About a month ago, a federal judge blocked plans to ship garbage from Hawaii, through the Columbia Gorge, to a landfill in Eastern Washington. It was a victory for environmental groups and the Yakama Nation. They said the federal government didn’t do a good enough job evaluating the risks of invasive species that might...
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Cruising the Willamette River on a perfectly sunny summer afternoon, it was tempting to forget that we were in the middle of a Superfund site. But as one of our tour guides reminded me, “It’s what you can’t see that will hurt you.”
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UPDATE: The Oregonian reports that a federal judge in Spokane has blocked the garbage shipments until the end of August. The O quotes the judge as writing, “There are serious questions relating to whether the USDA adequately analyzed the environmental impacts of shipment and receipt of Hawaiian waste.” EARLIER: A coalition of environmental groups,...
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With Portland on board for a statewide ban on single use plastic bags, supporters are bringing the cause to other cities around the state. Tonight, there’s an event in Eugene. More on that in a moment. I also spoke this morning with State Senator Mark Hass, one of the co-sponsors of ban-the-bag legislation. He’s got...
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Portland’s City Council joins the “ban the bag” movement. This afternoon, the council voted unanimously to support a statewide ban on single use plastic bags, and a five cent fee on paper bags. The proposed ban would start in 2012. Success depends on the legislature approving it, but they don’t meet until 2011. So...
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Where else but outside Portland City Hall will you see salmon dancing alongside garbage bag monsters? The colorful show was part rally, part celebration, as the Ban The Bag movement kicked off a season of activism they hope will bring about a statewide ban on single use plastic bags. Portland Mayor Sam Adams provided...
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Give Portland Mayor Sam Adams credit for good timing. Today’s city council meeting opened with about 15-minutes of testimony on why Portland should ban single use plastic bags. The chambers were filled with ban supporters. When it was over, Adams announced that a draft ordinance for a plastic bag ban would be ready by...
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The news must have landed at PGE like a ton of coal. Oregon DEQ says its looking at three options for an early closure of PGE’s coal-fired power plant at Boardman. They call on the utility to spend millions more to keep the plant running, or shutting it down a lot earlier than PGE...
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Hearings before the Public Utility Commission are usually pretty dull events. But Wednesday’s hearing in Portland promises to be very, very different. That’s because environmental groups are rallying the troops, urging them to show up in huge numbers. Their message to the PUC? Shut down the Boardman coal-fired power plant by 2014.
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After two years of study and hearings, Oregon’s DEQ has a plan to make our streams, rivers and lakes safer for people and wildlife.
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