Cassandra Profita
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Industry groups and property owners are wary of mandating fire-resistant materials in new construction. There's also controversy over exactly where the new rules should be required.
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Oregon lawmakers have passed a sweeping new plan to prevent more wildfires like last year. But some are pushing back against proposed mandates to keep homes from burning.
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As wildfires rage in the West, one Oregon town is raising new questions about what caused last year's historic fires. Residents have filed lawsuits blaming the local utility for the devastation.
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The companies face an existential threat as more governments and businesses move to tackle climate change. So a growing number have their own plans to decarbonize, by creating renewable gas.
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Portland, Oregon, will fund clean energy in communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. That's an idea that's part of President-elect Joe Biden's sweeping climate plan.
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In another first-in-the-nation move to address climate change, California will require automakers to sell more electric trucks. That could curb air pollution from the growing logistics industry.
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The Trump administration is rushing to finalize some of its biggest environmental rollbacks ahead of November's election. Some affected groups say they're too distracted by the pandemic to engage.
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Oregon will be the second state to pass an economywide system to regulate carbon emissions. Critics say a similar program in California has not had much impact.
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The expanded program includes more types of containers and benefits from a cleaner mix of recyclable materials, which is easier to sell than the mishmash of waste that ends up in curbside bins.
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Beyond straw bans, there's mounting pressure on companies to not use plastic packaging. That's creating a budding market for alternative products.