Editor's Take: February 25, 2009
dave 7, flickr
The House that Junked Cars Built
Mixed news today for salmon fishermen: California’s numbers are up, but not enough, meaning a poor ocean fishing season in the Northwest is expected for the third year in a row. Meanwhile, Canada has set new protections for Orca habitat off the coast of BC. Also, what should we do with all our junked cars? Build affordable housing out of them, of course.
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Salmon Numbers Up, but Not Enough
Seattle Times
02/25/2009
West Coast salmon fishermen can expect another lousy fishing season - the third in a row. In coming decades, salmon are expected to have it tougher, as warming temperatures reduce the amount of water stored in mountain snowpacks, diminishing flows in rivers where salmon spend the first part of their lives.
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BC Looks to Restructure Native Government
Toronto Globe and Mail
02/26/2009
A proposed law that would formally recognize aboriginal rights and title in B.C. is also expected to set in motion dramatic changes to the structure of native governments in the province. The law would not only turn back the clock on the Crown's 150-year-old claim to the province's land and resources, but also would set up a commission with the goal of reconstituting the existing 203 native bands in B.C. into 30 indigenous governments.
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WA Bill to Ban BPA in Baby Bottles Moves Forward
Seattle Times
02/25/2009
A bill that would ban the chemical bisphenol A from baby bottles and other food and drink containers for children three and younger has cleared initial hurdles in the Washington Legislature.
The House appropriations committee on Wednesday approved the bill , which now awaits a vote in the full House.
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Obama Counts Cap and Trade as Revenue Source in Budget
New York Times
02/26/2009
The president will propose, in the 10-year budget he is to release Thursday, to use revenues from the centerpiece of his environmental policy -- a plan under which companies must buy permits to exceed pollution emission caps -- to pay for an extension of a two-year tax credit that benefits low-wage and middle-income people.
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Oregon Joins Washington In Hanford Lawsuit
Oregon Public Broadcasting
02/25/2009
Oregon is joining the state of Washington in a lawsuit over clean-up at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
The two states allege the federal government is falling decades behind in its goal to clean up radioactive waste.
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Portland City Council Backs 12 Lane I-5 Bridge
Portland Tribune
02/25/2009
The Portland City Council on Wednesday supported Mayor Sam Adams' regional proposal to move forward on the proposed new Interstate 5 bridge between Portland and Vancouver, Wash.
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Survey: Health Care Cost Keeps the Doctor Away
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
02/26/2009
One in four Americans said in a survey that someone in the family put off needed health care in the past year because of cost, including 16 percent who postponed surgery or a doctor's visit for chronic illness. In all, 53 percent of Americans in the Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Wednesday said they or a family member living with them cut back on health care in one or more ways to save money in the past 12 months.
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Canada Adds New Protections for NW Orcas
Seattle Times
02/25/2009
Almost 300 endangered or threatened killer whales that ply the waters of the Pacific Northwest have improved habitat protection under a new Canadian government regulation.
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Preparing for a Flood of Energy Efficiency Spending
New York Times
02/25/2009
Accelerating the country's energy transition is at the top of President Obama's list. At least $20 billion in the stimulus bill was earmarked for programs like improving the efficiency of government buildings and the homes of poor people, and trying to find better ways to save energy. That is far more than any bill in history.
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From Junked Cars to Green, Affordable Home
Oregonian
02/26/2009
What do you get when you put five engineers alone in a room for a year and give them a problem to solve? Rob Boydstun got a revolutionary new product: affordable green housing.
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