Share Excess Clean Energy Fund Dollars with Portlanders
The unexpected $540 million coming to Portland’s Clean Energy Fund should go back to Portlanders (“Portland’s Clean Energy Fund expected to raise additional $540M over next 5 years,” Dec. 13). Since the tax took effect in 2019, consumer prices have increased by about 20%, straining family budgets. The tax on sales underpinning the Clean Energy Fund worsens this strain. If the projections are correct, the clean energy taxes, including the $750 million that was already anticipated as well as this additional bump, amount to more than $900 a year per Portland household. Commissioner Carmen Rubio suggests spending half of the new windfall to boost the budget of cash-strapped city bureaus. She should send the other half back to Portland families.