Think Out Loud

Unproductive Legislative Session | Coronavirus Updates | Clam Gardens

By Julie Sabatier (OPB) and Vanessa Vanzieleghem (OPB)
March 7, 2020 12:19 a.m.
People gather on the steps of the Oregon Capitol in Salem for a rally for climate action on Feb. 11, 2020.

People gather on the steps of the Oregon Capitol in Salem for a rally for climate action on Feb. 11, 2020.

Kaylee Domzalski / OPB

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  • The 2020 Oregon legislative session officially ended on Sunday. Republican lawmakers walked out Feb. 24, denying their Democratic colleagues the quorum they needed to pass a cap-and-trade bill. The lack of quorum continued through the constitutionally mandated deadline for the end of the session March 8, making it impossible for lawmakers to pass any bills. Only three bills passed both chambers before the walkout. We talk with Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, and House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, about the unusual 2020 legislative session.
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  • Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said he may issue "mandatory measures" to shut down large events and protect vulnerable populations. Oregon's Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency Sunday, a week after Inslee did the same. Olympia reporter Austin Jenkins fills us in on Washington state. OPB's Donald Orr gives us an update on the latest from Oregon.
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  • In 2007, the Swinomish Tribe on Puget Sound became one of the first governments in the world to formally make climate adaptation a priority. Now they're reviving a tradition that involves modifying the beach to create an optimal habitat for clams, a key source of food that's in decline. We talk with Courtney Greiner, marine ecologist and Senator Joe Williams of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community about the first modern clam garden in the United States.

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THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: