Sightline in the News

Interfaith group endorses cap-and-trade

05/11/2009
Vancouver Sun

Earth Ministry's endorsement of a cap-and-trade system has some curiosity value in the midst of B.C.'s election -- since the B.C. Liberal party has brought in a carbon tax on fuels, while the NDP have been proposing more of a cap-and-trade system. The respected Cascadian environmental watchdog, The Sightline Institute, which generally approves of some combination of both systems, wrote about Earth Ministry's position here.

Addressing Climate Change in Montana

05/11/2009
KFBB 5

Eric DePlace, Senior Researcher for Sightline Institute, said, “We are finally beginning to take seriously our responsibilities to climate change, and we have enormous opportunities right now to invest in renewable energy, the very source of power that’s all around us here in Montana, wind, solar, and even geothermal.”

U.S. greens worry for B.C.'s carbon tax

05/11/2009
Surrey Leader

The Seattle-based Sightline Institute recently called the tax one of the best climate control policies in the world and said New Democrats have "systematically misrepresented the facts" by claiming it increases taxes for the average B.C. family and won't work to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

'Cascadia scorecard' gives BC top livability rating in region

02/24/2009
Vancouver Sun

British Columbia leads the Pacific Northwest states in terms of human health, energy efficiency and smart growth. But the province is still far behind world-class performers such as Germany when it comes to the amount of gasoline and electricity used per person. These are among the findings of the Seattle-based Sightline Institute's Cascadia 2009 Scorecard, released Wednesday, which covers B.C., Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Idahoans spend $2355 per person on fossil fuels in 2008 report says

02/11/2009
Idaho Statesman

"Idahoans last year spent $3.6 billion for oil, natural gas and coal — $2,355 per person, the Seattle-based Sightline Institute reported Wednesday. That compares with $487 per person in 1998 adjusted for inflation, said Clark Williams-Derry, chief researcher with the institute, in its Cascadia Scorecard Report, an annual progress report."

Could ‘Cash for Clunkers’ rev up Canada’s auto biz?

01/19/2009
The Tyee

De Place argues that paying people to ditch their guzzlers is a proven concept in his country. “Leading utilities already operate old-appliance buy-back programs, for example, in order to reduce wasteful and expensive electricity consumption even while giving low-income consumers a helping hand."

Can Oregon's Climate Change Plan Survive a Down Economy?

01/17/2009
The Oregonian

"It is not a winning strategy to need huge amounts of energy to generate a buck," de Place said. "If an Oregon steel plant uses a ton of power, the best strategy to protect those jobs is to make it the cleanest, meanest, most efficient steel plant there is."

Higher density will help the Sound

11/17/2008
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Sightline Institute's 2007 Cascadia Scorecard puts our region 57 years away from achieving the important goal of 62 percent of the region's people living in compact, transit friendly neighborhoods.

Wash. voters defeat Eyman's traffic-focused I-985

11/05/2008
Seattle Times

In rural and suburban areas, the opposition said voters would hear a "giant sucking sound" as their sales taxes and red-light camera revenues got diverted to a new traffic-jam account, presumably spent more heavily in urban areas.

Opponents say I-985 would benefit only metro Seattle

10/24/2008
Spokesman-Review

A study from the Sightline Institute, which has contributed to the campaign opposed to the initiative, says of the $623 million expected to be raised statewide for programs aimed at reducing traffic congestion, almost $400 million would be spent in King County. The only other county that would get more money than it raised is Snohomish, according to the study

Bringing back the wolves of Olympic National Park

10/20/2008
Crosscut

What happened to the Olympic Peninsula after its wolves were hunted to extinction in the 1920s? There's a fascinating new study (pdf) from Oregon State University out on this question — the first of its kind, as far as I know. As it turns out, eliminating this one keystone species sent shockwaves through the whole ecosystem. Some of the effects were felt almost immediately after wolves were extirpated, and some are only just now becoming clear.

Seattle and I-985: A new subsidy

10/19/2008
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Clark Williams-Derry pointed this out at the think tank Sightline Institute: "First off, 100 percent of the HOV lanes and ramps that I-985 would affect are in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. That's about $224 million spent on carpool management changes right there. Second, 90 percent of the severe traffic congestion in the state is in the central Puget Sound, and over 60 percent is in King County alone."

Initiative 985: No

10/15/2008
Tri-City Herald

According to the Sightline Institute, "I-985 would siphon about $180 million from the rest of the state into Greater Seattle -- or $229 for the average four-person family living outside of the three Puget Sound counties -- through 2013."

Don't permit Measure 63

10/14/2008
The Oregonian

The glitch, pointed out recently by the perspicacious Seattle-based environmental nonprofit the Sightline Institute, is this: We Americans hop around a bit. In any given year, roughly 15 percent of us move.

The WaMu tragedy as a lesson in sustainability

10/14/2008
Crosscut

If we are honest with ourselves, many of us will have to admit that it's not just the mortgage-home-buying bubble of the last five years. In Cascadia, as throughout North America, living beyond our means is commonplace.