Citizen Journalist • Member since Jul 23, 2015
Eric Hirst has a Ph.D. in engineering from Stanford University, spent 30 years as an energy policy analyst at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and retired to Bellingham 18 years ago. He is a local environmental activist.
How can we best resolve long-standing water-resource issues in the Nooksack River Basin? These problems–primarily too little water in the river and streams during the summer months–have been [...]
Electricity and water are essential resources in our society. But the way we efficiently plan for our electricity needs is vastly different from how poorly we plan for our water [...]
State water law is a complicated mess, a piece-by-piece accumulation and accretion of disparate laws since 1917. Worse, these laws confound solutions to the problems we face today in managing an [...]
"Hi David, Thanks for your insightful comments. I agree that unpermitted water use in the agricultural sector is a big problem, perhaps 40% of total irrigation water use in Whatcom County. [...]
"John, Congratulations on turning 77 and deciding to begin a well deserved retirement. Although I often disagree with the stories and/or comments published in NW Citizen, I very much [...]
"Elisabeth, thanks for your helpful comments on my article. We likely both believe that salmon are doing poorly because of many factors, some involving ocean conditions and others involving their [...]
"I agree with Greg’s comments. As he notes, we have allocated more water for human, out-of-stream uses than is actually available. Therefore, salmon, other fish and the environment in [...]
"I agree"that it is impossible to make definitive statements about who is or is not using water illegally, until we have accurate data.” But there are no plans, at [...]
It is time for Bellingham City Hall to take control by dumping YouTube for having taken down a video of a City Council meeting.
2 comments, most recent 2 hours agoThe Whatcom County Council is afraid to make an appointment of a temporary District Court judge before the Primary Election. Is the “fix” in?
1 comment, most recent 1 day agoYet another eyesore bunker-like building for bunking students at market rental rates.
3 comments, most recent 6 days agoThe city granted building permits while the Planning Department knew this was a state historical Indian village site.
Bellingham website goes dead with one person taking a few days off. So much for an administration and a system. Third world government.
4 comments, most recent 1 week agoEffective, efficient and low cost, high speed broadband service continues to elude Bellingham and Whatcom County
5 comments, most recent 2 days agoBellingham continues to have its mail dropoff options changed willy-nilly.
3 comments, most recent 6 days agoTime to put the kibosh on the CityView private dormitory project for the good of the neighborhood and the good of the city.
Riley and Bryna Sweeney write about the petition to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory in the Meridian School District.
How Mayor Fleetwood and his city attorneys are violating the basic laws that our nation was founded and built upon.
5 comments, most recent 3 weeks agoCity attorney James Erb removed from legal case against Judge Lev for conflict of interest by Superior Court judge.
6 comments, most recent 2 weeks agoMail collection boxes seem to be a thing of the past. Why have one postal vehicle collect from the boxes when hundreds of people can drive to the post office to mail a letter?
3 comments, most recent 2 weeks agoA new and local county wide technology group of Internet and broadband experts has been formed. Jon explains why and lists the members.
2 comments, most recent 3 weeks agoMary Kay Becker writes about the Bellingham Municipal Court Controversy
Tonight the Bellingham City Council - with no agenda notice - authorized the mayor to begin process to abolish the Bellingham Municipal Court
4 comments, most recent 1 month agoWhat does a little stream matter? Spoiler alert! It’s not a joke and, if it were, it would not be a nice one.
5 comments, most recent 1 week agoThe presiding judge of Whatcom County District Court has suddenly resigned effective July first.
5 comments, most recent 1 month agoA day to remember the US service men and women who have passed away.
6 comments, most recent 1 month agoDebra Lev, Bellingham’s municipal court judge, is suing Mayor Seth Fleetwood and the city
7 comments, most recent 1 month agoCity staff report outlines “issues” with megalithic CityView complex. You have a chance to comment.
1 comment, most recent 1 month agoDouglas Gustafson guest writes. Our two tiny home villages, and the possibility of a third, are in jeopardy. Do we need them?
3 comments, most recent 1 month agoDespite willing property sellers, and Fleetwood’s campaign promises, and the unanimous Greenways Committee vote …. sigh.
6 comments, most recent 3 weeks ago“Differential Privacy:” A statistical adjustment system that may render 2020 census population data unusable.
1 comment, most recent 1 month agoAn essay on climate change, millennials’ concerns, and large corporations and governments complacently stealing our kids futures.
5 comments, most recent 3 weeks agoBAG - the Bellingham city hall Broadband Advisory Group is stacked in favor of mega corporations and against local public Internet service.
12 comments, most recent 1 month agoNew state legislation will cause cascade of changes to Bellingham’s codes
2 comments, most recent 2 months agoCityView, the project that will not die, will soon be subject to scrutiny during an extraordinary meeting of the Planning Commission.
2 comments, most recent 1 month agoThe more contagious and possibly more deadly B.1.1.7 and P.1 coronavirus strains appear to be leaking down into Whatcom County from British Columbia.
10 comments, most recent 2 months agoDaniel Kirkpatrick writes Mayor Fleetwood requesting he veto the council vacation of a street with a walking trail.
9 comments, most recent 1 month agoUgly and expensive. That is what we have brought to the Waterfront.
10 comments, most recent 2 months agoSB 5188 to establish a Washington state Financial Cooperative is in an uncertain state in the legislature
Broken promises, bad administration, and still NO access to our publicly-owned resources
4 comments, most recent 3 months agoWashington moves ever closer to public banking for the good of its citizens and the fiscal health of the state.
8 comments, most recent 3 months agoThe advantage of an “advisory” group, (as in Broadband Advisory Group,) is that you don’t have to listen to them.
3 comments, most recent 3 months agoDoug Gustafson offers a point/counterpoint account of opposing strategies for tiny homes
27 comments, most recent 2 months agoFourteen February cases of the B.1.1.7 variant coronavirus strain suggest that it is beginning to surge in the county.
10 comments, most recent 4 months agoAfter clearing the Senate, Washington’s bill to create a public banking cooperative advances to the Democratically controlled House.
4 comments, most recent 4 months agoRiley shares some thoughts, concerns, and observations on the uncommon phenomenon of mask-wearing during this pandemic.
7 comments, most recent 4 months agoAtul Deshmane guest writes and provides us with a resume of the internet infrastructure issues now being discussed in Bellingham
7 comments, most recent 3 months agoPart of a series of articles on the progress of a public banking cooperative in Washington.
1 comment, most recent 4 months agoWith a recent dispute between the newspaper’s reporters and management over, the real work can begin.
3 comments, most recent 4 months agoGarrett O’Brien guest writes about how Bellingham can learn from successful programs for the homeless elsewhere and would do well to abandon ineffectual approaches.
5 comments, most recent 4 months agoCity council and planning commission meetings were poor arrangements to begin with, and with Zoom it is very much worse.
4 comments, most recent 2 months agoIrene Morgan writes a public letter to Governor Inslee about a new director of prisons
A substitute bill for the original SB 5188 was accepted and moved to the Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.
2 comments, most recent 5 months agoCurrent legislation, moving forward in Olympia, would permit localities to adopt ranked-choice voting as an upgrade to their currently mandated top-two system.
1 comment, most recent 5 months agoThe monumental, pre-COVID levels of cruise ships and world tourism were not sustainable.
4 comments, most recent 5 months agoRay Kamada guest writes on how to have your cake and eat it too.
5 comments, most recent 5 months agoThe city has instituted unnecessary restrictions on the Broadband Advisory Group’s discussion and outside input.
3 comments, most recent 5 months agoBrian Martel on the issue of Internet broadband service to our homes and pending bills in Olympia.
