Environment
Pentagon to halt use of firefighting foam that contains PFAS as cleanup costs mount
WASHINGTON — Battered by years of criticism from U.S. lawmakers and environmental advocates, the Department of Defense will stop purchasing PFAS-containing firefighting foam later this year and phase it out entirely in 2024. The replacement for Aqueous Film Forming Foam has yet to be determined, and advocates are frustrated it’s taken so long to halt […]
DEQ pausing electric vehicle purchase rebates because program is running out of money
UPDATED on March 16, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. A cash rebate program rewarding purchasers of electric vehicles is running out of money and will temporarily be suspended after April 30, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced Wednesday. The department advised residents to buy a vehicle by then and apply for a rebate within six […]
States to receive $2.5B from feds for electric vehicle charging infrastructure
The federal government will send $2.5 billion over the next five years to states, local governments and tribes to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Biden administration officials said Tuesday. The new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant program, which was authorized by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, will spend $2.5 billion over five years to build […]
Oregon lawmakers, climate advocates push for environmentally friendly buildings
Oregon lawmakers and climate advocates are pushing for legislative action to build more efficient homes and office buildings to protect the environment and reduce long-term homeowner costs. Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton, and Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, are spearheading the effort after spending much of last year leading a task force that recommended policies […]
Biden administration OKs Willow Arctic oil project on Alaska’s North Slope
The Biden administration on Monday approved Alaska’s largest oil and gas development in decades after a bipartisan lobbying effort by members of the state’s congressional delegation and the state Legislature. Though the project has broad support from elected officials in Alaska, it’s strongly opposed by environmental groups. Some are already planning a lawsuit to block […]
Progressive agriculture groups rally for land access, climate-smart policies in farm bill
WASHINGTON — Farmers and leaders from more than 20 progressive agricultural groups gathered this week to march on the U.S. Capitol, and promote climate solutions and underserved producers as priority issues for lawmakers in the upcoming farm bill. “As farmers, we are close to the land. We love the land. We understand the sanctity and […]
Farmers pack legislative hearing on bill that would halt new large animal operations
Dozens of farmers, environmental advocates and representatives from industry packed a legislative hearing to express their opposition or support for a bill that would stop any new, large animal operations from being permitted for eight years. During nearly two hours on Monday, they testified before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources. Farmers with dozens of […]
Lawmakers want no new water rights permits issued until the state audits Oregon’s water resources
Oregon’s water basins are being overdrawn year after year, and a strategy to protect them for future generations is desperately overdue, according to two lawmakers. State Reps. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, and Mark Owens, R-Crane, say the Oregon Water Resources Department needs to stop issuing new water rights until it can provide data about the flow […]
Advocates urge Biden to protect beavers, Oregon’s state animal
A group of scientists, nonprofit organizations and advocates from Oregon and around the country have asked President Joe Biden to issue an executive order protecting beavers on federal public lands. Their letter was sent to the White House on Monday, signed by over 200 scientists, wildlife experts and activists. It says beavers are important for […]
Proposal to divest pension funds of fossil fuel holdings is financially responsible
A trio of state lawmakers want Oregon’s pension funds divested of fossil fuel holdings. House Bill 2601, as reported by Alex Baumhardt of the Capital Chronicle, would require the Treasury to disclose all of its investment holdings and to stop investing in “carbon-intensive” holdings, defined as investments in coal, oil and gas companies, and providers […]
Small and low-income Oregon communities get millions to address toxic chemicals in drinking water
Money approved by Congress will help Oregon’s small and low-income communities test and treat drinking water for toxic chemicals known collectively as PFAS, some of which can cause cancer at even low levels. Limited testing by the Oregon Health Authority has shown that PFAS contamination in drinking water is not as big of an issue […]
Why Northwest officials are only now deciding how to regulate crypto mining
More than a dozen cryptocurrency mining operations call Grant County, Washington, home. In a county of just over 100,000 residents, sitting directly below the Grand Coulee Dam, 13 crypto mining operations — think warehouses stacked with networked computers continuously working on complex math equations to earn bitcoin — might seem like a lot. But the […]