FUELS * Governors envision eco-friendly fuels at I-5 rest stops http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008827158_greenfreeway08m.html Gov. Chris Gregoire and her counterparts in Oregon and California are considering a plan they hope would help transform Interstate 5 from a freeway ruled by gasoline burners to a haven for eco-friendly cars and trucks... As the plan stands, motorists eventually would be able to pull off at I-5 rest stops for more than a cup of coffee and roadside relief: They also would be able to charge, or swap out, their electric-vehicle batteries or fill their tanks with biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen or compressed natural gas. ENERGY * The North Star -- Sweden unveils 'ambitious' clean energy strategy http://www.grist.org/news/2009/03/11/Sweden/index.html The government said it now aims by 2020 for renewable energy to comprise 50 percent of all energy produced, for the Swedish car fleet to be independent of fossil fuels 10 years later and for the country to be carbon neutral by 2050... Sweden, which will take over the EU presidency in July, wants to secure its leadership on the issue ahead of the signing of a new global pact on climate change in Copenhagen in December. TRANSPORTATION * Port, industry fret over tunnel access -- 'Connectivity' in alternative to viaduct draws complaints http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/403044_port11.html Business leaders and port commissioners said Tuesday that the state's plans don't yet adequately address their need to move freight and people... City Ice President Kim Suelzle and Bill Sharp, Holland America Line's vice president of port operations, both said that the tunnel will complicate thousands of crucial truck and bus trips needed to shuttle fish and cruise passengers to the port's Terminal 91, whose $120 million cruise facility is scheduled to open this spring. * Stimulus money to pay for new buses in Snohomish County http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090310/NEWS01/703109892#Stimulus.money.to.pay.for.new.buses.in.Snohomish.County Community Transit and its bus riders stand to come out as big winners in the stimulus sweepstakes. The federal government could put up nearly $13 million toward 53 new buses for Community Transit -- including 23 double-deckers -- along with $1.1 million for maintenance of buses, stations and stops. Everett Transit could get $862,285 for maintenance and $450,000 for an automated voice system on its buses that would announce coming stops. Sound Transit could receive $4.6 million to go toward a planned $40.9 million bus station in the I-5 median in Mountlake Terrace. * Epicenter of Electric Car Movement http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29265210/ "The electric vehicle capital of the U.S." That's is what San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said he wants the Bay Area to become, as he unveiled the newest electric car-charging technology in the city Wednesday. * Gas, Natch: AT and T Goes for Natural-Gas Powered Fleet http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/03/11/gas-natch-at-and-t-goes-for-natural-gas-powered-fleet/ TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES * AT&T Invests in Alternative-Fuel Vehicles for Corporate Fleet http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123676879729393589.html#mod=testMod The Dallas-based telecommunications provider will purchase 8,000 vehicles that run on compressed natural gas for its fleet of installation and repair vans, and replace about 7,100 passenger cars with hybrid-electric models. The move expands on similar initiatives by companies like United Parcel Service Inc. and PG&E Corp., which already operate thousands of natural-gas-powered vehicles. <<AT&T Invests in Alternative-Fuel Vehicles for Corporate Fleet - WSJ_com.htm>> GREEN MOVEMENT / ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE * Obama Drafts Van Jones as Green Jobs Adviser <<http://www.usnews.com/blogs/fresh-greens/2009/3/10/obama-drafts-van-jones-as-green-jobs-adviser.html?s_cid=rss:fresh-greens:obama-drafts-van-jones-as-green-jobs-adviser>> Author, activist and think tank fellow Van Jones will be joining the Obama administration next week as a special adviser on green jobs, reported the White House Council on Environmental Quality today. He'll be in charge of controlling the stimulus cash that's dedicated to the creation of green jobs. Jones is the founder of "Green For All," an environmental group dedicated to bringing green jobs to the disadvantaged, and the author of "The Green Collar Economy." Environmental groups are, of course, thrilled with the decision - in their opinion, no one knows green jobs like Van Jones. * A new Van-tage point -- Van Jones talks to Grist about his new job as Obama's green jobs guru http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/3/10/142710/870 "I think it shows that President Obama is not just the first black president, he's the first green president," Jones said. "He's a civil rights professor who is also passionate about solving global warming. That's exactly what I'm about ... I'm just excited that it seems like the time has come for hybrid solutions that address the climate and poverty issues."... He said that his transition from outside agitator to government insider is indicative of the transition "green jobs" is making. * In Environmental Push, Looking to Add Diversity http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/science/earth/10move.html?_r=1 National environmental organizations have traditionally drawn their membership from the white and affluent, and have faced criticism for focusing more on protecting resources than protecting people. But with a black president committed to environmental issues in the White House and a need to achieve broader public support for initiatives like federal legislation to address global warming, many environmentalists say they feel pressure to diversify the movement further, both in membership and at higher levels of leadership. CLIMATE * Scientists warn seas to rise faster than expected http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008835298_apeudenmarkclimatechange.html Top climate scientists warned Tuesday that sea levels could rise twice as much as previously projected as they presented the latest research on global warming. A 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted a sea level rise of 7 to 23 inches (18 to 59 centimeters) by the end of the century. But scientists meeting in Copenhagen dismissed those estimates as too conservative, saying new data suggests that sea level rise could exceed 39 inches (1 meter) and is unlikely to be less than 20 inches (50 centimeters). * Leaked EPA document shows greenhouse gas endangerment finding on fast track http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/10/10greenwire-epa-document-shows-endangerment-finding-on-fas-10053.html The Obama administration is fast-tracking its response to the Supreme Court's 2007 climate decision with plans to issue a mid-April finding that global warming threatens both public health and welfare, according to an internal U.S. EPA document (pdf) obtained by Greenwire... That study is expected to wrap up internally by March 18, prompting a three-week, inter-agency review led by the White House Office of Management and Budget, the document shows. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson then intends to sign the endangerment finding April 16, followed by a 60-day public comment period and two public hearings before the document goes final. * EPA looks to require reporting of greenhouse gases http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008835670_apepagreenhousegases.html The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing mandatory reporting of the gases blamed for global warming at approximately 13,000 facilities nationwide... The information will be needed if it decides to control greenhouse gases or if Congress passes a law limiting the pollution. Companies would have to file their first reports in 2011. * EPA Proposes First National Reporting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/4bd0e6c514ec1075852575750053e7c0!OpenDocument The new reporting requirements would apply to suppliers of fossil fuel and industrial chemicals, manufacturers of motor vehicles and engines, as well as large direct emitters of greenhouse gases with emissions equal to or greater than a threshold of 25,000 metric tons per year. This threshold is roughly equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from just over 4,500 passenger vehicles. The vast majority of small businesses would not be required to report their emissions because their emissions fall well below the threshold. The direct emission sources covered under the reporting requirement would include energy intensive sectors such as cement production, iron and steel production, and electricity generation, among others. * Climate researchers seek citizen scientists http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008838705_buds11m.html Hilt, 70, is one of the last remaining lilac watchers in a network that once included 2,500 volunteers across the Western U.S. Their handwritten postcards grew into a powerful database that researchers have used to document how rising temperatures are hastening the onset of spring. Now, a national program is hoping to recruit a new corps of 100,000 citizen scientists to monitor climate impacts on the living world. This time, volunteers can gather data on a wide range of plant species, from dandelions to Douglas fir. Next year, the network will expand to include birds, bugs and other animals. REGULATIONS * Back to the Future: EPA Renews New Source Review Enforcement http://www.martenlaw.com/news/?20090305-nsr-enforcement-renewed Clinton-era enforcement of the Clean Air Act ("CAA") returned last month, as the Justice Department filed a complaint against Westar Energy, Inc. for allegedly failing to install the best available control technology ("BACT") at one or more of its coal-fired power plants. The complaint, brought under the New Source Review ("NSR") provisions of the CAA,[1] revives a line of NSR enforcement cases that date to an initiative the Clinton administration began in 1999. 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