Southern California Edison said it is abandoning efforts to restart the San Onofre reactors, which closed last year because of problems that led to the release of a small amount of radioactive steam.

One site under consideration is Everett. The Snohomish County PUD has been a leader in tidal-power experiments here.

"Tar-sands oil is not really oil, at least not in the conventional sense of the word. It starts out as semi-solid and has to be either mined or literally melted out of the ground. In either case, the process requires energy, which is provided by burning fossil fuels. The result is that, for every barrel of tar-sands oil that’s extracted, significantly more carbon dioxide enters the air than for every barrel of ordinary crude—between twelve and twenty-three per cent more."

"The phenomenon is catching the attention of environmental groups, already intent on stopping train-fed U.S. coal exports to Asia from Northwest ports. As with coal, the most likely route for loaded oil trains is the Columbia River Gorge."

"Done mostly indoors in Washington, pot production often uses hospital-intensity lamps, air conditioning, dehumidifiers, fans and carbon-dioxide generators to stimulate plants and boost their potency. The power-hungry crops rival data centers or server farms in intense use of electricity, according to a peer-reviewed study last year in the journal Energy Policy. One kilo, or 2.2 pounds, of pot grown indoors, the study says, leaves a carbon footprint equivalent to driving across the country seven times."