According to Cascadia Scorecard 2007, Idaho still lags world leaders in trends such as energy use, which remains stuck at an unsustainably high level, and sprawl. Idahoans have, however, made some important strides, including cutting back their gasoline use, and defeating Proposition 2, a pro-sprawl ballot measure, in 2006. The state can accelerate progress through a combination of smart solutions outlined below.

Find out more about the Cascadia Scorecard 2007 here.

Energy

Stuck at full throttle, but surprising good news about gasoline use

• Idaho residents consume the equivalent of 17.4 gallons of gasoline per person in highway fuels and electricity for homes and businesses every week. Overall, state residents use more gas, diesel, and electricity per person than any state or province in the Northwest—one-third more than British Columbians, and twice as much as Germans.
• However, Idaho residents have cut back on gasoline by almost a tenth since 1999—the equivalent of each state resident taking a one-month vacation from driving each year. Per-person gasoline consumption in Idaho is now at its lowest level in at least a decade and a half.
• But the state’s per capita consumption of diesel continued its decades-long rise last year, while electricity use ticked upwards.
• Key steps to make Idaho’s energy system more secure and climate-friendly include incentives that reward consumers for using less energy and policies to curb sprawl and encourage walkable communities.

Health

British Columbia leads Idaho

• Idaho’s average lifespan stayed steady at 78.9 years in 2005. Despite recent improvements, Idaho still trailed Washington (79.3 year) and BC (81.1 years).
• Improving access to preventive medical care—as Washington did in 2007 for lower-income children—could be a boon to health in Idaho.
• Curbing sprawl could boost health, particularly by reducing car accidents, reducing vehicle emissions, and encouraging walking.
  
  

Sprawl

A vote to reject sprawl and supporting local decision-making

• Only about 7 percent of residents of greater Boise lived in compact communities as of the last census, compared to 24 percent in Seattle, and more than 60 percent in Vancouver, BC.
• Because sprawl makes driving a necessity for most trips, residents of sprawling neighborhoods are more vulnerable to health risks such as obesity and car crashes, and use more energy per person.
• In good news, in November 2006, Idaho voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure, Proposition 2, which would have accelerated sprawl and prevented communities from having a say in how they grow.
  
  

Economy

Showing improvements

• In 2005, the most recent year for which complete data were available, Idaho’s rates of child poverty (12.4 percent) and unemployment (3.8 percent) appeared to be declining. But the state’s years-long improvement in poverty and median income showed signs of stalling.
• Over the longer term, the median income for Idaho residents ($44,176), a gauge of middle class well-being, bucked the Northwest’s trend and has increased since the 1990s.
• In contrast to Oregon and Washington, overall economic security for Idaho residents is improving, though gains are not close to matching oft-cited indicators like the value of the Dow Jones, which nearly quadrupled from 1990 to 2005.
  
  

Population

High rate of teen births

• Idaho’s family size, 2.3 children on average, is the largest in the Northwest. Family size (also called the total fertility rate) is a sensitive indicator of educational and economic opportunities for women.
• Idaho’s teen birthrate, 37.8 births per thousand women under 20 in 2005, is by far the highest in the Northwest and more than three times as high as British Columbia’s. Universalized access to emergency contraception at pharmacies may bring down teen birthrates and a high rate of unintended pregnancies.
  
  

Wildlife

Wolves in jeopardy; caribou hold their ground

• Reintroduced wolves have continued to flourish in Idaho and now number more than 650 in the state. But wild wolves in Idaho will soon lose their protection under the US Endangered Species Act and will be managed under state wildlife management policies that will allow sport hunting.
• The Selkirk caribou herd, whose range includes parts of northern Idaho, still number only about 12 percent of their historical abundance. Survival of the caribou depends on strict protection and restoration of old-growth forests in the Selkirks.

Contact Elisa Murray, 206-447-1880, ext. 111, elisa@sightline.org. An online press room with the report, sources, maps, and press materials is here.