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Climate change: Threat or opportunity?
Washington Post
11/06/2009
A curious debate has broken out among American environmental groups, as the Senate balkily starts to focus on the threat of climate change. Is this really the time to talk about shrinking glaciers?
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Portland gets $5.6 million for energy retrofits
Oregonian
11/04/2009
Portland is getting $5.6 million in federal stimulus dollars for energy efficiency projects including upgrading traffic and pedestrian signals and paying for residential energy efficiency loans.
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Oregon reins in renewable tax breaks
Oregonian
11/03/2009
Oregon energy officials released new rules Tuesday aimed at curbing a controversial state program that grants lucrative tax subsidies for wind, solar and other renewable power plants. The changes are intended to rein in some of the runaway costs of the program.
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Campbell announces sweeping BC energy policy goals
Vancouver Sun
11/02/2009
BC's premier aims to make the province an international leader in green power development -- both for local energy needs and for export to the US and elsewhere in Canada. He's rolling out the red carpet, seeking proposals from private industry.
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WA, OR on cutting edge for green jobs
Vancouver Columbian
11/03/2009
The green research firm, Clean Edge, has released a study of "clean-tech" jobs, identifying the top 15 metro areas in the US for jobs in fields such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. The Puget Sound region (Seattle, Tacoma, Bremerton) and the Portland-Salem area in Oregon, ranked seventh and eighth, respectively.
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Green energy tax incentives cost Oregon more than predicted
Coos Bay World
11/02/2009
According to an investigation by the Oregonian, OR officials underestimated the cost of Gov. Ted Kulongoski's plan to lure green energy companies to Oregon with big subsidies, resulting in a program that cost far more than expected. Kulongoski's staff says that they had no idea the program would be this popular when they designed the policy.
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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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BC seeking green energy proposals from private industry
Toronto Globe and Mail
11/03/2009
British Columbia will ask private industry for a new slate of green electricity proposals in the spring, Premier Gordon Campbell says, as the government pushes to more quickly develop clean energy for the province and for export.
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Portland aims for Denmark-style bike culture
Willamette Week
11/02/2009
If city planners have their way, Copenhagen will be the model for Portland's urban transportation network. Bikes account for 55 percent of all trips in the Danish city, and 37 percent of commutes. Portland's commuting number -- near tops among large US cities and growing -- is a comparatively scanty 8 percent.
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Views: Want to cut emissions in the US? Change the discussion
Christian Science Monitor
11/02/2009
In times of war, the US government has successfully appealed to citizens' patriotism. That can work now, too.
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More Oregon farmers grow their own electricity
Coos Bay World
11/02/2009
More farms are installing renewable energy, said Stephanie Page, renewable energy specialist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The motivation was sparked by the 2008 spike in fuel prices, and is being fanned by a range of grants and tax credits handed out by state, federal and private agencies.
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Converting garbage to fuel for CA garbage trucks
Contra Costa Times
11/02/2009
A new plant, which is operated by Waste Management, will take landfill-generated methane gas and turn it into liquefied natural gas to fuel garbage collection trucks.
Statewide, 495 trucks now are being supplied with garbage fuel from the new facility, which has been up-and-running for about two weeks. Of those, 49 are in the Bay Area.
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Going for the green in Oregon
Corvallis Gazette-Times
11/01/2009
Environmental and economic concerns increasingly converge to create a new class of Earth-friendly employment opportunities in Oregon, from dam removal to boosting energy efficiency in homes.
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Portland-area builders shift to small, efficient homes
Oregonian
11/01/2009
For the Portland home buyers that remain after the market's collapse, the evidence points to stronger demand for modest, energy-efficient homes.
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Energy-efficiencies could save businesses thousands
Astoria Daily Astorian
11/01/2009
Every day the idea of energy efficiency is in the newspaper or on television. Everyone is talking about energy conservation, "green" buildings, and sustainability, which were the topics at a recent Seaside conference.
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Salem site closes in on platinum designation
Salem Statesman Journal
10/29/2009
Salem's Painter's Hall is so "green" that it is on track to get the highest green-building rating by the U.S. Green Building Council: platinum. It will be the first platinum commercial building in Salem, one of 11 in Oregon and one of 52 along the West Coast.
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Portland high-rises go green to compete
Oregonian
10/28/2009
In the worst commercial real estate market in a generation, owners of large office buildings are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on green building retrofits.
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Climate Masters teach how to cut carbon footprint
Salem Statesman Journal
10/29/2009
Eager to reduce your carbon footprint but don't know where to start? Salem's first team of certified Climate Masters is offering free home energy consultations to residents.
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Future smart homes could control power use
Oregonian
10/28/2009
The slow-moving push to modernize the nation's aging electrical grid got a boost this week when President Barack Obama announced $3.4 billion in federal grants. A Northwest scientist explains what it means, including the future need for smart houses, too.
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Idaho's 'smart meters' could cut energy use
Boise Idaho Statesman
10/29/2009
Smart meters being installed in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon will let homes and businesses see how energy they can save by turning off lights by checking usage before and after, or by measuring 'phantom loads' -- the electricity used by appliances, even when they are turned off.
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Oregon grid to get $30 million smarter
Oregonian
10/27/2009
President Barack Obama announced $3.4 billion of taxpayer investment in so-called smart grid projects, and about $30 million of that is headed to Oregon. The improvements are meant to make energy use more efficient and include things like meters that charge homeowners less for power that's used when overall electricity demand is low.
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Greenbacks for green energy
Seattle Times
10/27/2009
President Barack Obama made a pitch for renewable energy Tuesday, announcing $3.4 billion in government support for 100 projects aimed at modernizing the nation's power grid and delivering energy more efficiently. The projects include installing "smart" electric meters in homes, automating utility substations, and installing thousands of new digital transformers and grid sensors.
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Snohomish Co. PUD to get $15.8M of federal stimulus
Seattle Times
10/28/2009
The Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) will receive $15.8 million in federal stimulus money to integrate new energy sources into its electrical grid and to better identify and respond to power outages. The utility, one of two in WA to receive funding, estimates that 76 new "green" jobs will be created with the funds.
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Thousands rally for action on climate
Vancouver Sun
10/25/2009
About 5,000 people, including a shouting, sign-waving group of secondary school students, demonstrated on Vancouver's Cambie Bridge as part of the International Day of Climate Change. They were among millions of people around the world who took part in weekend demonstrations demanding government action on climate change.
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Senate climate bill cushy on industry?
New York Times
10/25/2009
The Senate bill aimed at reducing global warming pollution will initially grant billions of dollars of free emissions permits to utilities and industry but will require the bulk of the money be returned to consumers and taxpayers, according to newly released details.
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