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Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water, an activist group opposed to fluoridating Portland's water supply, has announced that they will seek to file a city ballot initiative, the "Clean Drinking Water Measure", that would halt the addition of any fluoride to Portland's water supply.
The announcement comes mere days after Mayor Sam Adams tweeted that he planned to vote in favor of fluoridation in Portland, providing an expected majority on the City Council for a fluoridation plan spearheaded by City Commissioner Randy Leonard and fluoridation advocates Upstream Public Health.
In a press release, Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water criticized the City Council's speed in reaching a "misguided decision before even hearing from the public or having any detailed discussions about the risks of fluoridation chemicals."
The group will hold a press conference at Portland City Hall today at noon to announce the campaign. The text of the proposed ballot title appears below:
Portland Clean Drinking Water Measure
(1) To protect the purity and quality of the City of Portland's drinking water, the City or any agent of the City, shall not add any chemical or other substance to the City's drinking water that is a by-product of any industrial or manufacturing process, or that could cause the City's drinking water to exceed the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Maximum Contaminant Level Goals.
(2) This prohibition does not apply to the addition of substances intended to make drinking water potable.
(3) To the extent this measure removes or effects any prior grant of authority under the City Charter, that permitted the addition of chemicals or substances described in Section 1, the City is specifically forbidden from exercising such authority in a manner contrary to Section 1.
4) If any provision of this measure is found to be invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not effect the validity of any of the remaining prohibitions.
WWeek 2015