Current Stories
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Views: Scientist stakes reputation on salmon plan
Idaho Statesman
11/05/2009
The Obama administration and the region’s federal dam managers are pinning their hopes to the scientific reputation of Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a marine ecologist from Oregon State University. And it’s a good call.
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Views: Smart, green and humane
Vancouver Sun
11/04/2009
According to the latest UN population projections, the next 40 years will see an almost doubling of urban populations. This growth will offer both unprecedented challenges and great opportunities to cities around the world.
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Northwest energy efficiency better in 2008
Coos Bay World
11/02/2009
Improved energy efficiency reduced power demand by an amount equal to about 148,000 homes across the Northwest last year.
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US getting better at conserving water
Seattle Times
10/30/2009
Americans are using less water per person now than they have since the mid-1950s, thanks to water-saving technologies and a push to safeguard dwindling supplies. Experts said it was particularly welcome news in the burgeoning West.
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Feds seek more comment on protections for frog
Corvallis Gazette-Times
10/29/2009
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking more information on whether the northern leopard frog that lives in 19 Western states needs endangered species protections.
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Western lawmakers collaborate on climate
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
10/27/2009
Lawmakers from many western states agreed Monday that they should consider collaborating on developing technology to capture and store the carbon gas that's generated from burning fossil fuels.
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Rallying for (climate) change
Oregonian
10/25/2009
Kayakers and canoeists formed a giant 350 in the Willamette River this weekend joining actions in 181 countries that urged world leaders to act quickly and aggressively to reduce carbon emissions that cause climate change. Many climate scientists say the Earth can remain healthy at a top limit of 350 parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere.
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Missing the forest
Oregonian
10/25/2009
A new study suggests warming temperatures predicted over the next century could boost tree growth on Northwest forests, but less so at lower elevations where most of the timber is and temperatures are already warm.
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Tree farmers may profit from climate regs
KUOW
10/23/2009
In our region, private timberland owners, farmers, and some tribal governments are dreaming dollar signs thanks to a growing market for carbon offsets meant to temper climate change.
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Idaho nursery gives forests a start
Seattle Times
10/21/2009
A Coeur d'Alene nursery is a genetic storehouse for Western forests. One of six nurseries in the national forest system, it grows seedlings that can be used to replenish woods wiped out by fires.
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Region's first plastic bottle recycler coming to Oregon
Oregonian
10/21/2009
Two plastic-industry veterans and Oregon's bottle-handling cooperative Wednesday announced plans to build the Northwest's first facility for recycling plastic water and pop bottles.
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Watts of water
High Country News
10/21/2009
To balance an unpredictable supply with demand, grid operators need to store that energy so they can deploy it when people need it most. Pumped hydro is one way to do that, and the West is a good place to do it.
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NW states energy efficient, but others catching up
Oregon Public Broadcasting
10/21/2009
Oregon and Washington continue to rank among the most energy-efficient US states -- but others are catching up, according to the latest scorecard from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.
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NW states lead in energy efficiency
Wall Street Journal
10/22/2009
States are backing big energy-efficiency programs, spurred by the belief that they could hold down heating and electricity bills, as well as cut greenhouse-gas emissions. Northwest states are leaders in the effort.
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Forest study sees upside of climate change
Los Angeles Times
10/20/2009
While gradually warming global temperatures long have been seen as an environmental threat, a study released Monday suggested that the forests of the Pacific Northwest could see a substantial gain in productivity as the thermometer climbs.
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Medical marijuana rules relaxing
New York Times
10/20/2009
People who use marijuana for medical purposes and those who distribute it to them should not face federal prosecution, provided they act according to state law, the Justice Department said Monday in a directive with far-reaching political and legal implications.
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Views: There's real power in energy conservation
Oregonian
10/18/2009
Right now, all most people want to talk about is the next great renewable energy source - wind farms, solar arrays, small-scale nuclear plants, even wave energy. Yet a proposed 20-year energy plan wisely doubles down on the Northwest's long history of conservation to meet 85 percent of the region's new demand for electricity.
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Views: Salmon, science, and the law
Oregonian
10/15/2009
Rather than wallowing in a morass of litigation, the Pacific Northwest is on the brink of a refreshing step forward in the long effort to aid salmon runs.
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Can salmon evolve to survive among fish-killing dams?
Oregonian
10/14/2009
Dams hurt salmon, robbing them of free-flowing rivers and confusing them on their celebrated, circuitous life journey. But maybe the fish can take it.
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Are NW conservation goals realistic?
Missoulian
10/14/2009
Proposals to forego future fossil fuel power plants and wring more conservation savings out of the Pacific Northwest electricity market please many in Missoula. But local utility manager worry a draft five-year regional electricity plan sets unreasonable conservation targets and failed to consider Montana's rural nature.
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Offshore wind projects distant for West Coast
The New York Times
10/11/2009
Eastern states from North Carolina to Maine are working on plans for offshore wind power. So why is nothing happening off the West Coast, where the winds also blow strong?
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Better mountain bikes, fewer mountain trails?
New York Times
10/11/2009
As the number of mountain bikers has soared in recent years, the bikes have become lighter and more nimble - to the benefit of riders and the detriment of forest lands recommended for wilderness designation, according to the US Forest Service, which is looking to keep bikers off hundreds or thousands miles of trails.
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Warning: Your salad could make you sick
Oregonian
10/07/2009
A mix of crisp, leafy greens and vine-ripened tomatoes, with a few berries sprinkled in, tosses up into a tasty, nutrition-packed salad. But these ingredients can also dish up widespread illness when they are contaminated, according to an analysis of the 10 riskiest foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
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New park service chief sees 'convergence'
Los Angeles Times
10/04/2009
It used to be that to run the National Park Service, the director in Washington would simply open the front gates on a system that was intended to protect treasured landscapes.
In contemporary times, however, the job of overseeing John Muir's "cathedrals of nature" requires presiding over fights of partisanship, science, religion and the appropriate telling of the American story.
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Groups protest eco-friendly label for Pacific hake
Vancouver Sun
10/04/2009
Fish products made with Pacific hake could soon boast an ecologically friendly label despite objections from marine watchdog organizations that the population is at an all-time low.
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