CHIMACUM, Wash. – Under the carbon fee initiative on the November ballot, part of the revenue collected from large carbon polluters would be directed toward creating healthy forests.
The Olympic Peninsula's Chimacum Ridge is providing an example of what that investment could look like for local communities.
Under Initiative 1631, 25 percent of funds collected would be invested in "clean water and healthy forests."
Sarah Spaeth, director of conservation and strategic partnerships with the Jefferson Land Trust, says her group and other partners are going to buy the 850 acre Chimacum Ridge and create a community forest.
She says it will be an example of how Washingtonians can manage forests to be healthy and resilient.
"Along with supporting a thriving, local economy with good jobs and protecting natural resources – the habitat on the ridge, the healthy salmon runs in both forks of Chimacum Creek – and then recreational and education opportunities and cleaner air for everyone," she explains.
The Washington Legislature is funding the conservation easement to buy Chimacum Ridge as a pilot project to demonstrate what a shift from industrial management to a more localized approach could look like.
Spaeth says the community forest approach will create local economic opportunities, such as harvesting timber for the wooden boat industry or berries for cider production. And she says there is potential to do this in other rural communities too.
James Schroeder, director of conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Washington, says the state's forests need help, noting that 2.8 million acres of forests in eastern Washington are considered unhealthy.
He says recent active wildfire seasons are evidence of forests' poor health, too, and also a threat to Washingtonians.
"1631, as an initiative, would create a funding source for us to invest in those forests so that they become much more resilient to the types of wildfire that we've been seeing over the past several summers," he states.
Critics of I-1631 say the fees on large carbon polluters will be passed on to Washingtonians.
Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz says climate change is costing the state, and I-1631 is a smart way to combat its effects and save money in the long run.
"The sooner we can start investing in our natural resources and making them more resilient in the face of changing climate, the sooner we'll actually be able to reduce the cost to our communities and to our public," she stresses.
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A new report found four dams in the Columbia River Basin are big emitters of methane.
Research from the organization Tell The Dam Truth showed the four lower Snake River dams in eastern Washington emit the equivalent of 1.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
Robin Everett, deputy western region field director for the Sierra Club, said it undercuts some of the claims the dams are helping provide the region with clean energy.
"It's really clear from this report that we have to take this a lot more seriously that there are some real impacts as far as emissions go from these dams," Everett asserted.
The reports showed the dams produce the equivalent emissions of burning 2 billion pounds of coal annually. Defenders of the dams counted they are important for barging and irrigation for the area's agricultural lands.
But Everett pointed out the dams have another effect on the region: they block the dwindling population of salmon and steelhead from traveling upstream on the Snake River. She noted it not only hurts fish populations but the tribes relying on them.
"We have an obligation for them to be able to fish and if there are no fish to fish, we have broken the treaties," Everett contended
Chinook salmon are also an important source of food for orca on the West Coast. Everett added protecting salmon is important for tribes and the region as a whole.
"Our moral obligation to the salmon and the orca that depend on them are met as well," Everett concluded.
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A proposed pumped-storage hydroelectric facility for Cuffs Run near the Susquehanna River in York County has been challenged by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The foundation filed a motion to intervene in the proceedings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is considering granting a preliminary permit to build a 1.8-mile-long dam for the project.
Harry Campbell, science policy and advocacy director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said they are working to stop the project in order to protect the unique Cuffs Run area and its ecological benefits for future generations.
"If approved, this project would destroy it about 580 acres of prime farmland, fields and forests, some of which have not been disturbed in about 100 years," Campbell pointed out. "Those farms, fields and forests exist harmoniously with and in support of a plethora of plant and animal life."
The foundation is circulating an online petition and encouraged Pennsylvanians to provide comments before Sunday.
The stream is home to naturally reproducing brook trout. Advocates worry the $2.5 billion project would also be harmful to the Susquehanna River. Campbell noted about 40 families would be displaced.
"For those who call Cuffs Run home, it's more than just a place to live. It's their heritage and they want it to be part of their legacy," Campbell asserted. "This project just simply is the wrong idea in the wrong place. In order to honor that heritage and that legacy, we need to preserve this area."
Campbell emphasized the Cuffs Run project is about 993 acres of land draining into a 2.5-mile unnamed tributary. He added in terms of stream habitat, the rocks, pebbles and woody material have been identified as among the best in the region for supporting critters living in the water.
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Tennesseans want more say in how the Tennessee Valley Authority plans for their future electricity needs and a bill now in Congress could give the public more influence.
The "TVA Increase Rate of Participation Act," would require a more open decision-making process for the utility.
Brianna Knisley, director of public power campaigns for Appalachian Voices, said the TVA is currently developing its new Integrated Resource Plan to meet future energy demands. The bill would require more public participation in the plan's proceedings.
"Right now the stakeholders who get to provide input early on in the IRP process are all hand-selected by TVA," Knisley pointed out. "You can't choose to be in that IRP working group. And those are the only folks who get substantial input in the architecture of the IRP, as it's being designed."
The utility serves more than 10 million people across six states. The TVA said it is reviewing the legislation. A draft of the plan will be published at a later date. The TVA said it already has a "robust stakeholder engagement plan."
After the plan is released, Knisley noted public input happens during what's known as the scoping phase of the National Environmental Policy Act. Open houses are set up, where the TVA answers questions from the public. Knisley encouraged Tennesseans to raise any of their concerns during the public and virtual hearings.
"I think additional public input into our region's long-term energy plan is only going to strengthen outcomes," Knisley contended. "And make that long-term energy plan better meet the needs of the Tennessee Valley, as a whole."
She added it is important for Tennesseans to work with Congress on the best way to improve public input in the TVA decision-making process.
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