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McCain Follows Democrats on Climate
Portland Oregonian
05/13/2008
Sen. John McCain's Portland-based global warming manifesto now puts all three presidential candidates -- and both major parties' leaders -- firmly in favor of aggressive cuts to greenhouse gases.
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Clinton Leads on LNG
Astoria Daily Astorian
05/12/2008
Hillary Clinton backers boast that she -- unlike her Democratic rival Barack Obama and Republican nominee John McCain -- voted against the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which took the power to site LNG terminals away from states and gave it to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
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BC Timber Towns Go Local
The Tyee
05/13/2008
Ask people in British Columbia's timber towns how to reverse their plummeting fortunes and a lot of them will say the solution begins at home -- with locals gaining control of how nearby forests are put to use.
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The Last Mill in Coeur d'Alene
KUOW
05/12/2008
Dozens of sawmills are being idled around the Northwest because of plummeting demand for lumber. KUOW reports on the end of an era in Coeur d'Alene.
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Seattle Housing Struggles with Cultural Divide
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/13/2008
New Holly, in the Beacon Hill area, is one of the experimental -- and controversial -- public housing programs around the country that attempts to mingle socio-economic groups. The goal of the federally funded Hope VI project is to eliminate pockets of poverty in cities, and encourage daily interaction among residents across class and cultural divides.
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The Anthropology of Homelessness
KUOW
05/12/2008
When most of us see a homeless person on the street, we avert our eyes. One woman in Seattle does the opposite: she studies the anthropology of street people.
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Alaska Offers Energy Makeover
Alaska Public Radio Network
05/13/2008
Alaskans facing high energy prices can take part in a state program going into effect this week to help lower fuel expenses. The Home Energy Rebate program is designed to make everyone’s life a little more comfortable.
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Native School in California an Escape from Poverty
NPR
05/13/2008
Remnants still exist of the boarding school system the federal government set up for American Indian children in the late 1800s.
Some people, such as U.S. officials at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, question whether the government should continue to be in the boarding school business. Many students at these schools say they are a necessary escape from the poverty and addiction that plague many reservations.
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100 Percent Geothermal for Oregon University
Coos Bay World
05/12/2008
Geothermal water naturally heated to up to 200 degrees has warmed the Oregon Institute of Technology for years, but plans now are to use the subterranean water to meet all campus power needs.
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The Uncertain Future of Carbon Trading
The Economist
05/12/2008
In 2007, emissions trading grew into a $60 billion business. Much of that came from within the European Union, which has capped the emissions of big factories and power plants, but allows firms that exceed their allocation to buy unused pollution rights from those that have some to spare. With the growth of this new industry, does carbon trading have a rosy future, or none at all?
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McCain Breaks with Bush on Climate Change
Washington Post
05/12/2008
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) outlined his proposal to address climate change this morning, offering plans that would go beyond President Bush's but fall short of the bipartisan bill headed for a Senate vote next month.
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Salmon Crisis Threatens Ecology and Culture
Vancouver Sun
05/12/2008
Salmon don't hit the headlines as often out here on the West Coast as they did in the 1980s and '90s, when they were being overfished.
They ought to again, though, given what's now happening out in the Pacific Ocean and this region's rivers.
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Bill McKibben: Climate Change's Defining Moment
Tom Paine
05/12/2008
Without historical precedent. Brace yourselves, it's about to become a commonplace in our vocabulary. The southeastern United States, for instance, was, for the last couple of years, locked in a drought -- which is finally easing -- "without historical precedent." In other words, there was nothing (repeat, nothing) in the historical record that provided a guide to what might happen next.
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B.C. Power Line Project To Go Ahead
CBC BC
05/12/2008
There will be no last-minute government intervention in the construction of controversial new overhead power lines in Tsawwassen and South Delta, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell told the CBC Monday.
An estimated 2,000 residents rallied on Saturday, calling on Campbell to put a halt to the high-voltage transmission lines, which they say pose a health threat. The provincial government approved the plan in March and construction is scheduled to start June 2.
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Will McCain's Climate Pitch Work in Oregon?
AP
05/12/2008
Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential contender, chose to unveil a sweeping new plan for combating global warming in Portland Monday, during his first trip to the state of the 2008 election cycle.
But will McCain's global warming pitch work with green-savvy voters, not just in Oregon, but places like Washington and California, traditional Democratic strongholds where McCain's advisers have said he believes he can compete for votes from independents and moderate Democrats?
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Coos Bay Land Use Board to Hear LNG Case
Coos Bay World
05/12/2008
The opponents of a marine terminal on Coos Bay’s North Spit outlined their arguments against its land-use application in a brief to the Land Use Board of Appeals.
And later this week, the LUBA also will hear oral arguments in a case involving the adjacent liquefied natural gas terminal project.
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New Bridge, Light Rail in Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver Columbian
05/12/2008
Build a new Interstate 5 bridge, bring light rail across the Columbia River and end the line along the freeway's east side near Clark College.
Vancouver transportation officials made that recommendation to the city council Monday, another step in what could be the region coming together behind a $4.1 billion package of bridge, highway and transit improvements.
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Columbian Gets Nod for Eco-Friendly Building
Vancouver Columbian
05/12/2008
The Columbian's headquarters on Monday became the second downtown Vancouver property to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. The U.S. Green Building Council's four LEED designations recognize different levels of energy efficiency and environmentalism in building designs.
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Big Car (Glug Glug) Glut
Eugene Register Guard
05/12/2008
New-car dealers are having trouble selling the big sport-utility vehicles, even with generous incentives from manufacturers, and owners who want to trade them in for something more fuel efficient are finding their rigs’ value has gone way down.
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Eugene Park-and-Ride Use Increasing
Eugene Register Guard
05/12/2008
In an era of increased transit demand amid skyrocketing gas prices, Lane Transit District officials regard the park-and-ride lots as central to their strategy for helping more people get out of their cars — at least for part of their trips — and onto the bus.
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Perch Crowd Out Trout in Eastern Oregon Lake
AP
05/12/2008
Two years ago, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife poisoned Oregon's Diamond Lake to deal with an exploding tui chub population that had ruined a showcase trout fishery.
Some anglers in Eastern Oregon want the agency to take similar action at Phillips Reservoir near Baker City, where the unwanted fish is perch.
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Kids' Toys Going Non-Toxic
The Christian Science Monitor
05/12/2008
Parents who want nontoxic toys for their kids are finding more choices.
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Head Winds Buffet Oregon Wind Energy
Oregon Public Broadcasting
05/12/2008
The Skamania County prosecutor is asking a judge to throw a wind farm challenge out of court. Earlier, a citizens group filed suit against the county to stop a proposed wind farm near the Columbia Gorge.
This is the third wind project to run into opposition in the Northwest recently, despite public votes in favor of more renewable energy.
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Views: John McCain: Eco Warrior
The Nation
05/13/2008
Yikes, it's really true. John McCain is running for president as a tree-hugging liberal.
No, not an all-the-time environmentalist -- rather, as a swing-state-savvy, targeted-message-peddling, hoping-to-pick-up-the-votes-of-lifestyle-liberals-who-want-to-address-climate-change-on-the-cheap murky-shade-of-green Republican.
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B.C. Builders Keen on Building Up
Vancouver Sun
05/13/2008
A plan by the province to raise the maximum height for wood-framed apartment buildings to encourage more use of the province's timber is receiving strong support from builders.
Premier Gordon Campbell told mayors attending a Whistler convention last week that he wants to support the province's forest industry by allowing the construction of wood-framed condominiums higher than the current four-storey limit.
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