Benton
Region Exceeds Two-Year Benchmark for Energy Efficiency
By: JENNIFER LIGHT In 2016 and 2017, the Northwest region achieved 404 average megawatts of electric energy efficiency savings, enough power to equal the average annual energy use of 290,000 homes, according to a report by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. This achievement exceeds the first two-year efficiency target…
Read MoreNorway, Oregon’s Bottle Bill and Plastic Recycling
CFM State Affairs Team China’s refusal to keep buying US-sourced recyclable materials and the mounting threat of plastic pollution in the ocean have redirected attention to schemes such as beverage container redemption, in which Oregon has been a leader. The HuffPost headline was breathless: “Norway has radical approach to plastic pollution and…
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“I Don’t Give a (Bleep) About Akron!”
by Charles Marohn Last year I moderated a panel of suburban mall developers as part of an economic forum at New York University. It was a spirited conversation among some heavy hitters, including a few well-capitalized investors whose opinions directly shape communities around the country. Needless to say, this was…
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Association of O&C Counties Express Support for Changes to Endangered Species Act
July 19, 2018 Press Release The Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) expressed support for several regulatory changes proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that would improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by those agencies. The agencies released information about the proposed…
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A Letter to POTUS on Infrastructure
December 11, 2017 by Charles Marohn During the presidential transition that took place at the beginning of this year, I was asked to provide my thoughts on how a Trump administration should prioritize what was anticipated to be up to a trillion dollars in infrastructure spending. It was an honor — and…
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Love the forest; love the people
Paul Barnum Executive Director, Retired I love Oregon’s forests of all kinds – from freshly planted to majestic old growth – but the biggest attraction for me has always been the people. Growing up in eastern Oregon, I spent many summers working in agriculture: bucking hay, driving pea trucks and…
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Oregon’s Minimum Wage Increases on July 1, 2018
June 18, 2019 Oregon’s three minimum wages will be in the top nine state-level minimum wages in the nation. The highest minimum wage will be in the District of Columbia ($14.00), followed by Massachusetts and Washington ($12.00); Colorado and New York ($11.10); and Arizona, California, and Maine ($11.00). The federal…
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The Results Are In: How Your Parents Impacted Your Career Path
by Refresh Leadership on September 7, 2018 in Surveys, Polls, and Infographics In August, we asked readers how much influence their parent(s)/guardian(s) had on their career paths, and with 36% of the votes, “my parent/guardian had no influence on my career path” was the top choice, followed by “My parent/guardian encouraged me to achieve a…
Read MoreParking: Where we embrace socialism in the US
By Joe Cortright 17.7.2018 How we embrace socialism for car storage in the public right of way Comrades, rejoice: In the face of the counter-revolutionary neo-liberal onslaught, there’s at least one arena where the people’s inalienable rights reign supreme: parking. Fear not, comrade sister: you will not have to search for…
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Unemployment Rates for Oregon’s Youth – Lowest on Record
July 16, 2018 by Felicia Bechtoldt Oregon added hundreds of thousands of new jobs while recovering from the Great Recession and the unemployment rate declined to a record low in 2017. In these economic conditions, even teenagers and young adults are finding jobs. Unemployment rates for Oregon youth increased drastically…
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