing the many problems facing Portland today. We hope PBA and its members will come to the table to make use of available resources and support real solutions for climate justice, housing stability, and public safety that serve every Portlander, rather than only advancing corporate profits.
Additional Comments on PCEF’s Recent Audit
As advocates for communities of color, we are well aware of the need for strong government and external watchdogs to ensure public resources are put to their best and intended use. We have always wanted the PCEF program to continue to learn from experience and iterate on the foundational goals of the program. To that end, we applaud the work of the City Auditor in releasing its thorough analysis of the successes and challenges in implementation of the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) and providing a roadmap for critical components of the fund’s implementation, including assessment, reporting, and alignment with the City’s climate goals and the voter’s intent.
As the City Auditor herself noted in recent coverage, updates are to be expected in a new program created by a ballot measure initiative with just two years of program development staffing under its belt. The audit noted the diligent work of the PCEF staff and grant oversight committee thus far and offered concrete steps to make the program as accountable and impactful as possible. An audit is an essential opportunity for growth and learning to improve government programs and services—not opportunism by corporations seeking to hide their profits and avoid paying their fair share. The PCEF staff have detailed their plans to address this feedback. They plan to:
Define performance metrics by July 2022 and establish performance goals by July 2023. This includes defining ambitious and measurable workforce and contractor equity goals as required in the code as well as measurable goals related to climate change mitigation. Staff have recently selected a contractor to conduct a workforce and contractor supply and demand market study that will provide key inputs for the workforce and contractor equity goals.
Develop recommendations to Council offering clearer strategic direction on climate goals relevant to PCEF by December 2022. Staff will assist the PCEF Committee and other stakeholders/community members to draft recommendations for Council consideration.
Begin a conversation with the PCEF Committee and Commissioner Rubio to outline options for City Council consideration that clarify and amend program budgeting requirements and PCEF’s administrative cost limit to improve transparency and provide greater budgeting consistency by December 2022; and clarify, define, and establish goals for PCEF’s capacity- building efforts by December 2022.
Continue to assess the Committee’s governance structure to ensure there are clear roles and effective oversight responsibilities and potentially suggest changes or clarifications by July 2023.