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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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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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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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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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Can the Vancouver Olympic Torch Be Green?
Vancouver Sun
05/13/2008
Can the Olympic flame burn bright in 2010 and still be environmentally friendly?
Winter Games organizers are grappling with that question as they test various fuels that will light the 12,000 torches for the 100-day cross-Canada torch relay, and the two cauldrons that will hold the flame in Vancouver and Whistler.
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B.C. Bee Stocks Fall Due to Weather, Mites
Vancouver Sun
05/13/2008
The province's beekeepers are reporting a 30-per-cent loss of their winter hive stocks and the rate is expected to increase because of colder-than-normal temperatures this year, Paul van Westendorp, provincial apiculturist for the Ministry of Agriculture, said Monday.
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Shipper Fined for Elliott Bay Oil Spill
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/13/2008
A Singapore-based shipping company whose ship spilled oil into Elliott Bay last year paid a $27,500 fine to the Washington Department of Ecology, the agency reported Monday.
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Port of Seattle OKs Eastside Trail Deal
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/13/2008
The Port of Seattle signed a deal Monday to bring a 42-mile Eastside rail corridor into public ownership for development as a freight line and a hiking and biking trail that could potentially run alongside commuter transit.
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Puget Sound Beaches Suffer As Walls Go Up
Seattle Times
05/13/2008
Every year the wall around Puget Sound keeps growing.
The wall keeps growing even though scientists say it hurts the Sound by degrading some of the richest near-shore habitat, including spawning grounds of little fish critical to bigger predators like salmon. It grows even as millions of tax dollars are spent to tear down other walls.
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McCain Touts Cap-and-Trade in Oregon
Seattle Times
05/13/2008
In a major environmental speech, Sen. John McCain on Monday said he would combat global warming with a cap-and-trade system to cut carbon emissions and increase use of nuclear power and alternative energy.
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King County, Port Sign Rail Trail Deal
Seattle Times
05/13/2008
After years of talk, Port of Seattle and King County executives signed a final agreement Monday to put a 42-mile Eastside rail corridor into public ownership.
The deal paves the way for a possible combination of freight rail, commuter trains, and biking and hiking trails, but many details remain to be worked out.
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