HOME HEATING * Heating-oil customers facing difficult choices are eyeing other energy sources http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008082735_heatingoil31m .html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008082735_heatingoil31 m.html> Despite the price increases, anecdotal evidence suggests customers haven't defected in droves to other energy sources, and heating-oil resellers are working to keep it that way. They know that once customers convert to natural gas or forced-air electric heat, they're gone for good... At $4.75 a gallon, Seattle City Light estimates that average oil customers will pay between $1,462 and $2,315 a year for heating, depending on their furnace's efficiency. Natural gas customers will pay between $461 and $730 annually, while customers with electric furnaces will pay about $1,023 annually. Those with electric heat pumps will pay between $409 and $511 a year. * Home heating Q&A http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reader_feedback/public/displa y.php?id=751 <http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reader_feedback/public/displ ay.php?id=751> Andrew Gibb of Seattle City Light's conservation office Lea Wilson, executive director, Washington Oil Marketers Association Neil Kappen, general manager, Ballard Natural Gas Service * Maine Oil Dealers Insist Wood Fuel Harms Air Quality http://www.aer-online.com/mail/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content. 1819 <http://www.aer-online.com/mail/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content .1819> A new study released by the Maine Oil Dealers Association insists that the state's air quality will worsen if homeowners switch from oil heat to wood pellet thermal solutions. The Associated Press reports the study claims pellet stoves generate a higher level of particle pollution and air toxics than oil furnaces. The new study follows the recently announced draft recommendation of the Governor's Wood-to-Energy Task Force, which stated Maine homeowners and business operators could reduce their dependence on expensive oil heat by switching to wood fuels. TRANSPORTATION CHOICES * Annual savings from riding Metro instead of driving: $8,400 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008083745_webmetro31m.h tml <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008083745_webmetro31m. html> APTA calculates the average cost of taking public transit by determining the average monthly transit pass of local public-transit agencies across the country. APTA then compares the average monthly transit fare with the average cost of driving, using the 2008 AAA figures. APTA's calculations also assume a household gives up one midsize vehicle and that the person drives an average of 15,000 miles a year. * Crowded conditions on Seattle buses make Metro riders fume http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/07/28/story1.html <http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/07/28/story1.html> Bob Ferguson hates it when his regular bus, the 41 from Northgate to downtown Seattle, leaves him behind at his stop because it's already too full. One day, when he did make it onto the bus, he counted 60 other people who were unable to get on... But the agency, also hit by those fuel costs, says it doesn't have the money to add many new buses. As a result, Metro logged 310 complaints of rider crowding over a recent 15-week period. The messages detail hourlong standing marathons, botched appointments and fears about personal safety... While many people say they ride the bus to reduce their carbon footprint, gas prices seem to be main motive for new riders. * Walk the gas-saving walk in cute and comfy shoes http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2008080072_cutecomfyshoes30 .html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2008080072_cutecomfyshoes3 0.html> But first, a brief primer on the shoe as a commute-to-work device: Notwithstanding the continuing dominance of the faux ballet slipper, flats are not your friend - no arch support. Sneakers with business duds? C'mon, now, do you really want to look like the pre-makeover Melanie Griffith in "Working Girl"? Flip-flops? Please. News flash: You don't have to do the covert under-the-desk switcheroo. When it comes to shoes, cute and comfortable are not mutually exclusive. Seriously. * A vehicle-free experiment on Seattle streets this summer http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008082917_carfree31m0.h tml <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008082917_carfree31m0. html> To get people out of their cars and onto their feet, Seattle will close down major thoroughfares on Capitol Hill, in Rainier Valley and Alki for several weekend hours this summer. * You Know Gas Prices Are High When Texans Start Driving Golf Carts http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121746229279198963.html?mod=hpp_us_pageo ne <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121746229279198963.html?mod=hpp_us_page one> Low-Speed Electric Vehicles Catch On; Peters Family Jaunts in the Land of Giants <<You Know Gas Prices Are High When Texans Start Driving Golf Carts - WSJ_com.htm>> * Will you rev up that gas guzzler again as gas prices decline? http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/429391.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/429391.html> With gasoline getting closer to $4 a gallon, drivers are finally enjoying a shred of relief from what seemed to be an unrelenting surge in fuel prices. History indicates they could also return to their old habits if prices continue to drop, once again steering gas guzzlers onto highway entrance ramps as though crude oil never hit $147 a barrel. But many associated with hybrid vehicles and alternative energy say their latest effort will succeed. DIESEL - PORTS * Truckers sue over access to Los Angeles-area ports http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_re_us/port_pollution_lawsuit;_ ylt=ApiOEf1sEtyEuQEH5qtrTqms0NUE <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_re_us/port_pollution_lawsuit; _ylt=ApiOEf1sEtyEuQEH5qtrTqms0NUE> In the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the American Trucking Associations said it does not oppose efforts to clean up the air but is concerned that other measures in the plans violate federal laws by unfairly regulating prices, routes and services. The lawsuit claims the regulations favor bigger trucking companies over independent truckers and limit the number of trucks allowed to enter the ports, reducing market competition. NOTE: If the hyperlink to the article fails, contact Consuelo Flores. 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