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The chess game of climate politics in Cascadia—or, more specifically, of putting a binding limit on climate-changing pollution from dirty fuels—is at a moment of great uncertainty. President Obama continues to push for putting a price on carbon, and Senate action may come in July or August. But there’s every chance that a US climate law (which would trigger Canadian action and advance Northwest sustainability more than any other single...

Kevin Downing, a reader in Portland, got me hooked on a fascinating exercise: trying to figure out how long it takes a road expansion to pay for itself. Let’s take a look at how this might work. (But please stick around for all the caveats at the end.) Consider, for example, the Delta Park Project in north Portland. It’s a $60 million endeavor that will add one lane in each direction to a 1.2 mile-long...

For immediate release: June 30, 2010 Media contact:  Eric Hess, erich@sightline.org, 206-447-1880 x 109 Authors: Eric de Place, eric@sightline.org, 206-447-1880 x 105 Clark Williams-Derry, clark@sightline.org, 206-447-1880 x 106 Brief summary: We’re using more gas. Drivers in the Northwest states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington used more gasoline last year, reversing a decade-long trend of declining personal gas consumption. Per capita consumption increased slightly in 2009, while total consumption rose by 2 percent. Lower fuel...

Here’s a fun fact: the largest oil refinery in the Northwest is owned and operated by BP. It’s located just outside Bellingham, and it’s capable of refining 225,000 barrels of oil per day. Here’s another fun fact: last month, state officials slapped BP with 13 serious safety violations at the refinery. According to safety inspectors: Of the violations, 12 involve state safety regulations that govern any production process that uses...

On average, Cascadians burn 9 gallons of gasoline and diesel each week, and use enough electricity in homes and businesses to keep ten 100-watt light bulbs burning continuously (with an extra 25-watt compact fluorescent thrown in for good measure). All told, the typical Northwest resident consumes the energy-equivalent of just over two gallons of gasoline every single day. That’s nearly double the energy consumption of more energy-efficient industrialized nations such...

This is a pivotal moment for energy policy in the United States. Because of the Gulf of Mexico catastrophe, the public’s attention is focused on the environmental and economic dangers of domestic oil extraction just as important energy legislation stands before the Senate. At the same time, polling shows that Americans are ready for real energy reform. Following is a snapshot of recent polling data—including Oregon and Washington-specific research. My...

King County Metro, greater Seattle’s main transit agency, is in a budget pickle.  The recession has trimmed the agency’s sales tax receipts; the decline in gas prices—at least compared with 2008’s sharp spikes—has eaten into ridership and farebox revenues; and labor costs keep inching up.  The 1-2-3 punch has knocked Metro back on its heels—and, like many transit agencies across the country, Metro is considering cutting bus service to remain...

Every once in a while, I catch wind of a curious defense of the TransAlta coal-fired power plant in Centralia, WA:  that without a big coal plant smack between Seattle and Portland, the Northwest’s electricity grid could somehow become “unstable.” To be clear, this is NOT a claim that the region will run out of power if the Centralia plant shuts down.  That’s an entirely separate (and arguably false) claim. ...

Editor’s Note: Please bear in mind that this is a “first read” of a very large piece of legislation. It was researched and written within 24 hours of the bill’s publication. I’ve since made a handful of minor revisions. I’ve also written a follow-up post on allowance allocations. The Kerry-Lieberman climate bill emerged yesterday mid-morning, weighing in at 987 pages. (Hey, changing the entire energy economy ain’t easy.) Like the Waxman-Markey bill...

Let me start out by saying that I was a philosophy major in college. I never took a finance course or spent a bunch of time running numbers on Wall Street. But as a citizen and someone who is concerned generally about the common good I have had to learn a fair amount about public finance. So there you have it: caveat lector.  Nicole Gelinas is author of a very...