Timber companies are burning wood waste to produce energy, taking advantage of high power costs and tax incentives designed to encourage alternatives to fossil fuels.
Since Congress reauthorized a federal energy production tax credit for biomass, solar and wind power last month, at least three mills in Oregon are advancing biomass energy projects, according to the AP.
The Port of Seattle is among the West Coast’s least efficient , according to the Seattle P-I. Vancouver’s port moves twice as many containers per acre.
President Bush likely will continue his with-us-or-against-us approach tonight in the State of the Union speech. So why do media reports suddenly suggest that compromise is a virture?
Now that Democrats control Congress and statewide government in Washington state, media seem fixated on the need to find common ground. One example: NPR’s series on how the parties work together.
It’s local too. KPLU reports that Republicans have named three of their strongest to the Senate Education Committee in order to thwart spending on Gov. Chris Gregoire’s top legislative priority. But they’re not obstructionists standing in the way of better schools; they’re portrayed as loyal opposition to spendthrift Democrats.
Democrats need accomplishments in order to hold their lead, so it’s worrisome when “compromise” is touted as the new goal. Voters want concrete action and elections should stand for something. One Republican got it right in an NPR report about California’s politics: “Voters didn’t elect me to compromise. They elected me to stand for something.”
A new report says Cascadia’s cities are among the world’s least affordable, with Vancouver ranked 13th worst, Victoria 23rd, Seattle 36th and Portland 60th.
The report, by research firm Demographia, focuses on the ratio of home prices to income. It rightly notes the imbalance between supply and demand, but dismisses the role of interest rates and robust local economies.
Another oversight: It doesn’t mention the cost of transportation, which makes big cities such as New York and Tokyo less prohibitive than the report suggests. If transit options in Cascadia enabled the average family of four to live with one car instead of two, saving at least $400 per month, even pricey housing would be more affordable.
The report says land-use rules are the biggest culprit:
Various planning strategies have driven up the price of housing, such as land rationing (urban growth boundaries and infill requirements), extravagant amenity requirements, excessively high infrastructure fees and approval processes that are unnecessarily lengthy and complicated.
The Portland-area’s regional government is asking the state for more flexibility in growth rules in order to cope with the continuing increase in population. It’s tempting to think that more flexibility sooner may have helped prevent the backlash against growth-management rules.
Here’s what Metro wants:
More time to choose the next batch of communities. New ways to raise money for roads, sewers, schools and other essentials. And the ability to line up land for future development while permanently protecting the best farming areas.
Venture capital funding of businesses in Washington rose 29 percent last year to the highest level since the tech bubble in 2001. Roughly 100 companies raised about $1 billion last year.
Total funding rose nationwide too — by more than 8 percent. But, in Oregon, funding dropped 39 percent to $111 million.
Vancouver’s luxury retail scene continues to grow, thanks to Asian consumers who travel through the city on their way to other destinations.
The booming retail industry, with several recently enlarged anchor stores and the add-on boost to travel-related business, shows the benefits of Vancouver’s successfully competing as an international travel hub, especially with routes to Asia.
It’s speech-giving season — Cascadia’s city politicians included. The way they handle themselves shows differences in the region’s politics.
President Bush gives his State of the Union next week and Canada has its throne speeches. Now Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, capitalizing on a centralized local government, has adopted the tradition by giving the first such speech by the city’s mayor that anyone can remember.
Portland Mayor Tom Potter used his address
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels hasn’t scheduled his speech yet. But it’s already been upstaged by members of the city council, who are elected citywide and consider themselves mini-mayors — a structure that hamstrings decision making. This year they even decided to make mini “State of the City” speeches highlighting their goals for 2007.
Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire announced a package of infrastructure investments to help freight traffic at ports and on the state’s railroads — including funds for a project that enables a land swap between King County and the Port of Seattle.
An article in the Seattle P-I quotes her as saying she is frustrated that few in the state realize the importance of trade to the economy. That reminds me of a recent Seattle newspaper column, an example of how making that case is an uphill battle.
It’s been a rough week for British Columbia molluscks.
The province okayed a 63-acre geoduck farm with an eye to supplying the Chinese seafood market. The plan was criticized by environmentalists and the opposition party for overlooking ecological impacts. Then another proposal for a 925-acre scallop farm ran into increasing opposition from fishing and community groups. A retired federal fisheries official said:
“If we wanted to put a Wal-Mart in Qualicum Beach, how many council meetings and public meetings would there be? This is like putting 100 Wal-Marts in Georgia Strait and the implications biologically, for the fish and the birds, are far more significant than a Wal-Mart in Qualicum Beach,” he said