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Serena To the girl who can never recall even her close friends’ respective birthdays (sorry, guys!), this is absolutely unfathomable: remembering, as an extreme sport. The 9/11 Memorial Museum opened last week: here’s one unflinching reflection on the institution, from a man especially close to the event’s tragedy. A Boston doctor treats lots of poor teenagers, many struggling with weight and nutrition problems. His prescription? Bicycles. And he even gets...

While Cascadian climate hawks have been fighting rearguard actions against proposed pipelines and coal trains, California has been rolling out an ambitious carbon cap. Such a cap is the principal alternative to a carbon tax—such as British Columbia’s carbon tax shift—as a method for putting a price on carbon in Oregon and Washington. It’s an option Oregon will consider next year in its impending revenue-reform debate. In Washington, the Golden...

It’s common knowledge near the US-Canada border that lots of things are cheaper down south. Head to Whatcom County, Washington, and the locals will complain about Canadians holding up the line at the gas station: “They’re even filling up black plastic garbage bags!” They will point you to a video of Canadian piranhas devouring a crowd of Bellinghamsters (or at least their milk supplies at Costco). They will tell you about...

The Bakken oil train that derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec killed 47 people. It also made clear that the oil-by-rail industry is radically underinsured for the risks of shipping volatile Bakken crude. The financial risk falls instead on the taxpayers who would ultimately be expected to pick up the nearly incalculable costs of an oil explosion in an urban area. The Lac-Mégantic disaster generated an estimated $2 billion in...

Clark John Oliver shows us how the media should be handling debates between climate scientists and climate deniers. A white girl remembers Billy Frank. Jen This long, personal, and wildly popular essay from Bike Portland’s Michael Andersen on the evolution of Portland’s bike culture shows just how compelling it can be when people who normally write about policy write from the heart. As someone who just yesterday found herself rescuing...

If you’re a coal junkie, you’ve probably read quite a few press accounts touting the bright future for Powder River Basin coal. This story from Gilette, Wyoming, for example, predicts a resurgence in demand for the low-rank coal produced in the region. This one argues that coal is making a comeback, after years of losing ground to natural gas. This one forecasts “tremendous” demand for the region’s dirtiest fuel. I could...

Media accounts of the Lynchburg oil train fire are routinely misreporting that the tank cars belong to the CSX railroad. In fact, CSX does not own the tank cars. As we pointed out in our train spotting piece, their true ownership is revealed by the markings on their sides, CBTX or CTCX, that are clearly visible in many images. The Lynchburg tank cars are actually owned by a firm that...

Update 5/19/2014: USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx has now confirmed that the tank car that exploded and leaked oil into the James River was built to the newer CPC-1232 standard. But he didn’t say exactly how the tank car was breached, or if damage to the CPC-1232’s bottom outlet valve contributed to the fire. We expect to see this information when the NTSB comes out with their preliminary report in a few weeks. Update 5/9/14:...

Because the term itself has been so systematically loaded with negative connotations, talking about government can seem like tricky territory to tread. So tricky, it means that many American communicators shy away from it—even those of us who believe most deeply in the role of government in protecting our health, safety, security, environment, and economy, and upholding and safeguarding our core values and principles—freedom, opportunity, and justice for all. This...

Alan A better way to measure inequality: focus on the 1 percenters. “It’s time to step up to the plate,” are the final words of this promising trailer for a documentary on people taking action against climate change. RIP Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of the best opening line of a novel ever. Clark A tax week reminder: by some estimates, 45 percent of federal outlays go to the military, past...