Editor's Take: February 08, 2010
PNNL, flickr
One for the Wildlife
Salmon runs on the Columbia may be improving in the past couple of years, but it’s not something to "pop the cork" about. The Oregonian tells of the various conditions that affect these fish. In Eastern Washington, bats are at risk as humans disturb their habitat. The gray wolf is being called on for help in the West, to keep growing deer and elk populations at bay.
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Your editor today is Christina Claassen | View All Today's News
Don't celebrate yet on Columbia River's salmon runs
Oregonian
02/07/2010
Record numbers of coho have returned to the Columbia River in recent years, and this year forecasters predict the same for spring chinook. But it's not time to pop the champagne corks and declare victory in the nation's most expensive wildlife restoration venture.
Go to article.
Blind to bats' plight?
Yakima Herald-Republic
02/05/2010
At Boulder Cave, curiosity has all but killed the bat. In the cave chambers once used for winter hibernation by more than 2,000 bats, there are now mere dozens.
And with a deadly fungus wiping out entire bat populations in the eastern United States, the idea of the Pacific Northwest's bats dying off and leaving a gaping void in the ecosystem has become a very real possibility.
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Ranger Wolf: predators pushed as park stewards
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
02/07/2010
With ballooning elk and deer populations eating up greenery and altering ecosystems at national parks across the country, a group of researchers is suggesting an unusual solution: introduce small packs of gray wolves to curb the expanding herds.
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BC native band finalizes treaty agreement
Toronto Globe and Mail
02/08/2010
The Yale First Nation north of Hope, BC, has finalized a treaty agreement with the federal and provincial governments - 16 years after starting the process.
Go to article.
Oregon's Steens Mountain could soon have wind farms
Oregonian
02/07/2010
Harney County has cleared Columbia Energy Partners of Vancouver to build a wind farm on the mountain's north slope. By year's end, 415-foot turbines could start rising from the juniper and sagebrush, among thousands of towers that developers are stampeding to build across eastern Oregon.
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City of Salem pursues plan for bike and foot path
Salem Statesman Journal
02/08/2010
The city of Salem is moving ahead with plans to build a bicycle and pedestrian path that will connect the Union Street Railroad Bridge to Glen Greek Road NW.
Go to article.
Bill would classify burning garbage as renewable power
Salem Statesman Journal
02/06/2010
Garbage - it's generated day after day, in ever increasing amounts, and Marion County wants it considered a renewable resource.
Go to article.
Murkowski working on carbon reduction legislation
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
02/07/2010
Sen. Lisa Murkowski is working on alternative plans to limit carbon dioxide emissions while not harming the economy, a Republican staffer tells a Washington Post reporter.
Go to article.
Women outnumber men on the nations payrolls
New York Times
02/05/2010
For the first time in recorded history, women outnumber men on the nation's payrolls.
This benchmark is bittersweet, as it comes largely at men's expense. Because men have been losing their jobs faster than women, the downturn has at times been referred to as a "man-cession."
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Forgive me, Planet, for I have flown. Frequently.
Crosscut
02/05/2010
Carbon offsets reflect the tendency of environmentalism to act like a new religion. Remember European history about the buying and selling of indulgences? But there can be good sense in donating to atone for our offenses against the environment.
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Editor's Take: February 05, 2010
ThePDXGuy, Flickr.
City Sustainable City
Portland -- with its bike trails, light rail, and vibrant urban neighborhoods -- was chosen as the location for an announcement of a new US program focused on promoting sustainable communities. Urban farmers are digging in to change rules to support growing veggies and keeping chickens in cities. And Americans are turning in increasing numbers from the suburbs to urban centers.
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Your editor today is Lisa Stiffler | View All Today's News
Sustainability program unveiled in Portland
Oregonian
02/04/2010
Portlanders have long touted their walkable neighborhoods, speedy mass-transit trains, and peddle-friendly policies. On Thursday, those efforts got a nod from the US HUD secretary, who chose the city as the place to announce the new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities.
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Brown pelicans struggling to survive
Los Angeles Times
02/05/2010
All along the Oregon coast over the last month, hundreds of brown pelicans have turned up dead, starving, or begging for food.
Go to article.
Urban farmers fight to sow green biz
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
02/05/2010
Urban farmers are challenging city halls across the US to rewrite ordinances that govern residential gardens. They believe feeding their fellow urbanites homegrown tomatoes, fresh eggs, and sweet corn will change the world one backyard at a time.
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Protection list not place for pikas
Seattle Times
02/04/2010
Pikas, the iconic squeakers of the high country, will not be listed for protection as a threatened or endangered species, the US Fish and Wildlife Service decided after a yearlong population-status review.
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Enviro crusader to carry torch on scooter
Vancouver Sun
02/05/2010
Environmentalist Tzeporah Berman will be celebrating her 41st birthday today by carrying the Olympic Flame in Squamish. Only she won't be running with the torch. She'll be scooting. Berman believes she is the first person to carry the torch in a zero-emission vehicle.
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Fuel-efficient cars squeeze Washington gas tax
Seattle Times
02/04/2010
To the list of woes facing a cash-strapped state government, now add fuel efficiency. Washington's gas tax pays for state highways and many county road projects as well. Here's the problem: Motorists require much less gas than they used to.
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Bus riders rail against transit cuts
Everett Herald
02/04/2010
Joe Meyer struggled to regain his independence after a motorcycle accident five years ago. Paralyzed from the chest down, Meyer found some relief on the bus. Budget-saving cuts to Snohomish County's Community Transit would change that to some degree.
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Natural gas plant gets first US carbon cap
San Francisco Chronicle
02/05/2010
California's Bay Area will soon be home to the first US power plant to have its greenhouse gas emissions capped by a federal government permit. Owners of the natural gas plant volunteered for the CO2 limit.
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Why can't I protect my baby from toxics?
Seattle Post Globe
02/05/2010
Molly Gray, a mom from Seattle, testified before a US Senate subcommittee in a hearing to examine the current science on public exposures to toxic chemicals. While pregnant, Gray participated in a study that measured troubling levels of toxics in her body.
Go to article.
Views: People returning to the cities
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
02/05/2010
Desolate inner cities, surrounded by burgeoning suburban growth, were a feature of late 20th Century America. US housing leaders sees a reversal in that trend, says columnist Joel Connelly. People are beginning to vote with their feet and come back to the central cities.
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Editor's Take: February 04, 2010
talkingtojoey, Flickr.
Kick Starting Green Jobs
The number of green jobs will get a boost thanks to investments in home energy efficiency and renewable power. The US government is putting millions of dollars into "Cash for Caulkers." Gov. Chris Gregoire says yes to wind power -- and to nuclear. Northwest businesses are pleased by the Obama administration's support for biofuels and "clean coal" -- but how truly green are those options?
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Lisa Stiffler | View All Today's News
Millions flowing to Cash for Caulkers
Portland Tribune
02/04/2010
President Obama says people can be put to work weatherizing homes and installing energy-efficiency upgrades, such as newer furnaces and hot water heaters. He has proposed "Cash for Caulkers," a program intended to refurbish 130 million US homes.
Go to article.
Portland ready to test recycling kitchen scraps
Oregonian
02/03/2010
After five years of delays, Portland is ready to try out collecting food waste from residents at curbside for recycling into compost, addressing the biggest glob left in the city's garbage.
Go to article.
Sound getting sicker; Obama cuts budget to heal it
Seattle Post Globe
02/04/2010
There's a slippage in the health of Puget Sound, a waterway that sustains orcas, salmon, and people, according to the first report by the Puget Sound Partnership. Meanwhile, President Obama's proposed budget slashes money for cleaning it from $50 million to just $20 million.
Go to article.
Gregoire gives green light to wind farm
Yakima Herald-Republic
02/03/2010
Gov. Chris Gregoire has approved the Desert Claim wind project in Kittitas County, eight miles north of Ellensburg. Desert Claim, which becomes the fourth wind farm approved in the county, will have a capacity of 95 turbines across 5,200 acres.
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Oregon lawmakers looking at ban on BPA
Eugene Register Guard
02/04/2010
Oregon lawmakers Thursday will consider banning containers for baby food, formula, and other products containing bisphenol A, a chemical that is drawing increasing scrutiny as a potential health hazard.
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Obama boosts biofuels, "clean coal"
KPLU
02/04/2010
The Obama administration announced new plans to boost biofuels and to look for climate-friendly ways to use coal as part of an overall "green energy" strategy. Industry folks in the Northwest are enthusiastic, but environmentalists are a bit more cautious.
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Close, but no gold in Vancouver's race to go green
Toronto Globe and Mail
02/04/2010
The Vancouver-based Suzuki Foundation Wednesday gave the 2010 Olympics a bronze for efforts to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions, citing elements such as energy-efficient venues, the use of clean energy such as solar heating and small hydroelectricity projects.
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EPA leader hears concerns over birth defects
San Francisco Chronicle
02/04/2010
It was the day the families of this rural California farm community had long awaited. After nearly two years of pleading for someone to listen to their concerns about an abnormally high number of birth defects, they got one of the biggest ears in the West on Wednesday.
Go to article.
Bill Gates digs deep for geoengineering
New Scientist
02/03/2010
Bill Gates has committed $4.5 million of his own money to funding a number of climate scientists interested in geoengineering.
Go to article.
Views: A smarter, cleaner way to create jobs
Seattle Times
02/03/2010
For the first time, the US government has embraced the principles of smart growth. The Obama administration recognizes that making urban, suburban, and rural communities more livable is essential to our nation's shared economic future.
Go to article.
Editor's Take: February 03, 2010
williumbillium, Flickr
Local Living Moves Ahead
Moving forward, both literally and figuratively, is what is happening with some NW programs. In Portland, the 2030 Bicycle Plan will likely pass the city council, though funding is still a major consideration. Also, a food "hub" will help get consumers connected more directly with farmers. Other forward movement includes education about wind energy, as well as electric cars fleets.
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Christina Claassen | View All Today's News
FoodHub links NW fresh food buyers with producers
Oregonian
02/03/2010
Portlanders love their food and their farmers, and Ann Wright sees it as more than a passing crush.
From her viewpoint - she's deputy undersecretary for marketing with the US Department of Agriculture - the metro area's embrace of locally grown food is an element of economic recovery.
Go to article.
Can Portland afford its 2030 Bike Plan?
Oregonian
02/03/2010
The 2030 Portland Bicycle Plan, envisioning a future when 25 percent of trips are made by bike, is expected to coast to approval when it goes before the City Council on Thursday.
It's easy to green-light America's most ambitious investment in bicycling when it would be funded down the road. But according to city transportation officials, the plan to build 681 miles of new bikeways over the next 20 years will eventually cost $613 million.
Go to article.
Oregon envy: Can a Seattleite wish for more green?
Crosscut
02/03/2010
Much as I hate to admit it, Portland and Oregonians come closer to the Northwest ideal than we do.
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BC gas plant approved despite emissions spike
The Tyee
02/03/2010
A mammoth shale gas processing plant is lumbering ahead in northeastern BC, but a proposal to implement carbon capture and storage (CCS) at the site appears dead in its tracks.
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Green retrofits for Seattle's distressed homes
KUOW
02/02/2010
It's not so easy to make money in real estate these days. Seattle home prices are down more than 20 percent from their peak in 2007, and they continued to decline in 2009. But one group of investors thinks they can make money even in this market. Their plan is to buy up distressed properties and make them certifiably green.
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Views: San Francisco Muni's death spiral
San Francisco Chronicle
02/03/2010
You may be forgiven for believing you've simply lost track of time when you see MTA's new notices of possible fair increases and service cuts. But, in fact, the agency is contemplating still further cuts in service accompanied but yet another round of fare increases.
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California solar: Use it or lose it
Los Angeles Times
02/02/2010
With Californians installing more solar systems, utilities are edging closer to a 2.5% cap on net-metering, which could force future buyers of solar power into a use-it-or-lose-it scenario.
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States struggling with EPA rules
USA Today
02/03/2010
States are slashing funds for environmental programs, threatening their ability to meet federal standards for clean air and water.
All but two states, Montana and North Dakota, have made significant cuts to initiatives ranging from toxic waste cleanup to sewage treatment, says Steve Brown, executive director for Environmental Council of the States, which unites state agencies.
Go to article.
WWU audits its waste
Bellingham Herald
02/03/2010
How much of what ends up in waste bins at Western Washington University's dorms is actually garbage?
That's what some environmentally minded students are trying to answer.
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Negative energy
Mother Jones
02/02/2010
A key bloc of Democrats has a climate Plan B: Ditch cap and trade for an energy bill filled with industry giveaways.
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Editor's Take: February 02, 2010
photograham, flickr
NW Becoming a Leader in Wind
Six more weeks of winter, says Punxsutawney Phil--but things are looking up as the Northwest becomes a leader in wind power. Meanwhile, President Obama’s proposed budget has some consequences for the region’s projects--like cleaning up Puget Sound and abandoned mines. And Oregon is considering a bill that would end the choice between paper and plastic.
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Eric Hess | View All Today's News
Northwest continues growth as wind power producer
Oregon Public Broadcasting
02/01/2010
Only three states added more wind energy capacity than Oregon last year - and only six added more than Washington. Texas' lead as the biggest wind developing state got bigger last year. But Cathy Belyeu with the American Wind Energy Association, says the Northwest is becoming a leader in wind.
Go to article.
Puget Sound cleanup takes hit in Obama's budget
Bellingham Herald
02/02/2010
President Obama's $3.8 trillion budget proposal submitted Monday to Congress cuts funding for Puget Sound cleanup by $30 million over current levels and trims a popular program for farmers to promote U.S. agriculture products overseas.
Federal funding for the state's social safety net would remain pretty much intact.
Go to article.
OR bill would end choice of paper or plastic
Oregonian
02/02/2010
Fred Meyer Hawthorne offers organic wheat grass, stations to charge electric vehicles and "sustainable" salmon. But the Southeast Portland store no longer offers plastic bags at checkout.
State Sen. Mark Hass, D- Beaverton, wants every store in Oregon to do the same.
Go to article.
WA gov opposes Seattle request to rethink 520 bridge
Seattle Times
02/02/2010
Gov. Chris Gregoire pushed back Monday against Seattle lawmakers who are seeking separate transit lanes, instead of a pair of carpool lanes, for the future Highway 520 replacement bridge. That change and others suggested by Seattle officials would require up to two more years of studies and delay the project, the governor contended.
Go to article.
Obama tries again to cut cleanup money for mines
Seattle Times
02/01/2010
President Barack Obama wants to save $115 million this year - and $1.2 billion over 10 years - by eliminating payments to states and Indian tribes that have completed cleanup of abandoned coal mines.
Obama calls the proposal common sense: Why pay states to clean up mines that have already been cleaned up?
But eliminating the program may not be so easy. Obama tried the same thing last year and was rebuffed.
Go to article.
Coal mine threatens BC caribou
CBC BC
02/02/2010
A First Nation group from northeast British Columbia has gone to court to fight to protect a tiny, endangered caribou herd from a potential coal mine development.
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Land swap should lead to more Oregon wilderness
Oregonian
02/01/2010
Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have proposed giving federal wilderness protections to about 16,000 acres of land near the John Day River in Central Oregon. The additional protected wilderness, which would cover two separate areas, Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven, would result from a swap of thousands of acres between private landholders and the federal Bureau of Land Management.
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At REI, is 'carbon-neutral' a smoke screen?
KUOW
02/02/2010
What do Nike, REI, the Vancouver Olympics, and the Washington state government have in common? They've all promised to eliminate their impact on the climate by going "carbon–neutral." REI aims to have zero output of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide by the year 2020. But since REI set the zero–impact goal, its emissions have been heading rapidly in the opposite direction.
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Obama's climate change Plan B
Fortune
02/02/2010
The Copenhagen climate talks went nowhere. The Senate's attempt to pass a global warming bill appears stuck. But that's doesn't mean greenhouse gas laws aren't coming.
The Environmental Protection Agency, spurred by a Supreme Court ruling, is racing to fill the void. As early as March, the EPA could be required to cap greenhouse gases from things like power plants and large factories, essentially doing what Senate Democrats want, without a messy vote.
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Trash: US's best bet for energy independence
Christian Science Monitor
02/01/2010
Turning garbage into energy calls to mind the 1980s film "Back to the Future." Since that time, the technology for turning trash and commercial waste into electricity and biofuel has come a long way. Turning trash and commercial waste into electricity and biofuel has the potential to drastically reduce dependency on foreign oil. It also has the potential to encourage innovation and create jobs.
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