Bullseye Glass is fined again, and Amazon may expand operations in Portland.
OREGON NEWS
Bullseye fined again. Bullseye Glass has been cited for illegally dumping glass shards in the sewer, The Oregonian reports. The dumping allegedly took place in April, when the company was facing scrutiny for its air toxicity. The fine could be $300, but the city is requiring Bullseye to clean the sewer system and ensure glass is kept out moving forward.
Amazon in Portland? Amazon announced last week it would build it’s third brick-and-mortar bookstore in Portland, but rumors say Amazon might take its Portland residency a step further and build an office. Portland Business Journal reports the office could open in August.
Growers market. It’s been less than a month since marijuana edibles were allowed in Oregon, but the Oregon Legislative Revenue office is predicting a 10% to 15% revenue increase for the month. With monthly tax revenue topping $3.7 million, edibles could bring in an extra $500,000 monthly. The Statesman Journal has more on the new market. Meanwhile, the Meriwether Group is partnering with cannabis producer HiFi Farms. Read our April 2016 profile of HiFarms here.
Mobile payments. Portland is serving as a guinea pig for Square, the electronic payment system. Although Square is based in San Fransisco, the company sent a team to Portland after it became the largest new user market. The company is gaining popularity for its contactless payment methods. Read more from The Portland Tribune.
Brexit in Oregon. Curious how the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union could impact Oregon? Read my blog to find out.
NATIONAL NEWS
Plan for clean energy. President Barack Obama is expected to unveil his clean energy plan this week in Canada. Teamed up with Canada and Mexico, the leaders will set a target for North America: 50% of electricity from non-polluting sources by 2025. As of 2015, about of third of the United States’ energy came from coal. NPR has more. And ICYMI: read about NuScale CEO and U.S. Chamber Of Commerce board-policy disconnect on energy issues here.
Volkswagen settles. The German automaker will pay $15.3 billion to settle its emission-test cheating scandal. Of that settlement, $10 billion will cover buybacks and fixes for diesel cars that used the illegal software. Oregon will collect $85 million of that settlement. Volkswagen is also giving $2 billion to fund programs aimed to promote electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and $2.7 billion to the government to replace old buses and build new infrastructure to reduce emissions. Read more from Reuters.
