Governor Kulongoski recently revealed his new comprehensive water strategy initiative, Headwaters to Ocean (H2O). The initiative's primary goal is to "achieve sustainable water supplies and quality to benefit Oregon's people, communities, economy, environment and ecosystems, and fish and wildlife" in the face of the pressures of climate change and rapid population growth. The H2O initiative is part...

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski recently outlined his policy proposals for boosting energy efficiency (Click here for a summary of the Governor's remarks). His proposals include net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 for all new residential and commercial buildings, energy performance certificates on all homes sold in Oregon, a new public awareness campaign, and expansion of the Oregon Business E...

Erin Flynn, Economic Development Director of the Portland Development Commission, made that comment at the recent Portland Leadership Summit's breakout session on Economic Development and Prosperity. Ms. Flynn said that Portland economic development faces two challenges: the need for new development tools, and institutional fragmentation. She noted that while the city has good tools for development...

Two bills are under consideration by the Washington state legislature to achieve aggressive emission reduction targets set in 2007. The first, HB 2815, would convert the goals passed in 2007 to concrete targets, then direct the statewide Department of Ecology to design a cap-and-trade system, a monitoring and reporting system, and a comprehensive emissions inventory for point-source emitters. These...

The recent listing of polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has sparked controversy about whether or not greenhouse gas emissions can be regulated under the ESA. The Bush administration is adamant that they cannot. Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, whose state produces 15% of the nation's oil, couldn't agree more. On May 21, Governor Palin announced that the state o...