Cascadia Report

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  • Canadian truckers want a tax write-off too

    Canadian truckers are organizing for a tax break that they say would put them on par with their U.S. rivals. Apparently drivers in the U.S. can deduct most of the cost of their meals. According to a Teamsters lobbyist:

    “When a U.S. and Canadian truck driver sit down side-by-side in the same truck stop, eating the same breakfast, it’s very hard to stomach the fact that one of them is getting an 80 percent write-off while the other gets only 50 percent; its not fair or reasonable.”

    The story doesn’t mention the other subsidies truckers receive that give them a leg up on other forms of transport.

  • Oregonian losing its statewide reach

    The Oregonian appears to be scaling back, threatening its status as one of the last truly statewide papers.

    According to its online subscription page, home delivery is now available in just five Portland-area counties and parts of two others. That’s a change from truly blanketing the state — though last I saw it was still available on newstands in far southern and eastern Oregon, as well as in large chunks of Washington. (This was first noticed by Randy Stapilus.)

    Papers across the region are losing circulation, of course. As apparently is the case with The O, that’s their choice.

  • Maybe Seattle doesn’t need to move so many cars

    Maybe Seattle doesn’t need a freeway along its downtown waterfront. Gov. Chris Gregoire punted on the decision of whether to rebuild the viaduct or replace it with a tunnel. She could’ve questioned the need for that much car-moving capacity:

    It’s hardly an unreasonable order. Legislators don’t rush in with cash when health departments, human service agencies or educators complain that demand for service is overtaxing facilities. First they ask if problems can be contained through innovation and better use of resources.

    Her lack of a decision is ironic because she truly seems to realize the challenge is transporting more people and freight, not more cars and trucks. And do it soon. She explains her vision in this conversation here.

  • Seattle’s port isn’t a monopoly

    The Port of Seattle may have a blank check locally but it isn’t a monopoly to shippers or airlines, notes Bill Virgin in today’s Seattle P-I.

    Taxpayers have a chance this year to vote out Bob Edwards, one of the five commissioners responsible for the port’s poor performance. (Commissioner Alec Fisken is also up, but at least he’s been consistently agitating for better management.)

  • Lumber deal will be just temporary fix

    Last year may be remembered for a deal between Canada and the U.S. that finally halted the long-running fight over the trade of lumber.

    The agreement had a major impact on industry by ending legal proceedings and freeing up funds that Canadian exporters had paid in duties to the U.S. But the deal itself will be remembered for what it didn’t address.

    Most important, it simply replaced one form of trade barrier (a duty) with another (an export tax). It didn’t bring regulation any closer in line with the market by addressing the ownership of forestland or the other factors that influence the price of materials. That means that when the market for wood recovers the trade spat is sure to rekindle.

  • Eastside light rail plans hit first turbulence

    Plans to extend light rail from Seattle to Bellevue and Redmond are under fire from critics who could derail the project before it gets traction.

    Bellevue community groups want the trains to take circuitous routes that avoid their neighborhoods but would add distance and travel time. Downtown wants a costly tunnel that could swallow the projecdt budget. A shorter line would end at Microsoft’s campus instead of reaching the shopping, office and housing core in central Redmond.

    This project should be governed by a long-term view of ridership and how it will shape the region. That means choosing the shortest route through Bellevue that gets to the living and employment centers fastest. Considering that downtown Bellevue is already highly congested and that finances are limited, an elevated route may make sense there and elsewhere along the route. See Vancouver’s SkyTrain. Over the long term, property owners are likely to see values soar with proximity to the transit corridor.

  • Downtown projects may happen in Tacoma

    Tacoma may finally see development this year of several real estate projects that could transform the city’s downtown. On the boards are condos, office buildings and a new hotel — not to mention development along the light rail line.

    Meanwhile the downtown Sheraton is getting a remodel that will turn the hotel into something more distinctive.

  • Hurdles block more power from wind

    Wind is one of the keys to developing more renewable energy, but a series of hurdles stand in the way:

    washington wind farm; photo by usd.eduWind isn’t constant, the power can’t be easily stored in the current energy distribution network and it is often more expensive than sources such as coal or oil.

    Washington voters recently approved new mandates for energy from renewable sources but the law leaves many difficult issues for the future. Already a coal producer in southwest Washington has forecast more demand for power from traditional sources.

    For one thing, the law doesn’t seem to address siting complications. In places like the Columbia River Gorge there is resistance to allowing more wind farms that would generate the power in the first place.

    Another gap that hasn’t been much discussed is allowing utilities ways to control demand for power. In Australia, residential water heaters can be shut off remotely to save energy. How could this be used to change the power equation in Cascadia?

  • Economic growth shifts power in Canada to the west

    The balance of power in Canada shifted westward in 2006, with the population of British Columbia and Alberta surpassing Quebec for the first time.

    The booming oil and construction industries, as well as robust trade and the lead-up to the 2010 Olympics pushed people westward. B.C. and Alberta had 7.69 million people compared to Quebec’s 7.65 million.

    The booming oil business pushed Alberta’s economic growth to the highest-ever level for a province, according to Statistics Canada, and is forecast to continue pushing unemployment down to 2.9 percent by 2008.

  • New big-box stores a big draw in B.C.

    A pair of new big-box stores in Squamish are a big hit with residents from Whistler, Pemberton and farther inland. Town officials hope the development will spur a retail hub and keep area residents from traveling to the Vancouver area to shop. The hope the new stores don’t damage existing retail in downtown Squamish.