CLIMATE * Inslee energy ideas are integral part of "robust, bold" energy and climate legislation http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/wa01_inslee/climatebillintro.shtml "Congressman Inslee's bill addressing black carbon will not only provide immediate climate benefits, it will provide significant air quality and public health benefits from reducing air pollution," said Dennis McLerran, Executive Director of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency in Seattle. "The inclusion of Congressman Inslee's black carbon strategies in the House climate bill is a big win for the Puget Sound region. In the Seattle/Tacoma area, the key sources of black carbon are wood burning for heating and diesel exhaust from ships, trucks, trains and other diesel equipment. These sources present the greatest public health risks and air quality challenges in the region. Addressing wood smoke and black carbon emissions is one of the quickest ways to reduce climate impacts and at the same time will help us reduce risk from asthma attacks, heart problems and cancer risk." * Inslee Energy Ideas are Integral Part of "Robust, Bold" Energy and Climate Legislation http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/97165 Bill is" big win for the Puget Sound region," says Executive Director of Puget Sound Clean Air Agency * Inslee Cap Included in House Climate Legislation http://publicola.net/?p=4118 Two other Inslee bills, like a bill that mandates a low carbon standard for transportation fuel and a bill that regulates black carbon emissions, were also included in the Waxman legislation. * EPA Will Hold Two Public Hearings on Proposed Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/dc33af26e8f66d6e8525758d0065689f!OpenDocument EPA will hold public hearings on April 6 and 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Arlington, Va., regarding the agency's proposal for the first national greenhouse gas reporting rule. EPA will consider written comments submitted during the comment period with the same weight as oral comments presented during the public hearing. * US, Germany top green ranking for stimulus plans http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090402/sc_afp/unclimatewarmingeconomyenergystimulus;_ylt=AiQQgJVR9llzRJ4H5TeipO5pl88F German and US economic recovery plans are more climate friendly that those in France, Britain or Italy, but all fall short of what is needed to avoid dangerous levels of global warming, according to a green ranking of stimulus plans released Thursday... The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said the price tag for keeping global temperatures from increasing more than 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) is one-to-three percent of global GDP. LAND USE/PLANNING/DEVELOPMENT * Kitsap Commissioners 'Step Back' on Incentive Program for Rural Development http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/apr/01/commissioners-145step-back-on-incentive-program/ Before allowing increased development in rural areas, it is critically important to understand the history and philosophy behind the "rural wooded incentive program," the Kitsap County commissioners decided Wednesday. Commissioners Steve Bauer and Charlotte Garrido said they would like to conduct a two- to three-hour "workshop" to establish goals and policies for the program, which could forever change the face of Kitsap County. Under the program, a property owner would be allowed to increase the average density from one home per 20 acres to four homes per 20 acres. To gain that "density bonus," the houses would be clustered together on one-fourth of the property, leaving three-fourths of the land in forested open space. TRANSPORTATION * Kitsap Transit Fares Go Up http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/apr/01/transit-fares-go-up-today/ Ticket prices on routed buses, Access vans and the foot ferry rose to $2, with reduced-fare riders paying $1. Access rides to outlying areas cost an additional $1. Monthly passes increased to $50 a month, $25 for reduced-fare riders. The fare increases are the third phase of the agency's three-pronged effort to make up a multimillion-dollar budget deficit created largely by a drop-off in local sales taxes. The increases are expected to bring in $800,000 a year. * State budget may benefit transit in Snohomish County -- Regional transit agencies could get millions if the state Senate wins in determining a transportation budget. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090402/NEWS01/704029909#State.budget.may.benefit.transit.in.county Efforts to expand commuter bus service between Everett and Seattle sped through the state Senate on Wednesday but stalled in the House. Sound Transit would get $5 million to buy express buses and Community Transit would receive $2.5 million for its growing bus rapid transit program in the transportation budget approved by the Senate. VEHICLE CHOICES * Car-sharing company Zipcar yesterday announced the launched of a pilot program for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) in its Bay Area fleet through a partnership with the city of San Francisco. http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/17703 HOME HEATING * As Winter Drags Into Spring, Many Need Help Keeping Heat On http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/apr/01/as-winter-drags-into-spring-many-need-help-heat/ Requests for food, housing and energy assistance are up 30 percent from a year ago, said Stacy Howard, spokeswoman for the Salvation Army's Northwest Division in Seattle. That includes a 17 percent increase for energy aid... The Salvation Army works with Puget Sound Energy on the Warm Home Fund, in which donations from PSE customers, employees and investors are used to help the need pay power and heating bills. Donations to the Warm Home Fund are up nearly 15 percent for the first two months of the year compared to 2008. PSE has already received $171,000 that has helped 1,100 residents. ENERGY * New Google maps show sensitive areas of West http://www.king5.com/localnews/environment/stories/NW_040109ENB-google-maps-sensitive-areas-KC.940a71c6.html The National Audubon Society and the Natural Resources Defense Council on Wednesday announced the creation of Google Earth maps of 13 western states intended to help steer renewable energy development away from sensitive areas. * TVA agrees to pursue renewable energy purchases http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090402/ap_on_re_us/tva_renewable_energy;_ylt=AgvDqOm.JuGYeiQQOgUJIAFpl88F In the face of looming legislative pressures for cleaner energy, the nation's largest public utility agreed Thursday to buy more than a nuclear reactor's worth of electricity from renewable energy sources. The Tennessee Valley Authority board gave President and CEO Tom Kilgore authority to sign contracts totaling up to 2,000 megawatts of renewable and clean energy by 2011, with some of the power entering TVA's seven-state system as early as 2010... The quantity of renewable energy being sought is substantially more than TVA will get from the $2.5 billion completion of a second 1,200-megawatt reactor at the Watts Bar nuclear station by 2013. * Developer replaces rundown motel with seven supergreen townhouses http://www.djc.com/news/ae/12004671.html James Morrow of Footprint Developments hired Johnston Architects to design the townhouses. They are expected to use about 50 percent less energy than traditionally built homes of a similar size. 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