Articles written by Don C. Brunell
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 414
Why no Easter lily tours?
Easter is when potted Easter Lily plants start showing up in nurseries and supermarkets like poinsettias during the Christmas season. They adorn the altars and pulpits of most... — Updated 3/26/2024
Tree farms are 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 3/12/2024
Cleansing sewage essential to water
In Washington, this year we hope to again escape the historic droughts plaguing other parts of the world. The Columbia River water system flowed at normal levels in recent years... — Updated 2/20/2024
Recycling EV batteries 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 1/30/2024
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 1/16/2024
Military money is 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 get... — Updated 1/9/2024
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 and... — Updated 1/2/2024
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 12/12/2023
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 11/20/2023
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 whi... — Updated 11/14/2023
Return of the sockeye salmon
In 1992, a single male sockeye salmon managed to swim 900 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River to Redfish Lake located deep in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains---the end of his m... — Updated 11/7/2023
Hydrogen hubs may help switch from Diesel
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 P... — Updated 10/17/2023
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 i... — Updated 10/10/2023
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 bigge... — Updated 9/26/2023
Banning diesel truck is reckless
There is an axiom: Don’t let “the perfect” get in the way of the good! That is important to remember when it comes to improving our air quality. While climate activists want to ba... — Updated 9/19/2023
Military 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 9/12/2023
Kudos for Holden 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 hal... — Updated 8/8/2023
Cherry season sweetens 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 las... — Updated 7/18/2023
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 7/11/2023
Mine wastes key to 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 v... — Updated 6/20/2023
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 rec... — Updated 6/13/2023
Agreement on debt just start
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 def... — Updated 6/6/2023
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 5/23/2023
It's That Time of the Year
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 5/9/2023
Carefully weigh energy tradeoffs
President Biden is unwisely “throttling up” plans to ditch carbon fuels unilaterally despite the extreme consequences of doing so. He wants to accelerate replacement of gas... — Updated 5/2/2023