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WASHINGTON STATE Open Thread
This is a community series giving our Washington Kossacks a virtual meeting place to discuss issues of concern to our state and share what's happening in our lives. Share your activist efforts, plug for your favorite candidate, share a LTE you've gotten published or educate us on the issues you are passionate about. Tell us an interesting or funny story, ask for advice from the community or share a recipe. Tell us anything that has happened out there. Nothing is off topic. Let's connect, unite and act!
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As reported by NPR April 20, 2015:
In the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. Forest Service is set to open more than 80,000 acres for potential geothermal power development. Companies would then be able to apply for permits to build power plants that would harness the heat beneath the surface to spin turbines and generate electricity.
All of this would be taking place in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington state.
Under the Forest Service's proposal companies could apply for permits to harness the heat beneath the surface.
Geologists Dave Tucker and Pete Stelling recently hiked to the Mount Baker Hot Springs, located within the national forest. The faint smell of sulfur greet them as they arrive at the hot springs. If you are picturing a beautiful, bubbling pool surrounded by ferns, stop.
The springs are trashed — beer bottles and cans, orange peels, a discarded bra in the mud next to a waist-deep pool of murky water. This isn't just a hot spot for geothermal activity. It's also a hot spot for local college kids who are looking for a soak in the springs.
It makes sense to take advantage of nature's heat at our disposal.
At this point, no leases have been issued. Companies are awaiting Forest Service's final decision. Once this happens companies can begin applying for permits to develop geothermal plants in the area. Each project will have to go through a full environmental review.
And some environmentalists are raising concerns.
"We're talking about facilities, fences, utility lines, roads," says Tom Uniack, conservation director for Washington Wild, one of 15 environmental groups that submitted comments on the Forest Service's proposed lease.
The groups are pushing for stronger protections for rivers and roadless areas, as well as old-growth sections of the forest.
"While all of our organizations support clean, renewable energy and addressing climate change, we want to make sure that we're not robbing Peter to pay Paul — to identify clean renewable sources of energy, but not at the expense of the few roadless forests and intact watersheds that we have left," Uniack says.
I'm one environmentalist that feels that provided the footprint is minimized and steps are taken to preserve old-growth forest this is a resource worth the environmental costs to develop. We must think of the larger picture and the larger picture dictates all sources of energy be tapped that reduce CO2 emissions.
That's my take on the situation. Any thoughts?
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- Bernie was here!
Protesters drove Bernie Sanders from one Seattle stage. At his next stop, 15,000 people showed.
He's also scheduled to hold a rally at Portland's Memorial Coliseum tonight, before heading to an event in Los Angeles Monday.
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Update on previous post about Fred Feleman: WASHINGTON STATE Open Thread: Why the Port of Seattle Commission Race Matters to You
I am happy to report Fred garnered the most votes of any candidate running for the open seat on the Port of Seattle Commission. This is great news and puts us one step closer to having a strong environmental voice on it.
Complete results of the August 4, 2015 Primary can be found here.
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Update on previous post: WASHINGTON STATE Open Thread - Seattle Growing Pains, Affordable Housing & Rent Control
In Kshama Sawant's words:
This phenomenal outpouring of community engagement is a continuation of the Affordable Housing Town Hall that Councilmember Licata and I organized on April 23rd and is reminiscent of the numerous public forums held in the run-up to the historic $15 minimum wage victory. It reflects the growing understanding among renters, home owners, and ordinary Seattleites that our affordable housing crisis won’t be solved by backroom deals with developers. The only way to ensure that the needs of our communities come before the profits of speculators and developers is to build a grassroots movement. This debate was another important step in that direction.
After the huge turnout at the rent control debate, many are asking what we can do next to build this movement. Councilmember Licata and I have co-sponsored a Rent Control Resolutionon the City Council, calling on Olympia to change the state law that prevents cities from passing their own rent control laws. This would make it official City policy that Olympia should end the ban on rent control, which would give our movement even more momentum.
You can help pass the Rent Control Resolution! I have launched a petition to “Lift the Washington State Ban on Rent Control”. Sign the petition here, and then share it on Facebook and Twitter, and email friends and family.
I signed it because I don't think it is proper to ban rent control being considered when we supposedly operate in a democratic system where local communities should have the power to decide the development and living future of their communities.
In one of the most closely watched races for Seattle City Council Kshama Sawant garnered the most votes in the August 4th primary leading all others by nearly 15 points.
In her own words:
We are not running against one individual, but really the entire chamber of commerce, the political and business establishment who want to disempower the movement that we're starting to build, the movement to which we want $15 an hour, the movement to which we have already made so much headway in making affordable housing top of the Seattle agenda, so in order to win against the corporate money we need to fight.
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Update on previous post:Washington State Open Thread - WisePiper, Physician Assisted Suicide - GBCW - Saying Goodbye
Wisepiper went to the other side Monday July 27, 2015 utilizing Washington's Death with Dignity law. One of his hopes was this right would be available in all 50 states.
If you haven't yet read his parting words I invite you to do so but here is a quote regarding physician assisted suicide.
To my fellow kossacks experiencing terminal disease in a PAS state, i invite you to envision what YOUR last day could be. And to those of you living in the other 46, I implore you to advocate and fight for PAS legislation. Death with Dignity should be a universal, fundamental right. No state should have the power to dictate how much suffering you and your loved ones must endure as you approach the end of life.
OLYMPIA, Wash. - State health officials say 126 people died in Washington state last year after requesting and using a lethal prescription through Washington's Death with Dignity law.
Since the Death with Dignity law took effect six years ago, 725 adults with terminal illness have chosen to end their lives with a physician-prescribed lethal dose of medication.
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Its wildfire season and the latest can be found here.
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This is one of four weekly open threads for a state. The other three are North Carolina started by randalt Michigan organized by peregrine kate and Colorado by Leftcandid.
Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern
North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern
Washington: Sundays, 3:30 PM Pacific
Colorado: Wednesdays - 6:30PM Pacific
For those in other states, please join us as we strive to establish state open threads in all fifty. Please drop me a line if you are interested in hosting an open thread in your state. Keep in mind, you can create your own State Open Thread group and set up a system and schedule for rotating the weekly contribution.
We have started a State Open Thread group that you can follow to catch the weekly round ups. Scheduling is still in the works but we are striving for an advertised and promoted regular date and time for each of these so readers can depend on a schedule to check out their state's happenings. Please help support and contribute to this project. 4 down, 46 to go!