Natural gas prices set to go down
By Oregon Small Business Association

Some consumers are set to benefit from a poor economy, as all three Oregon natural gas providers requested reduced rates in filings sent to the Oregon Public Utilities Commission.  The companies, Northwest Natural Gas, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista Utilities asked for rate decreases ranging between 12.41 percent and 21 percent.  New rates will go into effect on November 1, 2009.
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Weyerhaeuser sells Oregon timberland

Weyerhaeuser Company announced recently that it has agreed to sell approximately 140,000 acres of timberland in Oregon to an entity affiliated with the Campbell Group LLC for around $300 million.

The sale is expected to close in the third quarter of 2009.  The transaction is expected to contribute approximately $100 million after tax to third quarter earnings.  The sale is designed to help Weyerhaeuser’s focus on improving financial flexibility and liquidity.  It is also considering a sale of up to an additional 82,000 acres in southwest Washington.  Read more »

Bush pollution rules overturned

A federal appeals court recently over turned rules established by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Bush administration that allowed power plants and factories to emit pollution over established limits if those entities bought pollution credits.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found that the EPA rules were not in compliance with the Clean Air Act.  Read more »

Media Suffers from Recession
By Oregon Small Business Association

As the nation faces one of the worst recessions in its history, media groups feel the affects of lowered spending.  The owner of Portland’s channel 6 KOIN TV station entered chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in Delaware, under a financial restructuring plan with debt holders.  In addition, Los Angeles-based New Vision Television, which also owns KBNZ in Bend, will eliminate $400 million in debt and guaranteed obligations and obtain $30 million in new financing.  Both companies deny that the bankruptcies will affect local TV stations. Read more »

Oregon Small Business Association,
7-11-09,

Oregon dairy farmers are in a bind.  The cost of producing a gallon of milk is higher than what farmers can sell it for.  This has forced dairy famers to live on credit and hope milk prices increase soon to stave off potential bankruptcies.

A number of factors have contributed to the current situation.  Increased cost of production beyond the farmer’s control doesn’t allow farmers to cut costs enough to remain profitable.  It is more expensive to feed cows due to competition from ethanol producers for food stock. Read more »

Struggling economy puts the brakes on PC sales growth
BY Oregon Small Business Association

PC sales growth in the U.S. continues to take a beating at the hands of the economic recession.  Yet, one glimmer of hope remains:  laptop computers.

Dell Computer recently announced declining quarterly profit and revenue results.  Hewlett-Packard also announced similar weak results.  And Intel’s four-quarter long growth streak has ended with the world’s largest chipmaker seeing a decline in both sales and market share.
Shipments of PCs during the first quarter were down 7.1 percent from a year ago, according to the research firm IDC.  And it may not be totally behind us: IDC is predicting roughly 8 percent declines in growth for the second quarter.

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Acccording to the New York Times, the European Commission’s recent antitrust ruling and record $1.45 billion fine of the chip maker was misguided and mistaken and anti-competition. “By any reasonable application of a consumer-harm test, the antitrust claim that Intel is driving down prices—and so making computers less expensive—would be laughed out of U.S. court. The only harm here is to a competitor that can’t match Intel’s prices.”

Intel CEO Paul Otellini responded that the decision was wrong, that there had been no harm to consumers, and that it would appeal the decision.”This is really just a matter of competition at work, which is something I think we all want to see, versus something nefarious,” Otellini said on a conference call with reporters.
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The push for digital medical records, fueled by $19 billion from the federal stimulus package, would completely change the way doctors prescribe and practice medicine—by digitizing the entire medical record-keeping process.  Backers say such technology will cut costs and save lives.  But a growing body of research suggests potential challenges

According to The Portland Business Journal, more than 50 percent of the state’s doctors currently use electronic medical records. That’s more than double the national average, meaning the state could receive a disproportionate share of the $19 billion in federal stimulus money allocated to the digital technology switch.
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During a recession, everybody is affected to some degree.  Corporations, manufacturers, schools, and non-profits are all cutting their losses. College graduates fear not being able to pay off expensive student loans because they can’t find a job with their new degree. People nearing retirement age have to worry about being laid off and not having sufficient time and resources to amass a comfortable nest-egg. Retirees have to go back to work because their dwindling nest eggs have taken a hit. Nobody gets away easily it seems.

However, there is one demographic that seems to have been hit less hard by job losses overall:  women.
While it is true that the unemployment rate for women has gone up in the last year by 1.6%, this does not even begin to touch the male unemployment rate, which has increased by close to 3%.
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Small Business Testimony from a Sutherlin store onwer, Paul Rankin.

Why do most politicians feel that raising taxes and doubling fees think this is helping everyone involved. Im now a very small business owner in Sutherlin, Oregon. I use to have 2 video store centers, one in Roseburg and now I only have the Sutherlin store. Both stores grossed about $275,000.00 at one point with 3 business owners, one manager and 8 employees. Now, it’s my wife, myself and one employee. My wife has to work part time at another job and I am now working 6 days a week, (sometimes 14 days stright depending  on my only employee hours of pay period of 25hrs). I am only grossing around $120,000.00 per year!

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