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State Republicans bank on winning on education wedge issues: school choice, ‘parents’ rights’
One thing that stuck out to Republican candidate Tracy Cramer in talking to voters in Woodburn, Gervais and Salem recently was how upset parents still felt about how K-12 education was handled during the pandemic. She said they were frustrated with long school closures and concerned about some lessons overheard or seen in online classes. […]
Student attendance, graduation rates down since pandemic, state analysis finds
A new analysis of data from Oregon schools during the 2021-22 school year shows statewide school staffing levels are rebounding from pandemic declines, but on-time graduation rates have dropped and chronic absenteeism remains a problem. On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Education released its “At-A-Glance” profiles from the last school year, which provides the clearest […]
Oregon Chief Justice Martha Walters to retire at year’s end
The head of the Oregon Supreme Court announced Wednesday she’ll retire at the end of the year. Chief Justice Martha Walters, 72, has spent the last 16 years on the state’s highest court, and has been its leader for the last four. Walters is the first woman to serve as chief justice in Oregon. Her […]
Number of human-caused wildfires in Oregon down nearly 20%
The 2022 wildfire season in Oregon has been among the mildest in the last decade, with human-caused fires down nearly 20% from the 10-year average, according to state data. Humans are the number one cause of wildfires in Oregon and across the country. The Oregon Department of Forestry credits the decline to a wetter than […]
State’s first green hydrogen project could be among most expensive attempts to cut emissions
A proposal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by producing green hydrogen gas and blending it into natural gas for consumers in Eugene could come with record costs. If approved, about 2,500 customers of NW Natural, the state’s largest natural gas utility, would begin receiving natural gas with 5% hydrogen gas by early 2024. The company […]
Feds give Oregon groups $100 million for sustainable farming, ranching, timber
A $100 million infusion of federal money will help ranchers, farmers and loggers switch to practices that emit less greenhouse gases and capture more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Sept. 26 it would send two Portland-based nonprofit conservation groups, Sustainable Northwest and The Climate Trust, $50 million to work […]
Oregon governor signs pact with West Coast leaders to transition region to 100% clean electricity
Three West Coast governors and a Canadian premier signed a pact to make the region the first on the continent to transition to 100% clean electricity and a low-carbon economy. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown joined California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and British Columbia Premier John Horgan in San Francisco on Thursday morning […]
Electric vehicle charging company appeals record fine from DEQ for fraud
A Lincoln City company that builds electric vehicle charging stations and allegedly defrauded the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality out of $2 million in carbon credits is appealing the ruling. On Friday, the agency fined Thompson Technical Services, or TTS Charging, of Lincoln City $2.7 million for falsely claiming credits through a state greenhouse emissions […]
Tribes ask US Supreme Court to hear case over destruction of sacred site near Mount Hood
Members of two Northwest tribes want the federal government to restore a sacred site near Mount Hood that was destroyed in a highway expansion project 14 years ago. After the case was dismissed by two lower courts, the tribes on Tuesday took it to the highest court in the country. Members of the Confederated Tribes […]
Environment commission asks for public opinion on regulating air emissions from large dairies
Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission is asking the public to help decide whether the state should regulate air pollution from large dairy operations. The request follows a petition filed in August by nearly two dozen environmental, farming and public health groups asking that the state do something to monitor emissions from dairies with 700 or more […]
Oregon could join California and New York in ending sale of gas-powered cars by 2035
Oregon could soon join California and New York in banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 in an effort to cut emissions and curb the worst effects of global climate change. Under proposed rules from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, car manufacturers would need to increase the amount of zero-emission vehicles available […]
DEQ issues record fine to Lincoln City company that sold millions in fraudulent carbon credits
A Lincoln City company that builds electric vehicle charging stations defrauded the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality out of $2 million in carbon credits, according to the agency. On Friday, it fined Thompson Technical Services, or TTS Charging, $2.7 million for falsely claiming credits through a state greenhouse emissions reductions program and selling them to […]