Author

Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad is a Stateline correspondent based in Portland and the author of Windfall, published by Sourcebooks in 2023. Previously, she wrote for E&E News, the McClatchy Washington Bureau and the Miami Herald.

Big federal dollars for small state projects aim to get more cars off the roads

By: - October 21, 2023

A 60-mile pedestrian and cycling trail in Arkansas, an electric street sweeper in Oregon and truck parking facilities in Florida don’t appear to have much in common — let alone any similarity with a conversion of California highways to toll roads or a roundabout in Michigan. But all of the projects will be paid for […]

Oregon’s “Silicon Forest” is dominated by chipmaker Intel, the state’s largest private employer.

States sweeten their offers to chipmakers in competition for jobs

By: - September 28, 2023

HILLSBORO — “Oregon’s been at this for decades,” the governor’s office assures potential investors in its so-called Silicon Forest. The Lone Star State’s governor calls it a “race that Texas must win for our state, our workforce, our national security, and our future.” And New York’s governor boasts on the state’s YouTube channel that it […]

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Drug decriminalization stumbled in Oregon. Other states are taking note.

By: - September 15, 2023

Just before Portland’s City Council approved a ban on public drug use last week, Mayor Ted Wheeler described what he’d observed on his way to work that afternoon: “The last time I saw somebody consuming what I believe to be fentanyl publicly on our streets was less than five minutes ago, three blocks from City […]

It’s time for buildings to stop using a third of US energy, some states say

By: - July 24, 2023

That building looming on the corner? With a few tweaks, it might help with climate change. States with big commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are beginning to require that the owners of large buildings track how much energy they use and improve their efficiency. It’s part of a state, local and federal effort to […]

Climate change is pushing toxic chemicals into drinking wells

By: - May 9, 2022

Don Myron is probably best known as the guy who survived one of the deadliest fires in Oregon’s history by sheltering overnight in a river with a patio chair. So there was never any question that Myron would rebuild his home in Oregon’s Santiam Canyon after the house was destroyed in the Labor Day wildfires […]