Cascadia Report – Page 33

More on why Gov’s viaduct punt was wrong

Seattle Times Columnist Danny Westneat gets it right in Sunday’s paper: Gov. Chris Gregoire copped out by punting a decision on the viaduct back to voters.

He nails Gregoire for simply proposing a vote between a rebuild, which isn’t popular, and an expensive tunnel supported by Mayor Greg Nickels. Instead of asking for yet another vote, elected leaders should lead.

We barely have a representative democracy anymore. The representative part has checked out. The democracy part may look like it’s in full swing — there’s certainly a lot of voting going on — but it isn’t leading anywhere.

Why aren’t other options — such as a surface alternative — on the table? What will one more advisory public vote on transportation solve?

December 17, 2006
Storm pushes newspaper readers online

Circulation of Seattle’s two major daily newspapers, in general decline for years, took another hit Friday when it dropped to nearly zero.

A Thursday-night windstorm knocked out power to the papers’ printing plant after only 13,000 copies of the Seattle Times and no copies of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer had been printed. The papers’ Web sites directed readers to electronic versions online. The News Tribune of Tacoma was able to publish and at Sea-Tac Airport there was no noticeable shortage of New York Times, Wall Street Journal or other publications with alternate production.

It’s hard to overstate the significance of a daily paper not publishing — an event that is supposed to happen no matter what. For example, many in the Northeast managed to print despite the 2003 blackout. In Seattle, the lapse seems sure to push more readers to the Internet, at the expense of the dead-tree versions that still carry most newspaper advertising.

December 16, 2006
Governor decides to punt on plan for road fixes

Gov. Chris Gregoire’s lack of a decision on what to do about Seattle’s critical state-funded road projects will be remembered as a major lack of leadership.

After months of saying she would decide how the state should spend its money to fix Seattle’s waterfront viaduct freeway, in a press release today she punted the decision to city voters. She said both a new overhead freeway and a tunnel would be obstructed by opponents. She called for “a path forward” to break the stalemate but unfortunately didn’t deliver.

On replacing the 520 floating bridge, she seemed to endorse the six-lane transit-friendly replacement option, but noted that the financing plan isn’t sufficient. Yet she didn’t suggest a better alternative.

With a difficult 2008 election ahead, she no doubt wants to avoid appearing to favor pricey Seattle projects at the expense of suburban and rural voters. Considering that options to rebuild the viaduct depend on shaky finances and will take years, she should have recommended a package of improved streets and transit, worked to build consensus with warring local politicians and then explained why the fixes matter to the whole state. This is a case where failing to take a stand is worse than making the wrong call.

December 15, 2006
More support for rail in Portland, Seattle

There are signs of increasing support for light rail in both the Portland and Seattle areas, likely thanks to familiarity with the technology and mounting frustration over congestion.

In the Portland area, two out of three people polled support extending light rail across the Columbia River into Clark County, Wash. That’s a reversal of the 2-to-1 opposition in a similar poll a decade ago. Plans call for a new I-5 freeway bridge with space for rail to connect with Portland’s growing system.

In the Seattle area, preliminary route plans for rail to the Eastside were approved this week. It’s notable that all the small cities in the area support the light rail plan, a major change from substantial opposition to plans in the 1990s. What’s changed is that the first segment of Seattle’s light rail is about half finished and area traffic is worse than ever.

None of this suggests that transit agencies should get a blank check. Details of financing need to be worked out any additional rail lines need to be coordinated with buses, congestion pricing and land-use changes to optimize demand for the new services.

December 15, 2006
Seattle still losing from cruise business

Six years after the first cruise line decided to make Seattle a summer home for its ships, the Port of Seattle is nowhere close to breaking even on its investment in the industry, according to a report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The paper says the reason is sweetheart deals with vendors and terminal operators, where they take more financial risk and also gain more potential gain. Defenders of the arrangements say the true economic benefit to the region is from the 350,000 passengers who visit the city each year, though that number is likely to fall.

December 14, 2006
B.C. film industry may set record

British Columbia’s film industry may be on track for its best year ever, defying the effects of a stronger Canadian dollar and competition from U.S. states.

With 33 productions this year, the industry is already on par with 2005, when it contributed C$1.2 billion to the provincial economy, according to the Vancouver Sun. That economic impact is about 50 percent more than in 2003, when a rising Canadian dollar lessened B.C.’s cost advantage. Credit for the rebound comes from diversification of the industry, with a steady flow of made-for-TV movies, small-budget productions and animation.

In Cascadia, Washington and Oregon are both trying to attract film production also, but the remaining currency edge, tax breaks and existing industry give B.C. critical mass. The Tyee recently reported that California’s renewed incentives to keep Hollywood working closer to home may mean that B.C. increasingly turns to Europe to supply its film industry.

December 13, 2006
What’s lost in Sea-Tac’s Christmas tree fiasco

The controversy over Christmas trees at Sea-Tac Airport has deflected criticism from an issue that could use more scrutiny: whether the airport is doing its job.

By now the story is known worldwide: after a rabbi threatened legal action to install a menorah next to Christmas trees in the arrivals lobby, airport staff panicked and had workers remove the trees in the dead of night. Commissioners of the Port of Seattle, which owns the airport, were consulted before the trees were removed and then spent days doing media interviews. Then late Monday, after a barrage of criticism, the Port decided to reinstall the “holiday trees” after all.

It’s tempting to see this as an example of the larger inefficiencies at the airport, which could have used the last few days’ management time and attention to boost its efficiency. The airport spokeswoman said they decided to remove the trees because they were too busy with the crush of December travelers to handle the vexing decision of what to do about the menorah. But the rabbi first brought up the idea in October and was rebuffed until he threated a lawsuit. Meanwhile Sea-Tac continues to lose business.

The trees issue may get even more attention at the Port Commission’s Tuesday afternoon meeting, where the agenda includes mundane tasks such as vetting about $18 million in contracts.

December 12, 2006
County collecting get-well notes for its leader

King County Executive Ron Sims, the top elected official in the Seattle area, was recuperating from gallbladder surgery Monday. His office said he will recover at home for a week with a “light work schedule” and thoughtfully sent the following note:

Dear King County Employee,

Below is a copy of a press release that is being sent out today. Please know that Executive Sims’ surgery went well and he is resting at home. If you would like to send the Executive good wishes, please direct e-mails to [email protected] or simply click reply to this e-mail. All messages will be compiled for him. We ask that you please do not direct such e-mails to his personal e-mail as he may not be able to get messages for some time.

Thank you.

Office of the King County Executive

December 12, 2006
Timber firms look for other ways to profit from forests

Another Cascadia timber company said Monday that much of its land would be worth more if used for something other than growing trees.

At an investor conference in New York, Spokane’s Potlatch said about 300,000 of its 1.5 million acres of timberland are “non-strategic to our core forestland operations.” Some of the land is worth more as recreational properties and could be sold, with the proceeds going to acquisitions, pay down debt or buy back shares. Potlatch this year reorganized itself as a real estate investment trust.

The statement is the latest sign of how the Cascadia timber companies that helped build the region’s economy are retooling. Weyerhaueser sells some Puget Sound-area land to individuals, Plum Creek Timber wants to turn coastal Oregon land into houses and British Columbia firms have dramatically scaled back their operations.

Potlatch is the largest private timberland owner in Idaho and recently announced that it would charge for recreational use there, according to the AP.

December 11, 2006
Backers of biodiesel and coal make their business case

Which faces brighter prospects in Cascadia, biodiesel or coal? Two reports today make a case for each.

Seattle’s Imperium Renewables is trying to make a business case that biodiesel can be cheaper than traditional fuel. The company recently began construction on a plant in Aberdeen to supply 100 million gallons of biodiesel a year. It says it can compete as long as crude stays about $43 a barrel, according to a story in The Seattle Times.

Meanwhile Energy Northwest, a consortium of power companies, is pushing ahead with plans for a $1 billion coal gasification plant in southwest Washington, according to The Columbian. Enthusiasm for the project may have cooled since last month, when voters approved a measure requiring utilities to generate more of their power from renewable energy. Still, Energy Northwest says there will be plenty of demand for the coal plant to balance the fluctuation in production from wind or other sources.

December 10, 2006