Editor's Take: June 26, 2008
Credit: JohnRiv/Flickr
Two Solutions in One
Today, the WSJ examines a solution dear to Sightline's
heart: pay-as-you-drive car insurance, which could cut driving by 8 percent, with $51.5 billion in social benefits. (We call that a
twofer.) Regional papers are analyzing--and decrying--yesterday's Exxon Valdez decision. And help us improve Sightline Daily by taking our survey!
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Elisa Murray | View All Today's News
PAYD Insurance Could Cut Costs, Emissions
Wall Street Journal
06/26/2008
Insurers are using high-tech devices to track customers' habits, and offering deep discounts to those who drive less and more cautiously. Pay-as-you-drive insurance pricing would mean an estimated two-thirds of households would pay less in premiums than they do now; and it has the potential to help ease traffic tie-ups, reduce driving by 8 percent, and cut carbon emissions.
Go to article.
California Announces Details of Bold Climate Plan
Los Angeles Times
06/26/2008
California air regulators today announced a bold plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions that would alter the way utilities generate electricity, automakers build cars and developers construct buildings, and launch the nation's broadest market in carbon-credit trading. It's the first comprehensive effort to combat global warming by any American state
Go to article.
Climate Issues Tied to US Security
Washington Post
06/26/2008
US intelligence agencies have concluded that global climate change will worsen food shortages and disease exposure in sub-Saharan Africa over the next two decades, creating operational problems for the Pentagon's newest overseas military command.
Go to article.
Views: Exxon Verdict Makes Life Easier for Corporate Wrongdoers
Anchorage Daily News
06/26/2008
With Wednesday's ruling, the US Supreme Court took it upon themselves to write new law that shields corporate wrongdoers from appropriate penalties, making it much harder to prevent businesses from engaging in profitable but dangerous corner-cutting.
Go to article.
Oregon's Achievement Gap Between Races Is Closing
Oregon Public Broadcasting
06/26/2008
A new report from the National Center on Education Policy finds that Oregon's achievement gap is closing between white and minority students, in terms of meeting the federal standards, or 'benchmarks.'
Go to article.
Alaskans Smoking Less, but Getting Fatter
Anchorage Daily News
06/26/2008
The good news: Alaskans are smoking a lot less than they were five years ago. The bad news: We're older, fatter and more arthritic. So says a new federal survey that shows Alaskans are slightly less healthy than national norms.
Go to article.
Study: Stimulus Checks Spent at Gas Station
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
06/26/2008
An average household would have spent the equivalent of a $1,500 stimulus check on gasoline between the week of Feb. 11, when the stimulus legislation was enacted, and this week. And raising transit fares to offset rising costs could discourage transit commuting at a time when consumers could use it to save money.
Go to article.
Bottle or Tap? Income, Education are Factors
CBC BC
06/25/2008
Almost 30 per cent of Canadian households chose bottled water as their main drinking source in 2006, and factors such as education and income influenced whether Canadians turned to a bottle or tap to quench their thirst, according to a report from Statistics Canada.
Go to article.
Views: Kill Your Air Conditioner
Time Magazine
06/26/2008
I will confess a bias here. I love warm weather and I detest the harsh, slightly metallic quality of the air forced through even the fanciest AC systems. But I can now gild my personal preference with a patina of high-mindedness: air-conditioning is bad for the planet, and for national security, and for our balance-of-payments deficit.
Go to article.
California Utility Looks to BC for Green Power
Vancouver Sun
06/26/2008
British Columbia's "vast" green energy potential has convinced a California utility to advance a project taking BC electricity south. The province's plans to develop new renewable energy sources will leave the province with a huge exportable surplus of electricity by 2016.
Go to article.
