Donate Newsletters

Region: Oregon

How Building Small Means Living Large

by

In Alan Durning’s keynote address at the 2015 Build Small, Live Large conference at Portland State University last month, Sightline Institute director Alan Durning discussed how living small has not only been normal until very recently but is still normal for the vast majority of the globe. [button link='{“url”:”https://www.sightline.org/2015/12/23/video-the-power-of-small/”,”title”:”Click here to watch Alan Durning|apos;s keynote: The … Read more

7 Beverages Found in Refillable Containers in Cascadia

by

We’ve all probably heard an idyllic story or two about the milkman who used to deliver farm fresh milk to household doorsteps at sunrise and cart away the empty bottles to wash and reuse. Why doesn’t he or she come around anymore? Refillable beverage containers were a common phenomenon until the mid-20th century—in 1947, 100 … Read more

A Stocking Full of Coal

by

There’s been a lot of talk in the news lately about the struggles of the US coal industry. Since last spring, US coal companies have declared bankruptcy right and left, with others, such as Arch Coal, now teetering on the brink of insolvency. But even though 2015 has been a particularly bad year for Big Coal, the industry’s … Read more

Will EPA Cancel an Old, Dangerous Pesticide?

by

More than 50 years ago, Rachel Carson’s 1962 environmental classic, Silent Spring, urged tighter regulation of pesticides. Among the pesticides she identified of particular concern were “organophosphates,” chemical cousins of nerve gas that are neurotoxic to insects and that have side effects on other animals, including humans. Many of them are still with us, but … Read more

8 Takeaways from Oregon’s Global Warming Commission’s Report

by

In its 2015 report, the Oregon Global Warming Commission offers the Oregon legislature a path towards transforming the state’s economy and meeting its statutory global warming pollution limits. Its scenario for meeting the state’s emissions limits looks like Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixin’s: a price on pollution, plus a package of complementary clean energy, energy efficiency, … Read more

Northwest Oil Train Terminals Could Grow Tar Sands Even Without Keystone

by

For Immediate Release: November 12, 2015 Contact: Eric de Place, eric@sightline.org, 206-447-1880 x105 Last week, President Obama rejected the Keystone XL pipeline, a strong stand for climate protection. Yet a new report shows that the oil industry still intends to use massive oil-by-rail terminals proposed in the Pacific Northwest to move their product to market. … Read more

New Report: Northwest Oil Trains Could Drive Growth in Tar Sands

by

President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline was without doubt a victory for climate protection. It also left many wondering about the significance other oil infrastructure proposals, such as the 15 rail facilities in the Northwest that could handle a million barrels of crude per day. Would new oil depots on Northwest shorelines really … Read more

Sightline on Exxon, Climate Denialism, and Portland’s Role in the Thin Green Line

by

As Portland prepares to enact the strongest anti-fossil-fuels legislation anywhere in the US, it’s a good time to evaluate the role the Northwest plays in opposing the coal, oil, and gas industries. Toward that end, check out this 45-minute radio interview taped on Monday in which I explored the significance of Portland’s leadership with KBOO Radio host … Read more

Listen In: How Oregon Helps Its Voters Vote

by

Last year, Oregon continued its leadership in voting rights by passing the New Motor Voter law and starting to automatically register eligible voters. California and New Jersey have since followed Oregon’s lead, and 17 other states have introduced similar bills. KUOW’s Posey Gruener and Ross Reynolds talked with me about voting rights and voter registration. Listen in here.  

Coal Exports and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

by

What a week! The bad financial news for coal export prospects in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia has come almost too quickly to track. So for those of you who don’t follow the coal press as religiously as I do, here’s a brief summary of all of the goings-on in Northwest coal export finance over the last … Read more

+ More
×