OUTDOOR BURNING * Land-Clearing Fires Could Be Banned in Kitsap County http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/apr/04/land-clearing-fires-could-be-banned-in-kitsap/ Developers will no longer be able to burn their land-clearing debris anywhere in Kitsap County if the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency carries out its plans. A proposal, designed to protect public health and reduce nuisance smoke, would bring Kitsap County into line with the other three counties in the region. An identical ban on land-clearing fires was imposed last year in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties... Permanent burn bans tend to polarize people. Some people, including asthmatics, are eager to get rid of as much burning as possible. Others argue that such bans increase the cost of development, because the debris must be hauled to a recycler... Monday's workshop will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Eagles Nest at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, 1200 NW Fairgrounds Road. Individuals may ask questions at the workshop and submit written comments for the record. CLIMATE * Obama pledges US lead on climate change http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090405/sc_afp/czechuseusummitclimatewarming;_ylt=As5Up8lo4mZWc2R6ofKs8F5pl88F European leaders were often exasperated by his predecessor's failure to commit the United States to climate change targets, especially because Europe has set itself ambitious goals. Their frustration has been compounded by the fact that the United States is the world's biggest polluter, leaving the impression in Europe that EU countries are doing all the heavy-lifting in the fight against climate change. But speaking after their talks, EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said he detected a genuine change under Obama. The new administration was "much clearer and more ambitious" on climate change, he said. "We have welcomed very positive changes the US is making.... Only together can we convince others in our common efforts to fight climate change," Barroso added. * UN climate talks stall over emissions cuts by rich http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090406/ap_on_re_eu/eu_climate_conference;_ylt=Aio_FCSXv05N3EVtkA4lGOlpl88F Negotiators at U.N. climate talks, buoyed by U.S. promises to lead the fight against global warming, are demanding that industrial countries pledge deeper cuts in greenhouse gases over the next decade. Environmental activists said Monday the talks in Bonn, Germany, have made little progress on two key issues: the carbon emissions targets to be adopted by the rich countries and how to raise an estimated $100 billion a year needed to help poor countries adapt to climate change. * Arctic sea ice thinnest ever going into spring http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090406/ap_on_sc/arctic_ice;_ylt=AjopS_NSDActgaQ9ihY2djEPLBIF Researchers say that as spring approaches, more than 90 percent of the sea ice in the Arctic is only one or two years old. That makes it thinner and more vulnerable than ever before, according to researchers with NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado. That's the type of ice that is more likely to melt in the summer. Sea ice is important because it reflects sunlight away from Earth. The more it melts, the more heat is absorbed by the ocean, heating up the planet even more. That warming also can change weather patterns worldwide. ENERGY * Dunshee proposing $3 billion schools-building bond measure http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090406/NEWS01/704069834#Dunshee.proposing.%243.billion.schools-building.bond.measure A Snohomish lawmaker today will discuss his bond measure to fund improvements to schools and colleges and make public buildings more energy efficient. Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, is proposing the $3 billion measure be placed on the November ballot... The plan also calls for $500 million to be spent on using energy more efficiently in public buildings and schools. To repay the bonds, Dunshee is counting on using the money saved from lower energy bills resulting from the improvements. This is the first revenue-raising measure proposed for the ballot by a Democrat. * Salazar: Wind power can replace 3,000 coal plants http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090406/ap_on_re_us/offshore_windmills;_ylt=AkpLv.iS9ATvlbdTTz9mcY1pl88F Windmills off the East Coast could generate enough electricity to replace most, if not all, the coal-fired power plants in the United States, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Monday. The secretary spoke at a public hearing in Atlantic City on how the nation's offshore areas can be tapped to meet America's energy needs. * Windmills in Ore. generating complaints about noise, possible health effects http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008990618_windfarms06m.html Neighbors along Highway 74 are demanding that Morrow County enforce state noise regulations on the Willow Creek Wind Energy Project or revoke its land-use permit. * Myth: Using less energy = sacrifice http://www.grist.org/article/2009-03-30-myth-using-less-energy Mention "reducing demand" to Average Jane American and she'll assume you mean conservation. The distinction matters. Efficiency can boost economic productivity and reduce emissions simultaneously; McKinsey says it can get us 40 percent to where we need to go, at negative cost (that is, profit). And it doesn't require any individual lifestyle changes, so it's not as politically perilous. * Slowdown's gift to Beijing: cleaner air http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090404/ap_on_re_as/as_china_cleaner_skies;_ylt=AlKIzA4ZOw6j3NPCJijMTk1pl88F Beijing, China's normally smog-choked capital, is breathing some of its cleanest air in nearly a decade, as pollution-control efforts get a sizable boost from a slowing economy. The global economic slowdown is helping to accomplish what some in China's leadership have striven to do for years: rein in the insatiable demand for coal-powered energy that has fed the country's breakneck growth but turned it into one of the world's most polluted nations. LAND USE/PLANNING/DEVELOPMENT * Seattle and King County planning departments face deep cuts from slowdown http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/04/06/story10.html The city of Seattle's planning department is laying off 26 employees, whose last day will be April 3. King County issued layoff notices to 31 planning department employees, starting on March 19. Other cities have used attrition and shifted full-time staffers to part-time work to cut costs... The City of Kent has been able to avoid outright layoffs to date, but has reduced four employees to part-time schedules with benefits, and it gave two employees the option to shift to other departments. Bellevue, too, has been able to cut costs without layoffs so far. It has scaled back on permitting work done by outside contractors, and reduced staff hours through attrition and some employees shifting to part-time for personal reasons. <<Seattle and King County planning departments face deep cuts from slowdown - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle).htm>> NOTE: If the hyperlink to the article fails, contact Consuelo Davis. 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