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Ready to jump off the grid?
Oregonian
11/05/2009
Researchers believe the day is coming when the electricity you use will be your own. Instead of relying on large central generating stations - hydroelectric dams, coal plants and the like - scientists say we're moving toward an era of "personalized solar energy."
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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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Democrats push climate bill without GOP
New York Times
11/05/2009
Democrats on the Environment and Public Works Committee pushed through a climate bill on Thursday without any debate or participation by Republicans. The move suggests that President Obama and bill supporters will have serious problems assembling the votes needed to enact it when it comes to the Senate floor, probably not before next year.
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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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Baucus votes against climate change bill
Missoulian
11/06/2009
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., was the only Democrat on Thursday to vote against a climate change bill that Democrats rammed through a Senate committee - but said he still supports the effort to limit greenhouse gases and pass a bill.
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Views: Energy initiative should spark broader dialogue
Tri-City Herald
11/06/2009
Promoting clean energy development in the Mid-Columbia region is a natural fit, but we need a broader conversation about our economic future. That includes serious talks about potential uses of those parts of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation that are cleaned up and no longer are needed by the federal government.
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BC has enough power for millions of electric cars
CBC BC
11/04/2009
There's enough under-used capacity in British Columbia's power grid to charge 2.5 million electric vehicles, almost the number of vehicles on BC roads right now, a new study suggests.
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Most common Clunkers deal: Old pickup for new pickup
Contra Costa Times
11/05/2009
The most common deals under the US $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program replaced old Ford or Chevrolet pickups with new ones that got only marginally better gas mileage.
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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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Federal grant supports power, fish project
Kitsap Sun
11/04/2009
Tacoma Power will receive $4.7 million in federal stimulus money to build a new power plant at the lower Cushman Dam on the North Fork of the Skokomish River.
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Oregon overhauls 'green' tax breaks
Coos Bay World
11/04/2009
Oregon's Department of Energy has issued new rules aimed at curbing a state program that grants lucrative tax credits for wind, solar, and other renewable power plants.
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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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Al Gore is my co-pilot
Los Angeles Times
11/03/2009
We're used to GPS car units telling us where to go. Now they also have the ability to urge us to be more eco-friendly drivers. So, would this be a handy service, or would it be more like having a grumpy Al Gore in the passenger seat?
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Solar plant's opening may light Salem future
Salem Statesman Journal
11/03/2009
Sanyo Solar of Oregon LLC officially has started making silicon ingots that are sliced into wafers for solar cells at its new Salem factory. On Monday, the company dedicated an $80 million manufacturing plant which officials hope will usher in a new era for Salem as a location for renewable energy companies.
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Views: The cool factor matters
Toronto Globe and Mail
11/03/2009
Auto companies big and small are so focused on the technology of green cars – the hybrid drive systems, the batteries, the electric motors, the controllers and software that are the “brains” of the things – they seem to have lost sight of something very important: electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids need to grab buyers with their looks.
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Expert: Impact of BC hydro projects on rivers unknown
Vancouver Sun
11/04/2009
British Columbia is decades behind other North American jurisdictions when it comes to confronting the impacts that hydroelectric development may have on the environment, a green energy conference heard Tuesday in Vancouver.
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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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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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What does overfishing have to do with climate negotiations?
The Economist
11/03/2009
Overfishing erodes future prosperity by destroying today a resource that could yield benefits indefinitely. Yet it is subsidised by billions of taxpayer dollars, euros and yen. Now, with fuel subsidies on the table at Copenhagen, a new chance to halt this insanity has emerged in the unlikely form of climate-change negotiations.
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Dog's eco-pawprint vs. driving an SUV?
Seattle Times
11/02/2009
A New Zealand study claims a medium-size dog leaves a larger ecological footprint than an SUV. Sightline's Clark Williams-Derry disagrees.
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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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