Don't forget the ramp-up to destroy natural areas along the Columbia to better serve our Chinese masters:

Peak Oil Weekly:

2. Peak coal in China?

Beijing‘s announcement that it was considering capping domestic coal output at 3.6 to 3.8 billion tons in the next five-year plan set off a flurry of commentary as to just what was happening to the industry which provides 70 percent of China‘s energy. Coal production in China has been growing at about 10 percent a year recently and now constitutes nearly one half of global production — clearly an unsustainable situation.

China produced 3.05 billion tons of coal in 2009. As monthly production figures are no longer released, 10 percent growth suggests that 2010 production will be on the order of 3.3 billion tons. If the Chinese are able to continue growing production at anywhere near 10 percent, then their cap could be reached next year.

Some believe that the term cap is Beijing-speak for saying that they could produce at higher levels if they wanted to without admitting that they can‘t grow production much more for geologic reasons. Interestingly some outside observers had predicted that the country would reach peak coal in 2011 as the best deposits had already been exploited and all that was left were thinner, deeper seams of lower quality coal.

Should the growth in China‘s coal production falter over the next few years, the repercussions will be felt in energy markets across the world. As Beijing scrambles to maintain economic growth without its primary source of energy, demand for imported coal, oil and natural gas is bound to rise. We are already seeing increased efforts to buy up foreign coal reserves and increase imports. As the growth of electricity production slows or in some areas actually falls, some Chinese factories are forced to use their diesel-powered emergency generators to keep functioning thereby exacerbating the demand for diesel.

If Chinese coal production actually starts to fall in the next few years, then a new and largely unforeseen factor will have become part of the peak-oil story.

The TriMet meeting will not be taking public comments.

The Clackmas County Commissioners are going to get an army of opposition showing up.

It's one of the most insulting stunts in recent memory by the light rail mafia.

The scheme to have CC add to their $25 million share by coughing up another $22 million for a bridge not in their county so Creepy can pull out $20 million from the bridge funding to give to Milwaukie Light Rail.

Can't get much sleazier.

ZOMG a $5 tax to build a bridge that is vital to the region's transportation infrastructure?

My outrage meter is having a hard time registering this one, sorry.

Dave J.

It's not the bridge that is the question.

It's gross misappropriation and schemes.

The bridge is not in Clackamas County, they a have a long list of county needs, and are extremely short on funding for them. How does either the Sellwood Bridge or MLR become their top priority?
Corruption that's how.

JPACT politicians conspired to raid
$178 million form Metro flex funds,
$400 million from lottery profits,
$150 million form UR,
and $90 million from TriMet future operations to fund Milwaukie Light Rail instead of this "vital" bridge.

Then there is Creepy who has an imaginary budget and imaginary funding for a new Sellwood bridge that he says he found $20 million in savings he can divert to the Milwaukie Light Rail.

If you can reduce all of that into heck it's only a $5 tax then you may need intervention. :)

Masters of the Mind Screw -
Somebody needs to invent a mental condom.

Maybe the esteemed board members want to avoid another scene, which sorta happened at the last board meeting?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj-6bXudldc

List of 2010 JPACT Members and Alternatives:

http://library.oregonmetro.gov/files//2010_jpact_mbrs_alts_060410.pdf