The threat of a peak in global oil supplies has received official
attention from the City of Portland. A resolution to create a task
force to investigate implications of peak oil was passed by City
Council today largely in response to activism from Portland Peak Oil,
a local grassroots group. "This task force will focus on preparing
Portland for a local response to impending global oil shortages,"
said Stephen Johnson, a volunteer with Portland Peak Oil.

The task force resolution was sponsored by all five members of the
council and passed unanimously. The Office of Sustainable Development
will continue its leadership in addressing the problems inherent with
urban sustainability by taking the lead in staffing the task force.
The Bureau of Planning and the Office of Transportation will also be
cooperating with the task force along with the Oregon Department of
Energy and METRO who will be providing technical assistance. The task
force will be comprised of up to 11 people representing diverse
community and business interests.

Portland Peak Oil participants have raised the level of awareness
regarding oil supply and consumption by holding weekly Wednesday
night meetings at St. Francis Parish dining hall. "Local governments
must plan and implement important policy changes to address the
imminent oil shortages and their impact on our local economy," said
Pam Leitch, a Portland Peak Oil volunteer in the policy working
group.

The idea for a local task force began in January when Portland Peak
Oil drafted a one-sentence petition urging the city to create a task
force to investigate the implications of peak oil for the citizens of
the Portland metro area. Volunteers in the group started circulating
this petition and have collected over 600 signatures. After meetings
with Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder, Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who
oversees the Office of Sustainable Development, and other government
officials, peak oil volunteers stepped up the campaign. Pam Leitch
and David Cohan began drafting a resolution in February and reached a
finalized version in cooperation with Saltzman's office in late
April.

"Portlanders' support for this resolution is reflected in the
tremendous growth of Portland Peak Oil over the past year," says
Emily Pollard, an organizer with the group. "We look forward to
assisting the work of the task force and continuing to promote
projects to educate the community."

The task force will be appointed within one month and will then
convene regular meetings throughout 2006. The policy recommendations
to Council are expected within six to nine months and will be
incorporated into the city's global warming local action plan and
other measures such as the city's comprehensive plan.

Portland Peak Oil welcomes everyone to its regular Wednesday night
meetings at St. Francis Parish dining hall at 7pm 1136 SE Pine in
Portland, OR. For more information and to read the resolution visit
www.portlandpeakoil.org