AIR QUALITY & HEALTH * South Seattle residents criticize cancer risk study -- Factors excluded, authors concede http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/384414_airpollution22.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/384414_airpollution22.html> Officials are looking for ways to plug the gaps in their knowledge, but are moving ahead to reduce pollution from diesel and wood smoke now, said Dave Kircher, air resources manager for the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, who had asked meeting participants for help in persuading the Legislature to fund more air pollution studies. * Study: Smog chops 2 months off Mexicans' lives <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081028/ap_on_sc/lt_mexico_pollution;_ylt=A hCAZnM22czKnjqaTW2WYOus0NUE <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081028/ap_on_sc/lt_mexico_pollution;_ylt=A hCAZnM22czKnjqaTW2WYOus0NUE> > Mexicans would live an average of two months longer if they breathed cleaner air, Harvard researchers conclude in a study published Monday. The study found that some 7,600 people's lives were cut short each year by diseases related to air pollution between 2001-2005, representing about 1.6 percent of annual deaths in Mexico... The researchers also studied the effect on mortality rates from the use of solid fuels, like coal and wood burning, and from unsafe water sanitation in Mexican homes. From 2001 to 2005, about 3,000 people died each year from diseases related to using dirty water, while household fuels caused illnesses that killed 3,600. The study estimated that exposure to unsafe water sanitation shortened Mexico's average life expectancy by 1 month, while unclean fuels reduced it by 1.2 months. CLIMATE * Ore. governor pursues climate change package <http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-27/12249779422 20840.xml&storylist=orlocal <http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-27/12249779422 20840.xml&storylist=orlocal> > Gov. Ted Kulongoski sees the upcoming 2009 Oregon Legislature as his chance to take a final swing at curbing global warming and positioning Oregon as a leader in the clean energy economy. * Shrink your carbon footprint - take the Washington state online pledge to combat climate change http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2008news/2008-283.html <http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2008news/2008-283.html> In cooperation with the City of Bellevue, Washington state agencies have developed a new online pledge to help Washington residents take individual actions against climate change. In a fun, easy-to-use format, the new "Shrink Your Carbon Footprint" online pledge. * 2 greenhouse gases on the rise worry scientists <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081025/ap_on_sc/sci_greenhouse_gases;_ylt= AoVl.zHu9Zf6F8a5lgBVJQ.s0NUE <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081025/ap_on_sc/sci_greenhouse_gases;_ylt= AoVl.zHu9Zf6F8a5lgBVJQ.s0NUE> > Carbon dioxide isn't the only greenhouse gas that worries climate scientists. Airborne levels of two other potent gases - one from ancient plants, the other from flat-panel screen technology - are on the rise, too. And that's got scientists concerned about accelerated global warming. * Climate change affecting Walden Pond plants <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081027/ap_on_sc/sci_walden_pond;_ylt=AuYLL pfomWzmTWpgDDGUeHes0NUE <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081027/ap_on_sc/sci_walden_pond;_ylt=AuYLL pfomWzmTWpgDDGUeHes0NUE> > Naturalist Henry David Thoreau might well be surprised that while much of the land around Walden Pond remains undeveloped, many of the plants he knew so well are gone, probably a result of climate change. Some 27 percent of the species documented by Thoreau in the mid-1800s have disappeared, researchers report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. ENERGY * Greenpeace offers 'blueprint' for climate, economic crises <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081027/sc_afp/germanywarmingenergyfinance economygreenpeace_081027112718;_ylt=AoDWmZKjUEs7VoLvKzkM4fVxieAA <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081027/sc_afp/germanywarmingenergyfinance economygreenpeace_081027112718;_ylt=AoDWmZKjUEs7VoLvKzkM4fVxieAA> > Greenpeace presented Monday a "practical blueprint" it says would not only improve the world's energy mix and stop climate change but also help end the global financial crisis... Strict efficiency standards make sound economic sense and dramatically slow down rising global energy demand, and the energy saved in industrialised countries will make space for increased energy use in developing economies. * China's hidden coal cost equal to 7.0 pct of GDP: green groups <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081027/sc_afp/chinaenvironmentenergycoal; _ylt=AmKlYh2f9_eAV86cVFWWyNYPLBIF <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081027/sc_afp/chinaenvironmentenergycoal; _ylt=AmKlYh2f9_eAV86cVFWWyNYPLBIF> > China's dependency on coal as its major energy source is creating hidden environmental and other costs worth more than seven percent of its annual gross domestic product, green groups said Monday... By accounting for the hidden annual costs, China could wean itself off its coal dependency and better address ecological degradation and global warming concerns, the report said. * Hot water dreams -- Southeast's geothermal potential is little studied, but promising http://juneauempire.com/stories/102408/loc_347890765.shtml <http://juneauempire.com/stories/102408/loc_347890765.shtml> Alaska has more geothermal potential than any other state, and four big projects are in the works. The Bureau of Land Management predicts that in the next 30 years, Alaska will be running 677 megawatts' worth of power. That's 10 times the maximum load Juneau has ever used. * Bellingham, Washington and Oregon State University are 2008 Green Power Leadership Award Winners <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d96f984dfb3ff7718525735900400c 29/35b0134dc7d5caa2852574ef00777cad!OpenDocument <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d96f984dfb3ff7718525735900400c 29/35b0134dc7d5caa2852574ef00777cad!OpenDocument> > * Is Your Energy Bill Scary? Slaying Energy Vampires Can Save Americans Millions <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f53 37/a9f83e777a975e6d852574ef004e3ca7!OpenDocument <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f53 37/a9f83e777a975e6d852574ef004e3ca7!OpenDocument> > This Halloween, watch out for lurking energy vampires. These are the electronics and adapters that consume electricity when they are not being used. Power adapters and phone chargers are easy vampires to spot, and also easy to slay. Every energy vampire you vanquish saves you money, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and helps in the fight against climate change. IDLING * Cash Up in Smoke: Another Bay State Waste Hauler Cited for Idling <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f53 37/6f2f7efc68df442f852574f100659f23!OpenDocument <http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f53 37/6f2f7efc68df442f852574f100659f23!OpenDocument> > For the third time this year, EPA has cited a Massachusetts waste hauler for exceeding the state's five minute idling limit. Waste Management Inc. will pay a penalty of $27,200 for excessive idling at its Stoughton, Taunton and West Boylston, Mass. depots. In total, EPA has collected $329,500 in penalties for idling violations from Capitol Waste Services, Allied Waste Services, and Waste Management... As part of the settlements, Waste Management and Allied Waste have agreed to make operational changes to minimize future idling. TRANSPORTATION * Bus vs. light rail: Which is your ticket to ride? http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lightrailinitiative/2008324129_bus rail29m.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lightrailinitiative/2008324129_bu srail29m.html> As the crowds grow inside Seattle-area buses and trains, there's no longer much debate about whether the region needs more transit. The big argument is about how to do it. Some opponents of the $17.9 billion Sound Transit Proposition 1 - mainly to expand light rail - argue that commuters would get more service if the region spent its dollars to make bus service faster and more frequent. But a first-class bus network would be easier dreamed than done. CURTAILMENT / BURN BANS * Spare-air ban on winter indoor wood burning <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/BAFO139AR9. DTL&hw=Bay+Area+Air+Quality+Management+District&sn=003&sc=579 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/BAFO139AR9. DTL&hw=Bay+Area+Air+Quality+Management+District&sn=003&sc=579> > Regulators in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District are clamping down on wood burning between November and February as a way to meet a new federal law limiting the amount of breathable, fine particles. * CA presents bold plan to clean up air <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/16/MN3L13HNUJ. DTL&hw=Bay+Area+Air+Quality+Management+District&sn=004&sc=394 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/16/MN3L13HNUJ. DTL&hw=Bay+Area+Air+Quality+Management+District&sn=004&sc=394> > California regulators, following the lead of Bay Area air quality managers, would impose fees on the state's worst air polluters as part of a bold proposal to slash emissions to 1990 levels... The final 142-page proposal incorporated more than 40,000 public comments sent via e-mail, research reports and postcards, officials said. It is scheduled to go before the Air Resources Board for approval in December. * Not all share in Bay Area's cleansing air <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/BABE13CBGO. DTL&hw=Bay+Area+Air+Quality+Management+District&sn=001&sc=1000 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/BABE13CBGO. DTL&hw=Bay+Area+Air+Quality+Management+District&sn=001&sc=1000> > So far this year, the Bay Area's air quality has reached unhealthy levels and exceeded federal ozone standards on 11 days, compared with 55 days for the Sacramento region and 135 for the South Coast air basin. 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