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Western senators sponsor bill to attack pine beetles
San Francisco Chronicle
11/23/2009
More than 2.5 million acres of pine trees in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming have been killed by tiny beetles that burrow under the bark and lay their eggs, turning the green needles to the color of rust as they feed on the tree and restrict its ability to draw water.
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Data shows health reform would help Oregonians
Salem Statesman Journal
11/24/2009
National health care reform would help thousands of Oregonians, the Obama administration said Monday. Pending health care legislation would allow 715,000 residents who do not currently have insurance and 257,000 residents who have nongroup insurance to get affordable coverage through a health insurance exchange, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates.
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Poll: Americans conflicted over health overhaul
Seattle Times
11/24/2009
Most Americans don't expect a health care overhaul to affect their lives directly, but those who worry about the fallout outnumber those expecting to come out ahead, a poll out Tuesday has found. The survey by the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that Americans are tuning in to the debate in Washington, with 60 percent saying they're following it very closely or fairly closely.
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EPA cracks down on soil runoff from construction sites
Oregonian
11/24/2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued new rules to help reduce soil and sediment runoff from construction sites. The rules will begin to take effect in February 2010 and be phased in over four years. They require construction site owners and operators that disturb one or more acres to use best management practices to ensure that soil disturbed during construction activity does not pollute nearby water bodies.
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Oregon tax votes foster competing claims
Oregonian
11/22/2009
Mike Roach makes a decent living selling clothes. Bess Wills doesn't do too badly selling cars. Both believe strongly in the role small business plays in the local economy, and both consider themselves die-hard public school supporters. Yet they stand at opposite poles of Oregon's upcoming tax election.
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Senate to put off climate bill until spring
Wall Street Journal
11/17/2009
Senate Democratic leaders said Tuesday they would put off debate on a big climate-change bill until spring, in a sign of weakening political will to tackle a long-term environmental issue at a time of high unemployment and economic uncertainty.
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A Q&A with Al Gore
Seattle Times
11/17/2009
On a book tour in Seattle, former Vice President Al Gore weighs in on the Copenhagen climate summit, Obama's efforts so far, the prospects for US legislation, pseudo-science and garden-variety denial.
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OR governor orders review of energy tax credits
Oregonian
11/17/2009
Gov. Ted Kulongoski ordered a hurry-up review Tuesday of Oregon's incentives for renewable energy companies in the face of ongoing criticism of the tax breaks, asking whether the increasingly expensive Business Energy Tax Credit is necessary for continued expansion of renewable and wind energy.
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Pigs in the city? Hillsboro's creative compromise
Oregonian
11/17/2009
The City Council expects to approve a plan Tuesday night to annex island properties into the city in order to streamline services and save money.
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Judge won't consider White House salmon plan
Oregonian
11/16/2009
The federal judge overseeing the balancing act between salmon and Columbia Basin dams says he doesn't think he can consider new steps the Obama administration wants to take.
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New permits for Idaho's animal feeding operations
Boise Idaho Statesman
11/16/2009
Cattle feeding lot owners will have to submit a nutrient management plan for review under new rules proposed for Idaho by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
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Seniors skeptical of health care overhaul
Seattle Times
11/17/2009
The health-overhaul bill passed by the House this month includes many benefits for seniors, including elimination of the Medicare prescription-drug "doughnut hole" and copays on preventive services. But still, many seniors remain unconvinced that health reform would be good for them.
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Idaho governor objects to listing peppergrass as threatened
Boise Idaho Statesman
11/17/2009
Gov. Butch Otter said the federal government has let down the ranchers and others in Idaho who stepped forward to help a rare flowering bush that grows in the Foothills and in wet areas of Southwest Idaho's desert - even though it was not protected under the Endangered Species Act.
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Parks Service Jon Jarvis taps Idahoan for parks scientist
Boise Idaho Statesman
11/17/2009
National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis didn't wait long to reach into his Idaho roots.
Jarvis, who served as superintendent of Craters of the Moon National Monument, picked the University of Idaho's Gary Machlis to serve as the first National Park Service science adviser.
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Preparing Oregon for earthquakes
Oregonian
11/17/2009
Using information gained from an April simulation of quakes ranging up to 9.0 magnitude, engineers can now prioritize which of the 2,671 bridges in the state highway system should get seismic upgrades. That's a $3 billion job, Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Dave Thompson said.
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Two senators seek new US approach on climate change
Recharge
11/17/2009
Two senators have introduced a bipartisan bill that proposes to double US nuclear power in 20 years, provide $100bn in loan guarantees for carbon-free electricity projects and ramp up alternative energy and carbon capture research and development.
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Poll finds deep divisions on health-care reform
Washington Post
11/17/2009
As the Senate prepares to take up legislation aimed at overhauling the nation's health-care system, President Obama and the Democrats are still struggling to win the battle for public opinion. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Americans deeply divided over the proposals under consideration and majorities predicting higher costs ahead.
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Views: OR governor defends green tax breaks
Oregonian
11/15/2009
The growth in Oregon's renewable energy sector was not by accident - it was by design and the result of public policies that encourage new companies to move here and thrive here, writes OR governor Ted Kulongoski.
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Fight over Portland trail has larger repercussions
Oregonian
11/15/2009
Southwest Portland's "walking trails" mostly follow paved streets and sidewalks. But the off-road sections include utility easements that dip between homes. There's an ongoing controversy over who's responsible for maintenance and liability of these trails: homeowners or the city.
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Panel backs no-fishing zones off CA coast
Los Angeles Times
11/11/2009
A state panel approved landmark fishing restrictions for Southern California, creating a patchwork of havens for marine life while leaving some waters open for anglers. Catches of rockfish, cod, lobster, sea urchin, squid sea bass, yellowtail and swordfish have been in steep decline, and fisheries scientists have argued some species could disappear entirely without no-fishing zones where breeding stocks can recover.
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Idaho 'smart grid' technology boosts efficiency
Boise Idaho Statesman
11/10/2009
Since 2005 Idaho Power has offered customers in Emmett different rates for different times of the day help people reduce their own bills and the utilities' demand for power. Thanks to a $47 million stimulus grant from the Obama administration's Department of Energy, all of Idaho Power's customers will have similar tools for reducing their power bills by 2012.
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Views: Inaction on climate change comes at a price
BC Local News
11/10/2009
Canada's gross domestic product would continue to grow even if we adopted the stronger measures that environmental organizations are calling for rather than the weak measures the federal government has proposed. Still, many people aren't willing to make tough decisions for the sake of our collective future.
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Prince Charles recognizes Vancouver's sustainability
Vancouver Sun
11/09/2009
Vancouver's green qualities were showcased under grey skies as the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall made a stop in the city Saturday on their cross-Canada tour.
The visit showcased initiatives in sustainability, ecological urban planning and alternative health care approaches -- all personal interests of the prince.
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Fishermen's association supports Klamath dam agreement
Eureka Times-Standard
11/10/2009
The West Coast's largest commercial fishermen's organization announced on Monday its support for an agreement to tear out four Klamath River dams. The dams were put in beginning in 1916, and have blocked salmon from reaching hundreds of miles of spawning grounds since then. They also contribute to severe water quality problems on the river.
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Health reform, but without reproductive rights
The Nation
11/08/2009
The US House of Representatives voted 220-215 in favor of the most sweeping expansion of health-care coverage since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid Act of 1965. It dramatically expands options for Americans who are not currently covered by private insurers but required a bitter compromise on the issue of abortion in order to secure the votes.
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