Editor's Take: January 15, 2009
Credit: Ti H2O, Flickr.
Going On A Carbon Diet
Although Friday's headlines are full of "big" stories of the day -- like the EPA's latest assessment of the Columbia River Basin's health, and Governor Christine Gregoire's economic stimulus plan for Washington -- it's small-town news that caught my eye. In Ashland, Oregon, residents are going on a carbon diet in hopes of shedding thousands of carbon pounds.
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Ashlanders Go On a Low-Carbon Diet
Ashland Daily Tidings
01/15/2009
While some Ashlanders will be sweating to lose a few pounds in the Plan-it You health challenge, another local diet promises adherents will lose 5,000 pounds in 30 days.
That's 5,000 pounds of carbon, subtracted from dieters' carbon footprints.
Go to article.
Columbia River's 'Unacceptable' Toxic Levels
Oregonian
01/16/2009
Contamination in the Columbia River basin poses an "unacceptable risk" to people, fish and wildlife, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday after issuing its first comprehensive report on toxic pollution in the massive Columbia system.
The EPA report compiles monitoring data in the Columbia and its tributaries since 1990 for four well-known and long-lasting hazardous pollutants. The sources of those substances range from water running off farms and industrial lands to wastewater from sewage treatment plants.
Go to article.
Federal Funding for Sound Transit Light Rail
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
01/16/2009
The federal government will increase its contribution and finance more than 40 percent of the cost of extending Sound Transit light rail service from downtown Seattle to the University of Washington.
Groundbreaking for construction will be in a few weeks, and work to remove buildings from a Capitol Hill station site will begin this month.
Go to article.
Bill Boosts Health Care for Children
Anchorage Daily News
01/16/2009
More than 8,000 uninsured Alaska children could receive new health care benefits if a bill approved by the U.S. House on Wednesday is also approved by the Senate and signed into law next week as expected by then-newly inaugurated President Barack Obama.
Go to article.
Gov. Gregoire: Building to Revive Economy
Seattle Times
01/16/2009
Gov. Chris Gregoire on Thursday announced her plan to stimulate the economy, create jobs and push forward crucial transportation projects in the midst of the biggest budget shortfall in state history - by speeding up projects already in the works.
Go to article.
Emission Impossible
Guardian
01/15/2009
Negative carbon footprints are our only hope, says the Worldwatch Institute - and sets out a 10-step roadmap to achieving this lofty goal. Can you think of any other ways?
Go to article.
Cash Crunch for California Conservation Projects
San Francisco Chronicle
01/16/2009
California's fiscal crisis has derailed 4,000 conservation projects across the state, from restoration of tidal marshes on San Francisco Bay to expansion of the coastal trail, and threatens major land acquisitions on the Sonoma, Big Sur and Mendocino coasts, state officials say.
Go to article.
Biologists Fear for Survival of Endangered Delta Fish
Contra Costa Times
01/15/2009
Federal biologists have determined that water deliveries through the Delta could drive several runs of salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon to extinction.
The biologists are continuing to investigate whether the loss of salmon is jeopardizing a population of killer whales off the West Coast.
Go to article.
Views: Roll Through Stop Signs Legally with Bike Bill
New West
01/14/2009
I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard a complaint about cyclists not stopping at stop signs. I’d have enough money to buy at least one new bicycle, maybe two or three.
And now one Montana lawmaker would like to make this normal behavior legal, just as it has been for 27 years in Idaho.
Go to article.
Obama's Green Energy Stimulus Losing Steam?
Los Angeles Times
01/16/2009
Barack Obama portrays his stimulus plan as a quick jolt for the ailing economy and a "down payment" on his priorities as president. But those goals appear to be colliding in at least one key area: energy independence.
Go to article.
