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Advocates raise concerns over proposed Columbia River power line

Opponents warn the buried line could harm fish, water quality and cultural sites.

News

Environmental advocates and tribes are raising concerns over a proposal to bury an electric transmission line under the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Columbia River" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/01/23/gorge-energy-storage-project-tribal-opposition" data-vars-content-id="40ce938e-f44c-4ddb-b461-c435ea146e5a" data-vars-headline="Advocates raise concerns over proposed Columbia River power line" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2026/01/23/gorge-energy-storage-project-tribal-opposition" target="_self">Columbia River</a> from the east end of the Gorge to Portland.Why it matters: The project would be the first transmission line buried beneath the Columbia River and could expand the region&#x27;s ability to move renewable power west if approved.

Comedian Brandon Lyons stirs up Portland's doughnut debate

Brandon Lyons has pretty specific criteria, too.

Food and Drink

Blueberry fritters, maple bars, loukoumades and cronuts: Brandon Lyons has eaten them all (and more) over the last month in his quest to find <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the best doughnut" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/06/01/best-doughnuts-portland-oregon-2023" data-vars-content-id="9db75d86-626a-4023-9cd4-27498773abe2" data-vars-headline="Comedian Brandon Lyons stirs up Portland&#x27;s doughnut debate" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/06/01/best-doughnuts-portland-oregon-2023" target="_self">the best doughnut</a> in and around Portland.The big picture: The Rose City-based comedian has always loved doughnuts — he used to ask for them in lieu of birthday cake growing up — so he decided to turn his obsession into a creative, video-based social media chronicle that could also fuel his standup.

Portland ranks high among safest streets in U.S.

The region could improve on several key metrics, however.

Some of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the safest roadways" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/03/06/oregon-pedestrian-deaths-road-safety" data-vars-content-id="a9d607bc-b18c-4b00-8d54-570a2d2bc9f3" data-vars-headline="Portland ranks high among safest streets in U.S." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/03/06/oregon-pedestrian-deaths-road-safety" target="_self">the safest roadways</a> in the country can be found right here in the Portland metro area, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a new report" data-vars-click-url="https://learn.streetlightdata.com/us-safe-streets-index-ebook" data-vars-content-id="a9d607bc-b18c-4b00-8d54-570a2d2bc9f3" data-vars-headline="Portland ranks high among safest streets in U.S." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://learn.streetlightdata.com/us-safe-streets-index-ebook" target="_blank">a new report</a> from transportation analytics firm StreetLight Data.Why it matters: Road safety affects everyone — whether you&#x27;re driving, biking, walking or using public transit.

How Portland Leather bet on Facebook for its rapid retail growth

The $200M brand uses Facebook Groups to drive loyal fans to new store openings.

Business

Portland Leather Goods aims to open 10 additional stores within the next year, a rapid expansion fueled not by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="TikTok" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/technology/tiktok-news" data-vars-content-id="e64d4007-2d15-4dec-8b85-5162e08e7e3d" data-vars-headline="How Portland Leather bet on Facebook for its rapid retail growth" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/technology/tiktok-news" target="_self">TikTok</a> virality or wholesale deals, but by an older-school social media platform that&#x27;s often overlooked by today&#x27;s trendsetters.The big picture: The Portland-based company, which produces handcrafted leather handbags and accessories, has leaned into Facebook Groups to build a fiercely loyal community of fans that reliably show up in-person for store openings nationwide.

Feds approve Gorge energy project opposed by tribes

The Goldendale project promises grid reliability, but tribes say it harms sacred land.

Federal regulators on Thursday approved a new energy storage project in the eastern Gorge that was years in the making and continues to face local resistance.Why it matters: Energy storage is key to moving away from fossil fuels, but area tribes argue no climate benefit justifies damage to culturally and spiritually significant land.

Oregon's warm, dry winter threatens snowpack

Persistent warmth and low snowfall could worsen wildfires and hurt crops later this year.

It&#x27;s the middle of winter and as I write this, the forecast calls for a balmy high of 50°F and we haven&#x27;t seen more than a trace of rain in Portland in almost two weeks.Why it matters: This stretch of dry, warm days in January just feels off, but it could also have severe implications for winter recreation, wildfires and irrigation later this year.

How winter has warmed over time in Portland

Rising temps could shrink snowpack and alter water supplies across Oregon.

Environment

Winter is getting warmer in Portland and across the country, due in part to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="climate change" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/08/04/extreme-heat-streaks-climate-change" data-vars-content-id="409d4680-f18d-4f34-9e42-f5993c3bef90" data-vars-headline="How winter has warmed over time in Portland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/08/04/extreme-heat-streaks-climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a>, an updated analysis finds.Why it matters: Warmer winters can be a bummer for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="skiers and snowboarders" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/02/09/climate-change-winter-sports-recreation" data-vars-content-id="409d4680-f18d-4f34-9e42-f5993c3bef90" data-vars-headline="How winter has warmed over time in Portland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/02/09/climate-change-winter-sports-recreation" target="_self">skiers and snowboarders</a>, affect water supplies <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tied to annual snowmelt," data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/25/california-snowmelt-heat-wave-flooding-threat" data-vars-content-id="409d4680-f18d-4f34-9e42-f5993c3bef90" data-vars-headline="How winter has warmed over time in Portland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/25/california-snowmelt-heat-wave-flooding-threat" target="_self">tied to annual snowmelt,</a> and more.

Kotek orders faster clean energy buildout

The executive order aims to cut emissions and streamline energy project approvals.

Gov. Tina Kotek on Wednesday signed an executive order directing Oregon agencies to accelerate the state&#x27;s clean energy transition and cut emissions.Why it matters: Oregon has some of the nation&#x27;s most ambitious climate laws, and this new order builds on that record.

Heat dome scorched 725K acres of forest

A new study links record heat to canopy damage across 725,000 acres of forest.

The damage wrought by the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2021 heat dome" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/07/09/heat-dome-study-climate-change" data-vars-content-id="4c601519-4566-443d-b71a-9e7c04027bfd" data-vars-headline="Heat dome scorched 725K acres of forest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2025/07/09/heat-dome-study-climate-change" target="_self">2021 heat dome</a> continues to reverberate, with researchers identifying an area of forest nearly the size of Rhode Island in Oregon and Washington that experienced scorched foliage during the event.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="study" data-vars-click-url="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70571" data-vars-content-id="4c601519-4566-443d-b71a-9e7c04027bfd" data-vars-headline="Heat dome scorched 725K acres of forest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70571" target="_blank">study</a>, from researchers at Oregon State University, will help scientists learn which species are most vulnerable to damage in future heat waves.

Ochre sea stars make dramatic comeback in Oregon

Their resurgence could help restore balance to an ecosystem that's been dominated by mussels.

Ochre sea stars are surging back to life along Oregon&#x27;s coast, after a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="mysterious disease" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2019/01/31/massive-starfish-die-off-tied-to-warming-seas" data-vars-content-id="8dae6c26-95bc-4124-a0fc-df5c1979b517" data-vars-headline="Ochre sea stars make dramatic comeback in Oregon" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2019/01/31/massive-starfish-die-off-tied-to-warming-seas" target="_self">mysterious disease</a> nearly wiped them out a decade ago.Why it matters: Their return could help restore balance in rocky shore ecosystems overrun by mussels.

Community solar project brings savings to Cully neighborhood

The 3-acre solar array will deliver hundreds of dollars in yearly savings.

Last month, a giant array of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="solar panels" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/06/05/portland-demand-green-homes-2023" data-vars-content-id="c74ac061-fa31-4d21-ad45-c04ff47359c3" data-vars-headline="Community solar project brings savings to Cully neighborhood" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2023/06/05/portland-demand-green-homes-2023" target="_self">solar panels</a> began delivering power to 150 homes in the Cully neighborhood as the PDX Community Solar project, the largest in Portland, finally came online.Why it matters: The project, which has been in the works since 2019, will provide the benefits of solar to folks who typically don&#x27;t have the resources or roofspace to install the panels themselves.

AI listens for endangered owls in Oregon forests

Researchers are using AI to help find and protect spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest.

In Oregon&#x27;s forests and beyond, a network of microphones is tracking some of the state&#x27;s most <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sensitive species" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/07/03/barred-owls-shoot-spotted-owls-washington-oregon" data-vars-content-id="e3337aa5-93f2-48e7-bf2c-0d6a8a427944" data-vars-headline="AI listens for endangered owls in Oregon forests" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/07/03/barred-owls-shoot-spotted-owls-washington-oregon" target="_self">sensitive species</a> and feeding the tweets, chirps and hoots into an AI processing tool.Why it matters: Artificial intelligence gives researchers exponentially more power to process the sounds of our forests and learn where endangered species live so we can better protect them.

Recycling gets an AI upgrade in Portland

New tech aims to end doubts about where your recycling goes.

<figure><img alt="Animated gif shows conveyor belts moving large amounts of cardboard through a recycling facility." height="450" id="59bae6ac-e371-407e-b72b-db9f2bfbfe25" src="https://images.axios.com/dxAOiBaLs91in_NVF_Sw6wnKOnc=/2025/09/24/1758741214285.gif" width="800"/><figcaption>That&#x27;s what recycling from 195,000 households looks like. Image: Kale Williams/Axios</figcaption></figure>Waste Management&#x27;s new North Portland <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="recycling" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/06/18/curbside-battery-recycling-how-to" data-vars-content-id="173ba664-dd2b-42b6-a4ad-1753b111737b" data-vars-headline="Recycling gets an AI upgrade in Portland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/portland/2024/06/18/curbside-battery-recycling-how-to" target="_self">recycling</a> facility features an AI-assisted maze of conveyor belts and high-tech machines to make sure that your recycling ends up where it belongs and that greasy to-go boxes and other nonrecyclables are culled from the herd.Why it matters: The $47 million facility opened this month and is the company&#x27;s latest move to combat the narrative that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="recycling is broken" data-vars-click-url="https://e360.yale.edu/digest/lancet-plastics-countdown" data-vars-content-id="173ba664-dd2b-42b6-a4ad-1753b111737b" data-vars-headline="Recycling gets an AI upgrade in Portland" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://e360.yale.edu/digest/lancet-plastics-countdown" target="_blank">recycling is broken</a>.