Portland gas tax in play, Owyhee Monument status remains uncertain and state attorney general asks Trump to uphold clean energy plan.
1. Portland drivers to pay higher gas tax
Voters approved a four-year, 10-cent per gallon tax last May, but the tax wasn’t implemented until Jan. 1. The delay was caused by the contractor that reports gasoline tax sales, which needed to add Portland to its system, the Oregonian reports. The tax — now the highest city gas tax in the state — could cause a small increase in gas prices depending on the vendor. It’s projected to bring in $64 million over the next four years for infrastructure projects.
2. Still no word on Owhyee monument
President Obama designated two more national monuments last week as his term comes to a close. The hotly contested Owyhee Canyonlands, however, has yet to be designated a national monument by the President. Supporters say they think there is still a chance, but without word from Obama, the monument’s future is unclear, the Capital Press reports. The President has until Jan. 20 to make the designation.
3. Oregon AG urges Trump to defend Clean Power Plan
Ellen Rosenbaum joins 13 attorney generals who are asking the President-elect to uphold the Clean Power Plan, the Portland Business Journal reports. The ask follows a Dec. 14 letter from two dozen states asking Trump to kill the plan, which sets carbon-emission limits for the nation.
4. Deschutes County hosts most work-from-home employees
The American Community Survey found 9.3% of workers in the Bend-Redmond area work remotely, the largest percentage in Oregon, the Bend Bulletin reports. The work-from-home workforce grew faster than the workforce as a whole last year.
5. Biomass testing delayed in Boardman
Portland General Electric was set to test a full-day biomass burn at its Boardman Coal Plant by the end of December, but increased energy demands due to cold weather have pushed that test to the new year, the East Oregonian reports. PGE is testing biomass to see if the plant can be transitioned to run on an alternative source of fuel.
6. Portland glass maker moving to Mexico
Uroboros Glass sold its company last week and is moving production to Tijuana, the Portland Tribune reports. Uroboros shutteredlast year after toxic emissions were found at the plant. the plant has operated in Portland for 44 years.
7. Opinion: Agriculture in Transition
Roughly 64% of Oregon’s farmland will change hands in the next 20 years. Who will inherit the earth?
