In 2017, when the Oregon Legislature authorized a modest highway widening project on I-5 just north of the I-84 intersection, it was expected to improve travel speeds and reduce traffic accidents. The estimated construction cost was $500 million-$700 million. By 2021, the project had morphed into a social justice and real estate development scheme, with […]
Portland, Ore. — Cascade Policy Institute submitted a 30-page special report for testimony, Monday, on the massive 12-tax transportation package HB2025 heading into its final hearing Thursday (6/12) at 4:00 PM with the Joint House-Senate Transportation Reinvestment Committee. The report is titled “From Gas Tank to Paycheck: Oregon’s Plan to Tax Everything That Moves,” by […]
It’s official: More than half of America’s K-12 students are now eligible to participate in a school choice program. On May 3rd, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2 into law, making the Lone Star State the latest to enact a universal Education Savings Account program. According to the American Federation for Children, the […]
Overpromising and under-delivering has been the habit of Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) for decades, with businesses, counties, and towns struggling to weather the financial hardships of ODF’s inconsistent timber sales. House Bill 3103 with the -1 amendment seeks to address these concerns by requiring ODF to establish sustainable harvest levels (SHL) on state forest […]
On October 14, Google announced that it will finance the construction of seven small nuclear reactors in the U.S. built by energy start-up Kairos Power. The agreement will provide 500 megawatts of clean, reliable electricity to feed Google’s growing need for data centers. This follows on the September 20th announcement by Microsoft and Constellation Energy […]
Environmental advocates who demand that we buy certain products rarely seem concerned about cost. But earlier this week, New York Times reporter Christopher Flavelle wrote about his experience last July replacing his home air conditioner with a heat pump. As a “climate” reporter, he felt obligated to buy the heat pump based on claims that […]
The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) was opened in 1990 with the backing of Metro, the Portland regional government. It was opened to create more economic growth opportunities in Portland. In 2003 the convention center was underperforming, and Metro made the decision to upgrade. This renovation came with the promise of generating surplus revenue. Unfortunately, the […]
The Oregon Legislature has mandated that large utilities deliver 100% emissions-free electricity by 2040. Since coal and natural gas account for more than 45% of Oregon’s electricity generation, replacing those fuels with emission-free alternatives will be difficult. Moreover, the closer Oregon gets to 100% reduction, the more expensive it will get. This challenge stems from […]
The modernization of Benson Polytechnic High School is nearing completion. Originally budgeted for $202 million in 2016 and funded by a voter-approved bond in 2017, the scope of the project was subsequently expanded along with the cost. The revised budget, partially paid for through another bond in 2020, was $410 million. Part of the problem […]
Cities in Oregon are required to have Urban Growth Boundaries (UGBs). However, those boundaries are not supposed to be permanent limits to urban expansion. UGBs are required to include enough land to allow for adequate housing over a 20-year period. The Portland regional government, known as Metro, is in the process of analyzing the need […]