#orocl

National poll puts Gov. Kitzhaber within 3% of defeat by challenger Rep. Dennis Richardson By Taxpayer Association of Oregon PAC. A nationally recognized political & public affairs polling firm, Harper Polling, recently released an Oregon poll showing incumbent Governor John Kitzhaber within 3% of losing his seat to challenger Rep. Dennis Richardson. The poll puts Gov. Kitzhaber at 46%, and Rep,. Dennis Richardson at 43%. A full 11% were undecided. The poll represents a tidal wave of discontent for Governor Kitzhaber and a winning chance for challenger Rep. Dennis Richardson. http://oregoncatalyst.com/27320-poll-kitzhaber-3-losing-race.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+OregonCatalyst+(The+Oregon+Catalyst)

Report: it will take $45M and almost two years to ‘fix’ Cover Oregon. That’s under current conditions (keep the database, keep current vendor Oracle), at least according to the Deloitte Development report that the state of Oregon commissioned on how to get from under the horrible state exchange disaster inflicted on Oregon by Governor John Kitzhaber and his fellow Democrats. Reading the report, it looks like Deloitte’s recommendation would be that Oregon simply cut Cover Oregon loose and join the federal exchange. As the Oregonian noted: Oregon could hook up to the federal exchange far sooner and for a fraction of the cost, according to the report obtained by The Oregonian. A hybrid solution mixing the federal exchange and an unfinished Oracle-based small-business section of the exchange would also be faster than sticking with the current plan, as well as cheaper. http://www.redstate.com/2014/04/05/cover-oregon-john-kitzhaber-disaster-state-federal-exchange

Cover Oregon’s now-infamous website failed to work on Oct. 1, when people were supposed to be able to enroll for health insurance online. It won’t be fully functional by the current Monday deadline, so the board’s next task is to guarantee a working website by Nov. 15, the day people can start to enroll in plans for 2015. The Cover Oregon board will decide in two weeks whether to adopt the federal health insurance exchange website or hire a new contractor to fix the existing site, officials told the Legislative Oversight Committee on Tuesday. The details of the proposals have not been worked out, including cost, the manpower needed to implement each solution, how the project would be managed or the requirements for the new contract. The report to the committee offered a third solution as well — piggy-backing on another state’s system — but Rep. Jim Thompson, R-Dallas, said it appeared most likely the board would choose between the federal exchange and using a new vendor. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/needlogin?type=login&redirecturl=http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20140326/NEWS/303260063/Cover-Oregon-decide-whether-fix-website-adopt-federal-exchange?nclick_check=1

A group of governors including Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber wrote to congressional leaders Monday urging them to approve a multi-year extension of the federal production tax credit for wind farms as soon as possible. FEDERAL WELFARE BY ANY NAME IS STILL WELFARE. Kitzhaber was chairman of the Governor's Wind Energy Coalition last year, which includes 23 states. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will chair the coalition next year. Margi Hoffman, a policy advisor for Kitzhaber, says the wind industry has invested some $9 billion in Oregon, though the state's wind energy boom has cooled off in the last two years. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore and now chair of the Senate Finance Committee, will likely play a key role in the PTC debate. He is expected to move this week or next to revive a package of tax breaks – known collectively as tax extenders - that expired at the end of last year. Wyden declined to comment on the package Monday, but said its no secret that he's been a big supporter of the PTC in the past.

PGE's action plan includes a series of pilot programs and experiments that will help it determine how to replace the Boardman coal plant, the utility's largest source of electricity, which closes in 2020. The utility has a growing dependence on natural gas to meet demand, leaving customers more exposed to what has historically been very volatile fuel prices. PGE has been spending heavily on new resources to backfill a long-standing generation shortfall that's being exacerbated by the expiration of long-term hydroelectric contracts between now and 2018. The utility is also adding wind energy to comply with state renewable energy mandates. It's the utility's largest set of capital expenditures since it invested in its now- shuttered Trojan nuclear plant. Ratepayers will begin seeing the impact of those investments in rates next year with RATE INCREASES!! http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2014/03/pge_takes_breather_on_new_powe.html

The Oregon Health Authority had threatened to be a buzzkill when it came to medical marijuana dispensaries selling candies, cakes and cookies and other munchies seasoned with pot. But according to the Associated Press, the agency has backed off that proposal, instead focusing a ban on any products that might entice minors. That means nothing brightly colored or formed in the shape of animals, toys or candies. The rules also require marijuana products to be sold in child-proof containers free of cartoons or bright colors. http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-31438-oregon_drops_proposed_ban_on_treats_laced_with_marijuana.html

That $1.2 trillion number does not include the hundreds of billions of dollars in housing, bank, and auto-company bailouts in 2008 and 2009, because those payments are kept mostly invisible in the federal-agency books. It also doesn’t include the asset purchases of the Federal Reserve, indirect subsidies such as the ethanol mandate that enriches large agribusinesses like Archer Daniels Midland, or special tax breaks for wind and solar manufacturers. http://blog.heritage.org/2014/03/29/fighting-corporate-welfare/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

– End the era of letting politicians and lobbyists decide our taxes behind closed doors, by requiring a public vote on new local taxes! Oregon has a 110 year-old tradition that gives voters a voice at the ballot box on important issues. Letting voters decide on important tax decisions will increase transparency and accountability on tax increases in Oregon. The enclosed petition gives voters the right to vote on local tax & fee increases. http://oregoncatalyst.com/26915-petition-taxes-vote-people.html#more-26915