Portland’s superfund plan released, Nike stops Berian again.
OREGON NEWS
Superclean. In yet another variation on a toxic chemical theme, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its long awaited proposal to clean the Willamette River’s bed. The Superfund plan is cheaper than many expected, and its inclusion of natural recovery methods should please Oregon biz leaders, who pushed for natural recovery at the Leadership summit earlier this year.
The EPA plan, which only improves 15% of the 2,200 acre site, also calls for dredging 1.9 million cubic yards to toxic muck from the bottom of the river, addressing the most toxic pockets, according to the EPA. Read more from the Portland Mercury.
Something in the water? Nuscale Power CEO John Hopkins is the second Portland CEO in two years to chair the U.S. Chamber of Commerce board. Schnitzer Steel CEO Tamara Lundgren was board chair in 2014. And yet a third Portlander is on the board: Elena Yalow of Knowledge Universe.
Nike litigation wraps in Boris Berian. The athletic apparel giant announced last week it’s suing Olympic-hopeful Boris Berian for competing in gear not made by the Beaverton-company citing “irreparable harm” from Berian’s actions. Yesterday, a federal judge granted Nike’s request for a temporary restraining order, preventing Berian from competing in non-Nike gear.
Berian tweeted: “Thank you Nike for trying to keep me from running,” as he continues to update fans and supporters on the case. The Wall Street Journal explains the case.
Pay up. In other court news, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that Portland’s arts tax is legal. Opponents argued the $35 tax was a “head tax,” which applied to everyone. But the tax has exceptions, and the court found it’s not assessed per capita. With the ruling in hand, the Portland City Council is considering a collection agency to collect back taxes (only 68% of residents paid the 2014 tax). The Oregonian has more.
Too little too late? A dozen subsidized housing properites in Multnomah County provide financial relief for low-income families. Home Forward, the county’s housing agency, opened a wait list for these valuable homes yesterday. The list closes Saturday. The last time it was open? Five years ago. There’s only room for 1,800 on the list, who will pay rent on a sliding scale based on income.
According to OPB, more than 6,000 applications were submitted on the first day the list opened. Even if applicants make the list, the wait time could be as long as two years for relief.
Death by 400 cuts. Portland’s widely acclaimed bespoke jeans company QCut shutters. Read the story by OB contributor April Streeter here.
LEED for Weed. Energy leaders launch non profit aimed at creating green certification for marijuana industry. Editor Linda Baker has the details.
NATIONAL NEWS
International reach. Amazon.com announced a $3 billion investment in India in a bet that the country is the next big online-shopping market. The focus on India comes after the Seattle company reduced its efforts in China. Amazon has been in India since 2013. Read more from Bloomberg.
Computer processor wars. Former NASA administrator Dan Goldin disappeared from public view 10 years ago. He returned Monday with a new mission: to one-up Google, AMD and Intel with a new, better computer processor. Goldin formed a startup over the last decade, called KnuEdge. Business Insider reports Goldin wanted to wait for the grand slam, rather than releasing a processor and improving it over time. “We don’t want to be on the football field, I want to define where the football field is,” Goldin says.
