In November 2020, Portland proposed a Healthy Climate Fee, which would establish a $25 per-ton fee on GHG emissions from facilities in Portland with emissions of 2,500 metric tons of CO2-e (carbon dioxide equivalents) per year or greater. This proposal, if passed, would be the first of its kind in the nation.
Oregon law requires facilities with emissions above this level to report their GHG emissions annually to the Oregon DEQ Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The City would require reporting based on the level of emissions from the previous year, aligning with DEQ requirements to minimize the burden of compliance for covered entities.
Revenue generated through a Healthy Climate Fee would raise approximately $9 million per year to support projects, programs and policy development to meet the City’s decarbonization pathways and the actions in the City’s Climate Emergency Declaration and Climate Action Plan.