PGE’s Proposed Expansion May Mean Trouble for Forest Park

by Karly Chin, Activist Program Coordinator

When I first moved to Portland, I was struck by how intertwined the city and nature are. I could be surrounded by skyscrapers, then drive five minutes and suddenly find myself in soft green light, among old-growth Douglas firs. In Portland, the dance between urban and natural spaces is in full swing. The preservation and integration of nature into cities is not an accident. It’s the result of continuous and careful advocacy, with the Bird Alliance of Oregon community contributing significantly. But a beloved result of this advocacy may soon need our attention. Forest Park, a 5,200 acre forest in the city and our neighbor here in the West Hills, is a potential site for the Harborton Reliability Project, a new Portland General Electric (PGE) proposal. If you haven’t heard about the Harborton Reliability Project, don’t worry. It’s still in its early stages and is relatively shielded from the public eye—for now. Let’s get you up to speed. 

Trillium in Forest Park
Trillium in Forest Park, photo by Marshall Johnson / Portland Parks and Recreation

The Harborton Reliability Project is a PGE proposal to update their power grid (you can check out PGE’s spin on the project on their site). Concerned about aging infrastructure and increasing energy demands, PGE has submitted a multiphase plan to update their transmission lines. The project is already underway: Phase 1 saw the construction of a new substation (a site that converts electricity into the appropriate voltages), and Phase 2 is building a new transmission line along Highway 30 between the substation and northwest Portland.

The next phase is where we are paying particularly close attention. PGE has proposed to develop transmission lines expanding a quarter mile west of the Harborton substation. This would require clearing the forest in an approximately five-acre swath of Forest Park, where PGE has a utility easement on land owned by the City of Portland and managed by Portland Parks & Recreation. While five acres may not seem like a lot, the loss of the forest there would severely impact the habitat, hurting broader ecosystem health in an otherwise healthy second-growth forest parcel. The area is rich in biological diversity and is important upland habitat for red-legged frogs, a sensitive species in Oregon. In fact, the Harborton Frog Crossing, where volunteers gather annually to ferry frogs across the highway, is just around the corner. The area is also a tranquil haven for hikers and birders. A clear-cut through Forest Park is not something to take lightly.

Red-legged frog, photo by Peter Pearsall / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Bird Alliance of Oregon was a key player in the formation and protection of Forest Park some 76 years ago, and we’ve fought other efforts to clear-cut sections of the park. Our conservation team helped shape its management plan to benefit wildlife, and we continue to take our stewardship role very seriously. We understand the community’s need for reliable energy, but we want to ensure that all stakeholders—including nature—are fairly considered. PGE evaluated alternative routes, including 16 paths fully outside Forest Park, but selected the current route as the best option. We’re not so sure. Building a new powerline through Forest Park sets the precedent for future development and further habitat fragmentation. Indeed, PGE already has plans for two more phases that could expand the clear-cut to make way for more infrastructure even farther west. What starts as a five-acre clear-cut could set the stage for a much larger project through Forest Park. We’re not the only ones who are concerned. Our longtime partner, the Forest Park Conservancy, has also voiced concerns over how this project could impact the park, and released a formal statement earlier this year. Reliable energy is a very real need. But we want to ensure that this need is met in a just and equitable way, and that means a development plan that gives appropriate weight to environmental impacts. 

So where does that leave us? This phase of the Harborton Reliability Project has not been approved yet. As of June 21, PGE had submitted their project application, but the City was still waiting on some additional materials before they could complete their initial review. Upon completion they will publicly post the full proposal and set an initial public hearing date. Once the proposal is accessible, we will be very interested in PGE’s plans to mitigate environmental impacts and assess alternative routes. In the meantime, you can sign up for Action Alerts to be notified when the proposal becomes fair game for public input. Forest Park is a haven for many living creatures, human and non-human alike. We want to make sure it stays that way. 

Interested in seeing the at-risk area for yourself?

Join us for a conservation adventure in Forest Park! We’ll take you out to the parcel that may be developed, where we’ll explore the forest, the birds that rely on it, and what you can do to help advocate for its protection. Sign up here!