Oregon Chamber Weighs in on Cap and Trade
The Oregon Chamber of Commerce is speaking out about the proposed cap and trade bill that the legislature is attempting to pass. This week’s walkout by republican legislators will hurt the efforts to bring Oregon carbon emission standards into what many call an unreasonable level and nothing more than a tax on businesses that tend to consume fuel. According to the Oregon Chamber the cap and trade bill hurts businesses and working Oregonians by raising prices on everyday items, starting with fuel, then electricity, food and household goods. This could amount to an increase of up to $1000 per year for the average household according to the Chamber release.
Gas Prices May Soon Rise
Gasoline reserves are slowly diminishing according to Marie Dodds with AAA Oregon and that along with an increase in demand means that gas prices are likely to begin an upward trend. During the transition from winter to summer blends refineries generally limit their production so that they can perform maintenance prior to the switch. Oregon is one of the 35 states that saw an increase in prices over last week, but only by a penny statewide. Locally in Florence the average price of a gallon of regular gas is still about .30 below the Oregon average at $2.69 a gallon.
76 Monitored for COVID-19
According to a report released yesterday by the Oregon Health Authority there are at least 76 individuals in Oregon that are being monitored for COVID-19. According to OHA the people are not showing symptoms of the virus, but may have been exposed by traveling to mainland China, or have had close contact with a confirmed case. 7 of those individuals live in Lane County. Authorities say that the same precautions that are used for the flu are applicable to the coronavirus: hand washing, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, avoid those that are sick and stay home if you are sick.