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Portland climate group urges passenger fee at jetport to fund local pollution mitigation
Summary
A volunteer climate group urged the council during public comment to consider a nominal passenger pollution fee at the Portland Jetport to fund local mitigation including leased parking and shuttles while cleaner aviation fuels scale up.
Bill Webber, a volunteer with the Portland Climate Action Team, urged the city council during public comment to consider a nominal pollution fee on passengers at the Portland Jetport that would fund local mitigation measures while clean aviation fuels are phased in.
“Should the local community bear the brunt of the impact while the state and the region enjoy the increased demand? I don't think so,” Webber said, arguing that ultrafine particles from jet fuel have health impacts on nearby neighborhoods.
Webber said passenger traffic at the jetport has grown and noted what he described as a 50% increase in passengers through the Portland Jetport over the last 10 years. He cited a National Institutes of Health study he said links ultrafine particles downwind of airports with decreased lung function and increased airway inflammation in people with asthma, and said ultrafine particles are associated with cancer, heart disease, COPD and other respiratory illnesses.
Webber proposed that a portion of any fee go to lease temporary surface parking near the airport and operate a shuttle to the terminal while longer-term infrastructure (a garage) is planned. He offered the Portland Climate Action Team as a partner and said PCAT would like to work with the council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee to develop the idea.
No council action was recorded on the proposal; the remarks were made during the meeting’s public comment period.
