PGE plan to put power lines in Forest Park approved by the city

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) — The City of Portland approved a controversial plan to clear hundreds of trees in Forest Park to install a new high transmission power line.

Portland General Electric says the new line is needed because the current power lines don’t meet demand. It says if the power lines are not installed, there could be rolling blackouts in the area by 2028.

In January, FOX 12 spoke to a neighbor in northwest Portland who was worried about the impact to Forest Park.

“I’m against it, yeah, because there is a species of northern terrestrial frog called the northern red-legged frog that lives where PGE wants to do the cutting and it will harm their habitat, so it’s a problem,” said Rob Lee, who has lived in the area for 20 years.

SEE ALSO:

FOX 12 received a statement from Kristen Sheeren, PGE Vice President of Policy and Resource Planning, saying:

“The decision to approve PGE’s permit request is an example of the process working as it should, and will allow PGE to proceed with work that is crucial for safe, reliable and increasingly clean energy for Portland homes and businesses. The decision to approve this permit request constitutes the most significant finding of facts about this project coming out of an extraordinarily detailed application process that included extensive public involvement. We appreciate that this decision weighed all evidence and found that the project is needed and meets the stringent requirements for work within an existing utility easement, including extensive plans to improve forest health and wildfire safety.”

To learn more about the Harborton Reliability Project, click here.

Copyright 2025 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.