PORTS * Maersk Line returning to Port of Seattle http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/04/13/daily34.html Twenty-four years after leaving Seattle for Tacoma, ocean carrier Maersk Line is returning to the Port of Seattle's Terminal 18 this spring. The move is a victory for the Port of Seattle in another way as well, because the carrier simultaneously will be moving the service from the Port of Los Angeles, and focusing it in Seattle. The reason for leaving Los Angeles is "avoiding potential congestion," according to an earlier statement by Maersk. <<Maersk Line returning to Port of Seattle - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle).htm>> * Holland America adding 14-day cruises from Seattle http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/04/13/daily21.html Next season, Holland America will offer 72 cruises out of Seattle, up from 61 cruises planned for the city this year. Holland America will use the new Pier 91 Smith Cove Cruise Terminal in Magnolia, which officially opens on April 24. Port of Seattle officials said that each time a homeport cruise docks in Seattle, activity related to the visit contributes about $1.7 million to area commerce. <<Holland America adding 14-day cruises from Seattle - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle).htm>> * As Cruises Move To Seattle, Vancouver Left In Wake http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1493552&sectionID=1 More Alaska cruise ships will set sail from Seattle next year. Cruise lines are adding departures from the city for the summer of 2010. But as KPLU's Brian Reed reports, that comes at the expense of Vancouver, BC. DIESEL * EPA, industry partners offer sneak preview of unique Michigan-developed green technology for moving cargo containers EPA Patented Technology Saves Fuel and Reduces Emissions http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/cb5e346743a3a0348525759a004e3bad!OpenDocument EPA and its industry partners have applied EPA's patented series hydraulic hybrid vehicle technology to the heavy-duty truck as part of the EPA National Clean Diesel Campaign's Clean Ports USA program. Hostlers are large, off-road vehicles used to transfer cargo containers at marine ports, rail yards, warehouses and distribution centers. The trucks spend about half of their time idling and contribute to air pollution generated in ports throughout the world. EPA's unique series HHV power train efficiently recovers, stores and reuses braking power while significantly reducing idling and optimizing engine operation to use less fuel and reduce air pollution. HHV technology has been demonstrated and field tested in a number of vehicles, including package delivery vehicles and refuse trucks. EPA believes this vehicle design can improve the efficiency of the yard hostler operation by 50-60 percent. TRANSPORTATION CHOICES * Bicyclists are changing our streets and cities http://www.seattlepi.com/connelly/405198_joel16.html TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS * Obama: Better trains foster energy independence http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1151ap_obama_rail.html President Barack Obama is calling for the country to move swiftly to a system of high-speed rail travel, saying it will relieve congestion, help clean the air and save on energy. Appearing with Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Thursday, Obama said the country cannot afford not to invest in a major upgrade to rail travel. He said he understands it necessarily will be "a long-term project" but said the time to start is now. LAND USE/PLANNING/DEVELOPMENT * King County considers protecting rural property from development http://www.seattlepi.com/local/405191_Charter16.html On Wednesday, the King County Council began a series of briefings, starting with a presentation on five of the 94 proposed locations, including Ames Lake Forest, Auburn Narrows Natural Area, Bass Lake Complex Natural Area, Belmondo Reach Natural Area, and Big Spring/Newaukum Creek Natural Area. CLIMATE * Likely EPA Decision A 'Game Changer' For Climate Policy? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ibd/20090414/bs_ibd_ibd/20090414feature;_ylt=Aik8RcYNFW69idxdBSE6k1Fpl88F Big Business, greens and lawmakers are all bracing for an announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency this week on regulating greenhouse gases. A declaration is widely expected but not officially scheduled. Experts predict it will assert the federal government's right to restrict emissions in the name of health. * EPA Publishes Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/da6feda8766c22d485257599004e446e!OpenDocument The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that overall emissions during 2007 increased by 1.4 percent from the previous year. The report, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007, is the latest annual report that the United States has submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change. * Massive emissions cuts can save Arctic ice: study http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090414/ts_alt_afp/usenvironmentclimatescience;_ylt=AtQqupdmqX0kBWZdK1SW7lVpl88F Cutting greenhouse gases by 70 percent this century would spare the planet the most traumatic effects of climate change, including the massive loss of Arctic sea ice, a study said Tuesday. Warming in the Arctic would be almost halved, helping preserve fisheries, as well as sea birds and Arctic mammals like polar bears in some regions, including the northern Bering Sea, according to scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). * Saturday, April 18: EPA Announces National Campaign to Help Fight Climate Change http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/77e255d200ed40d28525759a005e9f0e!OpenDocument The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will join CEOs from National Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and National Parent-Teacher Organizations Today to announce a new campaign to educate kids and their families about how they can help fight climate change. * McAfee Demonstrates Environmental Impact of Spam http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20090416/bs_nf/66010;_ylt=AhmxoLJ_Ul9.hjrWJwpywNdpl88F A week ahead of Earth Day, McAfee is offering insights into spam's impact on the environment. McAfee's research reveals that spam is not only a nuisance that hinders business productivity, it also damages the environment and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. * Palin sees gas drilling as step to curb global warming -- Alaska's governor steps away from past denials and tells Interior Secretary Ken Salazar at an Anchorage hearing that natural gas could ease 'the transition to green energy alternatives.' http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-palin15-2009apr15,0,3824210.story In the past, Palin has questioned the science behind predictions of sea ice loss. Her administration sued the federal government to block endangered species protections for polar bears, whose habitat is melting. When she was the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008, partisan crowds cheered her on by chanting, "Drill, baby, drill." But at Tuesday's hearing, she made it clear that she recognizes the problem of global warming, and she cast energy development as part of the answer. "Stopping domestic energy production of preferred fuels does not solve the issues associated with global warming and threatened or endangered species, but it can make them worse," she said. 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