Editor's Take: January 21, 2009
danidantje, flickr
Reining in the Recession
Following Oregon’s news, Washington announces a jump in unemployment. Also, Alaskan economists predict the recession will come to Alaska in 2009. Amid this grim news, Oregon leaders are crafting a stimulus plan to create jobs to bolster the economy. Meanwhile, Obama puts a hold on Bush’s last minute environment decisions—including wolf delisting. And California is once again asking for regulation of tailpipe emissions.
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Oregon Leaders Aim to Create Jobs with Stimulus
Oregonian
01/22/2009
Legislative leaders unfurled details of a $175 million stimulus package aimed at combating the highest unemployment rate Oregon has seen in more than two decades. The proposal would borrow money to pay for a host of maintenance projects, including installation of energy-efficient lights at state corrections facilities.
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WA Unemployment Rate Nears National Average
Seattle Times
01/21/2009
Washington's unemployment rate jumped to 7.1 percent last month, the largest one month increase in more than three decades. The jump of more than half a percentage point from 6.4 percent in November was the biggest increase reported since 1976, the state Employment Security Department said Wednesday.
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Portland Rep Gets Spot On Climate Committee
Oregon Public Broadcasting
01/21/2009
Portland-area rep, Earl Blumenauer will be the 'vice-chair' of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. It's a two-year-old committee focused on climate change. Blumenauer says he's impressed that the Obama Administration has put people with climate change expertise into positions of authority.
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Schwarzenegger Asks Obama for Tailpipe Rules
San Francisco Chronicle
01/21/2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't waiting to press the Obama administration on one of California's top priorities--regulating greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. The Republican governor sent a letter Wednesday to the new president asking him to give California and other states permission to implement tough tailpipe-emission standards.
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Recession Expected to Catch Up to Alaska in '09
Anchorage Daily News
01/22/2009
Alaska will join the national recession in 2009. The state will lose hundreds or possibly thousands of jobs this year, depending on which economic forecast you consult. It will be the first time that Alaska has lost jobs in 22 years. The global economic crisis and declining commodity prices are mostly to blame, state economists say.
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Economy Won't Halt BC's Hydroelectric Projects
Georgia Straight
01/22/2009
The CEO of one of the province's largest private-power companies is "absolutely" confident it can finance its run-of-river hydroelectric projects in spite of the economic slowdown.
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Obama Blocks Some of Bush's Last-Minute Decisions
Los Angeles Times
01/21/2009
With a short memo on Inauguration Day, President Obama blocked plans to loosen some air quality standards and to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list. But he did not stop several other controversial, late-term environmental regulations issued by the Bush administration -- at least not yet.
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Study: Cleaner Air Adds Five Months to US Life Span
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
01/21/2009
Cleaner air over the past two decades has added nearly five months to average life expectancy in the United States, according to a federally funded study. Researchers said it is the first study to show that reducing air pollution translates into longer lives.
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US Abortion Debate Altered by Obama Presidency
Seattle Times
01/21/2009
The advent of the Obama administration is rousing enthusiasm among abortion-rights supporters and deep anxiety among opponents. Abortion-rights groups view President Barack Obama - and the Democratic leadership in Congress - as allies who are likely to ease restrictions on federal funding, broaden family-planning programs, and install federal judges who support the Supreme Court's landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion.
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Stimulus Worry: Portland Rakes it in, Suburbs Lose
Portland Tribune
01/22/2009
Although federal lawmakers are still drafting the $825 billion-plus economic stimulus plans, regional officials are already arguing over how the coming cash should be divvied - and some suburban area leaders are worrying that Portland will receive more than its share of the transportation funds.
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