Environment
A year after state, tribes receive funds to test for lead in drinking water at schools, childcare facilities
Tribal-run child care facilities and schools in Oregon will be tested for lead in the drinking water under a grant announced by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board will receive $445,000 to test water in at least 90 facilities in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Testing will begin next spring […]
In D.C.: Sage-grouse protection plans in the West under review by Biden administration
WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management is updating Obama-era plans to manage the greater sage-grouse in 10 Western states. The BLM has published a request for comments to help update management plans for the bird’s habitat in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and other Western states. The Interior Department agency will review new scientific […]
More than 100 new faces headed to Oregon state boards
The Oregon Senate confirmed more than 100 new members of state boards on Wednesday despite opposition from Republicans to three of Gov. Kate Brown’s picks. All eight Senate Republicans who attended Wednesday’s floor session and Sen. Betsy Johnson, an independent from Scappoose, voted against Amy Schlusser, an environmental attorney who Brown chose for the commission […]
Environment Commission issues historic mandate for cleaner trucks on Oregon roads
A powerful state regulatory commission Wednesday put Oregon in the forefront of climate change efforts by mandating changes to trucking that are expected to cut in half greenhouse gas emissions and tailpipe pollution. The state Environmental Quality Commission approved the Clean Trucks Rules to require truck manufacturers to boost their production of electric medium- and […]
Baker City feedlot hopes to expand operation to 15,000 cows
A Baker City feedlot that currently manages fewer than 3,000 head of cattle is seeking permission from the state to expand to 15,000. The expansion would require approval of a new Confined Animal Feeding Operation permit through the Oregon Department of Agriculture. CAFO permits specify the number of animals a company can have in one […]
Oregon’s work to minimize wildfires gets a boost from federal legislation
Oregon will likely tackle much quicker a long list of projects already planned to help cope with wildfires that have become increasingly catastrophic in the state. From making homes in forested areas safer to clearing forest debris left untended for sometimes decades, the federal money comes on top of an already-robust plan approved by state […]
Suit over sacred tribal site on Mount Hood will be heard in Ninth Circuit on Tuesday
Two tribal leaders who’ve pursued a year’s long battle with the federal government over a patch of Mount Hood they consider sacred will get another chance to make their case in court. The leaders want the federal government to restore what they say is an ancestral religious location. They sued the Federal Highway Administration in […]
Timber advocates ghostwrite commissioners’ complaint about River Democracy Act
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden in August got a letter critical of his plan to preserve more Oregon streams from 14 county commissioners in eastern Oregon. They represented the letter as their view – but gave no indication the piece had been produced by the timber advocacy group American Forest Resource Council. Oregon Wild, an environmental […]
In D.C.: Climate funds in infrastructure bill aimed at drought, wildfires, floods
WASHINGTON – The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill isn’t just about roads and bridges – it also spends billions to address wildfire, drought, flooding and other effects from climate change, Interior Department officials said Wednesday. The $1.2 trillion measure, which is awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature after the House cleared it last week, includes pay […]
Grants in Oregon to tackle smoke threat to grapes, wild carrots invading fields, and more
Oregon’s wine industry, which has been hard hit by recent wildfires, might not have to worry so much about smoke spoiling grapes in the future. A plan is in the works to protect grapes from “smoke taint” that fouls the taste of wine. The research project by Oregon State University is among 15 projects that […]
Oregon environmentalists say feds neglecting to enforce action to protect fish
The first time Nina Bell heard that the Columbia River was getting warmer was in the early 90s. Scientists advising the state Department of Environmental Quality warned that the river in some places was becoming a danger to migrating fish, she said. “They called it out, said the temperatures were jeopardizing the fish – jeopardizing […]
For the health of Oregonians, state needs to move ahead on tighter controls for diesel trucks
As with so many critical issues, Oregon is at a crossroads with how we move people and goods around. After far too much delay, it’s time to take a new path and examine the impacts transportation has on our health, communities, and climate and how to fix it. There are many obstacles to overcome to […]