Zenith Energy Under Investigation by City Auditor for Possible Lobbying Violations

Street Roots Radio

This episode is a follow up to past reporting covered on this show. To get the full background on what happened with Zenith Energy and City Council, listen to the August 23rd episode linked here.

Read the written reporting we're discussing in this episode, or the previous reporting it's built on from August.

To get a physical copy of the issue released each Wednesday, locate your nearest vendor here or read more online at streetroots.org.

Resources Mentioned & Further Reading:

• About Air Contaminant Discharge Permits (the permit in question that they've applied for next) [OR Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ)]

• Lobbying Entity Registration & Reporting Rules [City of Portland]

• 9/15 Portland Youth Climate Strike Recap [Taylor Griggs, Portland Mercury]

• Recent Completed City Auditor Investigation on Potential Lobbying Violations with ShotSpotter [mentioned by Jeremiah as an example 16:30]

• Past Lobbying Violation Reports from the Portland City Auditor [City of Portland]

Background Info from Past Reporting:

• City of Portland's Earlier Denial of Zenith's LUCS Permit Application [August 2021]

• Zenith Energy sues City of Portland After 2021 LUCS Permit Denial [February 2022]

• City of Portland Statement on Zenith LUCS Permit Approval [October 2022]

• About Land Use Compatibility Statements (LUCS) [Portland Bureau of Development Services]

• 2021 CEI Hub Seismic Risk Assessment [Multnomah County Office of Sustainability]

• Columbia Riverkeeper Zenith Energy Explainer [staff attorney Audrey Leonard interviewed for story]

• Breach Collective [staff attorney Nick Caleb interviewed for story]

Episode Credits:

Reporting & Interview: Jeremiah Hayden, Street Roots Zuhl Fellow

Host & Producer: Nina Dabit, XRAY.FM Development Manager

Post-Production & Editing: Kyle Gilmer, Residual Audio.

This program was made possible in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities (OH), a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds OH’s grant program. Oregon Humanities offers programs and publications that help Oregonians connect, reflect, and learn from one another.