Portland the Sustainable and Pesky Wind Farms

Sustain't Misbehavin'
Portland, Ore., ranked as most sustainable city in U.S.

Portland, Ore., took top honors in SustainLane.com's 2006 ranking of the sustainability of America's 50 most populous cities. The rankings were based on a laundry list of the usual environmental factors: breathable air, clean drinking water, renewable energy, parks, green buildings, farmers' markets, affordable housing, recycling, walkable communities, and, especially, public transit. Commuting was weighted more heavily in the rankings than other factors; nine of the bottom 10 cities have less than 5 percent transit ridership. San Francisco came in second, despite being 49th in affordability (ouch); Seattle rounded out the top three. Philadelphia, somewhat surprisingly, was No. 4; Chicago, Oakland, Calif., New York, Boston, Denver, and Minneapolis made the top 10. Number 50? Columbus, Ohio. Perhaps Columbus should discover some new sustainability strategies. Get it? Columbus? Oh, never mind.

straight to the source:MarketWatch, Kristen Gerencher, 01 Jun 2006

straight to the source:InsideBayArea.com, Eve Mitchell, 01 Jun 2006

straight to the rankings:SustainLane 2006 U.S. City Rankings

(via: Grist Magazine)

Under the Radar
FAA shuts down work on proposed wind farms

The Federal Aviation Administration has shut down work on at least 15 Midwest wind farms pending ... wait for it ... more research. Last year, Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), a critic of the Cape Wind project planned for Nantucket Sound, added an amendment to a military spending bill directing the Defense Department to study wind turbines' effect on small-aircraft radar signals. Since then, despite the fact that dozens of wind projects currently operate within sight of radar systems and have caused no discernable problems, all proposed turbines within the scope of military radar have been blocked. The stalled projects include an Illinois wind farm that would have been the nation's largest. "Until the potential effects can be quantified and possible mitigation techniques developed, it is prudent to temporarily postpone wind-turbine construction in areas where the ability of these long-range radars that protect our country might be compromised," says a Pentagon spokesflack. That sounds not-at-all promising.

straight to the source:Chicago Tribune, Michael Hawthorne, 31 May 2006

straight to the source:Peoria Journal Star, Andrea Frampton and Erinn Deshinsky, 02 Jun 2006

(via: Grist Magazine)