Sustainable Transportation In the News
Search this section • RSS Feed
|
Oregon played key role in cleaner cars
- Register Guard (new window)
|
2010-04-02 |
| America’s dependence on oil is our nation’s Achilles’ heel. Whether you care about high gas prices, global warming, air pollution or national security, if you dig deep enough into America’s biggest challenges you’ll strike black gold. So the Obama administration’s announcement this month of final new fuel economy and emissions standards for America’s cars is an historic step. In Oregon, the “clean cars program” will save 124 million gallons of gasoline per year by 2016, while slashing emissions of global warming pollution from vehicle tailpipes. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Session Watch: Greenhouse Gas Bill Goes To Governor
- NaturalOregon.org (new window)
|
2010-02-24 |
| The House approved SB 1059, a bill that lowers greenhouse gas emissions from car and light trucks. The Oregon Environmental Council says the vote was 32-26. The Senate approved the bill yesterday, all that’s left is getting the Governor’s signature. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Oregon Senate, NASA scientists agree: Fewer car trips key to healthy cities
- BikePortland.org (new window)
|
2010-02-24 |
| A new study by NASA and a bill passed by the Oregon Senate yesterday have at least one thing in common. They both sound the alarm that transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions (a.k.a. too many cars and trucks on the road) are harmful to the planet and they need to be curtailed. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Oregon Senate approves bill to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks
- The Oregonian (new window)
|
2010-02-23 |
| Oregon's Senate passed a bill this afternoon aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions from cars, SUVs and pickup trucks in metropolitan areas even as the state's population grows. The agencies would also establish a "tool kit," planning guidelines and vehicle greenhouse gas reduction targets for five metropolitan areas: Bend, Corvallis, Eugene/Springfield, Medford and Salem/Keizer. The Portland area is already proceeding with legislatively mandated planning around vehicle emissions. | |
| more. . . | |
|
9 bills to watch in Special Session
- Oregon Business Report (new window)
|
2010-02-22 |
| The Oregon Legislature is now in its third week of the special session. Feb. 11 was the last day for bills to move out of their committee of origin, except for those in Revenue, Rules, or Ways and Means. This means a number of bills will be left in committee and are effectively dead. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Will the Legislature make headway on protecting our climate?
- BlueOregon.com (new window)
|
2010-02-12 |
| From the 2008 elections that put President Obama and Senator Jeff Merkley into office, to last month’s special election on Measures 66 and 67, the youth vote in Oregon has increasingly helped tip close races toward the more progressive outcome. More and more, the progressive movement in this state and beyond is looking to young voters as an audience that must stay engaged to keep our candidates in office and our policies moving forward. So it’s with great satisfaction that I participated in the Cascade Climate Network’s annual youth/student lobby day in Salem earlier this week. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Advocacy Group Touts Oregon’s Leadership in Building Plug-in Cars
- KLCC (new window)
|
2010-01-22 |
| Oregon’s role in the green energy movement was highlighted today by the advocacy group “Environment Oregon” at an electric car manufacturing company in Eugene. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald reports. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Report States Electric Cars Critical to Sustainable Future
- KEZI-9 (new window)
|
2010-01-22 |
| Environment Oregon released a report Friday that stressed the importance of plug-in cars. Industry leaders, including Eugene-based Arcimoto, say the current economic and environmental times show the need to re-vamp America's transportation system. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Our Plug-In Future: Saving The Planet One Car At A Time
- NaturalOregon.org (new window)
|
2010-01-22 |
| In a new report, Environment Oregon sings the praises of plug-in cars. Whether they’re plug-in hybrids, or plug-in electric vehicles, the report says they have the potential to bring about major reductions in pollution, greenhouses gases, and lessen our dependence on imported oil. Plus, we’ll see the benefits almost immediately. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Eugene business hopes to bring jobs to Eugene with electric car
- KMTR TV-16 (new window)
|
2010-01-22 |
| Hopeful for new manufacturing jobs and clean technology in Oregon, a push has started for electric cars. Eugene electric car maker Arcimoto played host today to the release of a new report. Political Action Group “Environment Oregon” is behind it. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Op-Ed: Hit the breaks on the I-5 bridge
- The Oregonian (new window)
|
2009-12-04 |
| Both the Project Sponsor's Council and the public should insist on a complete explanation and analysis of the "new" $3.6 billion proposal. The region needs the time to scrutinize and comment on what would still be the most expensive public works project in the region's history. Indeed, The Oregonian's own editorial states that "the new plan requires scrutiny from every angle and every constituency served by the bridge." There is simply no way, with the incomplete and cursory information that the CRC staff has made available to the public, that such scrutiny could have occurred before today, when the council is expected to vote on the plan. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Op-Ed: Rethinking the Columbia River Crossing
- The Oregonian (new window)
|
2009-12-04 |
| Everyone agrees something needs to be done about the Interstate 5 bridge. After years of study, the Oregon and Washington Departments of Transportation and their consultants have come up with a massive highway expansion plan that would replace the existing six-lane bridge with a new $4.2 billion 12-lane bridge, and widen five miles of I-5 to match. But in the years since the studies began, the world has changed. There is widespread concern that the current Columbia River Crossing proposal is no longer an appropriate solution to the transportation needs of the 21st century. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Proposed Mega-Bridge Drifts Toward Gridlock
- Willamette Week (new window)
|
2009-12-04 |
| Today, the Project Sponsors Council (which includes local electeds, transit officials and Department of Transportation officials from Washington and Oregon) punted on whether to vote to approve the down-sized option. Hayden Island residents—who face the loss of a Safeway, their primary shopping option, and the carving up of the island—turned up in force to pan the new approach. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Blumenauer introduces ‘Active Transportation Fund of 2009′
- BikePortland.org (new window)
|
2009-12-04 |
| U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) plans to introduce a new bill to Congress next week that would create a $2 billion grant program that would hasten investment in biking, walking, and other “active transportation options”. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Opposition fills CRC meeting: Project decision delayed
- BikePortland.org (new window)
|
2009-12-04 |
| Opposition to the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) took center stage at this morning’s meeting of the Project Sponsor’s Council (PSC). From a protest outside the meeting, to over one hour of public testimony — the project’s key players heard that the project remains disliked by many people. Opposition to the project, along with strengthening criticisms from Portland Mayor Sam Adams and Metro President David Bragdon were enough today to delay a vote on a package of “refinements” to the project made by CRC staff. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Five Predictions For Friday's Big CRC Meeting
- Portland Mercury (new window)
|
2009-12-03 |
| The Governor has called a blatant media stunt press conference in support of the $3.6 billion Columbia River Crossing project! This can only mean one thing: a major, possibly negative decision on the big bridge must be near. Indeed, the bigwig Project Sponsors Council will meet tomorrow morning to discuss and possibly vote on the recent "refinements" ($680 million in downsizing) to the CRC. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Adams, Bragdon call for ‘fundamental changes’ in CRC project
- BikePortland.org (new window)
|
2009-12-03 |
| With momentum surging for the Columbia River Crossing and what could be a pivotal Project Sponsor’s Council meeting just hours away, Portland Mayor Sam Adams and Metro President David Bragdon have issued a joint “Guiding Policy Statement” calling for “fundamental changes” in how the project is planned. | |
| more. . . | |
|
CRC project headed for a showdown
- BikePortland.org (new window)
|
2009-12-01 |
| This Friday, the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project will be put to a crucial test. At a meeting of the Project Sponsor’s Council, CRC staff will present the council members — which include Department of Transportation directors and mayors from both Vancouver and Portland — with a new proposed bridge design that reflects “refinements” that have taken $650 million off the project’s estimated cost. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Proposed changes to Columbia River Crossing project don't sit well with Hayden Island residents
- The Oregonian (new window)
|
2009-11-29 |
| In a recent round of CRC Mega-Bridge trimming, Hayden Island potentially lost some key elements -- including its Safeway grocery -- or saw others undergo significant design alterations. A replacement Interstate 5 bridge, a light-rail extension to Vancouver and other transportation improvements are proposed as part of the project. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Ashland joins in effort to re-open Siskiyou rail passage
- Ashland Daily Tidings (new window)
|
2009-11-28 |
| In an effort to get freight trains rolling again over the Siskiyous, the city is working with the California towns of Weed and Montague to lease or buy the railroad line that was shut down by its owners last year in a rate dispute. The cities have drafted a joint powers of authority agreement as the Siskiyou Regional Railroad Authority, and they are seeking $16 million to acquire the 90-mile right-of-way, said Ashland City Councilman David Chapman, who has been working on the project for more than a year. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Metro Takes Aim to Kill CRC Support in 2011
- Portland Mercury (new window)
|
2009-11-20 |
| At a Metro Council meeting on Tuesday November 2nd, Councilor Robert Liberty introduced a little amendment to the group's regional transportation plan that could actually turn out to be a bombshell. | |
| more. . . | |
|
CRC Pitches 10 Lanes, Will Politicians Bite?
- Portland Mercury (new window)
|
2009-11-19 |
| Environment Oregon’s Brock Howell listened in to the meeting and pointed to the $72 million the project has so far spent on planning and outreach. “WSDOT and ODOT have done a fantastic job of organizing this, they clearly have a lot more financial resources than the public interest,” says Howell. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Guest Column: Time of the Living Dead Bridge
- The Oregonian (new window)
|
2009-11-19 |
| Halloween was more than two weeks ago, and yet the Columbia River Crossing project continues to haunt the region like a zombie that just won't die. The latest rendition of the I-5 bridge supported by the CRC Project Sponsors Council is just the newest idea to break out of the living dead's coffin. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Metro’s road plan: running on fumes?
- Forest Grove Times (new window)
|
2009-11-18 |
| Wish list of road projects, including work on the Sunset Highway, would generate more trips, put more cars on the road and lead to a 49 percent jump in greenhouse gas emissions in the region. | |
| more. . . | |
|
If Oregon sees another big one, bridge and road failures will lock the region up
- The Oregonian (new window)
|
2009-11-16 |
| An earthquake such as the big one that hit the Pacific Northwest in 1700 would wipe out many of Oregon's bridges, cause billions of dollars of damage, make much of U.S. 101 and Interstate 5 impassable and sever all road connections between the coast and the Willamette Valley. It's a dire scenario that the most sober of scientists see as inevitable. | |
| more. . . | |
|
New Fed policy would fund more bike projects around transit stops
- BikePortland.org (new window)
|
2009-11-16 |
| The Obama Administration has taken a solid step in matching their “livable communities” rhetoric with action. A new proposal from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) would increase the radius around transit stops and stations where bicycling and walking infrastructure could be funded. The proposal showed up last Friday in the Federal Register and bike advocates and planners in the Portland area are already getting excited. | |
| more. . . | |
|
I-5 bridge hits gridlock
- Portland Business Journal (new window)
|
2009-11-13 |
| Bickering over federal transportation dollars could delay design and construction of a new interstate bridge over the Columbia River by as many as 18 months. The Obama administration has asked lawmakers to delay drafting a new federal transportation bill until March 2011 while Congress addresses health care reform and energy issues. If Congress approves the delay, it would extend the nation’s existing transportation policy, which no longer generates enough money to pay for costly projects like a new Columbia River bridge. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Columbia River Crossing faces obstacles in its path
- Daily Journal of Commerce (new window)
|
2009-11-12 |
| If the effort to replace the Interstate 5 bridge has ground to a halt, that’s news to Columbia River Crossing officials. The Oregon and Washington transportation departments are still working on the joint project despite pronouncements of doubt from both sides of the river. But others doubt the project has the momentum to proceed. In September, Portland Mayor Sam Adams withdrew his support for the agreement he and Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard announced in February. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Columbia River Crossing staff scales back I-5 bridge plan
- Portland Tribune (new window)
|
2009-11-12 |
| Reacting to criticism that the proposed Columbia River Crossing is too big and expensive, the project staff recommended this week that lanes be dropped and interchange work be delayed to help cut the cost by up to $650 million. | |
| more. . . | |
|
Throw it Out: Five Green Groups Demand New Plan for I-5 Bridge
- Portland Mercury (new window)
|
2009-11-12 |
| A HANDFUL OF progressive Oregon and Washington groups announced a bold new idea for the controversial Columbia River Crossing (CRC) bridge last week: Throw it out. The five groups calling for an "immediate restart" of the massive bridge plan want the transportation project to allocate $4 million to an independent analysis of what to do about the clogged traffic corridor. Washington and Oregon have so far allocated $131.07 million to the bridge project, and their state departments of transportation drew up the current plan to replace the six-lane bridge with a $4.2 billion 12-lane design. | |
| more. . . | |
