Oregon joined four other Western states in signing the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative, signaling a commitment to reducing greenhouse gases. Whole Foods Market announced plan to purchase Wild Oats Markets, based in Boulder, Colo., for about $700 million.
STATEWIDE — Oregon joined four other Western states in signing the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative, signaling a commitment to reducing greenhouse gases. Governors from Oregon, Arizona, California, New Mexico and Washington agreed to identify specific greenhouse gas reduction levels and design a market-based approach toward reduction levels. Both of these goals will be met by August, sending a message that, as Gov. Kulongoski puts it, if Congress will not establish national polices, the states will make and enforce their own. While California has led the way in reducing greenhouse gases for the last several years, the states banded together to ensure that shared policies would prevent businesses from leaving one state for another with fewer restrictions.
STATEWIDE — Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the grocery chains. Whole Foods Market announced plan to purchase Wild Oats Markets, based in Boulder, Colo., for about $700 million. Wild Oats has seven stores in Oregon along with another in Southwest Washington. It operates 110 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Whole Foods has two locations in Oregon and 191 stores in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. Although the company’s aim is to convert all Wild Oats stores to Whole Foods stores, it remains to be seen what will happen with locations that are neighbors, as is the case at the Bridgeport Village shopping center in Tualatin. Kate Lowery, a spokesperson for Whole Foods, says the company will make a decision regarding the conversion of Wild Oats stores later this month.
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