Editor's Take: February 24, 2009
House Comm. on Education and Labor/flickr
Can-do and Cap and Trade
President Obama made an eloquent call last night for lawmakers to "truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change" by, in part, enacting a cap-and trade system. Amid some tough regional news on climate policy, this was a bright spot. Also: The Oregon legislature struggles to fund schools; and former Washington Governor Locke is welcomed in the other Washington.
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Obama Speech: Candor, Can-do, and Cap and Trade
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
02/25/2009
President Barack Obama summoned politicians and public alike Tuesday night to forge a path out of the worst economic disaster in a quarter-century by embracing shared sacrifice and costly new endeavors to improve health care, schools and the environment. Among other things, he urged lawmakers to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that cause climate change by creating a cap-and-trade system of limits and pollution allowances.
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Economic Crisis Complicates California's Goals on Climate
New York Times
02/25/2009
California was one of the first states to enact legislation to tackle global warming, with legislators passing a 2006 measure to curb carbon dioxide emissions in all economic sectors, including manufacturing, transportation and real estate development. But the state is also providing a lesson in how contentious carrying out such a law can be, especially at a time of economic crisis, because what happens in California is being closely watched in Washington.
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Oregon Lawmakers Move to Reduce School Cuts
Oregonian
02/25/2009
Under pressure to save the school year, House and Senate leaders said Tuesday they will spend millions more in federal stimulus dollars to pare planned cuts to classrooms.
Oregon public schools would lose $116 million this school year -- not $167 million, as the same lawmakers proposed last week.
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Unemployment Surges Higher In Northwest States
Oregon Public Broadcasting
02/25/2009
Unemployment has jumped again across Washington State. In January, Washington's unemployment rate rose to 7.8 percent. That's up from 7.1 percent in December.
Oregon's January jobless numbers have been delayed, but are trending even higher. Correspondent Tom Banse reports on how high the unemployment rate could go.
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E.P.A. Is Told to Reconsider Its Standards on Pollutants
New York Times
02/25/2009
Bush administration standards for pollutants like soot are "contrary to law and unsupported by adequately reasoned decisionmaking," a federal appeals court said Tuesday.
The court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its standards for the pollutants, fine particulates, which are linked to premature death from lung cancer and heart disease and to other health problems including asthma.
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Gregoire's Emissions-Cap Plan Faces Challenges
Seattle Times
02/25/2009
Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposal to regulate the emission of greenhouse gases linked to global warming is facing serious challenges in the Legislature. A Senate Committee passed a version that gutted the heart of the plan by making it voluntary for businesses to participate.
"It's a work in progress," Ecology Director Jay Manning said Tuesday, adding he was pleased the legislation was still alive. He said the state would work with the Legislature to find a proposal both could support.
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Aging Dam Threatens Major BC Fishery
Vancouver Sun
02/25/2009
One of British Columbia's most economically vital salmon streams is teetering at the edge of a major fish kill. The federal salmon hatchery at Robertson Creek in the Port Alberni region of Vancouver Island is the linchpin for high-end sport-fishing lodges from Barkley Sound to Alaska, but its performance is contingent on water stored behind an aging dam that is considered to be at imminent risk of failure.
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Washington $340M Highway Stimulus Plan Shuns Seattle
Seattle Times
02/25/2009
Highway projects from Omak to Willapa Bay would be bankrolled with federal stimulus money under a spending plan announced Tuesday by the Legislature's Democratic transportation leaders. But the Legislature also is ruffling some big feathers -- particularly in Seattle -- by leaving local governments' favorite projects off the statewide transportation stimulus list.
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Obama Chooses Locke to Run Commerce Department
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
02/25/2009
Obama praised Locke, a Chinese-American, as a man who shares his vision for turning around the moribund economy, and as someone who is committed to doing what it takes to keep the American dream alive.
"Gary will be a trusted voice in my Cabinet, a tireless advocate for our economic competitiveness and an influential ambassador to American industry who will help us do everything we can, especially now, to promote our industry around the globe," Obama said.
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Soaring Unemployment Marks Sea Change for Victoria
Toronto Globe and Mail
02/25/2009
The city has long claimed one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, but Statistics Canada yesterday reported the number of people claiming employment insurance benefits in Victoria is up nearly 50 per cent over the past year.
At the Spectrum Job Search Centre, the change is evident: There are lineups for computers and counsellors. The mood is more intense, too, as job opportunities at all levels dry up.
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