Search Results
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Oregon Legislature Considers Pesticide Reform Bills
Although Oregon has been a laggard in strengthening pesticide regulations, a set of bills that would shield humans and ecosystems from their potentially dangerous effects is now before state lawmakers. If passed, Oregon would rank among the most assertive states for protecting communities from pesticides. The bills, SB 853 and HB 3058 among others, have key endorsements from Beyond Toxics and the Oregon Conservation Network as part of their pesticide...Read more » -
EPA Slow to Regulate Neonic Pesticides That May Be Killing Off Bees
The most widely-used insecticide in the world is a compound called imidacloprid. Along with some other best-selling pesticides, it is a member of the neonicotinoid chemical class known as “neonics,” that are used in the Northwest on such staple crops as potatoes, apples and other tree fruits, grapes, and wheat. Neonics have a big problem though: they may well be connected to the precipitous decline in bee populations. Neonics are...Read more » -
Why Washington Needs Statewide Action on Backyard Cottages and In-Law Apartments
A quarter-century ago, Washington passed a law requiring cities to allow mother-in-law suites in houses. So why are Washington legislators proposing a new bill this year to reform the rules for granny flats statewide? Accessory dwelling units (ADUs), as these unassuming homes are known to policy wonks, may be legal under state law, but that hasn’t stopped cities from piling on restrictions and fees that can make it unworkable for...Read more » -
Washington Just Advanced the Nation’s Best ADU Reform. Here’s Why It’ll Help.
Backyard cottages and in-law apartments breathe new life into existing homes. It’s a new life that lets multi-generational families live together, seniors age in place, and owners on fixed incomes stay in their homes. Tucked into or alongside existing houses, these small homes—collectively termed accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—can meet evolving household needs and help families of all kinds find greater housing security. And by converting empty yards, basements, and attics...Read more » -
WATCH: City Club of Portland Backs Multimember Districts, Upgraded Voting
A volunteer research committee in Portland recently discovered that you can’t talk about improving local government without considering an upgrade the form of voting. City Club of Portland spent about a year studying the city’s government and invited more than a dozen witnesses to speak about their findings at an event to release the report held February 12. Sightline Institute’s own Senior Researcher Kristin Eberhard was one of the witnesses. (Her...Read more » -
Tips for Talking About the Green New Deal
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Impact Fees Are ADU Busters
If you’re lucky enough to be a Cascadian homeowner, you’ve probably toyed with the idea of installing a mother-in-law apartment or backyard cottage at your place. If you’ve gone as far as to explore what would be required, you may have slammed straight into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) buster: your city’s fees. In Washington, for example, depending on what city you live in, so-called impact fees alone might total...Read more » -
Who Would Live in “Missing Middle” Housing? The Middle Class
Re-legalizing duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in fancy Portland neighborhoods would create homes with “unaffordable average market-rate rents of $1,823/month,” one resident of a fancy Portland neighborhood warned the Oregon legislature this week. The home she owns, according to the Multnomah County assessor’s office, is currently worth $529,710. (Approximately equivalent monthly rent: $3,661.) Other residents made the exact opposite argument. “I oppose HB2001 as it will make my neighborhood no LONGER...Read more » -
Coal Market Roundup, February 2019: ‘Nobody is making any money’
It’s been another disappointing few months for the US coal industry. And it’s been especially grim for Western US coal companies hoping that Asian exports will revive their flagging prospects. Here are some highlights—or perhaps lowlights—in the ongoing saga of King Coal’s demise: Fraser Surrey Docks coal project bites the dust. The dim prediction for West Coast coal exports grew even gloomier after the Port of Vancouver, BC, canceled its permit for the...Read more » -
Updated: Housing Bill Tracker for 2019 Washington Legislative Session