In May 2006 Portland City Council adopted Resolution 36407 establishing the Peak Oil Task Force. In the resolution, City Council charged the Task Force with four key tasks:
1) Review information on the issues of peak oil and natural gas production and the related economic and social consequences;
2) Seek community and business input on the impacts and proposed solutions;
3) Develop recommendations to City Council on strategies the City of Portland can take to mitigate the impacts of declining energy supplies in areas including, but not limited to: transportation, business and home energy use, water, food security, health care, communications, land use planning, and wastewater treatment; and
4) Propose methods of educating the public about peak oil in order to create positive behavior change among businesses and residents that reduces dependence on fossil fuels.
The resolution also instructed the Offices of Sustainable Development, Transportation, and Emergency Management and the Bureau of Planning to provide staff support to the Task Force. In addition, the Oregon Department of Energy agreed to provide technical assistance on energy and policy issues.
Commissioner Dan Saltzman appointed 12 members to the Peak Oil Task Force in July 2006. At its first meeting, the Task Force established four subcommittees to examine peak oil from several perspectives, which, while overlapping, were also intended to produce distinct insights. The four subcommittees were:
1) Land Use and Transportation
2) Food and Agriculture
3) Public and Social Services (including education, health, social services, utilities and public safety)
4) Economic Change
Each Task Force member participated in at least one subcommittee, and about 10 members of the public also participated regularly in subcommittee meetings. Each subcommittee identified a set of relevant issue areas and stakeholders, experts and other resources to consult. After the initial organizational meetings, subcommittee meetings typically involved a discussion with one or more stakeholders or experts, including local and state agencies, major regional employers, health care providers, developers, food retailers, human service agencies and economists, among many others. From July through December 2006, the full Task Force met every two weeks, with each subcommittee convening at least once between meetings of the Task Force. Collectively, the Task Force held more than 40 subcommittee meetings and involved 80 stakeholders. An additional 40 citizens participated in at least one Task Force or subcommittee meeting, with most taking part in multiple meetings.
Task Force subcommittees generally directed their efforts first toward gathering relevant background information and context; second, toward exploring likely impacts of peak oil on their focus areas; and third, toward developing recommendations to address the anticipated impacts. Subcommittees reported their preliminary findings and proposals to the full Task Force, where they were reviewed and discussed. After the four subcommittees produced their preliminary impacts and recommendations, a fifth subcommittee was formed to develop recommendations for how best to inform and engage the public and encourage behavior change. In addition, Task Force members identified several umbrella issues and recommendations that were added to those developed by subcommittees.
A draft report was released on January 18, 2007 with comments accepted through February 12. Feedback was received in the following forms:
· 44 individuals provided comments using an online comment form
· 7 organizations submitted letters:
o Cascade Policy Institute
o Multnomah County Health Department
o Northwest Natural Gas
o Oregon Department of Transportation
o Oregon Electric Vehicle Association
o Western States Petroleum Association
o Portland Office of Emergency Management
· 30-40 people attended one of two public forums
· Briefings were conducted for several groups:
o Staff from City Commissioners’ offices
o Food Policy Council
o Metro
o Planning Commission
o Sustainable Development Commission
After the close of the comment period, the Task Force met to review input received and determined changes for its final report.