Ruby Pipeline: $22 Million For Conservation in Oregon and The West

July 15, 2010
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The Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge in Oregon. From Wikimedia Commons. Photographer unidentified.

The company behind Oregon’s newest natural gas pipeline will donate at least $22 million for conservation projects in our state and across the West.

It’s the result of a three-way deal between the Oregon Natural Desert Association, Western Watersheds Project and El Paso Corp. The money will be used to undo some of the environmental damage that results from building the Ruby pipeline, and to preserve sagebrush habitat.

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VIDEO: Mayor Adams Supports Ban The Bag At Today’s Rally

July 14, 2010
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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 the headline of the day, repeating his announcement that the city will have a draft ordinance to ban plastic bags ready for public review by the end of the week.

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PHOTOS: Four New Wolf Pups Born In Oregon

July 14, 2010
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Oregon’s only breeding pair of wolves has done it again.

Oregon Fish and Wildlife says the Imnaha pack has – at least – four new wolf pups this year.

The photos of the pups romping through a field in Wallowa County are sure to delight environmentalists, and to dismay many Northeast Oregon ranchers.

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Ban The Bag Campaign Is Reborn In Portland

July 14, 2010
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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 the end of the week. The crowd erupted into cheers.

After coming oh-so close to a statewide ban on plastic bags earlier this year, ban supporters have taken the time to regroup and re-energize the movement.

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The Week In LNG: ‘Sweetheart’ Deals and a Pipeline On Hold

July 9, 2010
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Two news items worth passing along regarding LNG in Oregon this week. One got a fair amount of attention – and the other? This may be the only place you’ll read about it. But it has the potential to undo one of the two remaining LNG projects in the state.

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Sierra Club Shindig Saturday

July 9, 2010
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The Oregon Sierra Club has a lot to celebrate this year. The death of Bradwood Landing LNG for starters. Then there’s the almost certain early closure of the state’s only coal-fired power plant near Boardman.

So Saturday’s annual Shindig should be a happy event. Even Mother Nature seems to be celebrating by turning down the heat and providing some almost perfect Oregon summer weather.

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UPDATE: Oregon Wolves Get Four Week Break From Hunting

July 2, 2010
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Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator, with a 97-pound male wolf collared Feb. 12th. Photo from ODFW.

Oregon’s small population of wolves are safe from hunting – for now.

USDA Wildlife Services, which has orders to kill two wolves in Wallowa County, says it will call off the hunt until the end of July.

The decision is the first good news in a long time for the state’s wolf advocates, who filed a lawsuit yesterday to permanently stop the hunt.

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