The Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub along the Willamette River in NW Portland supplies fuel to 90% of Oregon—and because most of the tanks were built prior to modern seismic standards, they are likely to catastrophically fail during a big earthquake. In 2022, economists and researchers at ECO released a report detailing the economic, ecological, and cultural devastation this release of hundreds of millions of gallons of oil would cause. In response to this valuable research—and in order to avoid the largest oil spill in US history, which would cost Portland billions of dollars to clean up—the local government is taking action to upgrade and secure this area. As always, the team at ECO is proud to be pursuing work that makes our communities safer and stronger—even when that work uncovers truths that jangle our nerves.
Read more about our report at OPB.
You can also find coverage of this story in the Portland Mercury and The Statesman Journal.