Daily Score Blog

It passes! 

Shortly before 7:30 p.m., the New York City Council approved a measure urging state lawmakers to vote in favor of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s congestion pricing proposal. The vote was 30 to 20, with one member absent.

Assuming that the state legislature approves the move, New York will be the first American metropolis to implement this sort of charge.  But it's not an untested idea.  In fact, congestion charges have been used for decades in Singapore, and are becoming increasingly common in cities across Europe. The council-approved plan will charge drivers $8 to cross into Manhattan south of 60th Street -- roughly the southern end of Central Park -- with the goal of easing congestion, or at least ensuring that drivers on the hypercongested downtown street grid start to pay their own way.

Supporters were quick to praise the council vote:

Less traffic, better transit, cleaner air, good jobs - millions of New Yorkers who share these goals can feel proud that the City Council listened to the facts and today voted ‘yes’ for congestion pricing to put New York on track to this better, healthier, more livable future.

Let's hope they're right.  Either way, though, it'll be very interesting to see what comes of this.  If it's successful, will the idea spread?  Or will it just become yet another curiosity of the Big Apple?

Ruh roh.  Looks like the Northwest states -- particularly Washington -- are seeing a substantial boost in the number of people signed up for food stamps.  In fact, comparing 2006 figures with year-end data for 2007, Washington's jump in food stamp utilization was the largest in the country: an increase of more than 25 percent in a single year!!

Typically, rising food stamp enrollment is a clear sign of a slowing economy.  But Washington's worst-in-nation food stamp surge likely had another cause:  the flooding in west-central Washington late last fall that put many folks in shelters, and still more in dire financial straits. 

So the New York Times calls Washington's food stamp increase a "temporary increase in response to [a] natural disaster." Fair enough. 

Still, I think it's a mistake to downplay the significance of Washington's food stamp bounce.  First off:  some of that increase probably is due to a faltering economy.  Food stamp enrollment is up nationwide, as well as in neighboring states, so it's not too much of a stretch to think that Washington's economy stumbled as well.

And second:  natural disasters aren't necessarily all that "natural" anymore.  In some ways, they may be an inherent symptom of the global economy, rather than an unpredictable outside force. Climate change has increased weather variability; and we've done precious little to insulate ordinary folks from the risk of extreme weather.   The economic effects of natural disasters, while unpredictable, are every bit as real as the effects of a slowing economy.  Perhaps moreso, since they can hit so suddenly and so intensely, particularly for folks with thin financial cushions.  So, in a way, there's no reason to downplay natural disasters as "outside" the economy.  It's become an artificial distinction; we have to start treating the economic costs of natural disasters as an expected -- even inevitable -- consequence of the economic choices we've made.

Which raises another point.  Too often, public policy debates center on the cost of stopping climate change.  But this sort of news turns the tables:  the costs of not stopping climate change -- i.e., of letting climate-warming gases continue to flood the atmosphere -- will likely pose a much greater risk to wealth and wellbeing than the cost of setting some responsible limits.

The Taku River valley is one of BC’s crown jewels. It’s 4.5 million acres of forest tucked up in the northwest corner of the province. It’s also the home of the Taku Tlingit nation, who have a vision of how to manage the land for future generations. Now they’re sitting down with the province to hammer out a plan. The Prince Rupert Daily News has the story.

Like Clayoquot Sound and the Great Bear Rainforest, the Taku project is the result of different people sitting down and working together on a solution. BC is a global leader in conservation success stories. And the key is collaboration among native people, government officials, conservationists, and businessmen. That ain’t easy. 

Check out the Taku Tlingit’s land-use vision here (PDF). And a fantastic map of the conservation plan here (PDF). The Taku Tlingit worked with Round River Conservation Studies to create the report. (Round River also drafted the conservation plan for the Great Bear Rainforest several years ago.)

Take a look:  somebody has ranked hybrid cars, based on how much money they save you.  Your best hybrid buys, in order, are...drumroll please...

1. The Toyota Prius,
   
2. The Saturn Vue, and
   
3. The Honda Civic.

Unfortunately, the ranking methods aren't completely spelled out. But as far as I can tell, the author compares the price difference between a hybrid car and its non-hybrid mate, and compares the extra cost of the hybrid engine with the money drivers save on fuel.  These 3 come up as the best hybrid buys.

Of course, the Prius (unlike most other cars of its ilk) was built as a hybrid from the ground up, so it doesn't have a non-hybrid version.  But it still won top honors.  Here's what they say about the Prius:

After seven years on the market, the Prius is still the best hybrid for people who just plain want to burn less gas. It's arguably also the best for people who hope to save money in the long run. Built from scratch as a hybrid, it maximizes interior space and offers a roomy cargo hatch, whereas hybrid sedans tend to diminish trunk space and/or eliminate folding backseats. There is no gas-only version, but there doesn't have to be. It's both the most efficient and most affordable hybrid out there.

Sleuthing around a bit, I took a look at #2, the Saturn Vue Green Line, to see how its cost savings racked up, compared with the non-hybrid Vue.