Category Environment & Agriculture
Oregonians have five weeks to secure expiring federal home energy tax credits
The nonprofit Energy Trust of Oregon is encouraging residents to invest in heating and cooling pumps, solar panels, before federal money goes away.
Gov. Kotek orders state agencies to move faster on clean energy projects, electrification
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek issued an executive order meant to get agencies to identify barriers to clean energy projects and transmission and find solutions by 2027.
Oregon fast-tracks renewable energy projects as Trump bill ends tax incentives
Gov. Tina Kotek ordered faster approval for solar and wind project permits following reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica that highlighted impediments green energy advocates blame for the state’s poor ranking when it comes to the growth of renewables.
Bird flu is spreading to Pacific Northwest wild mammal populations
One of the largest Northwest bird flu outbreaks to date was in 2023 at Staats Lake north of Salem. State biologists are closely watching this season as deaths have steadily increased.
Feds quietly delay cleanup of forever chemicals at military bases in Oregon, Washington
An Air National Guard base in Portland and an Air Force base near Spokane are among those that will have longer timelines for forever chemical cleanup.
New wildlife area would see Umatilla Tribes regain access to ancestral homeland
A unique agreement would allow the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to co-manage an 11,500-acre tract of land with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Proposal denied for dam near Silver Falls State Park
The Oregon Supreme Court ruled that a dam proposal by a group of Mount Angel farmers would impede the state's water rights on Drift Creek.
One Oregon activist uses decades-old liberal policy to stall green energy projects in rural areas
Citizen activist Irene Gilbert, a retired 76-year-old state employee, has filed 15 challenges to energy projects in Oregon, more than any other person or organization.
Annual algae bloom forms on Willamette River. A bill to stop it died in the Oregon House
A bill would have provided $1 million in state funds to design a channel that could restore the Willamette River’s flow and stop the toxic algae blooms from forming, but it died in committee.