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A hearings officer for the city of Portland has approved Portland General Electric’s plan to upgrade transmission lines at the northern end of Forest Park, a project that will require cutting down 376 trees and filling two wetlands in an area that’s home to the northern red-legged frog, an at-risk species.
To reach her decision, Marisha Childs dismissed a long list of environmental concerns from staff at Portland’s Permitting & Development Office, which in January had strongly recommended rejecting the project. Childs found instead in her 33-page decision that PGE’s “habitat mitigation plan extensively, credibly, and persuasively provides for how the project proposal will protect Forest Park’s native plant and animal communities, its soil and water resources, and allows for the ecosystem to grow into an ancient forest.”
PGE, which welcomed the decision, said it will replace the removed trees by planting new ones in overheated neighborhoods beyond Forest Park.
“The decision to approve PGE’s permit request is an example of the process working as it should, and will allow PGE to proceed with work that is crucial for safe, reliable and increasingly clean energy for Portland homes and businesses,” vice president of policy and resource planning Kristen Sheeran said in a statement.
Scott Fogarty, executive director of the Forest Park Conservancy, which has opposed the project throughout the approval process, says his group is likely to appeal the decision to the Portland City Council.
“This is a great step backwards in our city’s efforts to promote climate resilience, community engagement, and proper use of our critical greenspaces,” Fogarty says. “We plan on working with other organizations and local community partners to continue to push back on PGE’s efforts.”