FUELS (Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition) * County fleet to burn cleaner fuel -- Snohomish County vehicles will rely more on biodiesel, ethanol and electricity, and electric-vehicle charging stations may come to park-and-ride lots. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090929/NEWS01/709299872#County.fleet.to.burn.cleaner.fuel The $1.1 million grant also should help the county fleet run on biodiesel, ethanol and electricity. "We've been pushing the envelope on this," county fleet manager Allen Mitchell said. "Somebody has to bite the bullet and make it happen." The grant money comes from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition awarded $15 million to other Washington projects: helping Sea-Tac International Airport convert to an all-electric ground-crew fleet; Whatcom County use methane from a dairy farm to power shuttle buses during the 2010 Vancouver, B.C., Winter Olympics; and colleges and universities develop clean-energy programs. ENERGY * Brothers Turn Cow Manure into New Source of Electricity http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=18500 Dairy cows make milk, and they make poop - 30 gallons a day. Now farmers can send the cow waste to machines that will convert it to electricity. * Green home insulation http://www.seattlepi.com/athome/410457_greeninsulation0923.html "Insulation only works in the absence of moving air," Knutson observes. "So you must make sure your air sealing is done properly - all the gaps, holes and seams have to be plugged. If there is air flow through the insulation - called wind-washing in the trade - you'll lose a tremendous amount of insulating capability, no matter what material you choose." * EnergyStar ratings systems may be in need of major updates -- Is the energy ratings system outdated? Consumer Reports seems to think so. http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/stories/energystar-ratings-systems-may-be-in-need-of-major-updates by far the most troubling aspect of the government's energy-efficiency program is that because most EnergyStar products aren't independently tested, companies are relied on to regulate themselves - essentially allowing the fox to police the henhouse... More than 70 percent of U.S. consumers know about the EnergyStar logo, and with the countless number of product claims out there today, that's no small feat. At the very least, EnergyStar serves as a good jumping off point for consumers who want to know more about a product's energy consumption. CLIMATE * EPA moves to regulate smokestack greenhouse gases http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090930/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_epa_greenhouse_gases The EPA proposed a rule Wednesday that would require polluters to install the best available technology to capture greenhouse gases whenever a facility is significantly changed or newly constructed. The rule applies to any industrial plant that emits at least 25,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year. hen the rule is final, the EPA said operators of as many 14,000 sources of pollution would have to get additional permits. The EPA action, announced the same day as a climate bill was introduce in the Senate, could put new pressure on Congress to pass legislation to avoid the federal rules. * Calif. OKs fee to pay for global warming program http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009943672_apuscaliforniagreenhousegases.html California air regulators have approved the nation's first statewide carbon fee on utilities, oil refineries and other polluting industries, despite industry objections. The money raised by the California Air Resources Board is intended to pay for the bureaucratic expenses of carrying out a 2006 law. It requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 25 percent over the next decade. The fee approved Friday will be imposed at the end of 2010 and raise $63.1 million annually during its first three years. The amount will level off at $36.2 million during the fifth year. * Climate control debate heats up in Senate http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090930/ts_nm/us_climate_usa President Barack Obama's drive to fight global warming got a boost on Wednesday as Democrats in the U.S. Senate unveiled a bill aimed at slashing greenhouse gas emissions in the next four decades. * US Senate to unveil bill to slash greenhouse gases http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090930/sc_afp/climateuspolitics But with Democrats and Republicans opposed on what measures to take, the final bill has little chance of being voted on before a key UN-sponsored climate conference in Copenhagen in December. MARITIME EMISSIONS * EPA Proposes New Emissions Standards for Oceangoing Vessels http://www.martenlaw.com/news/?20090930-new-vessel-emissions-standards EPA has proposed a new rule that establishes stringent nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions limits for marine diesel engines on U.S. oceangoing vessels, and fuel sulfur requirements. The proposed rule, which affects the maritime and petroleum industries, as well as engine and vessel manufacturers, is part of an EPA strategy to reduce air emissions from oceangoing vessels, at an annual projected cost of $3.11 billion by 2030. TOXICS * Study shows some reduction in Elliott Bay toxins http://www.seattlepi.com/local/410531_bay25.html But there was no significant change in levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper and nickel in Elliott Bay. Levels of other toxins increased. Those include zinc and some chemicals used in the production of plastic. Also increasing were some chemicals caused by the burning of fossil fuels, such as gasoline... Contaminants get to the bottom of Elliott Bay from air pollution, stormwater runoff, and river sediments. Industries, sewage-treatment plants and cars and trucks also contribute. GREEN LIVING * Learn how to go green at Renewable Living Fair http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090929/NEWS01/709299878#Learn.how.to.go.green.at.Renewable.Living.Fair. The fourth annual Green Everett Renewable Living Fair & Solar Home Tour is planned for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It's at the Snohomish County PUD Building, 2320 California St., Everett. Green Everett, with the Foundation for Sustainable Community, the Sustainable Snohomish Development Task Force of Snohomish County and the Snohomish County PUD sponsor the program. Find a day of ideas about sustainable and renewable energy. * How to buy green (and not get fooled) http://www.seattlepi.com/environment/408719_goodhouse268061.html Environmentally conscious consumers are reshaping the U.S. marketplace, and maybe you're one of them. Forty-two percent of Americans are willing to pay more for products labeled "environmentally friendly" or "organic," according to a 2005 survey by the research firm Global Market Insite - great news for marketers, who now package everything from lipstick to lemons in a way that suggests they're all somehow healthier for your family and/or kinder to the planet. VEHICLE EMISSIONS * A Non-Starter? Ask Umbra on anti-idling campaigns http://www.grist.org/article/2009-09-28-ask-umbra-on-anti-idling-campaigns/ First, let us reflect on why we are anti-idling. Idling a passenger car is almost always unnecessary, it wastes gas, and it produces myriad air pollutants. Schoolchildren's mouths are closer to both engine and tailpipe (by virtue of their height, not because they are licking engines), so these polluting emissions enter their sensitive young bodies with ease. Larger diesel engines, such as would be found in a school bus or delivery truck, have the same issues, only diesel fuel is dirtier than gasoline... No reputable source recommends idling. 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