Articles written by Don C. Brunell
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Massive reforestation effort needed in Washington state and beyond
Massive forest fires in the western parts of our country are not only choking us with layers of thick smoke, but are leaving behind millions of acres of scorched hillsides, ridges... — Updated 8/12/2021
Water has a greenhouse gas problem
In our zest to quickly switch from gas-powered to battery-operated vehicles and to convert our power grid to wind and solar generated electricity, the impacts of CO2 released from... — Updated 6/24/2021
Biden's green gamble, land wild card
Shortly after President Biden took office, he issued the sweeping executive order to transition America to TOTAL–-100 percent–-renewable electricity by 2035–-15 short years... — Updated 6/15/2021
Ignoring China's grip on metal production is not an option
China’s growing dominance of critical metals production and its vast stockpiles is setting off global alarms as economies emerge from the punishing COVID pandemic. It is not only... — Updated 6/3/2021
Unemployment insurance (FUTA) intended as a bridge between jobs
When Congress established the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) in 1935, it was intended to provide temporary and partial income replacement for workers who lost their jobs... — Updated 5/20/2021
State lawmakers should rethink natural gas bans
Sometimes being first isn’t good. Such is the case with legislation making Washington the only state to ban natural gas in new homes and commercial buildings. Thankfully, the legi... — Updated 4/27/2021
Good news from Hanford scientists
It isn’t often we hear good news from Hanford, but the Deptartment of Energy recently announced nation’s first commercial advanced nuclear power reactor would be developed on... — Updated 4/22/2021
Keeping America's semiconductor edge
Surprisingly, there is something U.S. Presidents agree upon — America’s economic and national security hinge upon maintaining our technology edge in semiconductors. Those tiny... — Updated 3/30/2021
TVW is an antidote for dwindling trust in media
America’s media is suffering from a truth deficit leaving many to wonder where to go for honest, reliable and accurate information. Unfortunately, it is not the mainstream or... — Updated 3/16/2021
Bracing for bigger changes in the aftermath
Now that vaccines are available, we hope our lives will return to the way they were before the coronavirus pandemic blanketed the globe. That is not likely to occur. Last March our... — Updated 1/14/2021
Wildfires were the 'big polluters' of 2020
While the coronavirus and its devastating effects on people and economies worldwide were unfortunately the top 2020 stories, the massive impact of western wildfires can’t be... — Updated 1/7/2021
E-waste reduction needs new approaches
“One of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century is dealing with the progress of the 20th Century – especially old computers, monitors, cellular phones and televisions. These... — Updated 12/10/2020
Coronavirus spurring air cargo growth
It’s no secret that airlines and airplane manufacturers have been clobbered by the coronavirus pandemic. Particularly hard hit are international flights traditionally flown by jum... — Updated 12/3/2020
Diversity in America's military branches
Diversity in the ranks has been the lifeline of our all-volunteer military, but it wasn’t always that way. As we celebrate Veterans Day, we ought to be thankful for all of the men... — Updated 11/19/2020
President uses rare order to break China's hammerlock on critical metals
To the average American, China’s control of the world production, processing technology and stockpile of critical metals is not their concern. However, to our military and... — Updated 11/5/2020
China's stranglehold on critical metals
To the average American, China’s control of the world production, processing technology and stockpile of critical metals is not their concern. However, to our military and... — Updated 10/22/2020
Coronavirus compounding recycling calamity
What happens in China, doesn’t always stay in China. We learned that a couple of years ago when the Chinese stopped buying massive volumes of the world’s used paper, plastics... — Updated 9/24/2020
Time to revisit forest management
Not only is the world in the grasp of the COVID-19 pandemic, but America’s western wildlands are burning up as well. Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters California has a dual... — Updated 9/17/2020
Alaska Airlines positions for a comeback
It is no secret that airlines were clobbered by the coronavirus pandemic. What started as a promising year quickly went south. The COVID-19 outbreak has all but shut down travel. To... — Updated 9/2/2020
The Green New Deal is incomplete
Our environmental quality strategy must be encompassing and not just focus on climate change. Since Democrats announced their Green New Deal, the emphasis is reducing greenhouse... — Updated 8/18/2020
Good news that would make 'Scoop' Jackson happy
That actually happened in the course of the last month. The result would undoubtedly please the legendary U.S. Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D-WA) - the master problem solver. In... — Updated 8/13/2020
Like Poland, America needs change
On July 4, 1975, America proudly celebrated its Bicentennial as the world’s greatest nation while Poland was a suppressed Soviet satellite state. Poles had no right to free... — Updated 7/10/2020
Washington needs to change to stay on top
In early June, the financial website WalletHub released its rankings of “Best and Worse State Economies” and Washington led the field of 51 as best by a healthy margin.... — Updated 7/1/2020
China's push for high-tech dominance
While the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest are front page news, China’s unrelenting push to leap over our country in critical technology and hoarding of strategic metals... — Updated 7/1/2020
Run on toilet paper is just the tip of the iceberg
If you think the run on toilet paper is just an American thing, think again. On March 10, Business Insider reported: “The spread of the coronavirus has brought with it... — Updated 3/18/2020
