Articles written by Don C. Brunell
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 88
Tree farms part of climate solution
As climate change concerns grow, researchers are turning to family tree farmers for assistance. They have been helping for a century, but their efforts have gone unrecognized. The... — Updated 3/14/2024
EV battery recycling a huge effort
Each year Americans throw away more than three billion batteries constituting 180,000 tons of hazardous material. The situation is likely to get worse as the world shifts to lithium... — Updated 2/1/2024
Biden needs to expose Dam plan to reality
The $33 billion secret Snake River Dam plan that President Biden and friends cooked up in the White House basement needs to be exposed to the light of day and thoroughly aired by... — Updated 1/11/2024
Military money is a Golden Egg
Aesop’s fable warns against killing the goose laying golden eggs. The tale’s origins date to 600 B.C. and tells of the greedy farmer who foolishly killed the prized goose to... — Updated 1/4/2024
Dairy farmers push cow power
In the 1990s, “things go better with Coca Cola” was the catchy slogan dairy farmers dreaded. At the time, milk producers were in a head-to-head battle with soft drink giants... — Updated 12/28/2023
Finding the power for Christmas lights
It is that time of year when people put up their outside holiday lights and displays. Judging from our neighborhood they are decorating more than usual. In our country 90 percent... — Updated 12/14/2023
Making their way to America
As we prepare for the upcoming holidays, we must be grateful for what we have and focus on our needs rather than fixate on what we want and crave. Being thankful starts with an... — Updated 11/22/2023
Never forget our veterans
While the last veterans who survived the “surprise” Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are dwindling rapidly, we cannot let their sacrifices and the memories of that horrific day... — Updated 11/16/2023
Hydrogen hubs may help switch
President Joe Biden’s $65 billion infrastructure bill contains $8 billion for regional hubs to develop ways to produce and distribute hydrogen fuel. One is planned for the... — Updated 10/19/2023
Gas attacks stress Americans
Gov. Jay Inslee inappropriately used our state’s building codes to ban natural gas in new homes and commercial buildings. Now, the Biden Administration is going a step further... — Updated 10/5/2023
Canceled drilling leases hurts us
While media focus was on Joe Biden's decree putting a tiny plot of land within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge off limits to oil and gas exploration, reporters ignored the... — Updated 9/28/2023
Service to America avoids student debt
With students returning to college campuses, it is time to consider other ways for them to pay for tuition, books and living expenses. Too often, they resort to borrowing. Now,... — Updated 9/14/2023
Kudos for Mine site cleanup
Today, good works are often brushed aside or ignored – especially, if done by one of the world’s largest mining companies. However, Rio Tinto deserves kudos for its... — Updated 8/10/2023
Cherry crop sweetens farm economy
The good news is this state’s cherry crop looks good—a marked improvement over 2022. It is sweetening our farm economy especially for cherry growers who have struggled over the... — Updated 7/20/2023
Red tape shackles business
Until President Biden signed the Chips and Science Act (CSA) last year, companies, such as Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. looked elsewhere to build plants costing... — Updated 7/13/2023
Mine wastes key to critical supply
China’s growing dominance of critical metals production and stockpiles is setting off global alarms. It has American manufacturers in a bind as they ramp up domestic electric... — Updated 6/22/2023
Cash drives state recycling
When Oregon enacted the nation’s first bottle bill in 1971, it was intended to reduce litter on the state’s beaches, along roads, and in parks. It was a cleanup, not a... — Updated 6/8/2023
McCarthy-Biden Agreement Only Beginning
The deal reached between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to increase our nation’s debt limit was a welcome compromise. It appears to avert our nation’s... — Updated 6/1/2023
Build electricity around hydropower
Although New Zealand and Washington are located a half-a-world apart, they have lots in common---beautiful seashores, majestic mountains, crystal clear streams and lakes, and vibran... — Updated 5/25/2023
It's That Time of the Year Again
Some would argue that spring is the most wonderful time of the year in Washington. Throughout our state fruit trees blossom, vibrant tulip fields bloom, and colorful lentils... — Updated 5/11/2023
Model forest project in Colville
Who says Congress is so gridlocked that nothing is accomplished? Consider what happened last December when the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation streamlining regulations... — Updated 2/23/2023
Past time for an energy reality check
If we are to meet our soaring demand for electricity and produce it without coal and natural gas, we must double down on nuclear power. Today, U.S. nuclear plants generated enough... — Updated 2/15/2023
Time to halt benefits scam
Three years after crooks stole billions in unemployment insurance funds, federal and state officials are scrambling to retrieve the money which was directed to the jobless and plug... — Updated 2/9/2023
Data Centers Looking to Capture Heat
Coupled with rapid growth of data centers we rely upon for internet service and information storage is an increased demand for electricity to power millions of computers and cool... — Updated 1/12/2023
Time to change other Washington
It is time to change the way things are done in our nation’s capital---the “Other Washington!” The year-end Christmas dash to pass a $1.7 trillion spending monstrosity is the... — Updated 1/5/2023