CNN/Fortune votes Bellevue the best place to live & launch

Are job worries tempting you to start your own company? We canvassed the country to find towns with the best mix of business advantages and lifestyle appeal. Check out our 100 top picks and find the perfect place to build your dream.
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0803/gallery.best_places_to_launch.fsb/index.html

1 of 100 is Bellevue, Washington

Like many of the places on our list, Bellevue is a city in transition: no longer a bedroom community, but not yet a crowded, expensive metropolitan hub. Bellevue has grown with unusual grace in recent years. Huge corporations exist symbiotically with startups, a booming downtown abuts healthy residential neighborhoods, and the rising skyline is tempered by an abundance of parks, as well as lakeside and mountain views. Flash retailers such as Neiman Marcus draw regional shoppers, but Bellevue's excellent healthcare and schools are key attractions for relocating families.

While local businesses must pay the statewide Business and Occupations tax on their gross receipts, there's no corporate income tax. Businesses with less than $135,000 in taxable revenues (the highest threshold in the area) don't have to pay the B&O tax. Easy airport access and a highly skilled workforce make Bellevue an attractive option for startups looking to break big. -Mina Kimes

From the same website
The No. 1 champion: Bellevue, Washington

Abundant tech talent. Gorgeous views. (But costly homes and taxes.)

By Mina Kimes

March 26, 2008: 9:56 AM EDT

BELLEVUE, WASH. (FORTUNE Small Business) -- Earl Overstreet, Chief Executive Officer of General Microsystems (GMI) in Bellevue, travels fewer than five times a year for business. But he visits the Mercer Slough Nature Park, across the street from his office, every day on his lunch break. He walks across a wooden bridge, gazes at Bellevue's rising downtown - and then turns away.

Over the past ten years Overstreet has watched the city evolve from a bedroom community into an urban center of skyscrapers and 117,000 inhabitants (the latest population figures, according to the local chamber of commerce), but he's more eager to point out blackberry bushes and red-tailed hawks.

"When you're surrounded by mountains and nature," he says, "you can't help but be content."

Overstreet, 60, and his wife, Barb, the firm's CFO, spend free time hiking, kayaking, and biking around the area. While new businesses are cropping up quickly, most office buildings are still enveloped by greenery - the city boasts 90 parks and 50 miles of trail.

"Taxes [including a 0.1496% business tax on gross receipts] and property costs are high," says Overstreet, "but it's a premium for the living conditions."

The median home sale price hovers at $500,000 (the metro area averages about $400,000), but Bellevue, lying 20 minutes from Seattle, also boasts low crime rates, great schools, and excellent health care. Nearly 60% of locals over 25 have at least a bachelor's degree. The city expects to add 15,500 jobs by 2010, up 11.5% from 2006.

Bellevue's strategic location helps fire growth. GMI, whose revenue rose from $6 million in 2002 to $28 million last year, is based near its suppliers - Hitachi (HIT), Symantec (SYMC), Sun Microsystems (JAVA, Fortune 500) - as well as customers such as Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) and Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500).

"Many of our employees came from our clients," Overstreet says.

The city is also a font of tech talent, thanks to the Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) campus in nearby Redmond. Many former Microsofties have launched startups in Bellevue. Current employees pour wealth into a growing service sector.

Overstreet points out that many small businesses in Bellevue operate globally - not surprising considering that 40% of the population is nonwhite or foreign-born.

"We do have a glittering downtown now," he says, "but it's the diversity that attracts entrepreneurs like me."

Sane Transit and Kemper Freeman jr fight Prop 1

Baerwaldt putting money where his mouth is in Prop. 1 debate

By Susan Gilmore

Seattle Times staff reporter
November 1 2007



Mark Baerwaldt

Once an enthusiastic supporter of Seattle's monorail plan, Mark Baerwaldt is crusading again. But this time he's opposing Proposition 1, the roads-and-rails ballot measure.

Not only is Baerwaldt the public face and spokesman against the transportation measure, but he's spent more than $200,000 of his own money opposing it, state records show.

The ballot measure, covering the urban areas of Snohomish, King and Pierce counties, calls for increasing sales and car-tab taxes as part of a plan to spend $38 billion over the next 20 years.

"Using the regressive sales tax is wrong," Baerwaldt said. "It's bad public policy."

While he's happy to talk about his dislike of Proposition 1 — it costs so much and does so little, according to Baerwaldt — he would rather work behind the scenes.

While Baerwaldt acknowledges he's wealthy, all he will say about his own business background is that it involves computers. Records show he's chairman and board president of a company called Toucan Inc., which Baerwaldt calls a holding company. Between the mid-1980s and mid-'90s, he was CEO of USA Maritime, which did oil and gas exploration around the world.

"It's doubtful if I'll ever be out in the public again," Baerwaldt said. "I'll disappear into the background. That's where I'd like to be."

Bellevue Square developer Kemper Freeman, also a leader in the fight against Proposition 1, said he knows little about Baerwaldt — the two have only met over a conference table talking campaign strategy. Freeman, who has put $200,000 into the campaign, said, "I have high regard for him and his commitment. He's worked as hard as anybody."

Freeman said he and Baerwaldt don't dislike the ballot measure for the same reasons — Freeman wants more roads built, while Baerwaldt dislikes Sound Transit — but says "we come from a different place, but end up the same."

Baerwaldt, 55, a University of Washington graduate, said he got his start with a series of lunches and philosophical talks with the late U.S. Sen. Henry Jackson.

Later, Baerwaldt was a leader in Sane Transit's lawsuit against Sound Transit's light-rail system. Sane Transit argued that voters in 1996 approved a Sound Transit 21-mile plan that was to extend from the University District to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

By late 2000, however, the project was $1 billion over budget and three years behind schedule.

So, in November 2001, the Sound Transit board downsized the project to a 14-mile line from downtown Seattle to Tukwila, to be finished in 2009. Later the route was extended to the airport.

Sane Transit filed a lawsuit to block the line, arguing it was illegal because it wasn't the same project that voters approved in 1996. By a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court upheld a lower-court ruling that voters had given Sound Transit discretion to scale back the project in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

Baerwaldt said his opposition to Proposition 1 grew from his distrust of Sound Transit.

Baerwaldt also was a leader and financial contributor opposing ballot measures that would have built a new Seattle Mariners stadium — his side won but the Legislature overturned it — and a new football stadium, which voters approved.

"The wealthiest part of society feeds at the public trough at the expense of everyone else," said Baerwaldt, adding that he's not a sports fan, although he lettered in freshman football at the University of Washington. "This is why people are cynical about government."

Baerwaldt lives in a Belltown condominium, has been involved in crime-fighting issues there, and walks and runs virtually everywhere, some days clocking 10 miles. He has a car, but often he has to recharge the battery before he can drive it.

As far as his own politics, Baerwaldt said he's neither a Democrat nor a Republican but a "radical rebel." He has no interest in running for office.

"I'd get bored with it ... and it would take me away from the other fun things I do."

Environmentalists file suit over who wrote the No on Prop 1

COMPLAINT - 1
BRESKIN JOHNSON & TOWNSEND
PLLC
999 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4400
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104-4088
(206) 652-8660, (206) 652-8290 FAX
587182.1/026290.00001
8/17/07
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF KING
Citizens Against RTID, a political
committee in opposition to the
RTID/Sound Transit Joint Ballot measure,
Plaintiff,
v.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR
COUNTY, a Washington State County,
Defendants.
NO.
COMPLAINT
Plaintiff, Citizens Against RTID (“CAR”), by and through its attorneys of
record, hereby alleges as follows:
I. PARTIES
1.1
Plaintiff, Citizens Against RTID (“CAR”), a political committee as
defined under RCW 42.17.020(38) in opposition to the RTID/Sound Transit
Joint Ballot measure, as provided by RCW 42.17.040(G). CAR brings this
action on behalf of all its members and because its membership represents the
interest of environmentalists that oppose the Joint Ballot Proposition.
Page 2
COMPLAINT - 2
BRESKIN JOHNSON & TOWNSEND
PLLC
999 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4400
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104-4088
(206) 652-8660, (206) 652-8290 FAX
587182.1/026290.00001

Defendant, MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR COUNTY (“King
County”) is a Washington State County.
II. PLAINTIFF’S ALLEGATIONS
2.1
The Joint Ballot Proposition is a nearly $40 billion tax increase for
the development of roads (collected by RTID) and mass transit (collected by
Sound Transit).
2.2
Friday, August 17, 2007, is the deadline for appointment of
committee members responsible for drafting the “vote no” position on the King
County voters’ pamphlet regarding the Joint Ballot Proposition.
2.3
Sounds Transit appointed three committee members responsible
for drafting the “vote no” position on the King County voters’ pamphlet
regarding the Joint Ballot Proposition.
2.4
The committee appointed to draft the statement advocating
rejection of the Joint Ballot Proposition was wrongfully appointed for two
reasons. First, the committee members were selected by Sound Transit, an
entity with a direct interest in the success of the proposition. Pursuant to RCW
29A.32.280, King County is the only entity with the authority to appoint the
committee members. This interpretation has been adopted by Snohomish
County, which properly implemented the appointment requirement. Second,
committee members must be “known to oppose the measure” in its entirety, not
just the mass transit component.
THE RTID-SOUND TRANSIT JOINT BALLOT PROPOSITION
Page 3
COMPLAINT - 3
BRESKIN JOHNSON & TOWNSEND
PLLC
999 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4400
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104-4088
(206) 652-8660, (206) 652-8290 FAX
587182.1/026290.00001

King County Ordinance 2007-0357 placed the RTID-Sound
Transit Joint Ballot Proposition on the November 2007 general election ballot.
Similar action was taken by Pierce and Snohomish Counties.
2.6
The Joint Ballot Proposition contains two distinct components: (i)
a Sound Transit component; and (ii) a RTID component. The Sound Transit
component provides for the implementation of a regional rail and transit system
financed by existing taxes and an increase in the sales tax of 0.5%. The RTID
component provides for the implementation of road construction to increase
local traffic capacity financed by increases in the sales tax of 0.1% and the
motor vehicle excise tax of 0.8%. Collectively, the package is estimated to cost
$38.1 billion through 2027, with $14.5 billion going toward the RTID for roads
and $23.6 billion toward Sound Transit.
2.7
Washington law provides for the publication of a pamphlet
regarding the Joint Ballot Proposition which includes statements from
committees advocating both adoption and rejection of the measure. The
legislative authority in the applicable jurisdiction is required to formally appoint
committees of up to three (3) individuals to prepare arguments advocating
voters' both positions.
2.8
King County Records and Elections has established deadlines for
production of the local voters’ pamphlet pursuant to RCW 29A.32.230. Under
King County administrative rules (document code number ELE 9-1-2), the
deadline to appoint committees advocating approval and rejection of the Joint
Ballot Proposition is Friday, August 17, 2007.
Page 4
COMPLAINT - 4
BRESKIN JOHNSON & TOWNSEND
PLLC
999 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4400
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104-4088
(206) 652-8660, (206) 652-8290 FAX
587182.1/026290.00001

Sound Transit, who has a vested interest in the success of the Joint
Ballot Proposition, has purported to appoint committees advocating both
approval and rejection of the proposition.
2.10 Sound Transit is a “regional transit authority” under Chapter
81.112 RCW.
2.11 Sound Transit is not a legislative authority.
2.12 Sound Transit is not the legislative authority responsible for the
Joint Ballot Proposition.
2.13 RTID and Sound Transit are the entities that would receive the
billions of dollars in tax money if the Joint Ballot Proposition passes in
November.
2.14 Sound Transit appointed Kemper Freeman Jr., Will Knedlik, and
Phil Talmadge to the committee advocating rejection of the Joint Ballot
Proposition. RTID appointed the same individuals to the committee advocating
rejection.
2.15 King County, the legislative authority responsible for the Joint
Ballot Proposition, neither appointed any individuals to the committee
advocating rejection nor adopted the purported committee members appointed
by Sound Transit.
2.16 Snohomish County rejected the individuals appointed by Sound
Transit and RTID. The Snohomish County Council appointed pro and con
committees for the Joint Ballot Proposition measure by Amended Motion No.
07-417 on August 8, 2007.
Page 5
COMPLAINT - 5
BRESKIN JOHNSON & TOWNSEND
PLLC
999 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4400
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104-4088
(206) 652-8660, (206) 652-8290 FAX
587182.1/026290.00001

24
2.17 It is well known that voters in King County generally support the
expansion of public transportation but oppose building more roads. The
expansion of public transportation is considered by King County voters to be an
environmentally friendly and sustainable solution to population expansion in
King County. Conversely, increasing road miles and expanding freeways is a
short-lived solution that encourages more cars and traffic while increasing
pollution and urban sprawl.
2.18 The Joint Ballot Proposition has an internal tension for the
environmental community that must be represented to voters. If the position
advocating rejection of the Joint Ballot Proposition is represented only by
opponents of Sound Transit, then it will likely not be well received by King
County voters. Similarly, the absence of voices critical of RTID is inconsistent
with the concept of a balanced voters’ guide. For these reasons, the position
advocating rejection of the Joint Ballot Proposition must also be represented by
opponents of RTID and the expansion of roads and encouragement of urban
sprawl.
2.19 The three members of the committee advocating voters' rejection
of the Joint Ballot Proposition are known opponents of Sound Transit, but have
generally supported RTID projects.
2.20 Kemper Freeman, Jr., is described as “renowned for his support of
‘roads over transit”.
He was a prominent opponent of RTA/Sound Transit
ballot measures in 1995 and 1996. In 2004, Freeman provided 90 percent of the
$353,000 campaign for Initiative 883, which would have redirected state
transportation funds to highway construction and studied the elimination of High
Page 6
COMPLAINT - 6
BRESKIN JOHNSON & TOWNSEND
PLLC
999 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4400
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104-4088
(206) 652-8660, (206) 652-8290 FAX
587182.1/026290.00001

Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. Initiative 883 “was designed to complement
the RTID package.”
2.21 Will Knedlik served on the voters’ guide “no” committee for a
non-binding RTID advisory ballot in 2004. Knedlik supported RTID highway
projects, but opposed the funding mechanism. He argued that “regional officials
should be examining ways to divert taxes they're already collecting — away
from rail and toward projects that will help more.” In 2006, Knedlik served on
the voters’ guide “no” committee for a King County Metro Transit sales tax
measure. The approach in this statement against was unorthodox, referencing
Sound Transit as many times as King County.
2.22 Former State Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge is a noted
critic of Sound Transit’s light rail plan, “claiming it will spend too much money
to attract too few new transit riders.” Earlier this year, Mr. Talmadge advocated
rebuilding the Alaskan Way viaduct, opposing the tunnel and surface/transit
options. In a recent opinion article, Mr. Talmadge was critical of plans to spend
only half of transportation funds on roads, even though it accounts for 95 percent
of travel.
2.23 The Joint Ballot Proposition contains two distinct components.
The Sound Transit component provides for the implementation of a regional rail
and transit system financed by existing taxes and an increase in sales tax of
0.5%.
The RTID component provides for the implementation of road
construction to increase local traffic capacity financed by an increase in sales tax
of 0.1% and a motor vehicle excise tax of 0.8%.
Page 7
COMPLAINT - 7
BRESKIN JOHNSON & TOWNSEND
PLLC
999 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4400
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104-4088
(206) 652-8660, (206) 652-8290 FAX
587182.1/026290.00001

2.24 Pursuant to Act of the Washington State Legislature, both the
Sound Transit and RTID components of the Joint Ballot Proposition are required
to be in a single proposition.
2.25 The Joint Ballot Proposition will be placed on the ballot during the
November 2007 general election in portions of King, Snohomish and Pierce
Counties.
III. VIOLATION OF RCW 29A.32.210 AND RCW 29A.32.241
3.1
RCW 29A.32.210 provides for the authorization and contents of a
voters’ pamphlet providing information on all measures within that jurisdiction.
3.2
RCW 29A.32.280 provides that “. . . .the legislative authority of
that jurisdiction shall. . . formally appoint a committee to prepare arguments
advocating voters' approval of the measure and shall formally appoint a
committee to prepare arguments advocating voters' rejection of the measure.”
3.3
Under RCW 29A.32.280, the legislative authority must formally
appoint the committee “not later than forty-five days before the publication of
the [local voters’] pamphlet.”
3.4
RCW 29A.32.241(5) provides that the local voters' pamphlet shall
include the arguments for and against each measure submitted by committees
selected pursuant to RCW 29A.32.280.
3.5
Defendant King County violated RCW 29A.32.280 and RCW
29A.32.241(5) because, as the legislative body of the County of King, it failed to
formally appoint a committee to prepare arguments advocating and opposing
voters' approval of the Joint Ballot Measure not later than forty-five days before
the publication of the King County voter pamphlet for the 2007 general election.
Page 8
COMPLAINT - 8
BRESKIN JOHNSON & TOWNSEND
PLLC
999 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4400
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104-4088
(206) 652-8660, (206) 652-8290 FAX
587182.1/026290.00001
Defendant King County violated RCW 29A.32.280 and RCW
29A.32.241(5) because it failed to appoint persons known to favor the Joint
Ballot Proposition to serve on the committee advocating approval of the Joint
Ballot Measure.
3.7
Defendant King County violated RCW 29A.32.280 and RCW
29A.32.241(5) because, despite the availability of persons known to oppose the
Joint Ballot Proposition, King County failed to appoint those persons to serve on
the committee advocating rejection of the measure.
IV. REQUEST FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff respectfully requests the following relief from
this honorable court:
4.1
Judgment vacating the committee to vote no against the Joint
Ballot Proposition.
4.2
Judgment against KING COUNTY enjoining it from recognizing
the committees appointed by Sound Transit and RTID for the purpose of
advocating approval and rejection of the Joint Ballot Proposition.
DATED this 17
th
day of August, 2006.
By: s/ Roger M. Townsend
Roger M. Townsend, WSBA No. 25525
BRESKIN JOHNSON & TOWNSEND PLLC
999 Third Avenue, Suite 4400
Seattle, Washington 98104-4088
(206) 652-8660/ (206) 652-8290 Fax
Attorneys for Plaintiff CAR

I-883 is pulled without reaching signature target

Why did God create Kemper Freeman Jr.? Somebody’s got to pay retail.
by Goldy, 06/20/2004, 3:36 PM

When it became apparent two weeks ago that Kemper Freeman Jr. was no longer paying for signatures on Initiative 883, I assumed it was because he had gathered all he needed. Thus it came as a pleasant surprise to learn that Junior had actually pulled the initiative: “Freeway initiative campaign takes exit.” (And kudos to the Seattle Times for not calling it a “car-pool initiative.”)

I-883 had been one of the season’s best financed initiative campaigns… most of it Junior’s money. With virtually unlimited personal funds, and a dishonest yet misleading quarter-truth of a sales pitch (”this initiative opens HOV lanes to everybody,”) I-883 seemed certain to reach the ballot.

But I should have been paying closer attention to the PDC filings. The I-883 campaign turns out to be so grossly inefficient that it makes Tim Eyman look like he’s giving the EIC a good deal for their money. (He’s not.)

Of the over $320,000 spent through the end of may, only $42,000 is listed as going to “voter signature gathering,” while a whopping $190,000 was pissed away on “management & consulting services.” The only conclusion is that either the campaign has hidden signature gathering efforts under the wrong expense category, or that Junior was royally reamed by his consultants.

If he had hired me as a consultant I could have saved him about $189,000 by advising him to fire me and SPEND ALL HIS DAMN MONEY ON SIGNATURES!

This calls into question the campaign’s claim that they had gathered half the 197,000 required signatures. With a street price of a buck each, the firms had to be charging at least $2.00… and with Junior’s penchant for paying retail, probably much, much more. So it is unlikely they collected more than a tenth the required number.

This also calls into question Junior’s business acumen, and begs the larger question of why we should trust this man to re-prioritize our state’s multi-billion dollar transportation budget when he can’t even prioritize a few hundred thousand dollars in campaign expenditures.

If our transportation spending were to follow Junior’s blueprint, for every $1 billion in new roads we’d spend $4.5 billion on management and consulting fees.

Tim Eyman likes to say that government never reforms itself when it is “fat and happy.” Looking at the campaign finances of Tim, Junior and their fellow initiative sponsors, it looks like there is plenty of cheerful corpulence to go around.

source horsesass.com

Mike O'Brien and Kemper Freeman Strange Bedfellows

If you love him so much, why don’t you marry him, Kemper? [UPDATE!]
by Will, 09/20/2007, 1:10 PM

I just got a text message from someone down at the Seattle City Club event where Kemper Freeman, Jr. is speaking. You know, the Kemper Freeman who thinks mass transit is for Communists:

Kemper just said he “loves” mike o’brien at the city club.

If I was a road warrior from Bellevue, I’d love Mike O’Brien too.

[UPDATE]

I get an email update about Kemper’s man-crush on the Sierra Club’s Mike O’Brien:

He also said “Mike is my new best friend.” Mike smiled uncomfortably.

Nice.
Permalink | RSS 2.0
53 Comments to “If you love him so much, why don’t you marry him, Kemper? [UPDATE!]”

1. MichaelW says:

Nice Will. Keep on bashing our largest environmental group. If you keep it up, I’m sure that the conservatives will love you to. Or maybe you just don’t believe in global warming?
09/20/2007 at 1:28 pm

2. Mark The Redneck-Goldstein says:

Say goodbye to being preznit hillary.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200 70920/ap_po/gingrich2008
09/20/2007 at 1:48 pm

3. Mark The Redneck-Goldstein says:

BTW, the sun causes global warming.

Thought you might want to know that…
09/20/2007 at 1:49 pm

4. otterpop says:

Two questions, Will.

1) Do you believe in global warming?

2) Is building new highways an appropriate way to deal with it?
09/20/2007 at 1:49 pm

5. joanne says:

You are an idiot Will. Do you really think if you were a “road warrior from Bellevue” you would love Mike O’brien from the SIERRA CLUB? Have some respect for our intelligence. The Sierra Club is saying everything we know to be true about RTID but no one wants to admit. It builds a bunch of new roads and hides behind light rail. We don’t need a massive expansion of roads to get more mass tranist. We can put mass transit on the ballot alone next year and fix our highways with Congestion Tolling, something that will actually reduce cars on the road, shorten commute times and is BETTER for the environment all around.
09/20/2007 at 1:52 pm

6. DT says:

I don’t understand what Mark the Redneck is saying. If Gingrich was nominated that would virtually guarantee any Democrat being elected President, especially Hillary. Hell, even Kucinich could beat him. The Clintons ran him out of DC before and they would do it again.
09/20/2007 at 1:57 pm

7. Mark The Redneck-Goldstein says:

I’m hoping all you gullible moonbats who believe in global warming take those fucking trains and get the fuck off the freeways so I can get where I’m going in my CO2 spewing luxury SUV.

My time is too valuable to have you in the way when I’m trying to get somewhere.
09/20/2007 at 2:00 pm

8. Lee says:

@1
Have you stopped to really think about what’s happening here? The opposition to RTID is coming from two fronts. One front is saying that RTID is bad because it has too much transit. The other front is saying that RTID is bad because it has too many highway improvements. If this coalition to defeat it succeeds, each front will obviously continue to push for the transportation solutions that they prefer. If you’re in the transit-only camp, you’re betting that your camp is much more powerful than the pro-roads camp and that the legislature will be more likely to bend to your will in the future rather than theirs. I hope you’re right because I realize global warming is a threat. But I’m not sure you are. The bottom line is that when you find yourself aligned with people who are furthest away from you ideologically, you might need to step back and make sure you’ve thought it through.
09/20/2007 at 2:00 pm

9. Lee says:

@6
I don’t understand what Mark the Redneck is saying.

You’re not alone.
09/20/2007 at 2:08 pm

10. MichaelW says:

@8

Even former republican party chair Chris Vance agrees that this is probably the last chance to get this huge highway package through.

Light rail will be back — in fact, getting it passed will be even easier once the initial line opens. That’s how it went down in Denver and Minneapolis, two places that are generally more conservative on taxes than King County.

When we defeated R51, the legislature relented and gave us what we wanted. This will be no different.
09/20/2007 at 2:14 pm

11. ArtFart says:

6/9 Hell, Mark doesn’t understand what he’s saying.
09/20/2007 at 2:15 pm

12. Lee says:

@10
I hope you’re right.
09/20/2007 at 2:16 pm

13. i just wanna be cool says:

No, Will, if you were someone who cared about global warming enough to do something about it instead of rushing to join the in-crowd who believe nothing can be done - then you’d love Mike O’Brien.
09/20/2007 at 2:23 pm

14. scotto says:

I’m really disappointed to see Will stoop to the level of personal attacks against a guy who’s just trying to tell the truth, which is:

RTID highways will make global warming worse (apologies for that)

Lee is more fair, and more reasonable — just wrong on this one. I’d be interested to hear from Goldy.
09/20/2007 at 2:27 pm

15. jim says:

Mike O’Brien (Kemper’s best friend) also pissed all over the Tacoma extension of light rail saying it will have weak ridership.

True environmentalists understand the transformative nature of light rail investments and how they can influence land use, smart development and increase employment and residential density.

that is what has happened around Sounder stations in Auburn and Kent and that is what will happen along the light rail alignment south of the airport.

That is why a majority of the environmental community supports this plan.
09/20/2007 at 2:35 pm

16. Mark The Redneck-Goldstein says:

Name even one Murkan city where trains work. There are none. In every fucking case, The Producers have money taken from them to subsidize the losers who ride them.
09/20/2007 at 2:41 pm

17. Shizzle Bizzle says:

@14 Scotto - That’s not a personal attack…it was the truth and will probably be on the Seattle Channel or King 5. Kemper (hearts) Mike.

You are posing the wrong question - It isn’t do you believe in global warming? The real question is will 50 miles of light rail transform how we make land-use decisions. Will targeted highway investments make them more efficient so commuters don’t burn billions of gallons of fuel into the atmosphere sitting in traffic.

The whole 700 Club needs to stop evangelizing and start putting their money where their mouth is regarding climate change.

The arrogance that only the Sierra Club cares about global warming is both inaccurate and dumb.
09/20/2007 at 2:44 pm

18. Lee says:

@16
Name even one Murkan city where trains work.

New York

Are you going to tell me that people in New York don’t think their train system “works”?
09/20/2007 at 2:44 pm

19. peter says:

Even the ST2 part of RTID/ST2 has problems. There could be more federal grant money used, as well as some taxes that only businesses pay. We simply do not need more general sales taxes here - they are near the highest in the nation already.

Couple a more progressive revenues package with some variable-priced tolling to ease road congestion, and “Plan B” will pass in a heartbeat.

It is pretty clear we should vote down this first offering in November though. That is what the politicos are basically asking us to do. The “no/no” vote on the lousy viaduct options earlier this year was a good dress rehearsal for Seattle voters . . . .
09/20/2007 at 2:45 pm

20. otterpop says:

Hey Lee, don’t take our word for it…listen to what the head of Sound Transit herself said on the Robert Mak show.

http://www.king5.com/video/upf ront-index.html?nvid=175408

“We hear stories about once it opens the critics fall away, people love the system.”

That would tell me that even Joni Earl thinks we’re better off politically to try to expand Sound Transit once it’s operating.
09/20/2007 at 3:00 pm

21. rtidstinks says:

This isn’t about light rail, this is about global warming. Who will be more powerful in the long run - road advocates, or climate defenders? The road bullies are just hanging on here, and the importance of global warming as a political issue will continue to grow. Light rail and transit will continue to get more popular. Give in now to the road bullies, and we waste a multibillion dollar opportunity to reduce global warming pollution, and responsibly improve transportation. Tell them no, and catch the next train. It will be better. Tell them yes, and it just guarantees that we will be losers on global warming.
09/20/2007 at 3:13 pm

22. jim says:

hey otershit

Sound Transit is operating. Sounder, Express Bus, Light Rail in Tacoma. New bus access lanes.

You obviously drive alone alot.
09/20/2007 at 3:13 pm

23. Lee says:

@20
I think that will certainly be true for Seattle voters (and even some south end voters), but I’m still very worried about the eastside. My concern is that the longer we delay the schedule for getting light rail out to the eastside, the less likely they are to give up on their demands for more highway funding. And they have some deep pockets to influence the debate (as we’re witnessing from Mr. Freeman right now) and potentially start reclaiming legislative seats if the traffic becomes an even bigger headache. And I’m also concerned that any delay in expanding light rail will have some tail in terms of negatively impacting sprawl.

But again, I’m fully capable of admitting that I’m wrong if RTID is voted down and my concerns in that regard don’t pan out. I’m just not willing to take that risk based upon how it looks right now.
09/20/2007 at 3:18 pm

24. jon says:

For all the heat the Sierra Club is getting over this (no, I am not a member), they do seem to be the only ones who have crunched numbesr to find out the overall climate impact.

And their result is clear: RTID will harm the climate.

If you’re still in denial over this, that’s fine. Everyone is allowed to be wrong. Just please let us know when you decide to join the reality-based world.
09/20/2007 at 3:19 pm

25. jon says:

@10 seems to be exactly right — if we reject the current highly flawed proposal, trains will be back after the existing light rail opens.

The only reason that wouldn’t happen is if the initial branch has horrible problems. And in that case, well, we shouldn’t enable them to continue building until the problems are solved anyway.
09/20/2007 at 3:22 pm

26. Michael Caine says:

This entire affair sums it up in a nutshell why I am dreaming of moving to Yakima in the next couple of years. Everyone demands to have it their way and if they don’t petulant hissy fits are thrown that would embarrass a two year old. No package put together by compromise is going to satisfy you.

It has been over 7 years since the Alaskan Viaduct was deemed to be critically unsafe, yet no one has done a thing to replace it. Why? Because it has to be my way or the highway. Your either for my package or you are the enemy. Sounds familiar. Can’t place it but I’m sure such thoughts fit a current national office holder that we in Seattle love to gripe about.

To those that decry the roads aspect. How do you propose that the extra 500k or so people that are going to be living on the Eastside over the next decade going to get to their mass transit sites? Do you really think that you can stop people wanting to have a house of their own? Where do you propose they build the house in Seattle? Do you really think the population is not going to continue to grow?

To those that decry the transit aspect. Why is your argument any less short sighted than it was in the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s? The costs would have been cheaper if we had done it then, what makes you think its going to get any cheaper or easier if we keep putting it off?
09/20/2007 at 3:46 pm

27. Michael Caine says:

Oh and why is it that everybody that is so sure that a light rail package will pass and be implemented once this package is killed. No memory of the Monorail and its failure to cling to life. Just a bunch of people sitting around convincing themselves that if they believe hard enough their shit will be turned into gold. If I was interested in doing that I would be a regular on unSound Politics.
09/20/2007 at 3:49 pm

28. joanne says:

I would love an RTID supporter to answer the question about Global Warming: Do we really want to expand roads to drive more cars given what we know about global warming? More roads = more global warming. It is that simple.
09/20/2007 at 3:53 pm

29. Beckett says:

Time is short, chunks of ice are melting the size of Florida and we are proposing to waste money on a solution that was outdated in the 1950s. Roads. They fill with traffic and we build more. Those full up and we build more. Look at LA, IT DOES NOT WORK. We should stop wasting time and money on old technology.
09/20/2007 at 3:56 pm

30. chadt says:

@16

Washington DC, Dorko
09/20/2007 at 4:01 pm

31. Shizzle Bizzle says:

@28
Joanne…it is not that simple.
#1 - you don’t have the research to say what 1 mile means in CO2 emissions.

#2 - more cars are coming regardless of what we do, we need to make our roads more efficient. We waste billions of gallons of gas sitting in traffic and trains can’t get everywhere

#3 - shouldn’t we give people a choice to get out of their car? Mike O’Brien doesn’t think that folks in Pierce and South King County deserve a light rail. Mike isn’t thinking about what the region will look like in 10 years.

Given the 700 Club’s ineptitude when it comes to filing for a voters pamphlet, Mike will be thinking about 2027 in 2030.
09/20/2007 at 4:01 pm

32. Shizzle Bizzle says:

@16
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Salt Lake City
Portland
San Francisco
09/20/2007 at 4:03 pm

33. scotto says:

@17, Naw, it’s a personal slam. It’s pretending that Mike is friends with Kemper Freeman. This is obviously not the truth. Please.

Anyway, I didn’t ask if you believe in global warming — that almost doesn’t matter if you won’t do something about it.

You’re saying that we absolutely have to vote for RTID highways right now because if we don’t, we might get more highways in the future. Our choices are certainly making global warming worse or maybe making global warming worse. So let’s pick the sure bet.

My god, Democrats are still acting like they lost the last election.
09/20/2007 at 4:04 pm

34. YIKES says:

Seattle is ready to collapse under the weight of it’s love for excessive process.
Question:
How much TAXPAYER money has been spent on these ideas with nothing being built???

Seattle has created an unsustainable Cost of Living situation. Look ahead 20 years. Plot the cost of living figures in Seattle the past 20 years & draw a line.
There will be no working class folks….so you won’t need mass transit.

What we have here is a classic case of BUREAUCRACY GONE WILD. The Bureaucrats don’t care if anything is ever built….all they want is more tax dollars to feed their glutoness, pathetic selves.

I hate seeing Seattle collapse in this morase of costly, bureaucratic goo.
Perhaps Bill Gates will leave all of his money to Seattle!??
Yeah, that’s what we ought to do, ask Bill Gates to pay for all of this transit staff….so we can have a pretend sustainable community.
Pretty Sad, ain’t it?
09/20/2007 at 4:11 pm

35. bob says:

By attacking the south light rail extension
The 700 Club today proved they have no clue about land use, transportation planning, or any neighborhood outside of The Nation of Seattle.

A new land use report was just released by King County today. Maybe Mike and Kemper will cozy up by the fire togther tonight and learn a little about land use and growth patterns in King County.

IV - 2 2007 King County Buildable Lands Report

South County, having issued permits for 38% of its targeted
residential growth, has grown fastest with respect to level of growth envisioned in the CPPs.

• Approximately half of all new units UGA-wide were multifamily units, half were single-family
detached units.
09/20/2007 at 4:50 pm

36. My Left Foot says:

Mark the Red dicked asshole:

Boston has the T, Chicago has the L, New York has a subway (yes Markie, those are trains too), Los Angeles has the Metrolink.

That’s four. Pay your debt to Goldy and shut the fuck up.

Word of advice: Don’t ever ask a question that you don’t already know the answer to.
09/20/2007 at 6:51 pm

37. My Left Foot says:

Sorry, Shizzle Bizzle beat me to it.
09/20/2007 at 6:52 pm

38. otterpop says:

@31

Joanne…it is not that simple.

Actually, it is…

#1 - you don’t have the research to say what 1 mile means in CO2 emissions.

But cars do emit CO2 every MINUTE they drive right?

#2 - more cars are coming regardless of what we do, we need to make our roads more efficient. We waste billions of gallons of gas sitting in traffic and trains can’t get everywhere

Couldn’t agree more. That is why we need congestion tolling for more efficient commutig, less time on the road which means less idiling and less polluting.

#3 - shouldn’t we give people a choice to get out of their car? Mike O’Brien doesn’t think that folks in Pierce and South King County deserve a light rail. Mike isn’t thinking about what the region will look like in 10 years.

Be intellectual honest at least. You know Sierra Club supports light rail, just not at the expense of a massive road expansion.

Given the 700 Club’s ineptitude when it comes to filing for a voters pamphlet, Mike will be thinking about 2027 in 2030.

I don’t know what this means or who the 700 club is
09/20/2007 at 7:36 pm

39. GS says:

The Price of your little dig just went up 100 Million, Damn glad we said no to the Big Dig!
09/20/2007 at 8:36 pm

40. Will says:

@ 33

I never said Mike is friends with Kemper. I said Kemper is friends with Mike.
09/20/2007 at 9:03 pm

41. MichaelW says:

Hey, you can be a light rail fan and not support Ladenberg’s political move to overrule the Sound Transit planners. Light rail to the car dealerships in Fife is not the best use of our limited transit dollars. We need more light rail where people will actually use it.
09/20/2007 at 9:24 pm

42. Marmot's Whistle says:

Shizzle Bizzle @31:

#1 - you don’t have the research to say what 1 mile means in CO2 emissions.

We do know there is such thing as induced demand where added highway capacity prompts more trips leading to more vehicle miles traveled. See Todd Litman’s work at http://www.vtpi.org/ for details on how and to what extent this occurs. More vehicles on the road traveling more miles means more fuel burned and more emissions. The Puget Sound Regional Council estimates a 43% increase in VMT due to growth in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties from 1998 to 2030 including the effects of building the RTID/ST2 projects. While the transit investments will prevent this increase from being worse, the highway capacity expansion enables more trips and miles traveled.

#2 - more cars are coming regardless of what we do, we need to make our roads more efficient. We waste billions of gallons of gas sitting in traffic and trains can’t get everywhere

The biggest problem is the development patterns that create automobile-dependent travel. This will be difficult to retrofit but our success at doing so will go a long way to determining whether we are successful at reducing our carbon footprint or usher in a drastically altered climate. We can make our roads more efficient without expanding lane capacity. One way to do this is through congestion pricing which will help induce mode shift, carpooling, and changes in time of travel to less congestion periods. It will also provide revenue to support better transit alternatives and fund necessary maintenance of the roads we already have. As for physical configuration, intersection and interchange improvements can reduce bottlenecks without adding more lanes between. The analogy in a piping network: improve the valves and connectors without putting in larger pipes.

#3 - shouldn’t we give people a choice to get out of their car? Mike O’Brien doesn’t think that folks in Pierce and South King County deserve a light rail. Mike isn’t thinking about what the region will look like in 10 years.

Residents in Pierce and south King County deserve more effective transit, including light rail, than what is found in ST2. Light rail works best where it can extend the range of the pedestrian and serve lots of walk-up and bike-up users (as opposed to drive-up users). A great place to spend Pierce Co. transit fund$ is on extending the light rail in Tacoma to serve more areas of the City of Destiny which already have a well-developed street grid. Tacoma could benefit from the high capacity transit service with the accompanying transformed land use and more pedestrian-friendly development.
Light rail from the Airport to Federal Way will help produce better land use patterns if it runs along Pac Hwy (SR99) and not in the I-5 envelope. Between Federal Way and Fife/Port of Tacoma is questionable due to low ridership, even looking a decade or two out. For longer trips (Tacoma-Seattle), light rail will not be as quick as Sounder due to the LRT routing through the Rainier Valley (which is good for the added ridership it generates there). The point is the shorter suburb-to-suburb trips will need to justify the cost since Tacoma-Seattle commuters find faster trips on both Sounder commuter rail and express bus. I want to see the system succeed and that means putting high rider/$ segments in place sooner. Electrifying the Sounder heavy rail route would help reduce the carbon footprint, but is also pricey and raises issues with freight railroads. Nobody said it would be easy!
09/20/2007 at 10:16 pm

43. ron says:

@42

You contradict yourself only about 6 or 7 different times in your silly, drawn out post.

“The biggest problem is the development patterns that create automobile-dependent travel.”

Really? Then support 50 miles of light rail to transform how our region will accept 1.2 million more people.

Just like the Rainier Valley is being transformed with new communities along the light rail line that otherwise would not be there.

“We do know there is such thing as induced demand where added highway capacity prompts more trips leading to more vehicle miles traveled.”

And we also know that our inefficient road system and inefficient HOV system is causing us to waste billions of gallons of fuel every year and making our bus system slower every single year.

That is not a recipe for fighting global warming.

I doubt you have even read the RTID plan. If you did you would see many safety and interchange projects that help HOV and transit, you would see targeted investments that help King County metro express bus service funded under Transit Now and you would see investments in freight mobility.

What’s your plan?
09/20/2007 at 11:08 pm

44. fhfw says:

Look up the 700 Club online and if you don’t get the comparison to the Sierra Club, find another hobbie besides political blogging.
09/20/2007 at 11:35 pm

45. Scott White says:

The Sierra Club/700 Club did take a stand against light rail South to Tacoma today. Mike OBrien, you are reading these posts. Care to argue with that?

From the just release buildable lands report from King County:
South County, having issued permits for 38% of its targeted
residential growth, has grown fastest with respect to level of growth envisioned in the CPPs.
09/20/2007 at 11:41 pm

46. Marmot's Whistle says:

Ron @43:

What matters is where and how we build the light rail to produce the transformative land use that we both want to see. Specifically, we need to pay close attention to the rider/$ ratio of the LRT alignment we build. Fiscal constraints are real, and we cannot afford to squander money (and political capital too) on an underperforming transit line.

Freeway envelopes are not good places to expect land use changes that we want. Not many people will be interested in a condo right next to I-5 with a view of all lanes. The LRT proposed for south Snohomish County is alongside I-5. An Aurora Ave/Pacific Hwy/SR-99 alignment would perform much better in ridership and redevelopment potential.

I have read the Blueprint, probably too many times! You are correct that it does contain some good projects that increase the effectiveness of transit and vanpools/carpools. But these projects (many added at the last moment when funds were diverted from the AW Viaduct project) are like the green bicycle on the back of the global-warming SUV that is the full RTID package. The good projects in RTID total about $825 million or ~10% of the total spending. If you include extra lanes in the HOV system that are still going to add to vehicle miles traveled and therefore more greenhouse gas emissions, although they do help HOVs, the total of all these projects is about $2.4 billion or maybe 1/4th of all the spending. Nearly three-quarters of the spending proposed in RTID is for capacity expansion in mega-projects that add unpriced lanes. A recipe for more traffic, more sprawl, and more GHG emissions.

The plan is to reject this funding package that raises the wrong taxes to fund the wrong highway projects. Then bring ST2 or an improved better ST2.1 back to the voters in 2008 and approve it. Meanwhile, introduce congestion pricing on the limited-access highways in the region to:
1) make better use of the highway network we have;
2) fund transit, both light rail and more bus service; and
3) provide maintenance funds to take care of the existing road system.

We can use a more appropriate revenue source like local option gasoline tax to raise additional revenue for the HOV direct access ramps, street/rail grade separation projects, and single-point interchange modifications that will relieve traffic chokepoints. King County and WSDOT have received a federal DOT grant that includes a stipulation for tolling the 520 bridge to raise funds for its rebuilding. This is just the start of a system that will make more efficient use of our existing highways and allow more light rail to be built sooner. But let the transportation planners at ST and other agencies do their jobs. Too much micro-management and interjection of pet projects by the electeds has put us in our present quandary.
09/21/2007 at 12:57 am

47. please pay attention says:

Marmot’s Whistle @ 42 illustrates the Sierra Club’s utter lack of involvement in helping Sound Transit build light rail in the region. If they were in regular contact with like-minded people who work in transit in this town, they would understand a little more about building light rail in this town. Lets look at Marmot’s comment #3 about light rail.

“Residents in Pierce and south King County deserve more effective transit, including light rail, than what is found in ST2. Light rail works best where it can extend the range of the pedestrian and serve lots of walk-up and bike-up users (as opposed to drive-up users).”

–No shit, Sherlock. That is one of the main reasons I want to build 50 miles of light rail. Developers LOVE rail stations. This is our chance to build dense, walkable, liveable transit communities throughout the region.

“A great place to spend Pierce Co. transit fund$ is on extending the light rail in Tacoma to serve more areas of the City of Destiny which already have a well-developed street grid. Tacoma could benefit from the high capacity transit service with the accompanying transformed land use and more pedestrian-friendly development.”

–OK, this is where the Sierra Club truly illustrates its lack of understanding of light rail engineering. Tacoma Link is very nice, but it is not light rail. It is a fucking STREETCAR. It is the same streetcar that runs in Portland and will soon run in South Lake Union. As such, it is relatively cheap. South Lake Union is $45 million. Sound Transit, the City of Tacoma, the tribes, and private developers will find a way to extend it soon just like it is happening in Portland. Pierce County electeds decided what they wanted to spend their ST2 dollars on. But I suppose the Sierra Club knows better from their Seattle homes what is better for them Tacomans.

“Light rail from the Airport to Federal Way will help produce better land use patterns if it runs along Pac Hwy (SR99) and not in the I-5 envelope.”

–Unless you actually look at a map and see that 99 runs right next to I-5 from Federal Way to Fife. In any event I don’t believe Sound Transit has made any route decisions yet.

“Between Federal Way and Fife/Port of Tacoma is questionable due to low ridership, even looking a decade or two out.”

–Only if you assume the entire world revolves around getting to Seattle for your high-tech job. In the real world people get jobs wherever they can and need to commute between Tacoma and the Kent valley. And did it ever occur to you that Pierce County folks might want to go to SEA-TAC to catch a plane?

“For longer trips (Tacoma-Seattle), light rail will not be as quick as Sounder due to the LRT routing through the Rainier Valley (which is good for the added ridership it generates there).”

–Once again, stunningly ill-informed. The route through the Rainier Valley is four miles long. Trains will move about 25 mph through the valley. If they went down a dedicated right of way light rail usually travels twice that or 50 mph. Simple math tells us that four miles at 25 mph would take about nine minutes. Four miles at 50 mph would take almost five. FOUR MINUTES is not what gets people out of their cars. It is the reliability of rail that people book on, because they can’t always rely on the traffic-bound bus. And the Rainier Valley route is the biggest opportunity this city has had in years to infill density in Seattle. Four dense station areas and an economic revival to Seattle’s poorest neighborhoods–I think Marmot understates what his happening in the Rainier Valley when he refers to us Southies as “ridership”.

“The point is the shorter suburb-to-suburb trips will need to justify the cost since Tacoma-Seattle commuters find faster trips on both Sounder commuter rail and express bus.”

–People will want all kinds of modes depending on where they live. Sounder travels through the east side of the Kent valley. Light rail will travel through the west side of South King County. And don’t people in Federal Way, Des Moines, and Sea-Tac often work and travel to Seattle too?

“I want to see the system succeed and that means putting high rider/$ segments in place sooner. Electrifying the Sounder heavy rail route would help reduce the carbon footprint, but is also pricey and raises issues with freight railroads. Nobody said it would be easy!”

–The railroads historically were granted some of the best right of way in this country and plenty of protective laws to protect them. They are notoriously difficult to negotiate with for track use. Part of the reason is the train freight lines are almost packed to capacity. And part of the reason is that they are dicks. The railroads would not give away their right of way and electrify lines that they need to carry freight. Not easy, indeed.

It truly distresses me that Sierra Club members are criticizing the transit investments in this ballot measure. Their membership is heavily concentrated in affluent Seattle neighborhoods and like all of us, the world revolves around their reality. I think they ignore the real needs of working class people who work in all kinds of crap jobs around this region selling them stuff.

Why should we trust the light rail advice of a bunch of well meaning folks who know little about how to build it?
09/21/2007 at 1:14 am

48. Scott White says:

The Sierra/700 Club can’t stop contradicting themselves. “Rainier valley light rail will be slow because it is not on I-5″ “We need to build light rail through communities not along freeways so we can affect developtment”

Which is it?
09/21/2007 at 7:11 am

49. wutitiz says:

Shizzle Bizzle 32, and my left foot @36, does the Chicago train system ‘work?’

It depends on how the definition of “works” works. I lived in Chicago for years and would not necessarily say that it worked. To get on the El on the South side where I lived meant taking your life in your hands. There were robberies and such all the time, and the El cars were junkyard material. The IC commuter rail was plush but pricey. Usually, I used to take the #6 Jeffery Express bus, which went down Lake Shore Drive, or drove my car.
Also, the El was popular as a means of suicide. Once I walked onto a platform and a lady was crying and shaking. She had just witnessed someone jumping in front of the train. There were chunks of human being spread over the tracks. If the left blames ‘gun availability’ for causing suicides, what about ‘train availability?’
09/21/2007 at 6:06 pm

50. thor says:

No one, anywhere, has crunched any credible numbers of the global warming impact of RTID or Sound Transit.

This local Sierra Club campaign against light rail should be called what it is: an insult to an otherwise respected environmental organization.

Has anybody asked the leadership of the Sierra Club to try to silence this new local nutcase?
09/21/2007 at 6:26 pm

51. Buckin' Broncos says:

www.seatrans.blogspot.com/2007 /09/sierra-club-has-no-credib ility.html
09/21/2007 at 8:20 pm

52. John Niles says:

Sound Transit and Federal Transit Administration jointly issued a Record of Decision (ROD) on North Link light rail (downtown Seattle to Northgate) in 2006 as part of the environmental clearance required for Federal funding. This ROD is published full text on the Internet at http://www.bettertransport.inf o/pitf/NorthLinkROD.htm . (Sound Transit may have it published on their web as well.)

Appendix D of this ROD is the only published analysis to date of the greenhouse gas impacts from a component of Proposition 1 Roads & Transit. (North Link Light Rail as far as Husky Stadium is already funded. The continuation under the U of W to Roosevelt and Northgate is funded by Prop 1.)

I have never seen any reaction from an environmental advocacy organization about what this ROD document reports on greenhouse gas emissions on the full life cycle of construction and operation of the forthcoming Seattle Light Rail Subway from downtown to Northgate. The recommendation of the Mayor’s Green Ribbon Commission to complete light rail to Northgate came out before this ROD was released, and thus is not informed by what it says.

The bottom line in Appendix D of this ROD document is this statement: “Subtracting the estimated 631,932 metric tons of carbon dioxide generated during construction [over seven years] from the estimated 1,409,500 metric tons saved during operation [over the 100 years following the end of construction of the line] results in an overall project savings estimated at 778,763 metric tons of carbon dioxide.”

The net greenhouse gas savings from this light rail line begin about 45 years from now. This is considered OK by Sound Transit and the U.S. Government because the operational lifespan of this project is considered to be 100 years.

Some individual environmentalists consider this 45 year waiting period to be bad news. Most have no comment.

The greenhouse gas implications of other light rail components of ST2 and of the RTID road investments have not been analyzed and published at all to my knowledge.

My own take is that unless GHG emissions from private motor vehicles (cars, trucks, buses) are regulated down to zero rather quickly worldwide, the global atmosphere will continue to heat up faster than it would otherwise.
09/23/2007 at 4:19 pm

53. Buckin' Broncos says:

“Some individual environmentalists consider this 45 year waiting period to be bad news. Most have no comment.”

The day an environmentalist is stupid enough to support this idiotic junk science, cranked out by Discovery Institute and Washington Policy Institute hack John Niles - one of Kemper Freeman’s longtime pavement hounds - will be the day that environmentalist commits political suicide.

John Niles and his barely sane friend Emory Bundy have a very unhealthy obsession with killing light rail in favor of a lot of other stupid stuff which changes yearly.

“My own take is that unless GHG emissions from private motor vehicles (cars, trucks, buses) are regulated down to zero rather quickly worldwide, the global atmosphere will continue to heat up faster than it would otherwise. ”

Which makes sense, since the alternatives to light rail Niles has been coming up with for about 30 years always involve an internal combustion engine.

The only thing Niles and the anti-transit ideologues are consistent with…is their inconsistency.