AGENCY IN THE NEWS | Project ScRAPS * Seattle port readies Clean Truck Program for January enforcement http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/July10/071210/071210-01.htm PUGET SOUND * Air pollution making Puget Sound, Hood Canal more acidic http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012338264_acidification13m.html The waters of Puget Sound and Hood Canal are becoming more acidified as a result of rising carbon dioxide from industries, power plants and vehicles. Scientists from the University of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warn that the shifting water chemistry could damage the region's shellfish industry.... The results were posted online Monday in the journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02727714). * Scientists: Acidity in much of the Sound can be lethal http://www.seattlepi.com/local/423250_sound12.html Much of the acidification -- an estimated 24-49 percent -- is the result of the ocean absorbing increased carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide is coming from such sources as industrial emissions and car exhaust... About one third of the carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere ends up in the ocean, where it dissolves as a mild acid. As the amount of acid increases, it corrodes the shells of shell-forming animals, weakening or killing them. * Increasing Acidity Added to List of Hood Canal's Water Woes http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jul/12/acidity-added-to-list-of-hood-canals-water-woes/#ixzz0tbsdQUpX The double whammy of low dissolved oxygen and high carbon dioxide levels is expected to cause the most damage to natural systems - but financial losses may already be rippling through the lucrative shellfish industry. ENERGY * King Co. plan: Cut energy use in buildings by 10 percent http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/213799.asp Aiming to help save the planet and save King County some money, Executive Dow Constantine on Wednesday announced an energy plan with a goal of reducing energy use in county buildings by 10 percent by 2012. Other goals include producing, using or buying renewable energy equal to half the county energy requirements by 2012 and cutting energy use in county vehicles by 10 percent within five years... Constantine said since 2007, the county has already started 46 major energy projects that have returned annual savings of $2 million. Going forward the county expects to get another $3.9 million in incentive payments from local utilities and federal grants to support energy projects. The overall goal is to help reduce energy use, spur "green technology" development and reduce green house gases... The plan will now be considered by the County Council. * Rating your home for energy efficiency http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2012302380_realenergyaudit11.html A new program has a simple goal: Get more Seattle residents to get home energy audits and do the necessary retrofits to make their homes more efficient. Educating the real-estate community about the energy-efficiency ratings is part of that program. * 13 ways to save money on air conditioning http://news.yahoo.com/s/ygreen/20100712/sc_ygreen/13waystosavemoneyonairconditioning During heat waves like these, too, saving energy pays in other ways. Electrical grids are being pushed to their limits, meaning everyone has to do their part to avoid blackouts. And air pollution from power plants, particularly, cooks in the summer sun to create smog and ozone pollution * Energy efficiency helps homeowners avoid foreclosure http://www.grist.org/article/2010-07-12-home-energy-efficiency-cuts-mortgage-default-rates.-fannie-fredd/ Homes built to federal Energy Star standards for efficiency had default and delinquency rates 11 percent lower than other homes, the 2009 analysis found, according to two people familiar with the document. The analysis accounted for variables including income and location, since many new homes are built in sprawling areas (where high transportation costs contribute to foreclosure rates). * Two Kitsap School Districts Get Energy Grants http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jul/12/two-kitsap-school-districts-get-energy-grants/#ixzz0tVMZznS2 Central Kitsap School District received $900,000. South Kitsap received $785,000. CKSD will use the money for improvements in heating and ventilation systems, water conservation and lighting. SKSD will use the money for improvements in heating and ventilation, water conservation and emergency systems. The state awarded a total of $14.5 million to 22 districts across the state. To qualify for the funds, school districts audited school facilities to identify projects for energy savings. School districts receiving these grants will also qualify for funds from utility companies. * Obama urges increase in clean energy tax credits http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012316661_apusobama.html Mixing policy and politics, President Barack Obama called on Congress Friday to expand a clean energy tax credit that could pay off in Nevada, where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is struggling in his re-election campaign. * "Energy Star" label graces churches for efficiency http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012278621_apusgreenercongregations.html Old and new intersect at First Parish church in Massachusetts, which holds 18th-century timber in its walls and displays proof of its 21st-century energy efficiency with an "Energy Star" plaque by the door... "The people sitting in those congregations are workers in ... other places - teachers in the schools, managers of hotels - and they might learn through the congregation about what can be done in buildings in general and take it into their workplace," he said. "They also may take it back to their home." FUELS * EPA Proposes 2011 Renewable Fuel Standards http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/3d17d69ada4c71da8525775e005ac40a!OpenDocument The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the 2011 percentage standards for the four fuels categories under the agency's Renewable Fuel Standard program, known as RFS2. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) established the annual renewable fuel volume targets, reaching an overall level of 36 billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, EPA calculates a percentage-based standard for the following year. Based on the standard, each refiner, importer and non-oxygenate blender of gasoline determines the minimum volume of renewable fuel that it must ensure is used in its transportation fuel. * Group Studies Biofuels for Jets http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/2366/0/1674468/Environment/Group.Studies.Biofuels.for.Jets You may well have ridden in a car or bus fueled by diesel made from plants instead of petroleum. Before too long, you may be able to take a cross-country flight powered by biofuel, too. SeaTac International Airport is joining Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Washington State University and other regional airports in a project to see if biofuels could become a mainstay of the aviation industry. The group will assess the potential - as well as the pitfalls - for growing, refining, transporting and using plant-based aircraft fuels in the Northwest. * NW study will examine using biofuels for jets http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100712/BIZ/707129814/1005#NW.study.will.examine.using.biofuels.for.jets Major airports in the Pacific Northwest are joining Boeing Co., Alaska Airlines and Washington State University to study how biomass sources might produce aviation fuel. The six-month study announced today will look at how a biofuels industry might be created in the Northwest and used to power jet fleets. Portland International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International and Spokane International will take part. * Boeing, Alaska Air, SeaTac hunt biofuels http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2010/07/12/daily5.html?ana=e_du_pub VEHICLES * Port Orchard Charging Ahead of Most on Electric Vehicle Technology http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jul/11/port-orchard-charging-ahead-on-electric-vehicle/#ixzz0tV863qxk The city of Port Orchard plans to install an electric vehicle charging station in the downtown area. City officials hope to appeal to a growing market of Seattle-area electric car owners, who may be more apt to visit the town - and spend money - if they know they can get back at the end of the day. TRANSPORTATION * Pierce Transit bus plan calls for tax http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/07/11/1259735/bus-plan-calls-for-tax.html February ballot: Transit Board may ask voters for sales tax increase to retain service CLIMATE * Report Says Climate Plan Would Help Economy http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/2366/0/1672580/Environment/Report.Says.Climate.Plan.Would.Help.Economy A plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions in seven Western states and four Canadian provinces would boost Washington's economy by billions over the next decade. That's among the findings of an economic analysis commissioned by the state Department of Ecology. OUTDOOR BURNING * State DNR bans burning on state lands http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/07/13/1261754/olympia-dnr-bans-burning-on-state.html The state Department of Natural Resources is banning outdoor burning from July 15 through Sept. 30 on state-protected lands to help prevent wildfires. Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark said Monday that the burn ban is necessary because of the cost and danger of fires that spread out of control. The ban does not apply to federal lands, approved campfires in campgrounds, or self-contained gas and propane stoves and barbecues. AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH * The 15 most toxic places to live http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/the-15-most-toxic-places-to-live/linfen-china#image Linfen has more air pollution than any other city in the world. Sitting at the heart of China's coal belt, smog and soot from industrial pollutants and automobiles blacken the air at all hours. It is said that if you hang your laundry here, it will turn black before it dries. 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