This May, 30 game developers were laid off at the Zynga videogame company office in Eugene, Oregon. But soon after, Joe Maruschak spoke at the Barn Light coffee shop on how to launch a startup business. Game developers crowded around the tables. Maruschak, chief startup officer at Eugene’s Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network, encouraged the […]
Economy
Posted inArticles
Iran deal adds to pain for US oil producers
Experts disagree about how much incremental damage US drillers will suffer.
Posted inArticles
A crude oil export ban primer
All you need to know, and then some, about selling U.S. oil overseas.
Posted inArticles
Are nonprofit models an answer for small ski areas?
As climate and economic challenges mount, some community ski hills find a new path.
Posted inAugust 31, 2015: Unlocking the Methane Mystery
Where FEMA fails
Better preparation can save money and lives, but pre-disaster funds are in short supply.
Posted inArticles
Wyoming town wants low royalties for coal companies
In Interior Department listening session, Gillette miners air fears of new regulations.
Posted inArticles
Nevada’s gold mining industry is hanging on — for now
Gold producers in Elko see job growth, despite an international price drop.
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
Is aerial firefighting worth it?
Aerial firefighting is dangerous, expensive and environmentally damaging. So why do we do it?
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
Arrival of the cost-benefit state
The Supreme Court wants the Environmental Protection Agency to weigh human health against costs to industry.
Posted inArticles
Interior launches national conversation on federal coal
Should royalties be higher to account for social costs of climate change?
Posted inArticles
Whitewater parks: an unlikely drought bailout
Expensive artificial wave features can ease dry times for river economies.
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Living the dream, on overtime
Why the outdoor industry opposes a federal minimum wage.
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Private-land camping startups offer alternative to public lands
Airbnb-like websites spring up in response to overcrowded public campsites.
Posted inArticles
How crowded are private prisons in the West?
A riot in Arizona puts the spotlight on for-profit incarceration.
Posted inArticles
Natural gas exports to Mexico are surging
A major new energy export market quietly emerges as Mexico takes advantage of low-priced U.S. gas.
Posted inArticles
Lake Mead watch: As the Colorado dries up, will tourism?
What dropping water levels could mean for the region’s recreation economy.
Posted inArticles
The U.S.’s only rare-earth mine files for bankruptcy
How plain old economics could end Molycorp’s Mountain Pass Mine in the Mojave Desert.
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
The scrappy effort to revive a former mining town
In Butte, Montana, optimism is booming.
Posted inArticles
Wrangell recovers from its timber hangover
Can a small Alaska town overcome the booms and busts of resource development?
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
Why rare-earth mining in the West is a bust
Forget the hype. In the global rush for energy-critical elements, our region can’t compete.