Sightline Institute
@sightline.org
Think tank cooking up nonpartisan policy research on housing, energy, climate, and democracy in Cascadia. 🧠🍳 Likes/follows ≠ endorsements. Newsletters: sightline.org/signup
Homes, shops, public spaces >>>> empty city lots. @danbertolet.bsky.social
Yes, a Land Value Tax Is Possible in Washington State | Sightline Institute
A new report modeling a property tax building exemption in Spokane rebalances incentives toward community goals, encouraging homebuilding and discouraging in-city vacant land speculation.
sightline.org
Some Dem politicians are embracing “climate hushing”—but our electric grid opinion poll with FM3 Research found climate and clean energy framing to be the most convincing for Democrats, by far, and that it *deepens* support on the left.
Messaging the Northwest’s Energy Future | Sightline Institute
A modernized, high-capacity electric grid is essential for achieving Washington and Oregon’s climate and clean energy goals and for connecting Cascadian homes and businesses to reliable, affordable power as the region’s energy demand grows. Much of this critical public infrastructure is over 50 years old, requiring basic repairs as well as upgrades and expansion to ... Read more
sightline.org
Vote-by-mail update: SCOTUS ruled yesterday that USPS can issue rules in compliance with Trump's plan to restrict mail-in ballots in the 2026 election. For now, a separate case still blocks the postal service from rolling those rules out nationwide.
How Threats to Voting by Mail Could Affect Cascadia | Sightline Institute
Analysis for voters in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
sightline.org
The Associated Press@apnews.com · 6d agoBREAKING: The Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting ahead of midterms.
You don’t have to live in fire country to end up paying for growing wildfire risk. Everyone picks up the tab—even the 80% of Northwesterners who live in places least likely to burn.
Fire Hazard: The Mounting Costs of Northwest Sprawl
Honest information about homes’ fire risk can forge the way for more transformative changes to build out of harm’s way.
sightline.org
How to build the grid we need: - Project Review: Hold transmission projects to clear and consistent enviro criteria - Land Use: Standardize project rules - Administrative Process: End trial-like hearings for certain lines - Governance: Empower state siting councils to advance climate goals
Sightline Institute@sightline.org · 3w agoIt can take 20 years for a long-distance electric transmission line to be permitted and built. @ktrumbull.bsky.social and @emilymoore.bsky.social detail what WA and OR can do to get poles in the ground and wires in the air at the pace climate change demands.
Wildfires like the one that recently destroyed ~800 homes in Spokane create an urgent need for rapidly deployable, low-cost housing. Mobile dwellings could be housing people who've lost their homes right now - if they were legal. This is one reason to pass a state MDU bill but not the only one...
Dan Bertolet@danbertolet.bsky.social · last wk.Portland's legalization of mobile dwellings is a total success story. In the neighborhood surveyed, MDUs have overtaken ADUs. MDUs are the lowest-cost, quickest to deploy type of home there is. They should be legal on residential lots in all cities. www.sightline.org/2026/08/19/s...
More than half of U.S. apartment buildings built last year included heat pumps — and new homes are catching up.
US apartment buildings have tipped toward heat pumps
The climate-friendly appliances are becoming the norm among American home builders. Here are the factors driving the shift.
canarymedia.com
Some Dem politicians are embracing “climate hushing”—but our electric grid opinion poll with FM3 Research found climate and clean energy framing to be the most convincing for Democrats, by far, and that it *deepens* support on the left.
Messaging the Northwest’s Energy Future | Sightline Institute
A modernized, high-capacity electric grid is essential for achieving Washington and Oregon’s climate and clean energy goals and for connecting Cascadian homes and businesses to reliable, affordable power as the region’s energy demand grows. Much of this critical public infrastructure is over 50 years old, requiring basic repairs as well as upgrades and expansion to ... Read more
sightline.org
"For all the press that standard backyard cottages or mother-in-law units have gotten over the years—that is, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), with foundations—in the Cully neighborhood mobile dwellings have become the preferred way to add living space to one’s property" - @citizen-cate.bsky.social
Sightline Institute@sightline.org · last wk.The unofficial census results are in: Five years after Portland, OR, legalized mobile dwelling units, they've already eclipsed traditional ADUs. @citizen-cate.bsky.social
The unofficial census results are in: Five years after Portland, OR, legalized mobile dwelling units, they've already eclipsed traditional ADUs. @citizen-cate.bsky.social
Seven Lessons from Portland’s Mobile Dwelling Experiment | Sightline Institute
A new survey reveals the growing popularity of this low-cost, flexible housing solution.
sightline.org
Also - here’s my recent article about our single-stair housing prototype the “Four/Five” bsky.app/profile/sigh...
Sightline Institute@sightline.org · 2mo ago🚨 Eye candy alert 🚨 How do we add more homes to our existing leafy, quiet, 50'-wide residential lots? @lanefab.com has a gorgeous idea.
www.newsdata.com/clearing_up/...
New Research Outlines Policy Recommendations for Grid Modernization in the Pacific Northwest
Two new reports from the Sightline Institute underscore the importance of grid modernization and permitting reform in helping Oregon and Washington achieve their decarbonization mandates.
newsdata.com
Hey Bsky - This is my @sightline.org starter pack, to prod your next follows. I joined the board recently & I know that many of you are like minded in wanting to see more work on sustainable cities and regions with a focus on the pacific northwest (on both sides of the border) go.bsky.app/SyiUzHR
New, from @oregoncapitalchronicle.com: The Trump administration will move ahead with plans to end more than 25 years of sweeping protections for tens of millions of wild, federally managed acres. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/08/18/t...
Trump administration advances plan to rescind protections for nearly 45 million wild acres • Oregon Capital Chronicle
The USDA decision to rescind the 25-year-old forest and wildland protections was made without officials hosting any public meetings.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
How to build the grid we need: - Project Review: Hold transmission projects to clear and consistent enviro criteria - Land Use: Standardize project rules - Administrative Process: End trial-like hearings for certain lines - Governance: Empower state siting councils to advance climate goals
Sightline Institute@sightline.org · 3w agoIt can take 20 years for a long-distance electric transmission line to be permitted and built. @ktrumbull.bsky.social and @emilymoore.bsky.social detail what WA and OR can do to get poles in the ground and wires in the air at the pace climate change demands.
@thefulcrum-us.bsky.social "For now—in this time of maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time—reformers would do well to acknowledge that state-by-state campaigns for legislative proportional representation are no longer a winning strategy."
"Maximum warfare" redistricting is derailing democracy reform. Here's what's next for proportional representation.
Relentless redistricting battles derail hopes for state‑by‑state PR progress
thefulcrum.us
I’ve created a handful of them, but this might still be my most unusual STARTER PACK! A team-up with world famous climate scientist @katharinehayhoe.com, these are folks connecting the dots on climate action via better cities! Please follow these great folks and share the pack! go.bsky.app/7Wh2uvp
With #wildfires burning so hot that water evaporates before even reaching the flames, firefighting operations are devolving, increasingly, into lifesaving operations. Whether you’re in the suburbs of Athens, Bordeaux, or Spokane, evacuation is often the only viable option." time.com/article/2026...
What Happens When the World is on Fire
"From America to Algeria, dangerous blazes are occurring around the world, giving us a glimpse into an age ablaze," writes John Valliant.
time.com
Today on Volts: Idaho saw Montana's bipartisan "housing miracle" & wanted one of its own. This past session, its legislature passed a burst of 6 housing-reform bills, legalizing ADUs, small starter homes, single-stair apartment buildings, & more. I talk with an R & a D who helped lead the effort.
Another bipartisan housing miracle, this time in Idaho
A conversation with Idaho state Senator Ben Toews and Representative Megan Egbert.
volts.wtf
Scientists define a new category of heat wave: ‘Snow eaters’
Scientists define a new category of heat wave: ‘Snow eaters’
Unseasonably warm weather that rapidly melts snowpack is becoming more widespread in the U.S. West and happening earlier in the year.
dlvr.it
New Sightline strategic messaging guidance: How to talk about upgrading the electric grid! ⬇️💡
Sightline Institute@sightline.org · 3w agoThe lights come on when we flip the switch, but most of us rarely think about the electric grid or its role in cutting climate emissions. @trufahey.bsky.social sightline.org/MessagingNWEnergy
The lights come on when we flip the switch, but most of us rarely think about the electric grid or its role in cutting climate emissions. @trufahey.bsky.social sightline.org/MessagingNWEnergy
I’m getting news that Bellingham has permanantly repealed their parking minimums. Their initial pilot years ago paved the way for much bigger reforms. Great leadership and organizing through and through. 🍾
Our hearts are with Spokane. The Complex fires are still burning, and there's already talk of starting over. In rebuilding, we must do everything in our power to prevent disasters at this scale in the future. @cclairebarber.bsky.social @insideclimatenews.org
As Spokane Burns, a Record Northwestern Fire Season Shows No Signs of Slowing - Inside Climate News
Firefighters in Washington state are bracing for dangerous fire weather to return to the Pacific Northwest this week and it could continue until the fall.
insideclimatenews.org
It can take 20 years for a long-distance electric transmission line to be permitted and built. @ktrumbull.bsky.social and @emilymoore.bsky.social detail what WA and OR can do to get poles in the ground and wires in the air at the pace climate change demands.
Unlocking the Northwest’s Energy Future | Sightline Institute
Policy recommendations to responsibly speed up electric transmission line permitting in Oregon and Washington—for a safe, modern grid and shared climate progress.
sightline.org
🔌 Transmission enthusiasts: we've got NEW @sightline.org reports outlining how we can build the grid the PNW needs AND and how to talk about it. Includes a new poll showing that 70% of OR/WA voters support expanding the grid and 78% support speeding up approval of grid projects.
Sightline Institute@sightline.org · 3w agoNew report(s): If the PNW wants a fighting chance at freeing itself from fossil fuels, we need to string more transmission lines—fast.
New report(s): If the PNW wants a fighting chance at freeing itself from fossil fuels, we need to string more transmission lines—fast.
Clear the Lines: Policy and Messaging for the Electric Grid the Northwest Needs
Two Sightline reports detail how Oregon and Washington can build a robust energy and climate future.
sightline.org
What people search for, eat, and wear maps the rural-urban split almost as cleanly as the ballot does.
The Grocery Cart Divide: How Rural and Urban America Sort Themselves
We hear constantly that rural and urban America have grown apart. The 2024 presidential map made the point in the usual way, a sea of red countryside around dense blue cities, with roughly 90% of counties shifting toward Donald Trump. That divide is real, and it is well documented. What gets less attention is how far down into daily life it reaches.
dailyyonder.com
