Portlanders Rally for Stronger Protections at CEI Hub Hearing
On December 16, Breach Collective joined community members, health professionals, educators, and environmental advocates for a powerful rally and public hearing on the City of Portland’s draft policy on the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub.
The CEI hub is a six-mile stretch of industrial land along the Willamette River holding 630 fuel storage tanks, making it one of Oregon’s most dangerous energy sites. Furthermore, it sits on soil highly susceptible to earthquake liquefaction, raising fears of catastrophic spills, fires, and toxic contamination in the event of a major seismic event.
The event brought concerned Portland communities together to urge city leaders to dramatically strengthen safeguards around the massive fuel storage complex that sits just northwest of downtown. Demands include that the policy must:
Mandate a faster, more aggressive, and enforceable drawdown of toxic fuels, beginning immediately.
Eliminate loopholes — like discretionary allowances for new transloading infrastructure for an undefined “public benefit” — that could allow the industry to bypass drawdown requirements.
Require modern seismic, fire, and safety upgrades for existing infrastructure.
Include a concrete plan for a just transition that protects workers and frontline communities.
Center tribal rights and environmental justice.
What community leaders are saying
Dr. Cherice Bock, Climate Policy Director at 350PDX said:
“Portland is at a generational crossroads. Instead of locking ourselves into decades of continued risk from this dangerous fuel hub, we have the opportunity in the CEI Hub Policy Project to choose a safer, healthier future. The current proposal points in the right direction — toward drawing down toxic fuels — and it needs to go farther and faster, in line with climate science. It must protect our communities from fire, toxic smoke, and contamination, especially in a major earthquake. We need a plan that truly offers a just transition away from toxic and emitting fuels, a plan that puts worker, community, and environmental safety over corporate profits.”
Samantha Hernandez, Healthy Climate Program Director at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, said:
“Every tank at the CEI Hub represents a direct threat to community health. In a disaster, these fuels would release a toxic plume of benzene and particulate matter, worsening respiratory illness, causing cancer, and overwhelming our emergency rooms. A 20% reduction over a decade is medical negligence. We need an immediate, science-based drawdown to protect the lungs and lives of our most vulnerable neighbors, especially children, the elderly, and those with chronic conditions.”
Angela Bonilla, President of the Portland Association of Teachers, said:
“Our schools, students, and staff deserve to learn and work in a safe environment. The CEI Hub’s risks — fires, explosions, toxic air — put multiple schools and thousands in our school community in immediate danger. The same communities that have been historically and currently underserved by our school systems will be the most impacted by the CEI hub's risks. We cannot accept a plan that allows this threat to persist for another 10 years without real reduction. The city’s priority must be the safety of our children and educators, not the convenience of the fossil fuel industry. We need aggressive action now to draw down these fuels and invest in a safe, clean future.”
Nancy Hiser, Tank the Tanks, said:
“Denial is not an option; neither is inaction: we need danger reduction now. Our safety can’t wait. Vulnerable fuel tanks, sitting on vulnerable soil, built long before safety standards -- every gallon of liquid fuel adds risk. There is excess capacity for a larger drawdown now. There's no reason to wait. We are gambling with our city's future. Strengthen the policy language and close the loopholes. This is an opportunity we have been waiting for for more than a decade.”
The turnout and testimony at the rally and hearing reflect a broad community concern about how and if Portland will prioritize public health, environmental safety, and climate goals in the decades ahead. The Planning Commission will now consider community input alongside draft policy as it moves forward in the city’s planning process.
