Editor's Take: August 26, 2008
US National Archives
Putting Pressure on the EPA
Twelve states, including Oregon, Washington, and California, are taking charge in the efforts against climate change by requesting that the EPA regulates emissions from oil refineries. "Washington state is doing its part to address climate change," said Washington Governor Gregoire, but the states find the lack of federal concern unacceptable. Meanwhile, developers race to submit renewable energy projects before federal tax credits expire.
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Western States Pressure EPA to Regulate Refineries
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/25/2008
Washington has joined 11 states, the city of New York and the District of Columbia in a federal lawsuit technically aimed at curbing air pollution from oil refineries but mostly intended to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use its regulatory authority to better fight global warming.
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A Monumental Moment for a Nuclear Reactor
Seattle Times
08/25/2008
The federal government has designated the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor, built in 13 months to produce plutonium for an atomic bomb during World War II, a national historic landmark. The announcement Monday doesn't guarantee the B Reactor will never be torn down but likely opens the door for more public tours and moves it closer to becoming a museum.
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Bush Proposes Protections for Unspoiled Pacific
Los Angeles Times
08/26/2008
President Bush on Monday signaled his intention to protect some of the Pacific Ocean's most remote and unspoiled islands, atolls and coral reefs from fishing and deep-sea mining. The president asked for a plan that would protect parts of the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on the planet, as well as waters around Rose Atoll in American Samoa and various islands and reefs in the central Pacific that are under U.S. jurisdiction.
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Effort to Overturn Seattle Bag Fee Moves Forward
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/25/2008
The Coalition to Stop the Seattle Bag Tax said Monday that it has turned in petitions with more than 20,000 signatures to the Seattle City Clerk in an effort to overturn a 20 cent fee on plastic and paper grocery store bags that was approved by the Seattle City Council earlier this month.
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Gas Prices Hit Harder in Rural Areas
Yakima Herald
08/26/2008
Across the country, consumers of all ages have been noticing the high gas prices. In larger cities and towns, people can opt to take public transportation. They also don't have as far to go for groceries and entertainment. But for those who live in rural areas and have to drive about 40 minutes to get to a town of notable size, high gas prices pose a greater hardship.
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California Eyes Oregon Wind Power
Coos Bay World
08/25/2008
California, whose laws require it to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010, has its eyes on Oregon's growing wind power industry. California already imports hydropower in the summer; Oregon and Washington take deliveries from California generators in cold winter months. But Oregon and Washington also face clean energy laws and want the energy too.
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Clean Energy Projects Race to Finish Before Tax Credit Expires
USA Today
08/25/2008
A congressional stand-off that has blocked extension of federal tax credits for renewable energy projects is setting off a boom in the wind and solar industries. Developers and customers are racing to install systems by year's end to qualify for the credits, which can cut the cost of a large commercial system by 30%.
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Recycling the Big Box Stores
USA Today
08/25/2008
Some towns continue to block megastores because they object to their economic impact on local merchants and the traffic congestion they can create. But thousands of other towns across the USA that welcomed them face a growing challenge: What to do with the cavernous spaces left behind by retailers such as Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Kmart when they downsize or expand elsewhere.
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Ron Sims: Health Care is a Shared Responsibility
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/25/2008
How do we encourage people to use health care when it's appropriate, and get better quality care that costs less because it is the right care at the right time? We think the answer is a new paradigm in health care, one built on the premise that health is a shared responsibility. It's time for us to recognize that each player in the employer-based health care system has a responsibility not only for themselves, but also for the other players in the game.
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Views: Vancouver's Walkability - A Stride Ahead
Vancouver Sun
08/26/2008
In terms of walkability, the Vancouver region is strides ahead of other North American regions.
In my 12 years of perambulating through 2,400 North American towns and cities -- walking, poking and probing -- I conclude that towns and cities in and around Vancouver represent the heart and motherlode of North America's walkability.
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