This ordinance mandates minimum blends of biodiesel and ethanol in petroleum-based fuels sold in Portland and requires city-owned vehicles to maximize use of renewable fuels.

This policy brief addresses arguments facing university endowments on whether or not to divest from fossil fuel companies. From the advocates of divestment, endowments hear about the serious environmental damage already incurred, the frightening trajectory of the math and the benefit from taking a public stance on a critical ethical issue. From the skeptics they hear that screening will adversely affect risk and return and that the goal of any endowment should be to focus exclusively on returns. The math shown in Tables 1 and 2 does support the skeptics\' view that screening negatively affects a portfolio\'s risk and return, but it also shows that the impact may be far less significant than presumed. It\'s beyond the scope of this paper to judge whether endowments should implement or avoid screening, but anyone on an endowment board facing that decision should at least do the math, in this case the investment math.

This model ordinance requires that a municipal public fund create a list of fossil fuel companies that match specific criteria and divest all direct and indirect holdings in companies on this list over a 3-year period. This model allows for temporary suspension of divestment actions when financially prudent, as well as requiring efforts to minimize the costs to public funds. This model also urges fiduciaries of local government investment pools to divest from fossil fuel companies. And this model provides a range of policy options, from urging asset managers of participant-directed retirement funds to create investment offerings that are devoid of holdings in fossil fuel companies, to reinvesting funds in socially responsible investments, to urging credit rating agencies to factor climate risks into their ratings of publicly held companies.

This resolution calls for managers of public investments and public agencies to divest any fossil fuel accounts currently in the county\'s investment portfolio. Further, it prohibits any future managers of public accounts from investing in companies whose business profits from the manufacture or sale of fossil fuels and unsustainable energy.

This ordinance regulates development of electrical generating power plants in the county. The plant\'s location, development, operation, and transmission lines must protect the public health, safety, convenience, welfare, water resources, air quality, visual resources, cultural resources, land use, and biological resources. An entity that wants to develop an electrical generating power plant must have its permit application approved. The ordinance specifies requirements for the application and penalties for unapproved electrical generation or power plant facilities.

This ordinance prohibits extraction of natural gas from new wells; and prohibits utilizing new extraction methods on pre-existing wells.

The ordinance prohibits extraction of natural gas from new wells; and prohibits utilizing new extraction methods on pre-existing wells.

This ordinance prohibits extraction of natural gas from new wells; and prohibits utilizing new extraction methods on pre-existing wells.

The ordinance prohibits extraction of natural gas from new wells; and prohibits utilizing new extraction methods on pre-existing wells.

The model resolution declares the intention of a City, where the city does not currently invest in fossil fuel stocks, to refrain from investing in publicly-traded fossil fuel companies.