26-03-2025
Forest Park conservationists challenge Portland's approval of PGE project
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Less than two weeks after city leaders to remove a portion of trees from Forest Park, an organization has challenged the decision.
submitted its appeal to Portland Permitting & Development on March 20, one day ahead of the deadline. The conservation nonprofit has alleged that phase three of PGE's — which would cut 376 trees from five acres of the city park — fails to comply with the natural resources management plan established in 1995.
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The the site's natural resources amid an uptick in factors like the number of visitors, spread of English ivy and the homeless population.
PGE has stated that its ongoing project only entails the removal of trees that pose safety hazards for the park, as the utility works to renew the aging infrastructure that brings electricity to its customers.
But Forest Park Conservancy claimed the utility company's proposal is unnecessary.
'PGE cannot fully mitigate the damage from the proposed project, there are alternatives to their proposal, and this proposed project disrupts the forest's trajectory to becoming an ancient forest,' FPC said in a .
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The company's proposal received support from several people who weighed in at the . One individual said the project appears to be the 'least-impact solution' in offering reliable power to the area, while another said it could actually benefit the environment.
This was after Permitting and Development issued a staff report that opposed the proposal, expressing concerns on whether it would minimize impacts to Forest Park. The City of Portland's Hearings Office proceeded to approve the electric utility's land use review application on March 7.
The decision 'reflected the most substantial analysis of the evidence against the permitting criteria,' according to PGE's Vice President of Policy and Resource Planning Kristen Sheeran.
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'…in other words: the process working as it should,' Sheeran added in a statement to KOIN 6 News. 'PGE urges the Council to exercise the same careful review of facts and evidence to similarly find that the project is needed, meets the stringent requirements for work within an existing utility easement, and includes extensive plans to improve forest health and wildfire safety.'
Portland City Council is slated to review the appeal at a later date.
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