Another Green Monday
Tonight at 6:00pm, the Spokane City Council will vote on the Sustainability Acton Plan (SAP). We’ll be there. You should too.
What was so remarkable was the local reaction to the SAP in some conservative corners. The task force was never even asking that much, it was just the thought of asking that seemed too much. (If you haven’t read it yet, please go HERE.) Local GOP members towed the usual “expand government” line, using paranoid talking points ripped straight from Fox Business News histrionics. Never mind the SAP was not actually implementing regulatory policies and mandates rather it was simply a portfolio of principles, strategies, and recommendations.
And when Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin cited a report by notorious climate denier Sen. James Inhofe, there was a strong stench of William Jennings Bryan/Scopes Trial ignorance in her criticism. It was embarrassing. Last weekend, DTE was in Seattle. People asked where we’re from, and we said Spokane. Occasionally their facial reaction…well, it looked like they had just sucked on a lemon. (Does this ever happy to you? Why?) Rather than just saying “ah, to hell with ’em,” let’s show everybody that we are leading the way towards sustainability, since the action plan is in fact the first public planning process to address the problems of peak oil and climate change at once. After their arduous study, the task force concluded “such community participation shows that Spokane is a valued home, well worth the time and energy invested to ensure its future as a livable city.” How can you argue against that?
Here are some stories you might’ve missed…
News from the automotive world. It seems strange to be talking about vehicles during Bike to Work Week, but there is one story worth mentioning. Nissan has chosen Seattle as one of the first US cities where they will sell their new electric car next year. The five-seater plug-in car will be able to exceed highway speed limits, go 100 miles on a charge and recharge in four to eight hours using a 220-volt line. Talk of electric cars has been heating up over the last few weeks, partially fueld by the chairman of Tesla Motors' hilarious appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, and for good reason given that an overwhelming majority of our transportation is based on burning fossil fuels. Read more from The Seattle P-I HERE.
Heating up the climate debate. Soft language, no real mandates, loopholes, and easy escape hatches - sounds like the Sustainability Action Plan here in Spokane that we are all hoping gets approved this evening at the City Council Meeting. But alas, it's draft legislation called the “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009” that was introduced by Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) in early April. Similar in approach, and also similar in importance, as best put in a recent editorial in The New York Times, "Though flawed, the bill is an honorable start on a problem too long neglected." And now President Obama is hot on the debate, "putting the weight of his office behind the bill," as The New York Times put it. Read more of the editorial HERE.
"We’re going to need a bigger boat." We're sure that's the unofficial slogan of Lake Couer d’Alene. The below release from the Kootenai Environmental Alliance will no doubt stir a debate but looks like it could negatively impact the Spokane River. Thanks to Dr. Gayle Eversole for the tip. From KEA: Major expansion is proposed for the Blackwell Island Marina on Coeur d’Alene Lake. This application, first submitted in 2005, has been resubmitted to the Department of Lands with a few changes. This project involves major disturbance of heavy metal contaminated lakebed sediments deposited from historic Silver Valley mining operations. The applicant purposes excavating these sediments and permanently storing them on site within the 100-year flood plain. Additionally, excavation may expose a direct pathway to the Aquifer by removing up to 20 feet of bottom sediment, although the developer may be willing to install a liner. The project’s purpose is to update and expand the marina further into the lake to accommodate large watercraft.
Written comments on this plan (Application number L-95-S-3212) will be accepted until May 27th and should be sent to:
Carl Washburn, Specialist
Navigable Waters/Submerged Lands Leasing ID Department of Lands
Mica Supervisory Area
3706 Industrial Avenue South
Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815
A joint public hearing before the Idaho Department of Lands and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled for June 4, 2009, at 6 p.m. in the Sundance Room at the Idaho Department of Lands office located at 3780 Industrial Avenue South in Coeur d'Alene.
This is a critical opportunity to voice your concerns regarding this project, the management of contaminants in Coeur d' Alene Lake, and the protection of the Aquifer.
Kootenai Environmental Alliance is preparing its official response to this application and will send you a summary of talking points. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Wes Hanson at 667-9389 or the KEA office at 667-9093.
Cathleen O'Connor
Outreach Coordinator
Kootenai Environmental Alliance
208-667-9093
