AGENCY IN THE NEWS | BURN BAN * Stage 2 burn ban in Western Washington http://www.king5.com/video/?z=y&nvid=323227 <http://www.king5.com/video/?z=y&nvid=323227> * Lowland's stubborn fog should be fleeting by Friday -- Cleaner air starts way, way up there http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/396985_fog22.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/396985_fog22.html> But the stagnant air and air pollution levels Wednesday prompted the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to continue its burn ban, which likely will continue into Friday for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Under the ban, now at a Stage 2 level that started Monday, no one is allowed to have fires in wood-burning fireplaces or stoves. Outdoor fires also are banned, including beach fires at Alki and Golden Gardens. * The sun's up there somewhere http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topphoto/story/601608.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topphoto/story/601608.html> In the meantime, the thick fog prompted the weather service to issue an air stagnation advisory on top of local burn bans. AIR QUALITY & HEALTH * Study links cleaner air to longer life. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/21/AR200901 2102805.html <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/21/AR20090 12102805.html> Reducing air pollution has extended average life expectancy by five months for urban residents in dozens of U.S. cities over the past two decades, researchers found. * Cleaner air 'adds months to life.' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7839336.stm <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7839336.stm> Cuts in air pollution in US cities over recent decades have added an average of five months of life to their inhabitants, research suggests. * Fine-Particulate Air Pollution and Life Expectancy in the United States http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/360/4/376 <http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/360/4/376> The New England Journal of Medicine CLIMATE CHANGE * Spring coming earlier, study says. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090121-earlier-spring.ht ml <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090121-earlier-spring.h tml> Tired of winter? Good news: Spring arrives an average of 1.7 days earlier now than it did in the first half of the 20th century, according to a new study. * Spring arriving earlier, study finds. http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE50K6JC20090121?fee dType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews <http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE50K6JC20090121?fe edType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews> Spring is coming two days earlier on average, but so are summer, autumn and winter, researchers said on Wednesday. * Study finds new evidence of warming in Antarctica. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/science/earth/22climate.html?_r=1 <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/science/earth/22climate.html?_r=1> Antarctica is warming. That is the conclusion of scientists analyzing half a century of temperatures on the continent, and the findings may help resolve a climate enigma at the bottom of the planet. <<Study Finds New Evidence of Warming in Antarctica - NYTimes_com.htm>> GREEN FLEETS * Coca-Cola rolling out hybrid delivery trucks. http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&Art icleID=55359&TM=296.047 <http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&Ar ticleID=55359&TM=296.047> To depict its environmental stewardship, on Friday the Atlanta-based global giant announced it's deploying the largest fleet of hybrid electric delivery trucks in North America ALTERNATIVE ENERGY * Solar industry growth dimming with economy. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/20/BUKD159AI7.D TL <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/20/BUKD159AI7. DTL> As the new Obama administration pegs its job-creation hopes on industries like solar, the question is not whether the field will grow, but whether it will grow faster or slower - and with what subsidies. * Fixing the tax problems of renewable energy. http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/fixing-the-tax-problems-of- renewable-energy/ <http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/fixing-the-tax-problems-of -renewable-energy/> As the wind and solar industries struggle amid the economic crisis, the new Congress is busy trying to find a solution. ENERGY EFFICIENCY * "Put a Lid on It" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/energy/q_lid_056.html <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/energy/q_lid_056.html> In this video, Bill Nye, TV's "Science Guy," conducts a pasta-making experiment that can save energy. DIESEL EMISSIONS * New test results on dioxin source raise alarm in South Park http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/396850_dioxin21.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/396850_dioxin21.html> 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