Rock Doc

I’m never quite sure how to respond when the focus of the national media shines briefly on the region where I live – usually described as a “remote” part of the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in eastern Washington State and have lived most of my adult life here, so it hardly seems remote to me. But when reporters from national media outlets make the trip to the region I call home, they invariably emphasize how far it is from parts of the country that are more populated.

Earlier this month national reporters repeated their old phrases when the new Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz, made an offici...