Faced with a difficult decision about protecting – or not protecting – the Greater sage-grouse, Interior says it’s going to split the difference.
Secretary Ken Salazar announced Friday morning that the sage-grouse deserves to be listed by the Endangered Species Act, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. The official label is that listing...
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Tags: blm, bureau of land management, Endangered Species, interior department, ken salazar, sage grouse, u.s. fish and wildlife
Posted in Endangered Species, Land Use, Wildlife | No Comments »
If we’re ever going to restore the Willamette River basin, it’s going to cost a huge chunk of money.
Anywhere from about $593 million to $1.2 billion, according to Oregon DEQ.
In a new report, DEQ says decades of farming, logging and urban development have degraded the basins streams and rivers.
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Tags: oregon department of environmental quality, willamette river
Posted in Land Use, Rivers, Water | No Comments »
Maybe it’s because my mind is fried from all the research I’m working on today, but this video from Oregon Wild is pretty amusing. It’s done Jib Jab style, with cartoon figures of Senator Wyden and Representative DeFazio hiking through the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness.
Wyden and DeFazio introduced legislation to protect the area last year, but...
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Tags: Devil's Staircase, peter defazio, senator ron wyden
Posted in Cool Stuff, Videos, Wilderness | No Comments »
UPDATE:
Council President David Bragdon releases a statement calling this a vote a “historic moment.” He goes on to write:
“Our work is not done. We need to refocus our efforts on how we can best invest in attracting more jobs and residents to our existing communities inside the urban growth boundary. Metro, local governments and...
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Tags: metro government, urban reserves
Posted in Development, Land Conservation, Land Use | No Comments »
UPDATE: Our initial vote tally was incorrect. It’s been updated.
In the last days of the special session, one more victory notch in the belt of Oregon’s environmental community.
This afternoon, the House approved SB 1059, a bill that lowers greenhouse gas emissions from car and light trucks. The Oregon Environmental Council says the vote was...
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Tags: greenhouse gas, Oregon Environmental Council, sb 1059
Posted in Global Warming, Land Use, Transportation | 1 Comment »
Two years of political brawling and bargaining over where the Portland metro area will grow in the next 50-years could be settled by the end of the week.
On Thursday, the Metro Council votes on a plan to creating new urban and rural reserves in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. Leading up to the big...
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Tags: metro government, urban reserves
Posted in Land Use | No Comments »
A bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks was approved this afternoon by the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
But rather than going straight to the Senate floor, SB 1059 will be taking an unexpected detour.
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Tags: 1000 Friends Of Oregon, greenhouse gas, sb 1059
Posted in Development, Mass Transit | No Comments »
WEDNESDAY:
Urban Reserves
The Metro Policy Advisory Committee meets today to consider urban and rural reserves. It will make a recommendation based on the plan approved earlier this week by the Core 4 group. The committee’s job is to advise the full Metro Council on land use decisions.
Details: 5pm, Metro Council Chambers, 600 NE Grant Ave,...
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Posted in Development, Pollution | No Comments »
The Metro regional government is “almost” at a decision on urban reserves.
The latest plan, as proposed by a committee called the Core 4, includes setting aside 27,000 acres for urban reserves and 270,000 acres for rural reserves. That leaves about 2300 acres in the “undecided” category.
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Tags: metro government, noaa, urban reserves
Posted in Development, Land Conservation | No Comments »
Saying that, “everyone wants to be like Portland,” Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan came to this city to announce he’s creating a new office of Sustainable Housing and Communities.
Donovan told a group at Portland State University that this office will lead Housing and Urban Development’s new emphasis on building stronger and more sustainable communities across...
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Tags: governor kulongoski, housing and urban development, shaun donovan, Sustainability
Posted in Development, Sustainability, Videos | No Comments »