April Ehrlich
Oregon Public BroadcastingApril Ehrlich is JPR content partner at Oregon Public Broadcasting. Prior to joining OPB, she was a regional reporter at Jefferson Public Radio where she won a National Edward R. Murrow Award for her reporting on the impacts of wildfires on marginalized groups. Her reporting comes to JPR through the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Earlier this year, Oregon lawmakers seemed driven to pass wildfire funding legislation. But a lot has changed in the first few months of the session, particularly with regard to federal policy. -
In its appeal filed Tuesday, PacifiCorp argued that thousands of people and businesses across the state should have never been grouped together into a class-action certification. The company also contends there is no proof showing it is at fault for causing fires across multiple regions, including in Santiam Canyon, Southern Oregon and the coast. -
A proposed Southeast Oregon lithium project has been under review for three years. Now the Trump administration is giving people until Monday to comment before proceeding. -
Two Oregon lawmakers are calling on major insurance companies to stop using their own internal wildfire risk maps to drop homeowner's policies — at least until next year. -
The Oregon Department of Forestry report comes five years after the 2020 fire, as PacifiCorp pushes for legislation that would limit utilities' wildfire liabilities. -
House Bill 3940 is a mash of options proposed by a wildfire funding work group that looked into the challenges of paying to mitigate, suppress and fight fires. -
Environmental groups and timberland owners are calling on Oregon lawmakers to support a yearslong agreement that will be slashed under current budget proposals. -
The group, appointed under former President Joe Biden, has completed its core assignment, but still has some remaining goals. -
Republican-led policy directives could rewrite forest policies that affect public lands in Oregon and the rest of the West. -
Oregon could have far fewer firefighters ready to battle blazes on federal lands next fire season — and may do less advance work aimed at mitigating the risk of large fires — due to the Trump administration’s hiring freeze and funding cuts, according to U.S. lawmakers. -
The announcements come just days before the start of the Trump administration, which is widely expected to promote extractive industries over conservation. -
The resignation of Oregon’s top forestry executive last week comes at a pivotal moment for environmental policies in the state.
