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California Senate Bill Would Ban Suspect Plastic
San Francisco Chronicle
05/16/2008
If the measure becomes law, California would be the first state in the nation to ban the plastics ingredient bisphenol A in any consumer product.
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McDermott endorses Obama
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/16/2008
Rep. Jim McDermott on Thursday became the fourth U.S. House member from Washington to endorse Barack Obama for president.
The Seattle congressman said Obama is his pick because "I am confident as president he will end the war in Iraq and bring our sons and daughters home."
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NW Lawmakers Split on Farm Bill
AP
05/14/2008
Northwest lawmakers were split Wednesday as the House passed a $290 billion farm bill that offers more subsidies for farmers and food stamps for the poor and $170 million for the disaster-plagued Pacific Coast salmon fishing industry.
Eleven of 16 House members from Oregon, Washington and Idaho voted in favor of the five-year bill, while five Northwest lawmakers voted against it.
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Timothy Egan: It's November in Oregon
New York Times
05/15/2008
This state is known for many things -- good wine, the imperial branding of the Nike swoosh, a political culture that produces contrarians of both parties -- but ethnic diversity is not one of them. This state has an African-American population of less than 2 percent.
And yet on May 20, when voters here could finally end the Democratic presidential marathon by giving Senator Barack Obama an outright majority of pledged delegates, don't expect to hear much about how a black man has broadened the playing field for his party by winning a heavily white state.
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Dems, McCain Jockey on Environment
Washington Post
05/14/2008
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are rejecting Republican rival John McCain's characterization of them as newcomers to the issue of global warming.
McCain (Ariz.) said Tuesday that voters would trust him more than the Democrats on climate change because he has focused on the issue since voters questioned him on it during the 2000 presidential campaign.
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Ashland Homeowners Speak On Riparian Rules
Ashland Daily Tidings
05/14/2008
Ashland property owners who would be affected by proposed riparian ordinances turned out at Tuesday evening's Planning Commission meeting to voice concerns regarding property rights, restrictions on plantings and possible loss of property.
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Views: McCain's Green Streak
Eugene Register Guard
05/14/2008
The presumptive Republican nominee John McCain pioneered the issue of climate change in the Senate where he, along with Sen. Joe Lieberman, introduced the first Senate bill aimed at broad, mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in 2003.
Yet there was an undeniable sense that McCain made history in Oregon Monday, when he promised a radical shift from the Bush administration policy on global warming.
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Another Campaign Season and Nader Has Much To Say
Oregon Public Broadcasting
05/14/2008
Ralph Nader isn't running to please anybody. That much is clear. He says he is running because there is not much difference between the two major party candidates.
Nader rejects the term spoiler. He calls it "political bigotry."
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Obama and Oregon: More in Common Than 'O'
Fox News
05/15/2008
Election officials said turnout appears to be strong in Portland, its populous suburbs, and Eugene, home to the University of Oregon. That bodes well for Barack Obama, who has drawn large crowds in stops in those places and who has outperformed Clinton among urban and young voters throughout the primary.
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Farm Bill Passes by Veto-Proof Margin
Washington Post
05/15/2008
The House yesterday passed a final version of a new five-year farm bill by a vote of 318 to 106, a margin large enough to override President Bush's promised veto of the nearly $300 billion measure.
The bipartisan show of support came after intense lobbying by a coalition that included farm groups, anti-hunger advocates, environmental organizations and the biofuels industry.
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Nader Crowd Small in Seattle
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/15/2008
The crowd that gathered in a University of Washington classroom Wednesday night was hundreds of people smaller than the turnout for some freshman classes.
That didn't matter to Ralph Nader, the independent presidential candidate who was there to speak before about 400 people, including some who gave him a standing ovation.
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Views: Refreshing Change for Global Warming Politics
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/15/2008
It's refreshing to hear that Sen. John McCain is willing to lead on global warming, based on the scientific consensus. We hope the next president will respect, use and incorporate the best science into the nation's policy decisions.
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Views: Alaska Needs Housing Help
Anchorage Daily News
05/15/2008
Last week the U.S. House voted 266-154 for legislation to help American homeowners stay out of foreclosure. Alaska Rep. Don Young voted no. It was the wrong call.
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Alaskan Fishermen Want Federal Fuel Assistance
Alaska Public Radio Network
05/15/2008
Alaska commercial fishermen are petitioning Congress to help them with their high diesel bills. Organizers say fuel costs are keeping fishermen closer to home — in some cases tied up at the docks.
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Views: Harper Should Let Carbon Tax Breathe
Toronto Globe and Mail
05/15/2008
There are four reasons why Canada' Prime Minister should encourage, rather than stifle, debate on the climate-change measure.
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California Logging Projects Halted
Sacramento Bee
05/15/2008
In a resounding repudiation of the Bush administration's national forest management, a three-judge federal panel has ordered a halt to three major logging projects in the Plumas National Forest.
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Ralph Nader: Vote Me or No One
Tacoma News Tribune
05/15/2008
Ralph Nader is still running for president. But in Tacoma on Wednesday, his pitch for another option on the ballot was just as impassioned.
Nader said a “none of the above” option on ballots would help break up what he called the “two-party dictatorship” because it would bring more voters out and, if their noncandidate won, another election would have to be held 30 days later.
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Views: A Leader Who Gets Global Warming
Tacoma News Tribune
05/15/2008
However the presidential election turns out, the fight against global warming is going to have an ally in the White House next year.
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Murray Pushes for More Hanford Funding
Tri-City Herald
05/15/2008
More money for nuclear cleanup is expected to be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee today as Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., continues to chip away at Hanford budget shortfalls.
Murray worked to add $300 million for cleanup at Hanford and other Department of Energy nuclear sites to the supplemental appropriations bill for fiscal 2008.
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Views: Farm Bill Benefits Wrong People
Longview Daily News
05/15/2008
Farm prices are robust and rising, contributing to a global food crisis. Yet, the $300 billion, five-year farm bill recently hammered out by congressional negotiators is pretty much business as usual. The legislation would continue costly and largely unneeded farm subsidy programs that serve to drive up food prices at home.
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NW Farmers Say Farm Bill to Help Specialty Crops
Yakima Herald-Republic
05/15/2008
Pacific Northwest farmers hope Wednesday's strong majority vote in favor of the 2008 farm bill in the House of Representatives means the measure will survive a veto.
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McCain Talks Climate in Washington
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/14/2008
Nuclear power should be part of the nation's strategy to reduce global warming, Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Tuesday during a campaign trip to Washington state that emphasized environmental issues.
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B.C. Drafts Climate Initiative
Vancouver Sun
05/14/2008
As B.C. prepares to enter into a regional system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reporters were invited to a briefing Tuesday on the pending release of draft regulations for the scheme.
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Forestry Crisis Creates Political Opportunity in B.C.
CBC BC
05/14/2008
The crisis in B.C.'s forestry industry is shaping up to be a political opportunity for the province's official opposition party.
With B.C.'s next provincial election now just one year away, the NDP opposition says the Campbell government will pay a political price at the polls for policies that have left thousands unemployed in what was once B.C.'s No. 1 industry.
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SW Washington's Mysterious Forest Service Warehouse
Vancouver Columbian
05/14/2008
Mention a mysterious government-owned building in a remote corner of Southwest Washington, and conspiracy-minded folks may wonder if Bigfoot or D.B. Cooper could be hidden away inside.
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