Native people have had a standing presence in Washington for only a fraction of the nation’s history, but already the 2008 presidential election is historic on their account – both candidates, for the first time, have elaborated Indian-specific policies and taken note of Native interests. Indian Country Today 10/17/2008
2. Views: Tribal Equity in the Wind
Tribal lands hold several hundreds of gigawatts of renewable energy potential in wind, solar, geothermal and biomass, and all it would take to encourage development is a little equity interest not penalized by federal policy. Gone are the days when tribal resources are free for the taking. In the 21st century, tribes deserve better, and America can do better. Indian Country Today 10/17/2008
3. Views: Native Women in Government
More Indian women are taking leadership roles in tribal government. Although the rate of participation by women in tribal government leadership is still less than men, women play a significant role in tribal politics and will likely play increasingly stronger roles in the future. Indian Country Today 10/17/2008
4. Debating King County’s Transit Proposition
City Club sponsored two debates on transportation initiatives. In this debate Kemper Freeman of the Kemper Development Company debated King County Councilmember and Sound Transit Boardmember Dow Constantine over Proposition 1. KUOW 10/16/2008
5. Greens Say No to BC’s Big Dam Plan
Controversy over the proposed Site C dam is surfacing once again this month as BC Hydro hears public input on its plan to put a swath of the Peace River Valley under water. The Tyee 10/16/2008
7. Exxon Mobil Opens Biodiesel Plant in Washington
Washington’s eco-friendly attempt to require 2 percent of the state’s diesel sales be biodiesel will get a boost from an unlikely source – major oil companies. Exxon Mobil Corp. plans to open a biodiesel blending terminal in Spokane by late November, the company’s first in the country. AP 10/16/2008
8. Life’s Basics More of a Stretch
Large percentages of low-wage Americans struggle to pay for life’s staples. Eight in 10 find it hard to pay for gasoline or save for retirement, while more than six in 10 said it was tough to afford health care. And roughly half said they were having difficulty affording food and housing. Washington Post 10/17/2008
9. Puget Sound Animals At Risk
Wildlife experts believe nearly 4,000 nets and 14,000 crab pots lay abandoned in Puget Sound despite more than five years of removal efforts. The gear has already trapped and killed more than 30,000 animals, including marine mammals, fish and birds that dive for food. AP 10/16/2008
10. Views: Fair, Quality Health Care
We have a civic duty as Montanans to hold our representatives accountable for protecting our rights. With regard to health care, we can ask them to do this in a number of ways: for example, they should ensure that Blue Cross Blue Shield spends its surplus on care, not on executive salaries; they should require our hospitals to treat everyone equally rather than build luxury rooms for the wealthy; they should support community health centers that provide affordable care in frontier counties; and they should recognize the right to health care in law and policy, along with our right to education. Missoulian 10/17/2008
Filed under: Community News, National and World News | Tagged: Barack Obama, biomass, climate change, cost of living, ecomony, economics, environment, exxon mobil biodiesel plant, geothermal power, green, health care, hydro-power, immigrant rights, John McCain, minimum wage, Native American, presidential election, Proposition 1, Puget Sound, renewable energy, seattleDIRT, Sightline Daily, Sightline Institute, solar power, sustainability, transit, transportation, tribal equity, voter's guide for Latinos, wind power
