State Representatives Karin Power (Milwaukie), Anna Williams (Hood River), and Rachel Prusak (West Linn) recently announced they would not seek reelection because the job takes too much time and doesn’t pay enough. Much of the public discussion since then has focused on the fact that Oregon legislative pay is roughly $33,000/year plus $151 per day […]
Many Oregon politicians have convinced themselves that we can have a high quality of life without the use of oil, coal, or natural gas. If you ask them how we can do this, they have a two-word response: “electrify everything.” It’s a seductive idea. Governor Kate Brown was an early adopter when she signed an […]
The Portland Public School Board voted March 1 to adopt the “PPS Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice, and Sustainable Practices Policy.” Cascade Policy Institute’s President and CEO John A. Charles, Jr. warned the PPS Board in public comments that the plan would simply move greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from individual buildings to the electric grid. […]
Every month when you pay your electricity bill, you pay a surcharge of about 5.6%. If you are a natural gas customer, you pay a similar tax ranging from 2.5% to 4.9%, depending on your vendor. Both taxes are likely identified as a “Public Purpose Charge” (PPC). That name tells you nothing, which is by […]
President Trump is not the only one refusing to accept election results. The general manager of TriMet, Doug Kelsey, is claiming that the $3 billion Tigard light rail project is still alive, even though Portland-area voters rejected a proposed funding measure by a wide margin last month. At a recent public meeting, Mr. Kelsey stated […]
Today, Cascade Policy Institute released an analysis of Oregon’s Public Purpose Charge (PPC), recommending that the tax be repealed as soon as possible. The report, Oregon’s “Public Purpose” Energy Tax: Mission Accomplished, or Mission Creep?, was authored by John A. Charles, Jr. and Rachel Dawson. The PPC is a 3% tax enacted by the Oregon […]
Rarely has Oregon’s lack of political leadership been as painfully obvious as it is now on the topic of grid reliability. Most of us take for granted the miracle of electricity. We flip a switch and the lights come on. Computers, air conditioners, smartphones—all powered by the magic of the grid. We don’t care how […]
TriMet recently marked the ten-year anniversary of the Westside Express Service (WES), the 14.7-mile commuter rail line that runs from Wilsonville to Beaverton. Sadly, there was little to celebrate. WES ridership has been falling steadily since 2014, and there is no prospect that the line will ever meet the opening year forecast of 2,500 average […]
According to the state’s Global Warming Commission, Oregon has already met its goal of reducing per-capita carbon dioxide emissions to levels that are 20% below 1990 emissions by the year 2020. In fact, we met the goal four years ago. Are state legislators celebrating this achievement? Not at all. They are too busy rolling out […]
Last week our State Treasurer, Tobias Read, issued a press release bragging that investors around the country “stood in line” to loan Oregon $100 million so that Governor Kate Brown could buy part of the Elliott State Forest, which we already own. According to Treasurer Read, “There was three times more demand than supply” of […]