15 results for tag: portland

Tolling in Oregon: What’s The Deal?

What is tolling? It seems like a simple question, but a “toll” can be understood in many different ways. Most simply, a toll is a charge for driving a vehicle on a specific piece of roadway.  Looking beyond that, though, there are a lot of really interesting questions worth considering.  For example, how much should a toll cost? What is the toll really paying for? Should every vehicle be charged the same amount, regardless of factors like the time of day or the number of passengers? The answers to these questions are more important than you might think. The price of a toll, much like the price of a loaf of bread or a gallon of gas, can ripple ...

Oregonians feel climate disruption, unfinished business

Climate disruption, along with unchecked air and water pollution from dirty energy sources, is harming Oregonians, and for too long, our leaders have put off addressing climate change in a comprehensive way.

Turning toward the river

Getting in the water is just as important as walking the halls of the Capitol. We're tabling at The Big Float 8! Come out and tell us why clean water and healthy watersheds are important to you.

Kick it with OEC!

Help us celebrate the clean water, air and land we all love and share with the most popular women’s sports team in the world, for an Earth Day match on Sunday, April 15. Tickets are being offered at a reduced rate with a generous portion going to back to support Oregon Environmental Council. In 2017, the Portland Thorns won the NWSL championship, their second in five years. After bringing the championship trophy back to the Rose City in October, the Thorns are set to raise their championship banner into the rafters of Providence Park forever at the Home Opener, and Oregon Environmental Council will be there to celebrate. Earth Day Match Portl...

Portland Leads On Climate – Again!

Scores, labels and ratings -- they're all a regular part of how we communicate information. We consult miles-per-gallon ratings on cars, nutrition labels on food, and Energy Guide labels on appliances to make informed consumer decisions. But consumer labeling for homes have been inconsistent and unavailable in most real estate markets. Not so anymore for the Portland market. Yesterday Mayor Hales' office announced that the Portland City Council has adopted a new Home Energy Score Policy to reduce both utility bills carbon emissions. The new policy will provide sellers and buyers with valuable information on energy use, energy costs and home ...

Take time for peace of mind: test for lead in water

Guest Blog by Bryce Baker You can read about lead concerns practically anywhere—from local coverage of high lead levels in water at Portland Public Schools, to national headlines of the crisis in Flint, Michigan. When it comes to lead in drinking water, everyone is worried, but parents are particularly concerned, because children are most vulnerable to the detrimental effects of lead exposure. For those who don’t know the risk, the EPA states that when it comes to children, even low levels of lead exposure have been linked to “damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, ...

Smoother Road Ahead: Two Transportation Measures Pass in Oregon

Transit and safe streets will get a boost thanks to the passage of two measures on the May 2016 ballot, making it easier and safer for Oregonians to get around. OEC was proud to endorse both of these measures, and we are celebrating their success! In Southern Oregon, voters said YES to 15-141, which provides funding to restore and expand bus service in Ashland, Medford, Central Point, Jacksonville, Talent, Phoenix and White City. Given that the state of Oregon only contributes 3% to local transit operations (compared with an average state contribution of over 24% nationally), local measures like these are essential for keeping critical public ...

Regaining Our Green Edge: The Portland Mayoral Debate recap

Oregonian: Portland's Toxic Air: Mayoral Candidates Debate Better Regulation Mounting concerns about the state's handling of toxic air pushed Portland's top mayoral candidates to blast state watchdogs Thursday and pledge better regulation. KOIN: Ted Wheeler, Jules Bailey and Sarah Iannarone discussed environmental issues On the local air quality issue:  “The Oregon DEQ let us down,” Wheeler said. “The question is, is the [DEQ] going to step up and provide the enforcement, or does this region need to go on its own?” Iannarone stressed the importance of keeping locals informed. And Bailey commented that he has seen ...

Attend a transportation forum in your neck of the woods!

Governor Brown’s Transportation Vision Panel is hosting a series of eleven regional forums across the state. We encourage our members to attend and speak up for eco-friendly, people-focused transportation. January 4: The Dalles January 7: Keizer January 13: Eugene January 14: Redmond January 25: John Day January 28: Albany February 12: Klamath Falls March 8: White City March 10: Tillamook March 11: Coquille March 14: Portland We all know how important transportation is. It provides us with access to goods, services, recreation, jobs, and other people. It touches each one of us every day. But past decisions have led to a transportat...

Climate Good News — The Tony Bennett Edition

My day started by standing in line for coffee behind a man singing perfectly in tune to the Tony Bennett song playing in the background. His delightful energy inspired this post, as if to say "today's the day we focus on the good!" So let's celebrate some climate victories that make us want to fill our hearts with song! Arctic drilling prospects frozen: Earlier in October, the Obama administration canceled plans to sell any new Arctic drilling leases and refused to extend leases previously sold. This big move comes after Shell already halted its failed $7 billion hunt for oil amid numerous setbacks. Some say the victory should be attributed ...