TRANSPORTATION CHOICES * House approves more funds for thriving public transit. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-transit27-2008ju n27,0,7172382.story <http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-transit27-2008j un27,0,7172382.story> As commuters increasingly turn to bus and rail lines because of soaring gasoline prices, public transit--long the poor relation of American travel--is finally getting respect, and money. <<House approves more funds for thriving public transit - Los Angeles Times.htm>> * Five Mile Drive to add car-free hours on Sundays http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/397923.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/397923.html> Point Defiance Park's Five Mile Drive will be closed to cars on Sunday mornings beginning July 5 for a two-month pilot project, Metro Parks Tacoma announced Wednesday. The popular scenic route, which winds through the forest of the 700-acre park, is already closed to cars until 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The park district plans to close it until 1 p.m. on Sundays as well during July and August. The pilot will provide a chance to survey park users and gather feedback from visitors, spokeswoman Nancy Johnson said. * Seattle anticipates more "car-free days" http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008020287_carfreedays27 m.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008020287_carfreedays2 7m.html> Lake Washington Boulevard and other Seattle streets are likely to have experimental "car-free days" later this summer as part of Mayor Greg Nickels' green agenda. The parks department has told lakeside residents that it proposes limiting traffic to bikes and pedestrians on Thursdays, and to increase the "Bicycle Saturdays and Sundays" to at least one a week. * Miles per gallon? Gallons per mile is another view http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2008019743_gallonspermile27 .html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2008019743_gallonspermile2 7.html> A paper called "The MPG Illusion" appeared last week in the journal Science... The report shows that people with inefficient cars can save substantially by just moderately increasing their fuel efficiency... In essence, they say, don't turn your nose up at what may seem like a small gain. It can still mean big savings. Not everyone is a good candidate for a tiny car, Larrick explained. A family of five or six needs a larger vehicle. But moving to even a slightly more efficient large car can be a big savings. * Smokey Point office commutes on horseback http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080626/NEWS01/329959842#Smokey.Point. office.commutes.on.horseback <http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080626/NEWS01/329959842#Smokey.Point .office.commutes.on.horseback> Dental office workers take an alternative method of transportation for a day LAND USE/TRANSPORTATION PLANNING/DEVELOPMENT * Interbay's dream is still just that -- It awaits zoning change to build urban village http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/368438_interbay26.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/368438_interbay26.html> An Interbay neighborhood group that has waited three years to create the kind of green, walkable, affordable, people-oriented urban village the city has pushed for elsewhere was told Wednesday that the dream must wait -- again. Expected legislation for a zoning change to allow greater heights for a mix of affordable housing, commercial development and neighborhood amenities is stalled in the Mayor's Office, members of the City Council's Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee were told Wednesday. * 8 viaduct options detailed http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/368681_viaduct27.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/368681_viaduct27.html> One replacement proposal even includes a 'trench' MARITIME/PORTS * Biofuel testing proving to be a success http://www.sustainableshipping.com/news/2008/5/72238?tag=2-4954-0-0&gsid =cc3f3015f8428a886beec1ad45c882bb&asi=1 <http://www.sustainableshipping.com/news/2008/5/72238?tag=2-4954-0-0&gsi d=cc3f3015f8428a886beec1ad45c882bb&asi=1> At a recent biofuels conference in Vancouver, Paul Brodeur, director of vessel maintenance for Washington State Ferries (WSF), revealed that tests using biofuels from different feedstocks on two of its vessels are going well. The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSTFD) began work with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) in 2007 to pilot test biodiesel from different food stocks. * Mayor enacts Port of Los Angeles clean truck program. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jun2008/2008-06-26-093.asp <http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jun2008/2008-06-26-093.asp> Moving to take thousands of polluting trucks off the road, Los Angeles today signed into law the Clean Truck Program, requiring all 16,000 diesel trucks at the Port of Los Angeles to meet some of the toughest environmental standards in the nation CLIMATE CHANGE * North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080627/sc_livescience/northpolecou ldbeicefreethissummer <http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080627/sc_livescience/northpoleco uldbeicefreethissummer> Arctic sea ice could break apart completely at the North Pole this year, allowing ships to sail over the normally frozen top of the world. The potential landmark thaw - the first time in human history the pole would be ice-free - is a stark sign of global warming, * Global Warming: Nature's fury http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/368577_climateed.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/368577_climateed.html> Hell hath no fury like Nature scorned. According to a new assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies, while global warming alone probably won't cause states to fail, it likely will bring about the sort of strife that would constitute a national security threat to the U.S.: Food and water shortages elsewhere will trigger migration patterns, leading to ethnic conflict and a spike in illegal immigration. * Court refuses to force EPA decision on global warming http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/368652_warming27.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/368652_warming27.html> Latest proposal being modified by the White House * Global warming chase plants uphill. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25400941/ <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25400941/> For the first time, research can show the "fingerprints of climate change" in the distribution of plants by altitude, and not only in sensitive ecosystems, said Jonathan Lenoir of AgroParisTech in Nancy, France. * Calif. unveils plan to cut greenhouse gases. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91934930 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91934930> California's Air Resources board has announced a draft plan to radically cut greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with a 2006 state law to combat global warming. * California unveils ambitious plan to combat climate change. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,372544,00.html <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,372544,00.html> California air regulators on Thursday released the country's most sweeping global warming plan, outlining ambitious measures for cleaner cars, renewable energy and a cap on major polluters. ENERGY * Citing need for assessments, U.S. freezes solar energy projects. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/us/27solar.html?_r=1&oref=slogin <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/us/27solar.html?_r=1&oref=slogin> Faced with a surge in the number of proposed solar power plants, the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, expected to take two years <<Citing Need for Assessments, U_S_ Freezes Solar Energy Projects - NYTimes_com.htm>> * When they do go out, bulbs need recycling http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080623/OPINION01/241851950/-1/OPINION #When.they.do.go.out.bulbs.need.recycling <http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080623/OPINION01/241851950/-1/OPINIO N#When.they.do.go.out.bulbs.need.recycling> The benefits of CFLs outweigh the concerns about mercury, but the bulbs must be recycled... Currently, Snohomish County provides nine free drop off locations for household CFLs: three transfer stations, five drop boxes and one moderate risk waste facility. 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