TRANSPORTATION CHOICES * Commuters say no to $4 gas, yes to bus rides http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topphoto/story/396060.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topphoto/story/396060.html> At the end of March, gas prices had topped $3.45 a gallon. There was talk of a hike in the new Tacoma Narrows bridge toll. And Joshua Hardwick of Gig Harbor had Baby No. 1 on the way. So he took a hard look at his expenses and decided to start riding the bus to his job in downtown Tacoma. Since then, the average price of regular gas has shot up to $4.36, and Hardwick figures he'll save more than $1,000 a year in gas and bridge tolls if he stays on the bus. He's become a self-described evangelist of public transportation... Gas prices aren't the only factor, said Lynne Griffith, Pierce Transit's chief executive officer. Traffic congestion, more talk of global warming and greater awareness of transit options also have boosted transit use, she said. * Fewer drivers, more transit riders helping environment http://www.nwcn.com/sharedcontent/northwest/environment/stories/NW_06240 8WAB_transit_gas_prices_LJ.347e855b.html <http://www.nwcn.com/sharedcontent/northwest/environment/stories/NW_0624 08WAB_transit_gas_prices_LJ.347e855b.html> Congress will hear from experts Tuesday who say driving less and using mass transit more helps the environment... Supporters of mass transit say more people riding instead of driving reduces pollution. So fares could be going up in some places to keep pace with higher energy costs. And the climate change people say the fact that Americans are buying smaller cars now will turn out to be a good thing too. * Rethinking the Country Life as Energy Costs Rise http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/business/25exurbs.html <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/business/25exurbs.html> Suddenly, the economics of American suburban life are under assault as skyrocketing energy prices inflate the costs of reaching, heating and cooling homes on the distant edges of metropolitan areas... Across the nation, the realization is taking hold that rising energy prices are less a momentary blip than a change with lasting consequences. The shift to costlier fuel is threatening to slow the decades-old migration away from cities, while exacerbating the housing downturn by diminishing the appeal of larger homes set far from urban jobs... More than three-fourths of prospective home buyers are now more inclined to live in an urban area because of fuel prices, according to a recent survey of 903 real estate agents with Coldwell Banker, the national brokerage firm. Some now proclaim the unfolding demise of suburbia. <<Fuel Prices Shift Math for Life in Far Suburbs - NYTimes_com.htm>> * The Money Squeeze: Colleges look at curbing student commute -- Drivers skip class because they can't afford gas http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/368017_colleges23.html?source=mypi <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/368017_colleges23.html?source=mypi> The idea machines are revving up, spouting what-if solutions such as ramping up online-class offerings, pushing subsidized bus passes and letting staff telecommute part time. And a few community colleges around the country are shutting down one extra day every week, a concept that's just now becoming a topic of conversation in Washington. * Toyota may miss US sales target http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008014217_apja pantoyota.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008014217_apj apantoyota.html> With buyers fleeing to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, demand has soared for Toyota's gas-electric hybrid models. Still, their popularity has been unable to fully insulate the Japanese carmaker from a drop-off in sales of larger vehicles. * Editorial: 'Car Trek, Next Generation' is on the way - finally http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/395354.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/395354.html> Plug-in hybrids, on the other hand, will start becoming more common in a few short years. Americans likely will appreciate the convenience of being able to plug a vehicle in at night - when electricity usage is low - and to drive 40 miles without using a drop of gasoline. ALTERNATIVE FUELS * Editorial: Back away from the biofuels, Obama http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008013513_biofu eled24.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008013513_biof ueled24.html> Sen. Barack Obama should distance himself from subsidies for food-based biofuels. It was an idea that sounded good but so far has fallen short of its expected potential... Biofuels may have a great future - especially if researchers are successful at making fuel out of agricultural waste, such as waste straw - but for now, the promise has not been met. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING * Seattle's South Park Bridge falling apart http://www.nwcn.com/statenews/washington/stories/NW_062308WAB_south_park _bridge_closure_TP.315e241e.html <http://www.nwcn.com/statenews/washington/stories/NW_062308WAB_south_par k_bridge_closure_TP.315e241e.html> A lot is riding on the South Park Bridge. The span over the Duwamish River carries 18,000 cars and 2,600 trucks a day, linking Boeing's industrial area to the South Park community... If the bridge closes, traffic will divert to the First Avenue Bridge, potentially turning that into a parking lot. * Ferry system shelves plans to expand Colman Dock -- Viaduct work, new vessels are a priority now http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/368133_ferries24.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/368133_ferries24.html> Growth plans have now been shelved in deference to other big decisions: figuring out how to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct and spending more money to build new ferries... Moseley said he plans to offer a set of yet-to-be determined changes to the next session of the Legislature. White also said the ferry system will try to resurrect plans to replace more deteriorated parts of the dock, overhead loading systems and docking slip components. * Puyallup's parking woes need creative solutions http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/397016.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/397016.html> Parking in Puyallup is a two-tier problem. The first issue is that there are more Sound Transit riders than there are long-term parking spaces to put them in... Off-site parking for Sound Transit riders would require them to leave home earlier and would make the prospect of mass transit less practical for many parents who want to get home at night in time for family activities. Making Sound Transit less convenient for consumers likely will result in lower ridership, even if gas prices and traffic continue to worsen. * Editorial: What transit package? What election year? http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/396101.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/396101.html> The Sound Transit board must somehow read the public right - and take a gamble. The stakes are high. A second, consecutive failure at the polls could kill the chances of transit expansion for far too long. LAND USE/DEVELOPMENT * Opinion: Court win for Bonney Lake is a win for smart growth http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/396972.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/396972.html> Bonney Lake is going to remain the epicenter of growth in Pierce County. That is fine. But it's important that the city do its best to promote smart growth - and that means enforcing the clear intent of its land-use rules. Good show, council members. HOME HEATING * Consumer Smarts: Unsettled forecast for when to buy heating oil http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/368070_consumer24.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/368070_consumer24.html> While heating oil is more common in Northeast homes, about 100,000 homes in Washington state rely on oil to heat their homes, according to estimates from the Washington State Pollution Liability Insurance Agency. About 63,000 households, with two-thirds in King County, have registered their oil tanks for pollution liability coverage with the agency. ENERGY * Report sees big jump in energy, fossil fuel use http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008016311_apenergyoutloo k.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008016311_apenergyoutlo ok.html> Despite persistently high oil prices, global energy demand will grow by 50 percent over the next two decades with continued heavy reliance on environmentally troublesome fossil fuels, especially coal and oil, the government predicted Wednesday. The report forecast the steepest increases in China and other emerging economies where energy demand is expected to be 85 percent greater in 2030 than it is today. * Editorial: Saving energy, one megawatt at a time http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008013512_conse rved24.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2008013512_cons erved24.html> The Northwest Energy Efficiency Task force members hail from Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and British Columbia. Think of these people as searching the couch cushions for spare electrons. The cheapest kilowatt-hour is the one you don't use. In 2007, the cost of new wind power came in at 7.5 cents a kilowatt-hour, while investment to conserve energy, including public education, costs a mere 1.25 cents per kilowatt-hour. The task force will scour the Northwest for opportunities to save more energy, discern what new energy-efficiency technology research might be most promising and what is needed to bolster public education to help people make smart choices. * Commentary: A pathetic excuse for an energy policy http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008013511_friedman24.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008013511_friedman24.htm l> People forget, wind and solar power are here, they work, they can go on your roof tomorrow. What they need now is a big U.S. market where lots of manufacturers have an incentive to install solar panels and wind turbines - because the more they do, the more these technologies would move down the learning curve, become cheaper and be able to compete directly with coal, oil and nuclear, without subsidies. * McCain calls for energy efficient government http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008012021_apmccainenergy .html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008012021_apmccainenerg y.html> Republican John McCain said Tuesday the federal government should practice the energy efficiency he preaches, pledging as president to switch official vehicles to green technologies and do the same for office buildings. CLIMATE * White House Refused to Open Pollutants E-Mail http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/washington/25epa.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&or ef=slogin&adxnnlx=1214424010-wILDwdpSvhrNiUwdLo+sMg <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/washington/25epa.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&o ref=slogin&adxnnlx=1214424010-wILDwdpSvhrNiUwdLo+sMg> The White House in December refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency's conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail message containing the document would not be opened, senior E.P.A. officials said last week. <<White House Refused to Open Pollutants E-Mail - NYTimes_com.htm>> * Report: Climate change linked to national security http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080625/ap_on_go_ot/global_warming_security; _ylt=Aq2Dh6obRX2zTdtnCF2uvlKs0NUE <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080625/ap_on_go_ot/global_warming_security ;_ylt=Aq2Dh6obRX2zTdtnCF2uvlKs0NUE> Global warming is likely to increase illegal immigration, create humanitarian disasters and destabilize precarious governments in political hot spots, all of which could affect U.S. national security, according to an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies. * NASA warming scientist: 'This is the last chance' http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080624/ap_on_sc/sci_warming_scientist;_ylt= AoDZwtTSDLjIdB5SkdJX6wus0NUE <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080624/ap_on_sc/sci_warming_scientist;_ylt =AoDZwtTSDLjIdB5SkdJX6wus0NUE> Exactly 20 years after warning America about global warming, a top NASA scientist said the situation has gotten so bad that the world's only hope is drastic action. James Hansen told Congress on Monday that the world has long passed the "dangerous level" for greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and needs to get back to 1988 levels. He said Earth's atmosphere can only stay this loaded with man-made carbon dioxide for a couple more decades without changes such as mass extinction, ecosystem collapse and dramatic sea level rises. 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