Tom Banse

Correspondent Tom Banse is an Olympia-based reporter with more than three decades of experience covering Washington and Oregon state government, public policy, business, and breaking news stories. 

Goodbye to the Northwest’s last Aluminum Smelter

The Ferndale smelter was the next to last to open — in 1966 — and the last to shut down. Its forerunners spread out in Washington from Vancouver to Longview, Tacoma, Wenatchee and Spokane, and in Troutdale, Oregon, and Columbia Falls, Montana, as well as others. The massive plants churned out rods and ingots which would go on to be shaped into everything from soda cans to Boeing airplanes.

Catch the Buzz: A Return of the Mosquito Fleet?

“Investing in passenger-only ferries can put boats back on the water faster and cheaper, taking lessons from our maritime history and heritage to build a more connected, healthier and prosperous future for all of us."

Forgotten Aviation First: 100 Years ago this Month, Four Planes Took Off from Seattle to Circle the Globe

“It really is Seattle’s best kept secret in aviation that we played host to the first ever flight around the world,” said Elisa Law, executive director of Friends of Magnuson Park and centennial celebration coordinator.

Could a Hydrogen Plant Rise out of a Retired Whatcom County Smelter?

A federal report warned producers who make green hydrogen through electrolysis — as contemplated by all the potential Northwest projects — need to avoid cannibalizing renewable electric supply that would otherwise be used to help other industries transition to clean power.

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