Latest Press Releases

  • Report: Cascadia’s top polluters

    180 sites account for a quarter of the region’s emissions.

    Jan 4, 2024 MEDIA CONTACT: Serena Larkin, Sightline Institute, serena@sightline.org    FULL ARTICLE, MAP, CHARTS: 180 Sites Account for a Quarter of Cascadia’s Carbon Pollution Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington count 180 stationary facilities that each emit more [...] Read more »

  • Report: Northwest leaders can responsibly speed permitting process for new transmission lines

    As the region races to electrify more of its energy system in line with its climate goals, state leaders can alleviate permitting delays while respecting environmental protections and tribal rights.

    Nov 9, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Moore, Sightline Institute, emily@sightline.org   FULL ARTICLE: Is the Permitting Process for Transmission Lines Really Broken?  OREGON and WASHINGTON – The Pacific Northwest, like many places across the United States, is failing to quickly build [...] Read more »

  • All WA cities suffer a voter turnout penalty in state-mandated off-year elections

    As towns and cities await November 7 election results, new research and maps by Sightline Institute show that more than half a million voters sat out 2021’s local elections compared to 2022’s midterms across the state.

    Nov 8, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Alan Durning, Sightline Institute, alan@sightline.org  FULL ARTICLE: In Every Washington City, Odd-Year Elections Crush Voter Turnout OLYMPIA, WA – Every single city in the state of Washington suffers a markedly lower voter participation rate in [...] Read more »

  • How to Finance the Northwest’s Transmission Lines

    As utilities and the Bonneville Power Administration balk at multibillion-dollar grid investments and threaten the region’s climate progress, Inslee, Cantwell, and others can break the funding deadlock with three smart actions.

    September 12, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Moore, Sightline Institute, emily@sightline.org   FULL ARTICLE: Who Will Pay for Cascadia’s Transmission Lines?  OREGON and WASHINGTON – The Pacific Northwest will need billions of dollars invested in its grid to achieve stated climate goals, [...] Read more »

  • Portland’s Inclusionary Housing Program Looks Cost-Efficient, & Full Funding Is in Reach

    A new economic study commissioned by the City of Portland points to a set of policy changes that could make its affordability mandate more productive.

    August 1, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Andersen, Sightline Institute, michael@sightline.org   PORTLAND, OR – A new city-commissioned study of Portland’s six-year-old affordability mandate for new apartment buildings suggests that the rental program can work well when fully funded, but that it [...] Read more »

  • Legislation Against Parking Mandates Spreads across US

    A full list of passed and proposed measures to curb costly parking minimums amid a worsening housing shortage and consumer appetite for walkable communities.

    July 20, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Andersen, Sightline Institute, michael@sightline.org   PORTLAND, OR – In the 2023 legislative session, more than a dozen US states have proposed legislation to reduce the overbuilding of parking lots. That’s according to a newly published [...] Read more »

  • Letter to Portland Council: Sightline Institute Opposes Revisions to Portland Charter Amendments

    Think tank warns that revisions under consideration in work session this morning would undermine the will of the voters and the promise of the original charter changes to better represent Portlanders.

    July 18, 2023 MEDIA CONTACTS: Alan Durning, Executive Director, alan@sightline.org; Jay Lee, Senior Research Associate (Portland), jay@sightline.org   FULL LETTER: Sightline’s Concerns about Proposed Revisions to Charter Amendments (PDF download)  PORTLAND, OR – Leadership of Sightline Institute, the Pacific Northwest’s leading [...] Read more »

  • How to Stop Building in Wildfire Zones

    Three policy solutions to prevent the sprawl that traps us on the “wildfire treadmill.”

    June 12, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Kate Anderson, Sightline Institute, kate@sightline.org   FULL ARTICLE: The best wildfire solution we’re not using  The best and possibly only practical way to protect homes from fire is to stop building so many of them in [...] Read more »

  • Northwest needs to prune gas system, electrify neighborhoods

    Doing so would protect ratepayers as the region shifts more electric each year.

    June 7, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Moore, Sightline Institute, emily@sightline.org   FULL ARTICLE: It’s Time for Cascadia to Start Pruning the Gas System and Electrifying Whole Neighborhoods  BC, ID, MT, OR, WA – Cascadians are swapping gas furnaces for heat pumps, [...] Read more »

  • Oregon Could Build Thousands More Homes with Small State Investment

    To reduce housing shortages, small doses of cash could get many projects built. A bill introduced in Oregon this year suggests a clever place to find it.

    June 6, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Andersen, Sightline Institute, michael@sightline.org   SALEM, OR – A group of Oregon housing experts has a unique idea to help the state build more homes that residents badly need: the state could offer interest-free loans [...] Read more »