A Trillion Dollar Energy Law – HB2021: Watch John Charles on PDX Real
“All we want as consumers is reliable, affordable energy.” ~John A. Charles, Jr.,…
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Oregon’s “Prosperity Roadmap” Must Follow the Path of Liberty
By Naomi Inman Early this December, Governor Tina Kotek’s newsroom unveiled “Oregon’s Prosperity…
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Oregon’s 19th Century Energy Strategy
By John A. Charles, Jr. Recently the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) published…
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“Inspire Oregon” Tackles Rural Housing Crisis
By Madilynne Clark The University of Oregon’s Institute for Policy Research and Engagement…
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Multnomah Audit Finds Fraud in Construction Recycling
By Naomi Inman What happens to all that construction debris on public works…
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Acton Dinner: “The Future of Faith and Freedom” with Rev. Robert A. Sirico
By Naomi Inman On October 21, the Acton Institute held its Portland Dinner…
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“What Does It Cost?” Film by Discovery Institute Exposes the West Coast Climate Agenda
This summer, Cascade’s summer Research Associates reviewed a film produced by the Discovery…
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From Gas Tank to Paycheck: Oregon’s Plan to Tax Everything That Moves
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Executive Summary Three major transportation funding proposals are circulating…
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SB 1182: The New Racism
John A. Charles, Jr. The Oregon legislature is about to pass Senate Bill…
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Metro Should Scrap Visioning and Long-Range Planning
By Randal O’Toole Metro will soon be revising its 1995 Regional Framework Plan,…
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Testimony on SB 702 Limits Sale of Flavored Tobacco/Nicotine Products to OLCC Outlets
May 21, 2025 Senate Committee on Revenue and FinanceOregon State CapitolSalem, OR 97301…
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Well Permitting Fees (HB 2808), Not Taxpayer Bailouts (HB 2165), Should Fund Oregon Water Resources Shortfall
By Madilynne Clark Should permitting agencies receive increased funds? If budget increases are…
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Amended Bill 3103-1 Would Hold ODF Accountable to Fulfill Its Promises on Sustainable Timber Sales
By Madilynne Clark Over-promising and under-delivering has been the habit of Oregon Department…
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Amending the Constitution Is Not a Children’s Game
By John A. Charles, Jr. A decade ago, 21 youth plaintiffs in Oregon…
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Nuclear Energy Testimony
February 26, 2025 House Committee on Climate, Energy and EnvironmentOregon State CapitolSalem, OR…
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Restructuring Oregon’s Death Tax Would Benefit the State
By John A. Charles, Jr. Oregon’s death tax has earned our state a…
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The Government Should Try to Do a Few Things Well in 2025
By John A. Charles, Jr. This week marks the inauguration of President Trump…
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The Closing of Boardman Coal Plant and the Hubris of Fossil Fuel Opponents
By Sam Herrin July 2024 In 1975, the state of Oregon issued permits…
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The nuclear comeback skips Oregon
By John A. Charles, Jr. On October 14, Google announced that it will…
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Opinion – Oregon’s ‘Rebate’ Proposal Is a Backdoor Tax Increase
By Bill Conerly Will voters in the deep-blue State of Oregon vote for…
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DEQ’s plan to suffocate Oregon’s economy
John A. Charles, Jr. This week the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)…
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Metro, Please Learn from Past Mistakes
By Seth Bowman The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) was opened in 1990 with…
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There is no Field of Dreams at the Expo Center
By Seth Bowman The Portland Expo Center has been serving our region through…
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EVs = bad business
By Emily Schutte Electric Vehicles are bad business. To boost sales in a…
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Cascade Policy Institute Seminars: The How-To’s of Making a Difference in Local Policy
Come join us for an exciting free seminar series with Cascade Policy Institute, where you’ll…
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Testimony: Letter to Director of Power Planning Regarding Ninth Power Plan
April 26, 2024 Ms. Jennifer LightDirector of Power PlanningNW Power and Conservation Council851…
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Offshore Wind Takes a Blow
By Joshua Schutte Lawmakers and activists across the country continue to push for…
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Oregon’s 2040 Electric Utility Mandates Rely on Future Technology–or Buying Electricity from Other States
By Micah DeSilva Two years ago, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2021,…
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Portland Needs More Than a Small Tax Break
By Sam Herrin Two weeks ago, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced plans to…
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The Oregon Senate has been shut down for a month. Does anyone care?
By John A. Charles, Jr. Most Republican members of the Oregon Senate have…
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More Money, Same Result
By Sam Herrin “More money, same result” is what Oregon’s Senate voted for…
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A Failure of Political Leadership
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Oregon Senate has come to a standstill…
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Oregon Legislature Lines Up a Spending Blow-Out
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. While Oregonians are filling out their tax returns, their…
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Portlanders Are Voting with Their Feet
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Oregon’s economic engine is losing steam. For the second…
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A Misplaced Moral Panic Over Teen Vaping
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The moral crisis over vaping has hit the Oregon…
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When the State Stays Silent, It’s Easy to Assume the Worst
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. What do spy balloons, a state liquor scandal, and…
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Small Steps Toward the Stone Age: Biden’s Gas Stove Ban
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. My, how time flies. Just last month, I warned…
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New Year, New Oregon?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. With 2022 winding down and 2023 less than a…
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Multnomah County Is Going “Ban”-anas
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. First they banned styrofoam, then last week they banned…
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Let the Best Trash Man Win
By James Swyter Today, many people associate the word “monopoly” with big tech…
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Private Property Saved the Plymouth Pilgrims
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This Thanksgiving let’s give thanks to the Pilgrims who…
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For Oregon’s New Governor, Great Power Comes with Great Responsibility
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It’s the day after Election Day and the votes…
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Oregon Needs a Free-Market Makeover
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D “What’s the one thing you’d do to fix Oregon?”…
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ADA Lawsuit Is a First Step Toward Addressing Region’s Homelessness Crisis
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. For most of us, homeless tents blocking sidewalks are…
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TriMet’s Electric Bus Plans Could Burst into Flames
By Mia Tiwana Connecticut’s bus service just pulled its entire fleet of electric…
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Local Governments Must Change Course to Fix Their Policy Crises
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Things are not going well in the Portland region….
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Portland’s all-or-nothing city charter ballot measure may add up to no reforms at all
By Taylor Marks Too much, all at once. Portland’s city charter is long…
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A Boring Budget Item Highlights Public Safety Dysfunction
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It’s budget season for local governments in Oregon. Budgets…
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State Legislators Created Their Own Pay Problem
By John A. Charles, Jr. State Representatives Karin Power (Milwaukie), Anna Williams (Hood…
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Local governments seeking to ban natural gas are willfully ignoring Oregon voters.
By Rachel Dawson Think the natural gas industry is dying? The latest data…
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Support for HB 4140—Expands duties of Oregon Government Ethics Commission to
conduct investigations, make findings and impose penalties for violations of public
meetings law.
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Public meetings can be boring, but those meetings are…
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Oregon’s Land is Overregulated
By Micah Perry Land use regulations in Oregon are adversely impacting the state’s…
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Don’t own an EV? Too bad. Oregon says you’ll pay for the infrastructure anyway.
By Rachel Dawson With the start of a new year, power customers will…
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Portland’s YOYO Approach to Solving Crime
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Just after dinner on New Year’s Eve, my oldest…
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Oregonians Tell Politicians: If You’re Not Part of the Solution, You’re Part of the Problem
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. If you guessed that Oregonians think homelessness is the…
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Oregon is falling behind other states in the race for advanced nuclear power
By Rachel Dawson The era of small-modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) is upon us,…
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Economic Growth: The Only Game in Town
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last month, the Oregonian excitedly reported some great news:…
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Milton Friedman: Everyone is Greedy, No One’s an Angel, and That’s OK
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Economist Milton Friedman passed away 15 years ago this…
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Utilities should plan on using firm, reliable resources during peak events
By Rachel Dawson Portland General Electric is living a virtual power plant pipe…
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Lincoln County’s Harmful Blame Game
By Micah Perry In a recent November special election, Lincoln County approved a…
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Innovation, not regulation, is the most effective way to control GHG emissions
By Rachel Dawson Governor Kate Brown has joined other state and national representatives…
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A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to Shake Up Metro
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. With the retirement of Bob Stacey earlier this month,…
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Washington County Tells Small Business Owners They Just Don’t Care
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Next week, the Washington County Commission is expected to…
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Portland officials need an attitude adjustment when it comes to violent crimes
By Rachel Dawson Just over a year ago the Portland City Council cut…
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Save Your Money, Save the State: Keep the Kicker
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. A few months ago, Oregonians learned they will be…
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A Developer’s Departure Gives Portland a Chance to Reconsider Its Priorities
By Micah Perry At a time when many Portlanders are sleeping on sidewalks,…
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PacifiCorp can do more to prevent future blackouts
By Rachel Dawson Environmental groups including the Sierra Club and Western Resource Advocates…
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Portland Politicians Talk Tough to Texas, and No One Cares
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last week, I attended my first out-of-state conference in…
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Oregon’s 2021 Energy Regulations Are Already Hurting Consumers
By Rachel Dawson Did you just have an order for a desktop computer…
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A Cascade Policy Institute Online Event: Discovering the Life of Thomas Sowell
On September 15, 2021 at noon PDT, Cascade Policy Institute will be joined…
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Portland’s Next Step to Thriving Is a Trusted Police Force
By Mia Tiwana If we want to continue seeing downtown Portland improve, maybe…
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Ratepayers are struggling to pay their utility bills and Kate Brown doesn’t care
By Rachel Dawson Oregonians are struggling to pay their utility bills. So then…
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Portland’s Housing Affordability Debacle
By Stew Robertson The City of Portland’s housing state of emergency, first declared…
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Travelers, Please Come to Portland … After We Clean Up the Place
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. If you get the Sunday New York Times, your…
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The Deadly Consequences of Catch-and-Release
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. On Saturday, police responded to a call that a…
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A new loss of load probability heightens concerns over the Northwest’s power grid
By Rachel Dawson The race is on for a reliable power grid. A…
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Portland Street Response: What Are You Waiting For?
By Vlad Yurlov Portland’s Lents neighborhood got a new homeless program in 2021….
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The Era of DIY Government Will Not End Well
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last week, a Craigslist post brought it home—we’re in…
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Press Release: Re: Metro Council Resolution No. 21-5171
April 29, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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Prepare for Portland’s Post-Pandemic Party
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. We’re in the waning days of the pandemic, and…
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Vlad Yurlov, Policy Analyst at Cascade Policy Institute, provided testimony on Portland City Council’s Shelter to Housing Continuum
Via emailMarch 30, 2021 Portland City Council, I’m Vlad Yurlov, policy analyst at…
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Oregon May Vote to Constantly Increase Infrastructure Spending
Raising prevailing wages would burden taxpayers and marginalize minorities By Vlad Yurlov Bad…
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Green Shoots of Business Need Room to Blossom
By Vlad Yurlov It’s a bad sign when businesses need to fortify their…
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Oregon Transportation Policy Needs to Learn from Its Mistakes
The Portland metro region tried everything to reduce automobile reliance. It’s time to…
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Price Gouging
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last week, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s office reached…
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Hydroelectric power is renewable; it’s time legislators recognize that
By Rachel Dawson Oregon has always been a national leader in providing clean…
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Oregon Legislators Should Vote Yes on Nuclear Power
By Rachel Dawson Oregon is home to NuScale Power, the nation’s leading small…
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SolarWorld factory closure is the latest among government subsidy mistakes
By Rachel Dawson Should governments use taxpayer dollars to support select companies of…
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Make Oregon the Opportunity State
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Oregonians blame Californians for many of our state’s woes….
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Take Stock, Then Take Action on Portland’s Homeless Crisis
By Vlad Yurlov Since 2015, Portland City Council has declared continuous housing emergencies….
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Portland Is Ill, but Not Dying
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. A recent column published in Forbes has caused quite…
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Reduce Homelessness by Reusing the Expo Center
By Vlad Yurlov Portland values its “green” projects; but local policymakers are attempting…
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Homelessness in the Portland Region
Some straightforward solutions to a complex problem By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. and Vlad…
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2021: The Year of Wishful Thinking
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. With the clock ticking down to midnight on December…
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Employers Are Left With the Bill After Lockdowns
By Vlad Yurlov When businesses fail, they shut down. But when the government…
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Where Can the Homeless Go? Portland Still Doesn’t Know
Shelter space can be used effectively by tracking and reporting vacancies By Vlad…
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Who Will Pay the Bills When the Pandemic Ends?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This week, the U.K. became the first western nation…
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Oregon Legislators should throw restaurants and bars a lifeline by legalizing “cocktails to-go”
By Rachel Dawson Do you want to enjoy a drink but don’t feel…
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Oregon’s “Public Purpose” Energy Tax: Mission Accomplished, or Mission Creep?
By John A Charles, Jr. and Rachel Dawson EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Oregon Public…
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Government Should Pay the Price for Locking Down Our Economy
By Vlad Yurlov Oregon’s government is finally feeling the pain of lockdowns. Last…
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