OUTDOOR BURNING * Days of Clearing Land Via Fire May Soon End in Kitsap http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/19/days-of-clearing-land-via-fire-may-soon-end-in/ The days of clearing land for houses and then burning the woody debris will soon be over in Kitsap County, officials say. The board of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency agreed that land-clearing burning should end Sept. 1 to protect public health. A similar ban was imposed last summer in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties... Contractors have consistently complained about the new rule, saying it will add to the cost of housing, but health officials welcome the change... The new burn ban was imposed to reduce smoke and to protect the health of people in rural areas. The mixture of gases and fine particles contained in smoke can cause irritation of eyes and lungs for healthy people but may aggravate conditions and cause early death for people suffering from chronic heart and lung diseases, according to Jan Brower of the Kitsap County Health District. * Will Mukilteo ban fire pits on its sandy waterfront? http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090622/NEWS01/706229942#Will.Mukilteo.ban.fire.pits.on.its.sandy.waterfront There are six formal fire pits at the park, but people often light fires on the sand, which dirties the park and poses safety hazards. PUGET SOUND CLEAN AIR AGENCY * KWPX Northwest Focus: Puget Sound Clean Air http://nwfocus.blip.tv/file/2262127/ Despite the development in Puget sound, air quality remains high. This week, Erin talks to Jim Nolan of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency about the role they play in maintaining air quality. (28 minutes) GREEN DIVERSITY / ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE * Environmental movement needs diversity, local groups say http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thebusinessofgiving/2009350492_post_5.html Low income neighborhoods and communities of color often experience more direct negative effects of a polluted world, but they are not well represented in the environmental movement. Only 18 percent of people of color who live in King County say the environmental quality in their neighborhood is excellent, compared with 40 percent of whites, according to a survey by Elway Research. Restoring a healthy environment in the Puget Sound area means "we must expand the environmental movement and include people from diverse backgrounds and cultures," the Seattle Foundation said in its report on priorities for 2009 and beyond. * Healthy Community Report ("Environment " discussion starts on page 20) http://www.seattlefoundation.org/page10004386.cfm The report features a chapter dedicated to each element of a healthy community-including issues and solutions, ways individuals can give strategically and examples of effective organizations. It also features a series of seven columns by a variety of community leaders and profiles of some of the Foundation's innovative and inspirational donors. ENERGY * Sewage Plant's Gas Helps It Move Away From the Grid http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/19/sewage-plants-gas-helps-it-move-away-from-the/ West Sound officials hope not only to make better use of the methane they have, they plan to generate more of the gas to heat buildings, run generators and possibly even produce excess energy that could be sold back to Puget Sound Energy... West Sound now spends $14,000 to $17,000 dollars per month on power. Although it will probably never be able to go entirely off the grid, the district could potentially save up to $8,000 per month by using methane as an alternative energy source, Poppe said. TRANSPORTATION * Stimulus Funds on Way to Kitsap Transit, State Ferries http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/19/stimulus-funds-on-way-to-kitsap-transit-state/ Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, announced Friday that $20 million has been released for Washington state mass transit projects, including $2.8 million for Kitsap Transit and $5.2 million for Washington State Ferries. Kitsap Transit, as determined in early March, will get $1.9 million for new vans, $875,000 for a small ferry for its Port Orchard-Bremerton route, and $95,000 for its Charleston-base expansion. * Tunnel ready for July 6 grand opening http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/kitsap/pat/news/48562307.html The $54 million tunnel project, started in July 2007 to route ferry traffic away from pedestrian traffic in the Bremerton downtown area, is near completion and ready for the July 6 grand opening. * Snohomish mulls train service http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090623/NEWS01/706239904#Snohomish.mulls.train.service A railroad operator, GNP Railway, plans to run an excursion train from Woodinville to Snohomish as early as the end of this year. Owner Tom Payne wants to bring that train into town -- if the city lets him.... City staff also would like to work with a transportation think tank, Discovery Institute's Cascadia Center, on a plan to bring commuter rail to Snohomish. * 'Cash for clunkers' plan passed by Congress with rebates up to $4,500 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009319032_apuscashforclunkersglance.html A look at a plan passed by Congress to provide consumers with rebates of up to $4,500 to turn in their gas-guzzling cars and trucks for more fuel-efficient vehicles. -The $1 billion program is authorized from July through November. It is expected to be implemented by early August. -Passenger car owners could receive a voucher worth $3,500 if they traded in a passenger car getting 18 miles per gallon or less for a new car getting at least 22 mpg. -Owners of SUVs, pickup trucks or minivans that get 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new SUV, truck or minivan gets at least 2 miles per gallon more than their old vehicle. -Older trade-in vehicles must be in drivable condition, be manufactured in model year 1984 or later and be continuously insured and registered to the same owner for at least one year immediately prior to trade-in. * Toyota gets 180,000 orders for new Prius hybrid http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009231958_apasjapantoyotaprius.html Toyota Motor Corp. got 180,000 orders for the new Prius hybrid in Japan in just a month, far surpassing its target of 10,000 vehicles in monthly sales, the automaker said Friday... The new Prius is just starting to arrive in the U.S., where sales for last month totaled just 700. Dealers are still selling mostly the second-generation Prius, making for total Prius sales of 10,091 for May, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said. * Nissan to mass produce electric cars in 2012 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009371953_apasjapannissan.html Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday its electric vehicles will be affordable, setting sights on the potentially lucrative market with a plan to mass produce zero-emission cars globally from 2012. Japan's No. 3 automaker said it would unveil its first electric vehicle in Japan on August 2 and begin sales next year. Nissan will sell electric cars first in Japan and the U.S. after April 2010, and then mass produce them globally in 2012. * Ford, Nissan, Tesla to get fed energy loans http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090623/BIZ/706239816/1005#Ford.Nissan.Tesla.to.get.fed.energy.loans The Energy Department said today it would lend $5.9 billion to Ford Motor Co. and provide about $2.1 billion in loans to Nissan Motor Co. and Tesla Motors Inc., making the three automakers the first beneficiaries of a $25 billion fund to develop fuel-efficient vehicles. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the loan recipients at Ford's Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn. The loans to Ford will help the company upgrade factories in five Midwest states to produce 13 fuel-efficient vehicles. CLIMATE * Parks aim to reduce visitor emissions, their own http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009372700_webparkemissions23m.html The National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency have started the Climate Friendly Parks network program to help parks address climate change. Parks must measure their amounts of emissions, come up with plans to curb them and educate the public on what they can do to help... National parks, like other federal agencies, have already been under orders to reduce energy and gasoline use. But the Obama administration has pushed greening parts of government further, including replacing government fleets with more fuel-efficient cars and trucks. Parks are turning down thermostats and sealing windows, providing loaner bikes to employees and installing food composting and recycling bins. One recent morning at Mount Rainier, workers climbed atop the park's emergency operations center and installed 48 solar panels to provide energy to the building. They have also added dual-flush toilets that reduce water use and use electric vehicles to pick up trash at campgrounds. Each year, Mount Rainier creates greenhouse gas emissions equal to about 1,100 households. Visitors to Mount Rainier account for two-thirds of the 12,170 metric tons the park emits each year, mostly in driving to the park and inside it. * New Student Toolkit Shows Climate Change Impacts on Wildlife and Habitats http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/1225dd77120dc58e852575de00599390!OpenDocument EPA is releasing a new toolkit to enhance middle school students' understanding of climate change impacts on our nation's wildlife and the habitats on which they depend. The kit, "Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands Toolkit for Formal and Informal Educators," contains case studies and activities based on climate science, environmental education and stewardship information. It is designed to educate and engage students to become stewards of wildlife and ecosystems. EPA partnered with six other federal agencies in developing this new kit, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management. * Commentary: Global warming: Want to see Northwest impacts? Just look around http://www.seattlepi.com/connelly/407375_joel19.html ASBESTOS * EPA cites health emergency in Montana http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2009352910_asbestos18.html The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday declared its first "public-health emergency," saying the federal government will funnel $6 million to provide medical care for people sickened by asbestos from a mine in northwest Montana. NOTE: If the hyperlink to the article fails, contact Consuelo Davis. Consuelo Davis Communications Dept. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency 206-689-4074 consueloD@pscleanair.org Bill Smith Senior Environmental Specialist City of Tacoma Solid Waste Management 3510 S. Mullen Street Tacoma, WA 98409 253-593-7719 Phone 253-591-5547 Fax