Cascadia

Bruce Agnew, Director of Cascadia Center at Discovery Institute, just released the statement below regarding today’s news that the Port of Seattle will acquire the BNSF rail corridor. Media calls may be directed directly to Bruce Agnew on this issue at 206.228.4011. OFFICIAL STATEMENT: BRUCE AGNEW, CASCADIA CENTER AT DISCOVERY INSTITUTE “The idea of having public employees excise and remove Read More ›

There’s no finer experience than taking your family on a crisp, sunny, fall adventure along the Centennial Trail. Stretching from Snohomish to Arlington and framed by the resplendent Cascades and quiet Machias, the red and yellow trees and clean air remind us why we endure the gray skies and light rain of Puget Sound’s winter. Now we have an opportunity Read More ›

Thirteen Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid vehicles owned by Puget Sound governments and agencies will be converted to 100 mile-per-gallon plug-in electric hybrid vehicles for a year-long field performance test, in part with a grant and technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. Behind-the-scenes assistance from Discovery Institute’s Cascadia Center for Regional Development played a key role Read More ›

State transportation leaders suddenly find themselves struggling with a $1.5 billion shortfall in anticipated federal and state gas tax revenues. This shortfall, primarily due to improving fuel economy in our motor vehicles, has far-reaching implications. Today’s debate in the Puget Sound region is whether to build more roads, or expand our transit system, or do both. But the truth is Read More ›

In his new 2008 budget, King County Executive Ron Sims has proposed a property tax hike of 5 cents per $100,000 assessed valuation to fund a King County passenger-only ferry district. Gregory Roberts reports in today’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer: A 5-cent tax would cost $20 a year for the owner of a $400,000 home; Sims will send a specific proposal to Read More ›

Phil Mote, one of the authors of the Nobel prize winning report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – and featured in the Oct. 13, Seattle Times story reproduced below – was one of the panel members and speakers at the May 7th Cascadia/Microsoft “Jump Start To A Secure, Clean Energy Future” Conference. The conference centered on transportation Read More ›

Imagine a crisp fall morning bike ride along glistening Lake Washington at Gene Coulon Park in Renton. Your family decides to hop on the new double-decked, domed “Colorado Rail Car” like the one you used to explore Denali National Park on your Alaskan cruise. You store your bikes on the train’s rack and head to the coffee car. Traveling north Read More ›

This article, published by the Tacoma News Tribune, mentions Discovery Institute Fellow Bruce Agnew: That prompted a blog commentary by Cascadia Center Director Bruce Agnew, about the extensive range of strategies the region will need to solve its transporation problems. The rest of the article can be found here.

Approaching 2008, tolling has entered the mainstream and begun to influence transportation decisions throughout the country. At the same time – as Forbes magazine notes – transponder technology is enabling higher-speed, automated “open road” tolling, foreshadowing an eventual end to the era of tollbooths. Recent news reports underscore the increased momentum for tolling – although often the pathway to implementation Read More ›

The nation and major urban regions within the West Coast Corridor of Cascadia and California – namely Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego – continue to grapple with costly road and transit projects and the threat of global warming. These stem in part from workforce and population increases. Against this backdrop, common-sense trip reduction strategies such Read More ›