Editor's Take: April 22, 2009
flickr, misternaxal.
Making density attractive
Portland residents are trying to reap the environmental and health benefits that come with high-density housing -- without losing the charm of a historic neighborhood undergoing redevelopment. Stimulus money goes green with support for Olympic and Mount Rainier national parks, among others. On the national front, Obama calls for wind power in coastal waters and Congress tackles cap and trade.
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Lisa Stiffler | View All Today's News
Portland 'hood talks smart density
Portland Mercury
04/22/2009
Apartment and condo projects planned for a historic Portland neighborhood are good for transit and bad for sprawl -- but are there ways to build density that don't upset the neighbors?
Go to article.
Stimulus will speed Elwha dam removal
Seattle Times
04/22/2009
The long-awaited demolition of two dams blocking the Olympic Peninsula's Elwha River will happen a year sooner than expected, courtesy of federal stimulus money.
Go to article.
North Cascades to get stimulus money
Bellingham Herald
04/22/2009
National parks in Washington state will get more than $62 million to fund 33 projects, including $518,000 for work at North Cascades National Park. Another $3.3 million will allow Mount Rainier to deal with a backlog of maintenance projects.
Go to article.
FDA to allow Plan B birth control for 17-year-olds
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
04/22/2009
Seventeen-year-olds will be able to buy the "morning-after" emergency contraceptive without a doctor's prescription, a decision that conservatives denounced as a blow to parental supervision of teens but that women's groups said represents sound science.
Go to article.
House panel begins debate on climate bill
Washington Post
04/22/2009
The House Energy and Commerce Committee started work Wednesday on the nation's first-ever limit on greenhouse gas emissions, sparking an intense round of lobbying in Washington as interests on both sides of the debate sought to sway undecided lawmakers.
Go to article.
Offshore wind farms get green light
Seattle Times
04/23/2009
The federal government has cleared the way for developers to plant wind farms in offshore waters on the outer continental shelf. The regulations were published Wednesday in the Federal Register and promoted by President Obama at an Earth Day speech on a wind farm in Newton, Iowa.
Go to article.
OR seeks money for electric cars
Salem Statesman Journal
04/23/2009
Gov. Ted Kulongoski says Oregon will seek a share of $300 million in federal stimulus money set aside to promote purchases of electric cars and charging stations.
Go to article.
Federal protection proposed for Puget Sound rockfish
Seattle Times
04/23/2009
The federal government may seek to widen fishing restrictions in Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia in coming years to protect three bug-eyed, deep-water fish species once considered staples of the region's commercial- fishing industry.
Go to article.
Cap-and-trade funds grow green jobs
The Daily Climate
04/23/2009
Laid-off workers in the northeastern states are part of the green-collar corps created by the nation's first carbon cap-and-trade program. Workers are being hired for a booming expansion of energy efficiency programs, financed by money raised from power companies paying for their carbon emissions under the program.
Go to article.
Backyard biodiesel blamed for fires, explosions
Eugene Register Guard
04/23/2009
Trying to live green and beat high gasoline prices, some enterprising Americans are turning cooking oil into biodiesel in their garages. Problem is, some of these do-it-yourselfers are burning down the house.
Go to article.
