Opinion: Don’t let the oil industry gaslight us about high prices at the pump
Climate policies are a familiar punching bag for the oil industry, which has spent many millions of dollars blocking progress at every turn. For decades, they’ve avoided accountability for their impact on our health, lands, waters, communities, and wallets. Last year, while Washingtonians dealt with exorbitant fuel prices, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron and others brought in record profits. In Washington, they are starting to be held accountable with the recently implemented Climate Commitment Act. With oil companies finally being required to pay their fair share of the climate crisis, it’s little surprise that they are trying to stop this transition to a sustainable future — these investments are our pathway away from fossil fuel dependence, and are a direct threat to their profits. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Erika Schultz)
$142K salary needed to afford a ‘starter’ home in Seattle, Redfin reports
A “starter” home in Seattle looks a lot different than elsewhere in the United States — it’s a lot more expensive and you need to earn a lot more to afford it. According to recent data published by Redfin, a first-time homebuyer needs to earn about $64,000 annually to afford a “typical” starter home in the United States. The national numbers pale in comparison to Seattle where the median sale price of a starter home is around $535,000. Redfin reports that a person needs to earn $141,794 a year to afford this type of property, with a median mortgage payment of $3,545. That’s 4.4% higher than a year ago. For a non-starter home, Redfin reported last November that a person needs to earn $205,000 annually to afford one in Seattle. Continue reading at KUOW. (Tierra Mallorca)
Connecting with non-English speakers is still a challenge during emergencies
When Fabiola Cortez received text messages asking how the fire was going, she drove quickly to her home in Underwood where her husband was waiting for her. Cortez’s family evacuated during the Tunnel 5 wildfire that destroyed ten homes and close to 600 acres in Skamania County in mid-July. Cortez speaks Spanish, but the information came in English. “I understood a little bit, but my daughter was with me,” Cortez said. Some adults rely on the translation their bilingual children can often provide. Cortez went to community meetings but those were in English, too. While Washington requires local organizations to develop emergency communication plans for Limited English Proficiency populations, officials say providing fast and accurate information for these communities during wildfire emergencies is challenging. Raul Martinez, external affairs manager at the Washington Department of Natural Resources says the agency tries to serve all non-English speaking communities, but “this isn’t something that we can do by ourselves.” Continue reading at Northwest Public Broadcasting.
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Opinion: Don’t let the oil industry gaslight us about high prices at the pump
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