Granted, hydropower, especially when it dams rivers like the Columbia, is a mixed blessing. Among other things, it cuts off the usual salmon spawning grounds, unless adequate fish ladders or other bypasses are constructed (and I believe such provisions have been made on the Columbia).

The Colville tribe definitely took a hit with the building of the Grand Coulee dam. But at the same time, the resultant reservoir provided the water to turn an otherwise pretty unproductive prairie east of the Cascades into highly productive farmland, orchards, and vineyards. But as I say, not an unmixed blessing.

A big hassle right now is the move on the coal industry to run coal trains through the Puget Sound area to ship vast quantities of the stuff to China! For one thing, they can't be bothered to pull tarps over the uncovered gondola coal cars, so clouds of coal dust blow off as the trains roll by and drift out and around wherever the trains run. Right through a couple of cities! Black lung disease, anybody!??

Then, the ultimate destination of the coal:   China!

Here is the result of all that coal that China burns to produce electrical power:    CLICKY #1. And CLICKY #2.

And this is not at dusk, it's during the DAY!

On its worst day, smog in Los Angeles runs about 93 parts per million.

In Beijing, it characteristically runs about 700+!!

If you want to see a sunrise or a sunset in Beijing, you can watch a tape they play on television ….

And given the prevailing winds, jet stream and all, and given a bit of time, we get it right back here!!

So with due apologies to the Colville indian tribe and to the Columbia River salmon, I'm glad that when I turn on the electric heater on a chilly day, I'm not requiring that someone throw another shovelful of coal into the hopper.

Don Firth