Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has drafted a bill to promote the creation of 10 million new solar rooftop on private houses and businesses over the next ten years.  The bill, which has been co-sponsored by Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Arlen Specter (R-PA), John Warner (R-VA), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), provides incentives for solar unit installation, covering about half the average costs.

According to a press release from Sanders' office, "rebates would cover about one-half of the $20,000 average cost of installing a solar unit that, depending on location, could provide up to one-half of the electricity for a typical home".

Richland is emerging as a major bioproducts and bioenergy research center.  Washington State University's Center for Bioproducts and Bioenergy in the Tri-Cities has partnered with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to advance our region’s role in the emerging bioproducts and bioenergy industry.

A group of citizens in Snohomish County has asked the Snohomish County Council to create a Human Rights Commission that, as it states, “has the authority, and the resources, to provide equal opportunity and safety for all of the residents and visitors to Snohomish County.”

The ordinance that would establish the Commission was developed over 10 months to address issues of discrimination that had been building up throughout the county. Discussions at the regular meetings included an examination of past attempts at finding significant, effective, resolutions. They solicited advice and input from other groups in Washington State and around the country.

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance recently released a report detailing how Federal tax incentives remove the economic advantages of local ownership of solar power systems and places them on larger centralized systems.
 

The US House Appropriations Committee approved $780,000 for research on Colony collapse disorder after a hearing yesterday.  Farmers and businesspeople talked about the current and potential concerns.  In an article by the AP and McClatchy Newspapers, 

"A record 36 percent of U.S. commercial bee colonies have been lost so far this year and worse may be yet to come, experts told the panel."

Portland has solved a tricky urban problem, dealing with stormwater runoff, with an elegant, simple on-site solution that doubles as a small place of beauty added to a neighborhood.   Costs less; diminishes the need for expensive, storm pipe system and treatment plants; fosters community involvement and adds beauty - it is a perfect example of a local solution.  

We get gorgeous photos and more information from the blog, Pruned: