Energy and Environment

Lawmakers from Oregon took a stand earlier this week for pollinators.

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well Reps. Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici, expressed concerns over the recent decision of the Environmental Protection Agency to approve new uses and lift restrictions for sulfoxaflor.

Several years ago, Washougal Mayor Molly Coston, then the president of the Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards, was approached by Chris Collins of the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (LCEP), a Portland-based environmental protection nonprofit coalition of public and private groups.

Collins told Coston about the agency's plan to reconfigure the Port of Camas-Washougal's existing Columbia River levee system to reduce flood risk, re-connect 960 acres of Columbia River floodplain and increase recreation opportunities at the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Co-Chair of the House Oceans Caucus and a Member of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, is applauding the passage of two bipartisan bills to permanently safeguard coasts from oil and gas drilling.

"Our ocean sustains life on this planet, and to protect it we must end our reliance on fossil fuels and transition to a clean energy economy," Bonamici said.

Oregon Democrats are asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to defend its decision to expand the use of a pesticide considered harmful to bees.

The EPA in July expanded the allowed uses of sulfoxaflor, saying the decision was made with pollinators in mind, as the pesticide is less harmful to bees than other alternatives.

Oregon Democratic Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici talks gun laws, student loan debt, climate change, making childcare affordable, and more about her top priorities in Congress after the Augest recess.

Watch the full interview above.

A federal loan of $640 million will enable residents of the Tualatin Valley Water District and several Washington County cities to get their water from the Willamette River.

The announcement this week by the Environmental Protect Agency will allow the Willamette Water Supply Project to proceed with a $1.2 billion project that will deliver water by 2026.

The loans of $388 million to the water district and $251 million to the City of Hillsboro will be repaid by their water customers. Beaverton has also purchased a share, but it's not liable for the loan.