Climate & Air Quality

In the greater Portland region, Metro is in the middle of a process to shape a regional transportation funding measure that could go before voters in November 2020.

Our Salem is a multi-year project to update the Comprehensive Plan, which guides future development for the city. The first phase of the project focused on looking at existing conditions, with a focus on livability and sustainability.

Once every three years, the greater Portland area's regional government, Metro, opens a competitive grant process called Regional Flexible Funds Allocation (RFFA).

The 2019 Oregon Legislature adjourned just hours before their constitutional deadline on June 30. This was a highly contentious session that received national news coverage for the partisan gridlock and multiple walkouts that occurred. Like so many others, we were waiting for news on priority bills right up until Sine Die. We had some significant wins this year, including the passage of a bill that phases out dirty diesel, and the death of a bill that would have removed local regulation of TNCs.

June 26, 2019 Update: All eyes are on the Oregon Legislature as the 2019 Session comes to a close. Although we had hoped for a statewide policy to reduce diesel emissions and phase out old dirty diesel engines this session, HB 2007 has been limited to the tri-county area. Still, the bill is a meaninful step forward and necessary to allocate remaining VW Settlement funds. HB 2007 has successfully passed the House and, along with many other important bills, awaits the Senate to resume its business.

SKATS, the designated MPO for the Salem-Keizer region, has released the 2019-2043 Regional Transportation Systems Plan (RTSP) for public review. The RTSP is the long-term guide that identifies priority transportation investments and is only updated every four years.  We’ve submitted comments requesting that the RTSP is strengthened in the following areas:

3/27/19 update: HB 2007 has been scheduled for a work session on April 4, 2019. The bill was scheduled prior to the first chamber deadline so that it may continue to advance this session. While no amendments have been posted yet, we're supporting partners in asking for amendments that will strengthen the bill. Read our post from earlier this month for more details:

After two years of study and collaboration with community partners, the Portland Bureau of Transportation is ready to showcase PedPDX, Portland’s citywide pedestrian plan. It prioritizes sidewalk and crossing improvements and other investments to make walking safer and more comfortable across the city. The plan identifies the key strategies and tools we will use to make Portland a great walking city for everyone.