TRAINS MOVED OVER 140,000 BARRELS OF OIL DAILY THROUGH WASHINGTON THIS WINTER

New Department of Ecology report details crude-by-rail movement for the first quarter of 2017.

The Northwest public recently saw the second publication of quarterly oil train data for Washington. Although much about the industry is still not widely known, the Department of Ecology reports add considerably to our understanding of oil-by-rail in the region.

If Sightline could only do one thing for a sustainable Northwest, we’d put a price on carbon pollution—on the emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases. Doing so would speed the entire regional economy through the transition from coal, oil, and other dirty fossil fuels to clean, efficient, renewable energy. It would also help stem or reverse sprawl, breathe life into alternatives to the automobile, clean the air and water, and keep local dollars circulating locally.

MERCER ISLAND, Wash.– A first of it’s kind program from Puget Sound Energy will connect local cities, agencies and companies with renewable energy. Mercer Island is one of four cities that’s helping to fund construction of a wind farm.

“We’re pleased to be a leader in this, it’s something that our citizens we know care about and that we as elected officials care about, too,” says Mayor Bruce Bassett.

On Thursday, President Trump outlined his plans to slash 31% of the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget. The specifics on exactly what programs will be slashed in that included 31% reduction is still hazy, with no real detailed plan released by the White House. But, the bold statement beckons back to the Trump campaign theme to significantly reduce government spending in environmental and social services.

Today President Trump signed a presidential order to roll back the halt of two controversial oil pipelines, the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access. 

This reversal comes after, under the Obama administration, the State Department rejected TransCanada's application for a permit to complete the Keystone XL pipeline. Then, after a growing backlash from Native American groups from across the country and environmentalists, former President Obama put a stop to the Dakota pipeline. 

The Colstrip Power Plant, located 100 miles east of Billings, Montana, is comprised of four separate plant “units”. Together, these plants rank as the 15^th largest emitter of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in the United State. However, according to a Seattle PI article on Tuesday, Puget Sound Energy signaled that they may speed up the shutdown on two of those plants, units 1 & 2.

Though not completely relevant to Environmental Issues, if you happened to miss Obama's farewell speech, you can catch it here!

 https://youtu.be/R2Zo8vHOgaM