Time is running out if you want to comment on a proposal to ban energy development on Steens Mountain.
Time is running out if you want to comment on a proposal to ban energy development on Steens Mountain.
Save Money On New Light Bulbs
Energy Trust of Oregon is sponsoring state-wide discounts on compact fluorescent light bulbs. No coupon necessary. Retailers across the state are dropping prices. For a complete list of where to get the discount, see this story from the Salem Statesman Journal.
Maybe The Dam Should Stay
Some in Jackson County think tearing down the Gold Ray Dam is a bad idea. A candidate for county commissioner says a repaired dam could provide revenue for the county by producing electricity. From the Medford Mail Tribune.
29 Years Later And It’s Still A Mess
The Army Corps of Engineers starts work this month on removing a million cubic yards of silt from the Cowlitz River. The silt comes from Mt. St. Helens, the result of the “clear cut” explosion from about 29-years ago. The Corps continues to work on a long range silt control plan. From the Longview Daily News.
MONDAY’S STORIES
Did LNG Company Get A “Too Good To Be True” Deal For Land?
LNG opponents are raising questions about a land deal struck between the Port Of Astoria and Oregon LNG. The company is leasing 92 acres of land from the Port for about $38,000 a year. Critics say it should be a lot higher. From the Daily Astorian.
Proposed Wind Farm May Be Doomed By Endangered Bird
Plans to build the first wind farm in Western Washington are running into trouble. The site in Pacific County, called Radar Ridge, is on the flight path of the marbled murrelet. The murrelet lives mostly on the ocean, but nests in coastal forests. From the Longview Daily News.
What We Lose If The Dam Goes
Salmon counts on the Rogue River are considered some of the best in the region. That’s because biologists can count live salmon as they pass through the Gold Ray Dam. But Jackson County wants to remove the dam, perhaps as soon as next year. When that happens, officials will have to rely on counting methods that are not as accurate nor up-to-date. Still, they don’t mind. From the Medford Mail Tribune.
Thinking About Sewers
Coburg is one of the largest towns in Oregon without a sewer system. City officials say that’s limiting Coburg’s ability to grow and threatens the water supply. But building a sewer system would cost about $25 million and residents are in an uproar. From The Eugene Register Guard.
As large trucks loaded with wind turbines roll eastward on I-84, they’re not getting quite the warm welcome they once received.
The newest sign of frustration over the growing size, and numbers, of wind farms in Eastern Oregon is this article in the East Oregonian newspaper. Richard Jolly of Milton-Freewater wants Umatilla County to adopt new planning rules so that wind turbines can be kept out areas, or limited in size, if they interfere with the beauty of the Blue Mountains. The Planning Commission will take up his proposal June 25.
It reminds us of an earlier story where the Milton-Freewater city council went on record saying they’re also concerned about wind farms ruining views of the Blue Mountains.
The amount of electricity generated by wind power in the United States grew more than 50% last year to more than 25,000 megwatts. Oregon didn’t do so badly either. The state now generates more than 1000 megawatts of wind energy, putting it in the top seven of wind producing states.
Those are some of interesting info-nuggets from the 2008 report by the American Wind Energy Association.
Here are some others to chew on.
