OUTDOOR BURNING * Stagnant air makes flood cleanup even trickier http://www.king5.com/localnews/environment/stories/NW_011209ENB-flood-cl eanup-air-KC.16f14ef.html <http://www.king5.com/localnews/environment/stories/NW_011209ENB-flood-c leanup-air-KC.16f14ef.html> Just when you thought nature had thrown just about everything it has at us, another weather problem is forming. This time it's stagnant air and some methods of flood cleanup can make that problem a lot worse... Homes and yards are covered with once cherished items that are now waterlogged and worthless, some are destined for burn piles that send unhealthy smoke through rain-soaked valleys... Flood victims trying to catch their breath may find their next one filled with unhealthy smoke. "Burning these materials creates toxic emissions. Burning fabrics like carpet create toxic organic chemicals," said Nolan... Waste managers invite and encourage residents to bring in furniture, appliances, and anything that has to go for free. * W. Wash. flood clean-up information http://www.king5.com/sharedcontent/northwest/specialreport/stories/NW_01 1209WAB-flood-debris-cleanup-info-SW.a0070a.html <http://www.king5.com/sharedcontent/northwest/specialreport/stories/NW_0 11209WAB-flood-debris-cleanup-info-SW.a0070a.html> * Permits needed to burn flood, storm debris http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2009news/2009-007.html <http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2009news/2009-007.html> In counties where a state of emergency has been declared, permits can be issued so residents can burn natural vegetation left on the land by storms or floods. Debris must be burned by the property owner or a designee on the same land where it was deposited, according to Washington law. It's illegal to burn anything other than natural vegetation for disposal. Permits for burning woody storm debris may be issued if no other alternatives are available. AIR RULES * Ecology seeks comments on changes to rules on air toxics http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2009news/2009-008.html <http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2009news/2009-008.html> Washington businesses and residents can comment on proposed changes to the state's air toxics rules during two public hearings next week. The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is changing its rules for toxic air pollutants (Chapter 173-460 WAC) and general sources of air pollution (Chapter 173-400 WAC). Both of these rules apply to new or modified sources of toxic air pollution. * Air Permit Policy Revised for Aggregating Facility Changes http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f533 7/9530633c6a9c3c938525753c006a16c8!OpenDocument <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f53 37/9530633c6a9c3c938525753c006a16c8!OpenDocument> EPA has issued a final rule under the New Source Review (NSR) program that revises the agency's policy on "aggregation." For the purpose of determining whether NSR applies, a facility should group together, or aggregate, emissions from multiple related changes into one single project, only if those activities are substantially related. CLIMATE * Soot-coated snow melting too fast http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/592969.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/592969.html> Soot from diesel trucks, smoke stacks and other fossil fuels lands on snow and darkens it. The dirty snow, compared with pristine white snow, reflects less sunlight and soaks up more heat, melting snowpacks as much as a month early in the spring in the West... Previous studies have looked at the effect of dirty snow on climate, but this is the first to look at it on a regional scale. The study will be published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres. * Blame recurring floods on a triple whammy -- Logging, climate change, developers http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395373_enviroflood09.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395373_enviroflood09.html> Meanwhile, climate change appears to be increasing the incidence of extraordinarily heavy rainstorms, scientists say. * Global warming will be a killer for agriculture, UW scientists say http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008606940_warming09m.ht ml <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008606940_warming09m.h tml> When searing heat waves blasted Western Europe in 2003, more than 50,000 people perished and harvests of corn, wheat and fruit fell by up to a third. Imagine those temperatures being the norm over much of the world, and you'll have an idea of what the future is likely to hold for agriculture - and humanity, says a new report from scientists at the University of Washington and Stanford University. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING * Gregoire announces tunnel plans; car-tab taxes might help pay for it http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008622393_webviaduct13m .html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008622393_webviaduct13 m.html> "This is not just about replacing a road. This is about building a 21st Century city," Gov. Chris Gregoire said at news conference in Seattle, discussing at length the ideas from many sources, including environmentalists, who wanted a non-highway waterfront with more transit... More transit would be needed as the tunnel, two lanes each direction, instead of the three lanes each direction on the viaduct and lack a Western Avenue exit serving Belltown, Interbay and Ballard. The county says 17,000 daily transit trips would be added because of the project. * Viaduct choice: It's a tunnel -- Project would cost more than $4 billion and take more than 9 years to complete http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395724_viaduct13.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395724_viaduct13.html> The new tunnel plan would be paid for with roughly $2.8 billion the state set aside for the project. The surface street elements, including a waterfront park, would be paid for by the city. The capital and operating investments in transit would be covered by King County. But the ultimate tunnel cost could require other funding. * City readies 520 Bridge recommendations for state -- Council to send three 6-lane options http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395787_520BRIDGE13.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395787_520BRIDGE13.html> The Legislature required the city to weigh in on plans when it passed the bill creating the mediation effort to break the bridge-design stalemate on the Seattle side of the bridge. TRANSPORTATION CHOICES * Toyota unveils 2010 Prius that boasts 50 mpg http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008619588_apau toshowtoyotaprius.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008619588_apa utoshowtoyotaprius.html> Toyota Motor Corp.'s sleeker, more fuel-efficient update to its iconic Prius goes on sale this spring in a market growing more crowded with competing hybrids and battered by the global financial crisis. But the Japanese automaker's executives are confident that the third-generation gas-electric Prius, which promises a city-highway average of 50 miles to the gallon, will maintain its spot as the top-selling hybrid in the U.S... The highly anticipated 2010 Prius boasts a 4 mpg improvement over the current model, which already is the most fuel-efficient vehicle ranked by the Environmental Protection Agency. When the Prius first was sold in the U.S. in 2000, it got 41 mpg... The new Prius debuted a day after Honda unveiled its next-generation hybrid, the 2010 Insight, which will arrive in U.S. showrooms this April and is expected to compete head-on with the Prius. Honda Motor Co. said the Insight will have a lower price than the Civic Hybrid. * Nifty new cars get greener http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/593028.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/593028.html> Stefan Jacoby, Volkswagen's top U.S. executive, said Monday at the auto show that VW would build hybrid and diesel versions of a future successor to the Jetta sedan, an unnamed midsize sedan and two other vehicles under development. * All's Well That Ends Oil -- On biodiesel vs. hybrids http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2009/01/12/index.html <http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2009/01/12/index.html> Using the EPA's handy charts, I chose the '06 diesel VW Bug to go up against the Prius. In 100 miles at 45 mpg, the Prius emits 53.3 pounds of CO2. Over the same 100 miles, the 34 mpg Bug will release 81 pounds on diesel, 21 pounds on B100, and 67 pounds on B20... Diesel fuels are also responsible for significant particulate matter emissions, which are almost all reduced with both B100 and B20. Nitrogen oxides are slightly increased. ENERGY * Snohomish PUD wishlist: $1 billion for green energy efforts http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090112/NEWS01/701129918#PUD.wishlist. %241.billion.for.green.energy.efforts <http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090112/NEWS01/701129918#PUD.wishlist .%241.billion.for.green.energy.efforts> Snohomish County PUD hopes a change in the White House will help it pay for major renewable energy projects during the next four years. As President-elect Barack Obama calls for an epic economic stimulus plan, the utility is sending Congress a wish list that includes nearly $1 billion in investments for tidal, geothermal, solar and low-impact hydro-electricity projects. Proponents say the green initiatives parallel Obama's campaign pledge to create millions of so-called green collar jobs and his call for more research and development of renewable energy resources. * Chu warmly received at Senate confirmation hearing http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/13/national/w00 1513S72.DTL&tsp=1 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/13/national/w0 01513S72.DTL&tsp=1> Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu promised Tuesday that if confirmed as energy secretary he will aggressively pursue policies aimed at addressing climate change and achieving greater energy independence by developing clean energy sources. But he also told lawmakers that he views nuclear power and coal as critical parts of the nation's energy mix and said he was optimistic that ways can be found to make coal a cleaner energy source by capturing its carbon dioxide emissions. * Exposing the Myth of Clean Coal Power http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1870599,00.html <http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1870599,00.html> If you paid any attention to last year's Presidential campaign, you'll remember ads touting the benefits of "clean coal" power, sponsored by the industry group American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. (The ads featured lumps of coal plugged into an electrical cord.) Designed in part to respond to the growing green campaign against coal power - which accounts for about 30% of U.S. carbon emissions - the ads promised high-tech and eventually carbon-free power, emphasizing coal's low cost compared to alternatives, its abundance in America and its cleanliness. The "clean coal" campaign was always more PR than reality - currently there's no economical way to capture and sequester carbon emissions from coal, and many experts doubt there ever will be. But now the idea of clean coal might be truly dead, buried beneath the 1.1 billion gallons of water mixed with toxic coal ash that on Dec. 22 burst through a dike next to the Kingston coal plant in the Tennessee Valley and blanketed several hundred acres of land, destroying nearby houses. NOTE: If the hyperlink to the article fails, contact Consuelo Davis. Consuelo Davis Communications Dept. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency 206-689-4074 consueloF@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