Editor's Take: September 30, 2009
Clinton Steeds, flickr
Breaking Logjams
A deal has been reached among farmers, anglers, environmental groups and power producers in the Klamath Basin to remove dams that impede salmon. Here's hoping the US Senate can broker similar agreement on climate policy. In other news, laundry may be polluting Puget Sound, and the EPA says the law protecting consumers from toxic chemicals isn't up to the job.
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US Senate climate bill tougher than the House
Seattle Times
09/29/2009
US Senate Democrats are pushing for a 20 percent cut in greenhouse gases by 2020 - deeper than what the House has passed and what President Barack Obama wants - according to a long-awaited bill that will test how serious the US is about slowing global warming.
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Deal would remove Klamath River dams
Oregonian
09/30/2009
Dams that for decades have blocked salmon from swimming into the Upper Klamath basin could come down by 2020, based on an agreement made public today. But many details need to be resolved before any concrete is blasted from the river that runs from southern Oregon's high desert to the California coast, not the least of which is who would pay for it.
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Study blames laundry for toxin in Puget Sound
Olympian
09/30/2009
Dirty water from residential washing machines is a significant source of a toxin polluting Puget Sound, according to a study released Tuesday. Dust that sloughs off hundreds of every day household products - cosmetics, vinyl flooring, shower curtains and furniture - goes down the drain with the laundry-room suds, the study theorizes.
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EPA: Toxics law needs overhaul
Seattle Times
09/29/2009
With more and more toxic chemicals turning up in people's bodies and the environment, the Obama administration asked Congress Tuesday to draft a tougher law for how the government regulates tens of thousands of chemicals, calling the 32-year-old statute governing toxic substances a flawed tool for protecting the public.
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The ultimate commuter bike challenge
Portland Oregonian
09/29/2009
Oregon Manifest - Portland's year-old multi-geared celebration of bike culture and craftsmanship - has exploded into a six-weekend-long festival. It kicks off Friday with 32 hand-built bike builders from across the nation vying to make the ultimate modern commuter bike.
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Hitting the trail, without a car
Contra Costa Times
09/29/2009
In a region famous for nurturing nature and technology, San Francisco Bay Area conservation and transit groups have unveiled the first interactive Web site for planning how to take public transit to trails, parks, beaches and campgrounds.
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Solar energy for cloudy skies
NPR
09/29/2009
Germany now has more solar power than any other country in the world. This, in a region with even less sunshine than the cloudy Pacific Northwest. So how did they do it, and are there lessons there for us?
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Food giants hop 'buy local' bandwagon
Toronto Globe and Mail
09/30/2009
The companies that dominate the food industry, from potato-chip makers to national supermarket chains, are trying to tap into the "buy local" zeitgeist. Some foodies call it greenwashing, while others are asking what role these companies can have in a local food system.
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Study: If health reform fails
Oregonian
09/30/2009
The number of Oregon residents without health insurance will jump to 979,000 in 10 years and the cost for those with insurance could increase 70 percent if Congress does not pass reform legislation, an new analysis concludes. The report provides state-by-state assessments and predicts the impact to people and the economy would be large, with a crippling impact on workers, employers and state budgets.
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Where do Seattleites come from?
Crosscut
09/30/2009
As Seattle finishes the first decade of Century 21, there are notable differences from the Seattle at the end of the 20th. If you ask a Seattleite where they were born, you're less likely to hear "Virginia Mason hospital" or even "Mt. Vernon," and more likely to hear "Somalia."
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