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The Nation magazine has revealed that Koch Industries sent a letter to most of its 50,000 employees before the U.S. midterm elections in November 2010 advising them on whom to vote for. In “Big Brothers: Thought Control at Koch,” Mark Ames and Mike Elk expose the urgent “election packet” [PDF] sent to tens of thousands of Koch employees complete with ample libertarian reading materials instructions and a list of eligible vote-worthy (conservative) candidates. 

As if this isn’t disturbing enough, the letter warns employees them of the dire consequences to their families, their jobs and their country should they choose to vote otherwise. 

This story raises alarming concerns about corporations’ ability to influece the ways in which their employees vote. According to Amy Goodman at Democracy Now!, Koch is entirely within its legal right to pressure people in this manner because of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

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Two bills expected to clear the state legislature this session would give the green light to tolls on major highways around Puget Sound as a way to reduce traffic and greenhouse-gas emissions. A recent study says Washington State could raise $36 billion over 20 years through variable tolls.

Transportation is the single largest producer of carbon dioxide in Washington, so environmentalists say it makes sense to move toward tolls that take cars off the road.

So far so good.

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A Washington State panel has rejected plans for a 793-megawatt plant in Kalama, Cowlitz County, that would be fueled by coal or oil-refinery waste.

The coal plant was rejected on the grounds that it did not meet the State's new law that any new power plant must limit the amount of its global warming emissions to that of a highly efficient natural gas plant.

If a plant emits more than that, then it has to capture and sequester the extra emissions permanently.

Sustainablog has more. 

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A Washington state school board has imposed restrictions on Ex-vice president Al Gore’s film on global warming after several parents complained about their children viewing it at school. But none of the board members who voted for the restrictions has seen the film.