Policy

Columbia River salmon plans: The judge is not amused

The Seattle Times Editorial page weighs in on Judge Redden’s ruling. U.S. District Court Judge James Redden issued a 24-page ruling Tuesday that slapped down another federal plan for operating the economic interests of the Columbia and Snake rivers, while working to save endangered fish.

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Federal Judge Rules for Columbia and Snake River Salmon

U.S. District Court Judge James Redden ruled today that the NOAA Fisheries Service again failed to produce a legal and scientific plan to protect imperiled Columbia-Snake River salmon from harm caused by the operation of federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Today’s court action – which has been ongoing for almost a decade – is a landmark decision for fishing and conservation groups, the state of Oregon and the Nez Perce and Spokane tribes, all of which have opposed the federal biological opinion, or BiOp, in court.

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Report: House committee holds work session on potential changes to Initiative 937

Washington state’s House Environment Committee held an interim work session on I-937 on Tuesday, July 26. Chair Dave Upthegrove (D-Des Moines), Ranking Minority Member Shelly Short (R-Addy) and fellow Reps. Larry Crouse (R-Spokane), Steve Tharinger (D-Sequim) and Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Burien) attended. Howard Schwartz of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council gave the committee a brief…

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Executive Board Caucus Report Highlights — July 21, 2011

Each month, we post the updates presented to our Executive Board from the state and provincial caucus reports.

In this edition: BC carbon tax popular, working, Avista request alarms clean energy supporters in ID, More condemnations filed against landowners on MATL route in MT, OR’s Boardman coal-plant pollution lawsuit settled and Legislative committee takes up I-937 in WA.

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NW Energy Coalition – Utility Energy Efficiency Incentives and Disincentives Resolution

NW Energy Coalition Utility Energy Efficiency Incentives and Disincentives Resolution November 14, 2009 WHEREAS there are many barriers to energy efficiency that mean market mechanisms alone will not be enough to move consumers to acquire and install all the cost-effective measures available. Consumers, including residential, commercial, and industrial power users, often lack the time horizon,…

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Snake River Alliance releases guide to Idaho’s Clean Energy Future

The Snake River Alliance has produced “Idaho’s Clean Energy Future – An Activist’s Guide to a Sustainable Energy Future.” The Alliance’s People’s Energy Project is designed to help plug Idahoans into the world where energy decisions are made, from electric utilities to the state Public Utilities Commission that oversees investor-owned utilities.

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Legislature passes landmark legislation to transition Washington off polluting coal-fired power

Today, the Washington State Legislature put its final stamp of approval on a plan to responsibly transition TransAlta Corp.’s Centralia, Wash., power plant off of coal. The state Senate approved technical changes made in the House and sent the Coal-Free Future for Washington bill to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her much-anticipated signature.

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