Hundreds of Portland students demand Oregon climate change action

Hundreds of Portland students and residents took to the streets Friday to demand that Gov. Tina Kotek do more to address climate change in Oregon.

Youth activists walked out of 27 schools to meet at the Oregon Convention Center and march just days after Kotek’s 100th day in office.

Protesters took aim at transport and storage of fuel at the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub in Northwest Portland along the Willamette River. About 90% of Oregon’s liquid fuels are stored at the site by companies including Zenith Energy, a frequent target of environmentalists who continue to press Portland and state officials to revoke permission for the company to operate.

Last year, Zenith increased the amount of crude oil and diesel that it moves through Portland despite promises to the contrary.

“Their aging oil tanks will crumble and spill into the river when an earthquake strikes, so we really want Tina Kotek to deny the permit that Zenith Energy has applied for, so their operations will be shut down,” said Niomi Markel, a senior at Saint Mary’s Academy and an organizer of the march with Portland Youth Climate Strike.

It will be up to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, not the governor, to approve or deny Zenith’s air quality permit application. The governor’s office did not immediately return a message for comment.

Demonstrators also said they oppose expansion of the Gas Transition Northwest XPress natural gas pipeline in the region. Backers say it’s necessary to meet demand but attorneys general in Oregon, Washington and California have asked federal regulators to deny the proposal, arguing it will increase greenhouse gas emissions.

The students walked across Burnside bridge toward Pioneer Courthouse Square, bottling up traffic behind them, and shouted, “Deny the permit, condemn the pipeline!” and “Climate change is not a lie, do not let our planet die!” Passing trucks honked in support and people hung out of their apartment windows chanting and cheering on the students.

The protest was a joint effort by dozens of activists working for weeks on kitchen floors and in city parks, said Ida B. Wells High School senior Jacob Glass, another organizer with Portland Youth Climate Strike.

He asked fellow students not just to show up but be a part of the movement.

“Join us, join the climate movement in any way,” he told the crowd “Be a part of the movement that is fighting for the life of our generation.”