Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group April 26, 2023 Meeting
The Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group held a special meeting on April 26, 2023, to gather community input on future use planning for the Portland Harbor Superfund site. EPA contractors from Skeo Solutions presented their Superfund Redevelopment Program's reuse situation assessment process and sought community feedback on desired future uses for the area between Cathedral Park and Willamette Cove.
Summary
The meeting focused on EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program's initial information gathering phase for the Portland Harbor Superfund site, specifically examining the area between Cathedral Park and Willamette Cove. Caleb Shafer from EPA explained that contractors have been meeting with various stakeholders including Metro, the City of Portland, and community organizations to understand future use goals and cleanup considerations. Elisa Wilson from Skeo Solutions detailed the Superfund Redevelopment Program, emphasizing that 'redevelopment' encompasses all types of future use from conservation to industrial development, not just commercial development. The program aims to align cleanup goals with community goals and can provide various types of assistance including owner/purchaser support, reuse assessments, planning assistance, and community engagement tools.
Community members raised significant concerns about the process and priorities. Sarah Taylor advocated for comprehensive planning that includes the entire North Reach area, emphasized tribal obligations for fish passage, and called for maps showing flood plains, liquefaction zones, and public land ownership. She also stressed the importance of understanding the area's history of displacement and environmental injustice. Doug Larson questioned how intangible community values like clean air and water are weighed against economic development interests, and called for more proactive community engagement. Scott Burr pushed for interactive problem-solving processes that could create synergistic solutions rather than just collecting competing priorities.
Michael emphasized community concerns about ensuring public benefit from taxpayer investment in cleanup, especially given that some responsible parties have disappeared and there are caps on EPA cost recovery. The discussion also touched on the vulnerability of the area to earthquake damage given the presence of fuel tanks built on sandy soil. The contractors committed to producing a summary document within 2-3 months and expressed interest in creating interactive tools and maps based on community feedback.
Key Insights
- Caleb Shafer explained that the initial focus on Cathedral Park to Willamette Cove area was chosen because it has the greatest potential for evolving use, though the scope could broaden based on community input
- Sarah Taylor argued that Portland's heavy industrial zoning in North Portland constitutes a civil rights violation because it concentrates offensive uses in one community area
- Elisa Wilson clarified that EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program considers all types of future use from conservation and habitat to industrial development, not just commercial redevelopment
- Doug Larson pointed out that economic development always has trouble valuing intangible community benefits like clean air and water, creating unbalanced equations favoring profit-generating uses
- Scott Burr advocated for interactive problem-solving processes that could create synergistic solutions where contradictory priorities become mutually reinforcing rather than competing
- Sarah Taylor emphasized the need to learn the profound stories of displacement, murder, poisoning and job loss in the area before considering any redevelopment
- Michael expressed community concerns that taxpayers have invested millions in cleanup while some responsible parties disappeared and EPA has caps on cost recovery from land purchases
- Caleb Shafer noted that while EPA isn't receiving direct infrastructure law dollars, they benefit indirectly from freed-up funds since other projects get infrastructure money
- Tracy commented via chat that investing in remediation that will be overcome by worse pollution from earthquake-damaged fuel tanks represents a guaranteed loss of federal funds
- Elisa Wilson explained that this initial reuse situation assessment is meant to be like a SWOT analysis to get an initial sense and identify what additional support would be helpful
- Arlene emphasized that the language used for projects from inception is really important, suggesting more focus on 'public benefit' terminology to achieve desired community outcomes
- Caleb Shafer confirmed that EPA's Superfund program remains strong across different political administrations due to its statutory foundation, despite increased politicization of federal agencies
Topics
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