Canada's western provinces used to be a sleepy extension of our own agricultural inland. Now a boom has Canada looking for faster ways to bring in skilled immigrants to help with all the work.
A Seattle firm's new project seeking to prove geothermal energy is safe and viable will have to overcome two obstacles: concerns over induced earthquakes and a need for a challenging amount of funding.
With a new contender, on the Columbia River near Boardman, joining the parade, those concerned about widespread impacts are pushing for a comprehensive EIS process that will sweep lots of towns and politicians into an epic debate.
The Secret Service scandal is just the latest of stories to shake voters' faith in the integrity of key public institutions. All this feeds the mindsets producing the Tea Party and the Occupy movements.
The port of Coos Bay, Ore. admits it's in talks with a company interested in developing the site into a coal terminal, but it won't say who. Critics of the shadowy project say the port is trying to avoid facing the potential health and environmental impacts.
Dr. Helen Caldicott, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, speaks about the dangers of nuclear power and the suffering we're not seeing in Fukushima, Japan.
Big projects may be off the table in tight financial times, but a city like Seattle with an environmental-minded mayor should step in more modest ways. How about building sidewalks and encouraging electrical conservation?
There's all that oil from Alberta's tar sands, and coal in Wyoming and Montana. All of it is yearning to burn free, but not for free, in Asia, or wherever else top dollar will be paid.
The game's up. Natural gas development on the East Coast is causing environmental destruction of countrysides, farmland, and communities. And that's without even getting into fracking.
A loophole in Washington's groundwater laws means large-scale cattle operations like Eastern Washington's Easterday Ranches can deplete as much groundwater as they want -- no permit necessary.
A pesky little rider on the payroll tax cut extension has placed the Keystone XL pipeline decision back in the spotlight. Now it's up to environmentalists to pressure Obama not to approve the controversial project.
In Washington wood smoke is now a leading cause of air pollution, leaving residents of Tacoma and other highly-polluted areas, literally, gasping for air.
The Seattle Times reports, "Regular self-serve gasoline in Washington was selling Monday for an average $4.20 — more than 47 cents higher than the national average, according to the AAA auto club. That gap has more than doubled in the past month."
SEATTLE TIMES
Inslee's big claim for renewable energy and jobs: half true
The gubernatorial candidate claims $7 billion in new investments flowing from an initiative he backed requiring utilities to have more renewable energy. Well, sorta.
The Atlantic reports, "Annual federal clean tech spending is already down $10 billion between 2009 and 2011, as the Recovery Act has wound down. Now it's on pace to fall by more than 50% year-over-year in 2012, and decline yet again in 2013, and again in 2014. "
THE ATLANTIC
David Roberts: Why the fight on coal ports matters
Roberts writes, "This is a case where local activist fights against fossil-fuel projects matter not just for the politics of climate change, but for climate change itself."