OZONE * Low-level ozone exposure found to be lethal over time http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-ozone12-2009mar12,0,2086958.story An 18-year study shows an increased annual risk of death from respiratory illnesses, depending on the pollution level. It goes beyond studies that linked brief ozone spikes to short-term effects. * Ozone levels raise respiratory death rate: study http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090311/hl_nm/us_ozone_death;_ylt=AucLqtNOIjgPykSlVcZJVPBpl88F The study, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, shows that long-term exposure increased mortality, said Jerrett. "This is the first time we've been able to connect chronic exposure to ozone, one of the most widespread pollutants in the world, with the risk of death," he said. About 7.7 million people worldwide die from respiratory causes every year and the team reported that raising the ozone level by 10 parts per billion raises the likelihood of death from lung problems by 4 percent. * EPA seeks review of Bush smog standards http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/11/11greenwire-epa-seeks-review-of-bush-smog-standards-10093.html The Obama administration has asked a federal appeals court to stall proceedings over pollution limits for smog to give U.S. EPA more time to determine whether to revise the controversial Bush-era standards... The Bush EPA last March tightened its air pollution standards for ozone to 75 parts per billion (ppb), replacing the former standard of 84 ppb. But critics blasted the administration for ignoring EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, which recommended that the agency ratchet down the primary ozone standard to 70 ppb or lower. The health standard is supposed to establish the amount of ground-level ozone that an average person can breathe over eight hours without risking health problems. <<EPA seeks review of Bush smog standards - NYTimes_com.htm>> ENERGY * Cold spell sets PSE utility records http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/403270_pse13.html Puget Sound Energy says the cold weather this March has customer furnaces running and running... The utility has about one million electricity and 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties. They can expect some high numbers when they open their bills next month. * Seattle offers more help with utility bills http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/403214_eligibility12.html More Seattle residents might be eligible for help with their utility bills under an expanded program announced Wednesday by Mayor Greg Nickels. The Low-Income Rate Assistance Program offers families with an annual income of less than $53,124 a 50 percent reduction on their utility bills for up to 18 months. * U.S. seeks to spur renewable energy on public lands http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE52A64Q20090311 The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday said it has created a special task force to speed the development of renewable energy projects on federal lands... The task force will identify specific zones on public lands where the department can act rapidly to create large-scale production of solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy. * Energy vampires: Fact versus fiction http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/50/energy-vampires-fact-versus-fiction.html LAND USE/PLANNING/DEVELOPMENT * Editorial: A path to a healthier city http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090312/OPINION01/703129958#A.path.to.a.healthier.city About 70 bicycling enthusiasts turned out Tuesday night to share their ideas for improving the city's bike routes and trails. It was a serious, detailed exercise, complete with small- and full-group discussions on specific routes and sticky-dot voting to help prioritize a long list of potential improvements... The benefits of all this are clear. Offering convenient, safe routes for bicyclists will encourage more people to ride, easing traffic congestion and pollution. It increases the community's overall fitness level, reducing chronic health problems. In short, it makes Everett a better place to live, work and play. Who wouldn't get geared up about that? * Planning for future must consider climate change http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap_on_sc/sci_climate_change;_ylt=AggVjti12gLmMS8djdeCgn1pl88F Despite years of study and analysis, the world is unprepared for climate change and needs to rethink basic assumptions that govern things as varied as choosing cars and building bridges, the National Research Council reports. Current building, land use and planning practices assume a continuation of climate as it has been known in the past. TRANSPORTATION * Commute times down for some, up for others http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_031109WAB-wsdot-commute-times-LJ.24b9a0d0.html?rss Washington State Department of Transportation studied what Puget Sound drive times look like these days and the preliminary numbers show some significant fluctuations... King County Metro has seen a significant increase in bus ridership over the past year, but WSDOT cautions there are many variables that can affect drive times, including weather and construction. * More climb aboard Amtrak for cheaper travel http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090312/NEWS01/703129854&news01ad=1#More.climb.aboard.Amtrak.for.cheaper.travel Train ridership for both the Northwest and the nation set an all-time high. More than 774,000 people rode the Amtrak Cascades route in 2008 compared with 676,777 in 2007 -- a 14 percent increase and an all-time high for the route. The route was established 15 years ago... Big jumps in ridership also were seen last year on Puget Sound area commuter trains and buses. The Sounder commuter rail has continued that trend into 2009, carrying 1,118 passengers between Everett and Seattle in January -- a 15 percent increase over January 2008. EMISSIONS * Cutting pollution while cutting lawns http://www.king5.com/localnews/environment/stories/NW_030609ENB-mowing-pollution-KC.e172819.html The EPA says every year in this country more than a half billion gallons of gas are used to power lawn mowers. Some 25 to 35 percent escapes unburned.... Enter "Clean Air Lawn Care." The West Seattle business uses only electric powered equipment. The mowers, edgers and blowers are recharged between jobs right in the truck, which is fitted with a solar panel and battery system. Owner Adam Werner says last year, the business reduced air pollutants by 2,289 pounds, or the equivalent of 70,158 vehicle miles driven. PORTS * Carnival Cruise Lines to start sailing from Seattle in 2010 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2008843436_webcarnivalseattle11.html Carnival Cruise Lines will start sailing out of Seattle in 2010 for Alaska cruises, the first time the popular cruise line will base a ship here... Seattle has two cruise terminals. The new Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91, near Magnolia, will open on April 24. The Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal will continue to serve cruise ships on the downtown waterfront. There are expected to be 211 cruise ship calls in Seattle this season as the ships shuttle back and forth to Alaska for the late April-September season. Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International will sail out of the Smith Cove terminal; Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line will sail from the Bell Street terminal. CLIMATE * Pollution dims skies as well as befouling the air http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap_on_sc/sci_global_dimming;_ylt=AtWolpnYpOyqhXbDaQ9kyj4PLBIF "Creation of this database is a big step forward for researching long-term changes in air pollution and correlating these with climate change," Kaicun Wang, assistant research scientist in the University of Maryland, said in a statement. "And it is the first time we have gotten global long-term aerosol information over land to go with information already available on aerosol measurements over the world's oceans."... Changes in aerosols can affect weather and also may have an impact on climate, though past studies have been inconclusive. These pollutants can result in cooling by reflecting sunlight back into space, but they also can absorb solar energy, warming the atmosphere. * Clear Skies Have Become Less So Over Time, Data Show http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090312/hl_hsn/clearskieshavebecomelesssoovertimedatashow;_ylt=An5hbFp7.37rEWmMftvPULRpl88F Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are transparent and have no effect on visibility. Though the impact of greenhouse gases on climate change is well-established, scientists don't fully understand the effects of aerosols. The database is expected to provide answers. * Global warming to carry big costs for California http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap_on_sc/climate_change_california;_ylt=AvSlyMnY7TE2lAe3sQKBkelpl88F >From agricultural losses to devastation wrought by wildfires, California's economy is expected to see significant costs resulting from global warming in the decades ahead, according to a new report. Global warming could translate into annual costs and revenue losses throughout the economy of between $2.5 billion and $15 billion by 2050, according to a summary of cost analyses presented to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's climate advisers. * Population growth, climate change sparking water crisis: UN http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090312/sc_afp/unenvironmentwater;_ylt=AloswmOWt3ag9nf9a63wV9Npl88F Surging population growth, climate change, reckless irrigation and chronic waste are placing the world's water supplies at threat, according to a landmark UN report. Compiled by 24 UN agencies, the 348-page document gave a grim assessment of the state of the planet's freshwater, especially in developing countries, and described the outlook for coming generations as deeply worrying. * Scientists warn of 'irreversible' climate shifts http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap_on_re_eu/eu_denmark_climate_change_2 Hundreds of leading scientists warned Thursday that global warming is accelerating beyond the worst predictions and threatening to trigger "irreversible" climate shifts on the planet. Saying there's no excuse for inaction, the nearly 2,000 climate researchers meeting in Copenhagen urged policy-makers to "vigorously" implement the economic and technological tools available to cut emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. * Rapid action needed to save polar bears from climate change: WWF http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090312/sc_afp/arcticclimatewarminganimalwwf;_ylt=AnT983MpCjZIsybApoETm3tpl88F As many as two thirds of the 20-25,000 polar bears that roam the Arctic could disappear within the next 50 years due to global warming, according to recent estimates from the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. * Climate change effects seen in Antarctic winds http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap_on_sc/sci_antarctic_change;_ylt=Ar_QbVmFYiOP3vaZUwfMO8gPLBIF Changing wind patterns linked to global warming are altering the food chain in Antarctica and may lead to further increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. * Obama administration may revive carbon-capture project http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090311/sc_mcclatchy/3186515;_ylt=Ar5wGY1o2GVlJ7cXD0MY5mBpl88F As a candidate, President Barack Obama promised that his Department of Energy would work on a way for the United States to continue to get power from coal without dumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The work is already under way, and has been boosted with $3.4 billion in the stimulus plan. The DOE is expected to announce soon whether it will use $1 billion of that money to revive FutureGen , a planned coal-fired power plant in rural Illinois that would be the first in the world to capture its carbon dioxide emissions and bury them deep underground. 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