'Oregon asks for the Utah clock'

By Julia Shumway | Editor

“This administration has already set the pace: disaster assistance for Texas within days in March; a wildfire-cause designation for Nebraska in July; and for Utah, an emergency EQIP signup on July 17 and full disaster assistance on July 22, days after its fires burned. BLM's Vale District earned the national Pulaski Award for its work on Oregon's 2024 burns. Oregon's ranchers have earned the same response, and Oregon asks for the Utah clock.” — Gov. Tina Kotek asking for quicker federal response to wildfires devastating the state. The Trump administration was quick to send aid after natural disasters to red states including Nebraska, Texas and Utah but recently rejected two Oregon firefighting assistance grants.

Also in today's edition:

Transportation department faces $200 million budget gap after stopgap bill
PGE seeks another residential rate hike
How wildfire smoke affects pregnancy

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Gov. Kotek presses feds to get Oregon farmers, ranchers same urgent wildfire relief as red states

By Alex Baumhardt

The Akawa Butte Fire in Central Oregon on July 22, 2026. (Photo courtesy of the Oregon Department of Forestry)

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is urging federal officials to help Oregon farmers and ranchers respond to, and rebound from, wildfires at the same scale and speed those officials delivered in Republican-controlled states hit by natural disasters this year.

Oregon transportation agency faces $200 million budget gap

By Mia Maldonado

A “closed” sign sits at a counter at the DMV office in Albany. Since Jan. 1, 2026, there have been 34 full day office closures across Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle division offices because of staffing shortages. (Photo by Mia Maldonado/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Oregon’s beleaguered transportation agency is staring down a $200 million budget gap for the 2027-29 budget cycle and layoffs unless the state Legislature intervenes, according to agency officials.

Portland General Electric proposes more rate increases

By Shaanth Nanguneri

Powerlines in Hood River County above the Columbia River July 25, 2024. (Photo by Jordan Gale/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

Hundreds of thousands of Oregonians who pay Portland General Electric for electricity could see their bills rise next year under a new rate proposal from the state’s largest private electric utility.

Wildfire smoke is now the primary pollutant affecting pregnancy, study shows

By Kelcie Moseley-Morris | Stateline

A new study examining pollution levels across a 16-year span found that while general pollution levels from sources such as cars and industry have significantly declined, recent increases in wildfire smoke air pollution have offset those gains and could be contributing to negative outcomes for pregnant women and babies such as low birth weight and preterm births.