Recent Articles

The Giving and Taking of Siting Authority

December 31, 2008 18:53

Here in Oregon, the Kulongoski administration is trying to decide whether the state-wide land use system provides sufficient authority to limit Jefferson County's siting of a destination resort development near the headwaters of the Metolius River. Across the Columbia River,...Here in Oregon, the...

Oregon State University Tackles Unpredictability of Wind Energy

December 26, 2008 20:15

Wind energy is an increasingly important component of our nation’s energy supply, and it is the most advanced renewable technology available other than hydropower. While showing enormous growth over this past decade, wind power is still limited by the high...Wind energy is an increasingly important ...

Almost 150,000 Customers in the Pacific Northwest Purchase Renewable Energy

December 19, 2008 16:59

A report released recently by the Renewable Northwest Project reveals that in 2008, 148,563 residential and commercial electricity customers in the Pacific Northwest voluntarily purchased green power from renewable resources like wind, solar, landfill gas and low-impact hydropower. Over 24,000...A...

President-Elect Obama’s Pursuit of Energy Independence

December 15, 2008 22:12

In our last post, we discussed likely policy moves by the incoming administration to battle climate change. Today we discuss the new President’s anticipated approach to energy independence. Like most Americans, President-Elect Obama recognizes the interplay between energy independence and...In our l...

Expectations are High for President-Elect Obama’s Sustainability Policies

December 10, 2008 19:29

On election night, then-Senator Obama called ours a planet in peril. As he did during the campaign, he focused on promises to fight global warning and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Once inaugurated, how might he proceed to fulfill these...On election night, then-Senator Obama called ours a...

Day One of the 17th Annual Oregon Water Law Conference: A Deluge of Information

December 03, 2008 19:29

As befitting a water law conference in Oregon, it rained on Day One of the two-day 17th Annual Oregon Water Law Conference. The gloomy weather outside (not to mention the environs of the dreary Red Lion Hotel--but I shouldn't complain,...As befitting a water law conference in Oregon, it rained on...

Sustaining "Made in Oregon" - Not Just a Sign of the Times

December 01, 2008 22:44

At the Portland Business Journal's Sustainable Oregon luncheon at The Nines Hotel last Friday, I was leafing through the University of Oregon School of Law Green Business Initiative literature. The law school explains that the Green Business Initiative will advance...At the Portland Business...

Governor Kulongoski's Sustainability Transportation Plan Needs a Few More Spokes

November 25, 2008 17:02

Governor Kulongoski recently unveiled an ambitious legislative package aimed at mitigating the impacts of global warming and putting Oregon on track to reduce greenhouse gas levels to ten percent less than 1990 levels by the year 2020. The Governor's plan...Governor Kulongoski recently unveiled an...

GHG Offsets: Buyer Beware

November 18, 2008 17:19

A recent study by the General Accounting Office found that over 600 businesses have sprung up across the U.S. to sell voluntary carbon offsets. The supply of voluntary offsets has grown from the equivalent of 6.2 million tons of GHGs...A recent study by the General Accounting Office found that over...

WCI Proposal Rewards Foot Draggers On Reducing Carbon Emissions

November 11, 2008 19:16

One unfortunate aspect of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) proposal for a greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade system is that it has failed to protect states that have been "early actors" in reducing GHGs. This is a consequence of the baseline...One unfortunate aspect of the Western Climate...