By Jerry Cornfield | Reporter
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats when Amtrak puts its new Airo fleet into service Sept. 30 on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon. Initially, new trains will be deployed for one roundtrip a day between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., and between Seattle and Eugene, Oregon.
Also in today’s edition…
A grassroots group raises money to spare 29 acres of state forestland.
Washington and Oregon tribes hit hard by a historic wildfire season.
And, the midterm elections could impact the debate on data centers.
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A sleek new Amtrak Cascades train passed through the Willamette Valley in July on a test run. Regular service with this next-generation train model begins in Washington and Oregon on Sept. 30. (Photo courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation)
By Tom Banse
Amtrak leaders could not contain their excitement when they previewed the Sept. 30 launch of the new trains. “This is one of the most significant modernization efforts in Amtrak’s history. While customers will notice the beautiful new interiors and all of the features, this is really setting up Amtrak for the future of rail,” said Celia Ann Pfleckl, the assistant vice president for the Airo program.
The 300-passenger Airo trainsets offer riders a bunch of amenities including comfy seats with moveable headrests, individual power outlets, improved onboard Wi-Fi, bigger windows, reading lights and digital info displays. The revamped cafe cars have self-service options and mood lighting. The six large restrooms feature touchless controls.
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see those first trains totally booked very quickly,” said Charles Hamilton, executive director of the passenger rail advocacy group All Aboard Washington.
Members of the Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition celebrated a major milestone in August when the group fundraised $260,000 to conserve 13 acres of forests in the Doc Holliday timber sale. By mid-September, they raised enough to bring the total to 29. (Photo courtesy of the Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition)
By Aspen Ford
The Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition raised $563,000 to spare 29 acres of trees in the Northern Olympic Peninsula from being cut down. The group struck a deal with Webster Logging. The company agreed to sign away its right to harvest those trees if the coalition raised enough money to cover state logging fees and replace the timber revenue it would have made.
Elizabeth Dunne, the Earth Law Center attorney who facilitated the contract between the coalition and logging company, called the protected acreage an “ecological sanctuary” containing rare groves of coastal temperate rainforest.
“People want to see these forests protected and are willing to find solutions,” Dunne said.
By Nada Hassanein
This year’s record-breaking wildfires burned timber that tribes in Washington and Oregon rely on for income, threatened food sources and waterways, and harmed the health of their communities. Power outages left families without food they’ve hunted or gathered and frozen.
Since July, about 200,000 acres burned across the Colville Reservation alone. More than 40 homes and 100 outbuildings were lost.
“What typically used to be like a two-month fire season for us when I first started fighting fire about 25 years ago — now that’s at least three months and sometimes longer, depending on the year,” said Cody Desautel, executive director of the Colville Tribes, who is also a forester and wildland fire expert.
By David Lightman
The future of data centers has become a flashpoint in this year’s congressional races. It’s woven into the debate about affordability, artificial intelligence and corporate influence on government.
The House has passed a bill that requires states to consider having data centers using large amounts of electricity pay the full additional cost of that generation, as well as transmission and distribution upgrades that are needed. The next steps are unclear as President Donald Trump is not on board and Senate leaders have not said how or if they’ll take up the House bill, or any other data center legislation.
ICYMI
COMMENTARY: Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana devise effective wildfire funding strategies | Emma Strasburg
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