NONATTAINMENT * It's official - EPA calls area state's 'sootiest' http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/575726.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/575726.html> The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made the call Monday (12/22), fulfilling a promise made in August. The agency does not say "sootiest." Regulators don't like simple words. Instead, they say certain areas in 25 states don't meet daily standards for fine particle pollution, also known as PM 2.5. Translation: airborne soot. * Parts of Pierce County exceed air standards http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008549837_webpollution2 2m.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008549837_webpollution 22m.html> The EPA today notified the state of the nonattainment area, which includes Tacoma, Puyallup and other parts of Pierce County. The area is one of 211 in the nation that didn't meet national outdoor air quality standards. The EPA says Washington state and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency have been working on reducing the level of pollution. * EPA: 7 Western states fall below new air standards http://www.thenewstribune.com/tacoma/24hour/nation/story/575839.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/tacoma/24hour/nation/story/575839.html> In the western United States, Utah, Montana, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California and Alaska had "nonattainment areas" exceeding the standards, which were toughened in 2006. Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Nevada had no nonattainment areas. * EPA Makes Decision to Designate Areas Not Meeting Standards for Fine Particle Pollution http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69 d/1036d3ae95185be285257527006c30fd!OpenDocument <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb6 9d/1036d3ae95185be285257527006c30fd!OpenDocument> EPA has notified 25 governors and 23 tribal leaders that certain areas in their states and tribal lands do not meet the agency's daily standards for fine particle pollution, also known as PM 2.5... EPA closely reviewed recommendations from states and tribes along with public comments before making its decision to designate 211 counties and parts of counties as not meeting EPA's PM 2.5 standards. These areas, called nonattainment areas, include counties with monitors violating the standards and nearby areas that contribute to that violation. * EPA Designates Areas as Attainment and Nonattainment for the 24-Hour PM2.5 National Air Quality Standards http://www.epa.gov/pmdesignations/2006standards/regs.htm#3 <http://www.epa.gov/pmdesignations/2006standards/regs.htm#3> DIESEL SOLUTIONS * The dangers of diesel http://www.dispatchnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&ArticleI D=1761&TM=50361.07 <http://www.dispatchnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&Article ID=1761&TM=50361.07> Besides cancer, diesel exhaust also causes or contributes to asthma, respiratory disorders and many other diseases. In fact, Harborview Hospital in Seattle has a clinical program just for cardiac illnesses induced by diesel exhaust. Fortunately, area officials are taking steps to lessen the health impacts of diesel. BURN BAN LAW * Know the rules on wood-burning heat sources during cold weather http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/fwm/news/36244354.html <http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/fwm/news/36244354.html> When a ban is in effect, PSCAA increases surveillance of neighborhoods, looking for violators. If the PSCAA finds smoke coming out of a chimney, that home is automatically sent a $1,000 fine. Homeowners can appeal the fine; in fact, Schultz recommends that. Exceptions will be made for those whose only source of heat is the wood-burning fireplace. Also, the agency is open to alternatives including the homeowners removing or replacing the wood stove or learning about cleaner burning... "People think they have the right to burn," Schultz said. "But they don't understand that their neighbors have the right to clean air. It's our job to protect them too." ENERGY * Region, China seal 'ecopartnership' http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/568928.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/568928.html> The Port of Seattle and the City of Tacoma have entered into partnership with one of the largest ports in China, hoping to create a global model for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability... The partnership was part of a larger agreement made between the United States and China in June. That agreement, called the Ten Year Framework on Energy and Environment Cooperation, emphasizes goals of clean air and water, clean, efficient transportation and conserving forests and wetlands. Initial talks on the agreements were held in Gig Harbor last March. PORTS * Business slow at ports, but they plan for future http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/568925.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/568925.html> Union dockworkers are finding there isn't enough work to go around. Big cargo ships are joining the ranks of the unemployed. And yet, the people who run the nation's largest container ports are convinced that now is the time to build for the future... At the Port of Los Angeles, the more than $2 billion in projects on their capital improvement plans, officials say, would employ thousands of regional workers. The projects, they contend, would reduce pollution by using newer green technologies. Meanwhile at the Port of Tacoma, officials are proceeding with a similar project, creation of a container terminal on the isthmus of land between the Blair and Hylebos Waterways. CLIMATE * Greenhouse gas plan won't be top priority http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/environment/story/575731.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/environment/story/575731.html> Recognizing a tough budget situation, the state is planning to pursue a less aggressive plan to curb climate change than many had hoped. The centerpiece of the plan is a regional cap-and-trade system that would limit the amount of greenhouse gases that industrial polluters emit while allowing them to buy and trade credits so that they can produce more. But some of the ambitious recommendations put forth by a task force that Gov. Chris Gregoire convened last year likely won't be pursued when the Legislature convenes next month. * Commentary: Obama should increase federal gas tax or impose carbon tax http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/394007_friedmanonline30.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/394007_friedmanonline30.html> The two most important rules about energy innovation are: 1.) Price matters -- when prices go up people change their habits. 2.) You need a systemic approach. It makes no sense for Congress to pump $13.4 billion into bailing out Detroit -- and demand that the auto companies use this cash to make more fuel-efficient cars -- and then do nothing to shape consumer behavior with a gas tax so more Americans will want to buy those cars. As long as gas is cheap, people will go out and buy used SUVs and Hummers. There has to be a system that permanently changes consumer demand, which would permanently change what Detroit makes, which would attract more investment in battery technology to make electric cars, which would hugely help the expansion of the wind and solar industries -- where the biggest drawback is the lack of batteries to store electrons when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining. A higher gas tax would drive all these systemic benefits. * Over 2T tons of ice melted in arctic since '03 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081216/ap_on_sc/sci_arctic_ice <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081216/ap_on_sc/sci_arctic_ice> More than 2 trillion tons of land ice in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska have melted since 2003, according to new NASA satellite data that show the latest signs of what scientists say is global warming... Other research, being presented this week at the geophysical meeting point to more melting concerns from global warming, especially with sea ice. "It's not getting better; it's continuing to show strong signs of warming and amplification," Zwally said. "There's no reversal taking place." * Obama left with little time to curb global warming http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081215/ap_on_sc/global_warming_obama <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081215/ap_on_sc/global_warming_obama> But there are powerful political and economic realities that must be quickly overcome for Obama to succeed. Despite the urgency he expresses, it's not at all clear that he and Congress will agree on an approach during a worldwide financial crisis in time to meet some of the more crucial deadlines. Obama is pushing changes in the way Americans use energy, and produce greenhouse gases, as part of what will be a massive economic stimulus. He called it an opportunity "to re-power America." * Editorial: Obama Appointments --Valuing science http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/392463_scienced.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/392463_scienced.html> It's almost a new day for science, energy and rational federal decision-making. President-elect Barack Obama's selection of more top advisers represents a much-needed commitment to serious examination of major energy, climate and environmental issues. In naming several energy and environmental nominees, Obama showed very high standards... The Bush White House's arrogant, ideological disregard for science and facts provoked what could prove disastrous delays on dealing with global warming and fossil fuels... Science: no longer a dirty word in the White House after Jan. 20. * Global warming outlook dire for Rogue Valley http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/392414_rogueriver17.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/392414_rogueriver17.html> A new report by Oregon researchers says if global warming isn't curbed, summer temperatures in the Rogue River Valley could rise as much as 15 degrees by 2080, making the weather there similar to Sacramento's. Researchers said the changes would likely boost wildfires and spell trouble for fish, forests, pears, pinot noir and people, who would see snowpacks and water supplies dwindle. * Commentary: Arctic melt passes the point of no return http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/392416_pointnoreturnonline17.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/392416_pointnoreturnonline17.html > * Commentary: Latin America's accidental environmentalists http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/392421_latinonline17.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/392421_latinonline17.html> More destructive hurricanes, shrinking forests, melting glaciers, disappearing animals: The prospective damage to Latin America and the Caribbean from climate change makes for grim reading. A new World Bank report, timed to coincide with a United Nations conference in Poland, tries to put numbers to the potential economic cost... The authors reckon that left unchecked, climate change might cause a fall of 12-50 percent in farm revenues by the end of the century. According to another study, this could mean an annual cut in GDP of 0.23-0.56 percent. This would worsen rural poverty. It would also entail the shrinking of a number of habitats, whose eventual disappearance would in turn speed up the process of global warming. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING * Port of Seattle urges more study of viaduct tunnel hybrid http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008524946_webviaduct16m .html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008524946_webviaduct16 m.html> In a unanimous motion, commissioners said the options recommended by transportation planners last week are flawed: A surface option would not meet the needs of shipping and cruise industries; an elevated option might limit downtown-to-waterfront connections. Commissioners said a "subsurface hybrid" plan would provide capacity for future growth, create jobs and enhance the waterfront. * Opinion: Viaduct -- Leave the elevated option by the side of the road http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/392470_viaduct17.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/392470_viaduct17.html> One of those options looks toward the future, while the other ignores decades of knowledge about what makes great cities. One offers the prospect of an environmentally and economically sustainable leading city; the other sets us back 50 years. 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