Articles written by Don Brunell
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 134
Bob Moore's final bow noted in the Big Apple
Who would have thought that a small Oregon natural grain mill owner’s death would make national news or be the subject of a lengthy feature article in the New York Times (NYT)? H... — Updated 3/27/2024
EV battery recycling requires Herculean 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... — Updated 2/1/2024
Those pesky initiatives are back
After a brief hiatus, those pesky citizen initiatives are back, much to the chagrin of three-term Gov. Jay Inslee and Democrats who have an ironclad grip on our state Legislature.... — Updated 1/17/2024
Biden needs to expose his secret Snake River 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 1/10/2024
Dairy farmers push green cow power
In the 1990s, “Things go better with Coca Cola” was the catchy slogan that dairy farmers dreaded. At the time, milk producers were in a head-to-head battle with soft drink gia... — Updated 12/27/2023
Finding the power for future Griswold Christmas lightshows
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 12/6/2023
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 11/21/2023
Never forget our vets
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 that... — Updated 11/8/2023
Return of the sockeye
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 mig... — Updated 11/1/2023
Hydrogen hubs could hasten switch from diesel in big rigs
President 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 Pacific N... — Updated 10/25/2023
Biden's lease cancelations hurts Washington
While media focus was on Joe Biden’s decree putting a tiny plot of land within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) off limits to oil and gas exploration, reporters ignored t... — Updated 9/20/2023
Banning trucks running on diesel, natural gas 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 b... — Updated 9/13/2023
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 9/6/2023
Focus on power lines to avoid wildfires, losses
Many fingers are again pointed at electric utilities because downed power lines are suspected of starting another horrific wildfire — the one that raced through Lahaina killing hund... — Updated 8/23/2023
Snake River Whac-A-Model needs to stop
To supporters of the four Lower Snake River Dams, the latest news that President Biden continues to pursue dam breaching is not shocking, but surprising, considering the growing... — Updated 6/21/2023
Mining mine wastes key to critical minerals 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 6/14/2023
Cash for empties works in Oregon
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 recycling pro... — Updated 6/7/2023
Build our future electricity supply 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 v... — Updated 5/24/2023
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 5/10/2023
Employers struggle to find work balance
Today, employers continue to struggle finding enough workers while attempting to bring people back to the office (work sites). A key problem is there simply aren’t enough people t... — Updated 4/12/2023
School safety needs wider attention
My mom would be horrified by the rash of violence in our schools today. The most recent tragedy at Covenant School in Nashville, where three students and three adults were shot to... — Updated 4/5/2023
People depend more on local pharmacies for medical information
While the coronavirus clobbered many businesses, pharmacies were not among them. In fact, since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, local pharmacists... — Updated 2/22/2023
America needs Navy's nuclear expertise to meet electricity demands
It’s 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 p... — Updated 2/15/2023
The ban on gas stoves is just the beginning
After the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took major heat last week from considering a nationwide ban on gas stoves, the Biden Administration quickly reversed... — Updated 1/25/2023
Boeing's comeback is welcome news
How about some encouraging news for our state? It even made the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Although Boeing didn’t outsell or make more airplane deliveries than its r... — Updated 1/18/2023