Madras gets electric vehicle fast-charging station
Pacific Power and the Madras-JC Chamber of Commerce have teamed up to ensure electric vehicle drivers have another fast, convenient place to power up during central Oregon journeys.
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Forest Service advisers hear more criticism of wilderness fee plan
Proposed access fees for wilderness areas in Central Oregon were discussed and drew more criticism Wednesday night at a Forest Service advisory council meeting.
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Swalley Irrigation plans to finish piping canals in 7 years
Swalley Irrigation District said Monday it has an ambitious plan to complete piping all of its canals and modernize its system in the next seven years, to the benefit of fish habitat and water users alike.
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Gov. Brown, GOP appear set to face off again over cap and trade
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and the speaker of the House of Representatives, both Democrats, said Friday that passing legislation aimed at stemming global warming is their priority when lawmakers return to the Capitol next month.
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Judge orders Oregon clean energy ballot measures to proceed
A Marion County judge on Thursday ordered Secretary of State Bev Clarno to process two clean energy ballot initiatives that environmentalists want to bring before voters in November, after the state official had rejected them.
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EPA petition seeks action on tainted NE Oregon drinking water
Eight state and national health and environment groups are asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take emergency action because they say Oregon regulators have failed to curb nitrate contamination in drinking water sources near large dairies and feedlots.
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Comments sought, meeting set on Redmond-area canal piping project
Irrigation efficiencies and water savings in the Central Oregon Irrigation District are on the horizon, pending completion of a federal environmental planning process for a canal piping project that began in June 2017.
Continue Reading Revised Oregon climate bill could trigger another Senate GOP walkout
The GOP leader in the Oregon Senate says there could be another walkout by Republicans over legislation aimed at stemming global warming.
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ODFW IDs cause of NE Oregon 2,000-deer die-off
Tests by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife veterinarians have confirmed that Epizootic hemorrhagic disease is responsible for the die-off of an estimated 2,000 white-tailed deer in Eastern Oregon, the agency said Tuesday.
Continue Reading Work begins on new Oregon cap and trade bill
A climate change bill that could dominate the 2020 Oregon legislative session got its first public hearing as lawmakers try to find a compromise on an issue that led to GOP senators walking out of the Capitol last year.
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Merkley slams Trump plan to ‘ignore climate impacts’
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., released the following statement Thursday after the Trump administration announced proposed changes to National Environmental Policy Act guidelines and indicated that federal agencies would not be allowed to consider climate impacts when evaluating the environmental impacts of federal infrastructure projects: “With this directive, President Trump is effectively ordering
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NOAA: Minimal wildlife impact from proposed coast gas project
COOS BAY, Ore. (AP) — Federal authorities have suggested the environmental impact of a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal and pipeline on the southern Oregon coast would be minimal. They say the contentious project wouldn’t jeopardize protected species or adversely change their critical habitat. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a new study
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Solar-powered building coming to Bend’s Central District
A Bend solar energy company has broken ground on a “net zero” energy-efficient, solar-powered headquarters in the city’s Central District.
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DEQ fines The Dalles aluminum recycler $1.3 million
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a $1,296,885 penalty Wednesday to Hydro Extrusion USA LLC for multiple air quality permit violations at its aluminum recycling facility in The Dalles.
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OSU study: Genetically modified, ‘greener’ poplar trees grow just as well
Field trials in the Northwest and Southwest show that poplar trees can be genetically modified to reduce negative impacts on air quality while leaving their growth potential virtually unchanged, says an Oregon State University researcher who collaborated on the study.
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Rethink Waste Project offers community grants
The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project is offering $500–$2,000 grant awards to individuals, businesses or organizations in Deschutes County to help with materials, infrastructure or time that contribute to waste reduction in the community.
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Oregon groups explore options for 2020 climate action
Oregon’s climate future could be decided in several ways in the New Year.
Continue Reading Two C.O. projects receive DEQ waste reduction grants
The Oregon Department of Environmental is awarding nearly $600,000 in grants to 17 organizations around the state — two in Deschutes County — to promote reduction, reuse and recycling of consumer materials.
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Oregon commercial crab fishery to open Dec. 31
Fresh Oregon crab is back on the menu soon — the commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open along all of Oregon’s coast on Tuesday, Dec. 31, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said Friday.
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Deschutes River Conservancy salutes Tumalo Irrigation District
Tumalo Irrigation District’s water stewardship responsibilities may have already come to an end for the year, but they have not gone unnoticed by the Deschutes River Conservancy, which said “the district “set the bar quite high for 2019 Tumalo Creek water restoration efforts.”
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