seattleDIRT

Portland General Electric announced today that it will on Tuesday unveil the largest solar project in the Pacific Northwest, which will produce up to 1.1 megawatts of electricity.The company expects the power generated from solar panels on three Portland rooftops to be on the grid by December. Oregonian 10/14/2008

Production has begun at the largest ethanol plant in California, Pacific Ethanol’s facility at the Port of Stockton that is projected to produce 60 million gallons per year. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was Friday, although the plant, which will process 21 million bushels of corn per year, has been running for about two weeks. San Francisco Chronicle 10/13/2008

Both candidates for governor have had their say on government health insurance for children, and the results are striking. Under the state budget that Republican Dino Rossi takes pride in helping craft, the number of children covered by state health insurance plummeted by 40,000. By the end of Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire’s first term, the taxpayer-subsidized rolls had not only recovered from that fall, but grew another 32,000. Bellingham Herald 10/13/2008

Oregon’s Employment Department said Monday that from July to September, 103,000 new unemployment claims were filed. That’s up from the 71,000 filed during the same time last year. There are 54,000 Oregonians receiving unemployment insurance benefits. About 1,000 are exhausting their 26-week claims each week. Portland Tribune 10/14/2008

Oregon State University researchers have successfully tested the newest wave energy device, leading them closer to commercialization, the university said Monday. Over the past year OSU has been embarking on a $1 million research effort to test 18 different “direct drive” wave energy technologies, a process that eliminates a need for hydraulic systems and is thought to be more efficient. Business Journal 10/13/2008

According to a national study just released, parents’ education is a critical factor in determining the health of their children. The new study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation makes the case in striking terms. The more educated parents are, the more likely their children will be healthy. Missoulian 10/14/2008

While the American pika cannot boast the majesty of the polar bear or the symbolism of the gray wolf, scientists insist the furry mammal is just as deserving of protection from global warming. Sacramento Bee 10/14/2008

Attorneys general from Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware sent letters Friday to 11 companies that make baby bottles and baby formula containers, asking they no longer use the chemical bisphenol A in their manufacturing because they said it was potentially harmful to infants. USA Today 10/13/2008

The world’s largest gathering of conservation scientists and NGOs have been meeting in Barcelona to ask: “What price do we put on nature?” In these extraordinary times of credit crunch and climate change, the world feels hitched to an uncertain roller coaster ride where we don’t know what to value any more. BBC News 10/13/2008