Category Archives: OPB – Oregon Public Broadcasting

Land managers point to benefits of controlled burning in Willamette Valley

Land managers have been using ecological burns to maintain and enhance the native prairies in West Eugene. They say the practice also helps to reduce the risk of wildfires. At Meadowlark Prairie, Lane County Parks Natural Areas Coordinator Ed Alverson pointed to a unit that was burned last October. Blue camas flowers dot the grassland. […]
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More and faster: Electricity from clean sources reaches 30% of global total

A record 30% of global electricity was generated from renewables in 2023, according to a report released by Ember, a think tank based in London. Billions of people are using different kinds of energy each day and 2023 was a record-breaking year for renewable energy sources — ones that don’t emit planet-warming pollutants like carbon […]
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Does mining for batteries erase the climate benefits of EVs? No, and here’s why

NPR listeners wrote to ask whether the environmental harm from building EVs “cancels out” the cars’ climate benefits. Experts say the answer is clear. Electric vehicles are sometimes called “zero-emission vehicles.” But the batteries that go into them are not zero-emission at all. In fact, making those batteries takes a lot of (mostly-not-clean) energy and […]
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Woman released from prison after Oregon Supreme Court rules governor exceeded authority

The state’s high court ruled Gov. Tina Kotek didn’t have the power to revoke a commutation after a person completed their sentence. The justices wrote that Terri Lee Brown’s “imprisonment is unlawful.” Kotek revoked Brown’s commutation last year. The Oregon Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that Gov. Tina Kotek didn’t have the authority to […]
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Offshore wind energy in Southern Oregon moving forward – OPB’s Think Out Loud

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, recently announced the next steps for developing floating wind facilities off the coast of Coos Bay and Brookings. These Oregon offshore wind projects could power more than one million homes with renewable energy, according to the agency. Still, tribal leaders […]
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Hot weather comes to Oregon, but waterways are still dangerously cold

Oregon could see the warmest weather of the year so far. But health officials say the change in weather brings risks. This week, Oregonians could see the warmest weather of 2024 so far. But health officials say people should think twice before cannonballing in the nearest lake to escape the heat. Temperatures in northwest Oregon […]
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El Niño is on the way out after a record-breaking year of heat

The climate pattern known as El Niño is heading for the exit, after a year when it helped drive global temperatures to new records. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say conditions will likely switch to a La Niña pattern by the end of the summer. El Niño is marked by warmer […]
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Advocates for homeless seek lasting solutions even as Supreme Court weighs Grants Pass case

The Supreme Court’s decision in the case out of southern Oregon, expected in June, will broadly impact how local governments write homelessness policy in the United States. Leach said most Grants Pass residents are well aware of the case before the Supreme Court. Some hope the justices will uphold the ordinance, and others generally support […]
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Portland unanimously passes new regulations for camping on public property

After a number of setbacks, Portland City Council unanimously approved a policy Wednesday morning that regulates camping on public property. “Addressing the issue of unsheltered homelessness in the city is obviously a complex as well as an urgent order,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler, whose office drafted the ordinance. “And I believe that this ordinance represents […]
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Jackson and Josephine counties will vote on measures to restructure local government

Voters’ decisions on ballot measures in the May 21 primary could have big impacts on the structure and function of the two Southern Oregon counties. On a Wednesday night in Grants Pass, residents Alan and Julie Hartford pass around soda and cookies and chat during a meetup for Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG). The nonpartisan group […]
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