Car-Free Hiking
Via Signpost, a terrific new development from Washington State Parks: a hiker shuttle up Snoqualmie Pass. I'm feeling lazy, so I'll just quote liberally from Andrew Engelson:
The new "Bus-Up 90 Shuttle" will run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and starts at Cedar Falls, which is near Rattlesnake Lake outside North Bend. The shuttle runs to Hyak, east of Snoqualmie Pass. The ride will be air-conditioned and the shuttle has room for backpacking gear, plus a trailer to provide transport for bikes. The shuttle is primarily intended for folks intending to hike or bike down the John Wayne Trail, a 20.5-mile gravel path that follows the old Milwaukee Railroad.
The shuttle will also provide return service and apparently can make stops at trailheads along the western I-90 corridor if you pre-arrange it. There will be three departures daily from Cedar Falls and Hyak.
Schedule and directions are here.
A New England Auction
Next week, the Western Climate Initiative will release a proposal outlining the program's cap and trade design.* In the proposal, we should expect to learn what share of carbon permits will be auctioned (and will therefore generate public revenue), and what share will be given away for free to emitters.
Auctioning is important -- extremely important -- because, among other virtues, it is the best way to promote fairness for people with moderate incomes. We've had lots to say about auctioning in the past, and we'll have lots to say about it in the future. In the meantime, for comparison purposes, I thought it might be helpful to share the auctioning percentages from the cap and trade program in the Northeast, called RGGI. Here goes:
Connecticut.................91%
Maine............................100%
Maryland.......................90%
Massachusetts............99%
New Hampshire.........100%**
New Jersey..................100%**
New York......................100%
Rhode Island...............100%
Vermont........................100%
RGGI sets a good standard, one that WCI should strive hard to match or exceed.
