Connecticut’s bus service just pulled its entire fleet of electric buses after one bus burst into uncontrollable flames. While the small risk of an electric bus fire is scary, Portland’s TriMet could face huge financial fires if it continues growing its electric fleet. The upfront costs to go electric are high, and TriMet has no […]
Last week Cascade Policy Institute released a new research report finding wasteful spending in Oregon’s 1.5% for Green Energy Technology program, known as GET. Under the program, any government construction or renovation project costing $5 million or more must spend 1.5% of the budget on green energy technologies. These technologies can include solar, woody biomass, […]
For more than a year, Cascade Policy Institute has urged Metro to convert all or part of its Expo Center into a shelter for the region’s homeless. For much of that year, the City of Portland and Metro have had on-again, off-again conversations about using the site.Let’s face it. The Expo Center is a money […]
The last two years have made it clear: Oregon parents deserve real choices in their children’s education. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, government and teachers’ union policies have disappointed and angered parents whose students’ academic needs haven’t been met by their assigned public schools. In addition, the online public instruction options available while […]
For years, Portland residents have dealt with homeless individuals parking cars and RVs along neighborhood sidewalks, bringing garbage, drug usage, and even blazing fires along with them. This illegal parking has drastically reduced the safety and cleanliness of the city. In late 2020, the City of Portland and Metro began to consider a simple solution: […]
The Oregon Transportation Commission recently decided how to allocate $412 million in discretionary federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The commission’s plan, though, was quickly criticized by a coalition of environmental and transportation groups. The coalition complained that the spending plan prioritizes “highways over community safety,” even though about half of the […]
The Census just released the latest population estimates and, for the first time in nearly two decades, Multnomah County’s population has dropped. From 2020 to 2021, the county’s population decreased by more than 12,000 people, or 1.5%.Neighboring Washington and Clackamas counties reported almost no change, while Clark County in Washington saw a 1.3% increase in […]
This time they’re coming for your home. Earlier this month, Oregon’s Secretary of State released an audit of Oregon’s mortgage interest tax deduction. According to the audit, the tax deduction is “regressive and inequitable.” This audit is unusual in that it calls into question policy decisions made by the legislature. In particular, it claims that […]
According to a new survey from the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center, 71% of Oregonians are either somewhat or very concerned about hospitals having enough beds to take care of all patients requiring care. These fears aren’t unfounded—even as the pandemic comes to an end. Oregon has the fewest number of hospital beds per capita […]
Homelessness is the biggest issue facing Portland—and the state of Oregon—today. Tarps, tents, and heaps of garbage are a common sight in nearly every neighborhood of the city. But how did the crisis get so bad? In an interview with Greg Frick of HFO-TV, Cascade Policy Institute’s VP of Research Dr. Eric Fruits outlines the […]
