Oregon gas prices now 11th most expensive in U.S. !!

The bad: Pump prices are still climbing – and the gap separating this spring from last spring is closing fast. In Oregon, the average was up four cents to $3.67, making it the 11th most expensive gas in the U.S. Four months ago, it was ranked 24th. The Oregon average is also in the range where prices may top out this spring -- between about $3.65 and $3.85 a gallon.
www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2014/04/ore....html

Oregon food stamps, welfare numbers rose after long-term unemployment aid ended

SALEM -- The number of Oregonians relying on welfare and food stamps rose slightly in January after long-term unemployment benefits ended in December. The increases illustrate the almost immediate impact local families felt after the federal unemployment benefits ran out, pushing families already living on the margins into welfare. "What they are, in almost all the cases we looked at, would be a single mom and she's on (food stamps), and she's getting unemployment," Porter said. "When her unemployment exhausts, she has no income and is eligible for TANF. They're already a client, so they're very quick to respond to losing that income." About 92,500 Oregonians relied on TANF in January, about 2,000 more than than in December. At its peak in February 2013, TANF helped about 99,000 Oregonians. About 796,200 Oregonians -- one in five residents -- relied on food stamps in January, up about 4,000 from December.
www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/oreg....html

Cover Oregon to decide whether to fix website or adopt federal exchange

Cover Oregon’s now-infamous website failed to work on Oct. 1, when people were supposed to be able to enroll for health insurance online. It won’t be fully functional by the current Monday deadline, so the board’s next task is to guarantee a working website by Nov. 15, the day people can start to enroll in plans for 2015. The Cover Oregon board will decide in two weeks whether to adopt the federal health insurance exchange website or hire a new contractor to fix the existing site, officials told the Legislative Oversight Committee on Tuesday. The details of the proposals have not been worked out, including cost, the manpower needed to implement each solution, how the project would be managed or the requirements for the new contract. The report to the committee offered a third solution as well — piggy-backing on another state’s system — but Rep. Jim Thompson, R-Dallas, said it appeared most likely the board would choose between the federal exchange and using a new vendor.
www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20140326/NEWS/303...hange

66 candidates have applied to become Cover Oregon leader

Sixty-six candidates have applied for the Cover Oregon executive director position left vacant by Rocky King, consultants from an executive recruitment firm said today. Dennis and Marissa Karras, a father-daughter duo at Karras Consulting, updated the search committee today in Portland. Of the 66 candidates, 11 have been interviewed so far. Thirty-one are from Oregon, 34 are from out of state and one has applied from Israel. Friday is the initial deadline for applications, but the firm says it won’t stop taking applications.
www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20140313/UPDATE/1...13014
https://chumly.com/n/249207a

Governors group, including Kitzhaber, seeking new extension of federal tax credit for wind farms

A group of governors including Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber wrote to congressional leaders Monday urging them to approve a multi-year extension of the federal production tax credit for wind farms as soon as possible. FEDERAL WELFARE BY ANY NAME IS STILL WELFARE. Kitzhaber was chairman of the Governor's Wind Energy Coalition last year, which includes 23 states. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will chair the coalition next year. Margi Hoffman, a policy advisor for Kitzhaber, says the wind industry has invested some $9 billion in Oregon, though the state's wind energy boom has cooled off in the last two years. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore and now chair of the Senate Finance Committee, will likely play a key role in the PTC debate. He is expected to move this week or next to revive a package of tax breaks – known collectively as tax extenders - that expired at the end of last year. Wyden declined to comment on the package Monday, but said its no secret that he's been a big supporter of the PTC in the past.

PGE takes breather on new power plants until it figures out how to replace Boardman

PGE's action plan includes a series of pilot programs and experiments that will help it determine how to replace the Boardman coal plant, the utility's largest source of electricity, which closes in 2020. The utility has a growing dependence on natural gas to meet demand, leaving customers more exposed to what has historically been very volatile fuel prices. PGE has been spending heavily on new resources to backfill a long-standing generation shortfall that's being exacerbated by the expiration of long-term hydroelectric contracts between now and 2018. The utility is also adding wind energy to comply with state renewable energy mandates. It's the utility's largest set of capital expenditures since it invested in its now- shuttered Trojan nuclear plant. Ratepayers will begin seeing the impact of those investments in rates next year with RATE INCREASES!!
www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2014/03/pge_....html

Oregon Drops Proposed Ban on Treats Laced With Marijuana

The Oregon Health Authority had threatened to be a buzzkill when it came to medical marijuana dispensaries selling candies, cakes and cookies and other munchies seasoned with pot. But according to the Associated Press, the agency has backed off that proposal, instead focusing a ban on any products that might entice minors. That means nothing brightly colored or formed in the shape of animals, toys or candies. The rules also require marijuana products to be sold in child-proof containers free of cartoons or bright colors.
www.wweek.com/portland/blog-31438-oregon_drops_pro....html