Oregonians driving electric vehicles will be required to pay hundreds of dollars in new taxes and fees starting next year, sending tens of millions of dollars annually to the State Highway Fund. The fund is today mostly seeded with money from the state’s 40-cent-per-gallon gas tax and pays for Oregon roads and infrastructure. That revenue […]
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has appointed her chief of staff to temporarily lead the state’s transportation agency. Chris Warner, who has worked with Kotek since 2023, will serve as the Oregon Department of Transportation’s interim director until the agency finds its next director. He is taking over Lisa Sumption’s interim position so she can return […]
In their first meeting since Oregon voters rejected a gas and payroll tax increase to pay for roads and transit services, Gov. Tina Kotek’s transportation workgroup seemed less focused on finding new funding mechanisms for the state’s beleaguered transportation agency than the agency’s perceived marketing failures. The 12 member workgroup first met in May and […]
Under hot, dry conditions, all types of motorized vehicles can ignite a wildfire.
ALBANY – Jessica Lavery starts her mornings, sometimes as early as 6 a.m., deciding if she needs to close one of the offices she manages or shift her staff to another location. Lavery manages the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Northwest region of Oregon’s Driver and Motor Vehicle Services division, which has offices across the Willamette […]
Ten Oregon airports will receive $3.1 million in federal funding for upgrades, members of Oregon’s congressional delegation announced last week. “Small airports throughout our state need and deserve federal investments so Oregonians can count on them for small business support, emergency response, secure travel and more,” said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat. “These […]
SALEM— It’s been almost a year since state lawmakers met in Salem for a six-month legislative session and failed to update the Oregon Department of Transportation’s revenue streams. That legislative session resulted in two failed attempts to pass transportation funding bills, followed by a special session months later, when Democrats finally had the votes needed […]
Oregon is adding 24 more fast-charging electric vehicle stations across its major highways, with some expected to come online as soon as next year. The Oregon Department of Transportation’s Climate Office last week selected companies for the second round of grants from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, a federal program that has a goal […]
Voters will soon have a say in what’s been one of Oregon’s most contentious issues over the past year: funding state transportation needs. Measure 120 will let voters approve or reject a law Democratic lawmakers passed and Gov. Tina Kotek signed in 2025 that raises the gas tax and other transportation fees mostly to raise […]
The strained Amtrak Cascades rail service is on track to have limited capacity to carry the crowds expected to descend on the Pacific Northwest for the upcoming men’s World Cup. Sleek new, amenity-packed “Airo” trains are still undergoing testing back East and will not get here in time to haul legions of international soccer fans. […]
