How one Oregon city has raised a billion dollars for climate change

How one Oregon city has raised a billion dollars for climate change May 20, 202610:00 AM ET From By  Monica Samayoa The PDX Community Solar project is funded by a more than $4 million grant from the Portland Clean Energy Fund. It provides power to qualified low-income residents in Portland, Oregon's Cully neighborhood.  Monica Samayoa/Oregon Public Broadcasting hide caption toggle caption Monica Samayoa/Oregon Public Broadcasting NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about how communities are moving forward on climate solutions despite significant political headwinds. As the federal government halts plans to address climate change, states, cities, regions, and even neighborhoods are trying to fill the gap, by cutting climate pollution and adapting to extreme weather. PORTLAND, Ore. — In the last seven years, the city of Portland, Ore., has built a community solar project to reduce emissions and lower energy bills for 150 low-income families. The city has distributed more than 20,000 free air conditioning units to help vulnerable households prepare for heat waves. It has funded energy efficiency retrofits for 3,100 homes. And 2,000 people have been trained in the renewable energy and construction fields. Sponsor Message These projects have all been made possible due to an innovative billion-dollar climate fund. The Portland Clean Energy Fund is a first-of-its-kind racial, social and climate justice fund aimed at helping the city's most vulnerable residents adapt to climate change while also reducing carbon emissions. A 65% majority of voters passed the measure in 2018, and in 2019, the city began levying a 1% retail sales tax on large corporations within Portland city limits — think Target, Walmart, REI. Unlike a sales tax, which is paid by the consumer, the companies pay the city a small percentage of each sale; for example, a $100 purchase means the city earns $1. NPR's Climate Solutions Week In conservative Utah, some communities are ditching...