REGISTERED SOURCE / ODOR * Gripes resume about stench in Everett and Marysville -- Complaints blaming Cedar Grove Composting for a bad smell have picked up with the warmer weather. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090610/NEWS01/706109824#Gripes.resume.about.stench.in.Everett.and.Marysville Many callers have said they believe the smell is from Cedar Grove, which processes organic refuse from most of Snohomish County. So far, the Clean Air Agency, which has jurisdiction over air quality matters that don't involve industrial pollution, hasn't been able to trace any of the recent complaints to the composting facility. AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH * Extended Analysis of the American Cancer Society Study of Particulate Air Pollution and Mortality http://pubs.healtheffects.org/view.php?id=309 This report describes a recent analysis of the original ACS cohort, a large ongoing prospective study of mortality in adults that started in 1982 and has played a central role in the setting of National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter pollution in the U.S. as well as assessments of benefits from PM reduction worldwide. The new study describes for the first time work by Dr. Daniel Krewski and colleagues to increase the follow-up period to 18 years (1982 to 2000) and extend the range of analyses to include innovative refinements of statistical methods and incorporate sophisticated control of bias and confounding. * The Effect of Fine and Coarse Particulate Air Pollution on Mortality: A National Analysis http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2009/0800108/abstract.html We conclude that our analysis showed an increased risk of mortality for all and specific causes associated with PM2.5, and the risks are higher than what was previously observed for PM10. In addition, coarse particles are also associated with more deaths. * Report blames petroleum industry for 25% of toxic pollutants http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090610/sc_afp/environmentuscanadamexicoenergypollution;_ylt=AsTrrNGLxj98ggrsvZnMxrxpl88F The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) -- created by Canada, the United States and Mexico -- said 90 percent of toxic pollutants came from just over a dozen industries. Aside from oil and gas extraction, mining, wastewater treatment, electric utilities and chemical manufacturing are named as the principle offenders. "Ninety percent of the 5.5 billion kilograms of toxic pollutant releases and transfers reported in North America in 2005 can be traced to just 30 substances from 15 industrial sectors across the United States, Canada and Mexico," it said. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING * Stimulus Check: Following the Money -- Seattle plugs in to go electric http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/06/08/story3.html The city is part of three proposals vying for $190 million in stimulus funds to help build charging stations in pilot markets around the country. Separately, there are plans afoot to turn Seattle into an alternative transportation showcase with its own "green auto row" of dealerships, repair shops and fueling stations... - A coalition formed for the Puget Sound area under the federal Clean Cities program, which has applied for $15 million in stimulus funds to convert municipal fleets to vehicles that use alternative fuels. <<Seattle plugs in to go electric - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle).htm>> * Seattle preparing for electric vehicle http://www.king5.com/localnews/environment/stories/NW_060809ENB_seattle-electric-vehicles-JM.5fcbf419.html * Granite Falls bypass foe fears diesel fumes -- The new route around Granite Falls will send trucks past three schools. Officials say the project is not a health risk. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090608/NEWS01/706089908#Granite.Falls.bypass.foe.fears.diesel.fumes The road is expected to send more than 1,800 trucks near Granite Falls High School and two other schools every day. This would put children in danger from exposure to diesel exhaust, says Joan Deigert, a retired nurse who lives outside town... The thoroughfare won't affect air quality around the high school and Monte Cristo and Mountain Way elementary schools, said Snohomish County officials, who are coordinating the project. * Edmonds commuter rail station closer to reality http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090608/NEWS01/706089956#Edmonds.commuter.rail.station.closer.to.reality Construction on Sounder commuter rail station could begin next spring TRANSPORTATION CHOICES * House approves 'cash for clunkers' plan http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009216380_apuscashforclunkers.html The House on Tuesday approved a "cash for clunkers" bill that aims to boost new auto sales by allowing consumers to turn in their gas-guzzling cars and trucks for vouchers worth up to $4,500 toward more fuel-efficient vehicles... Supporters pushed for the measure to stimulate car sales and increase the fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles on the nation's highways. The auto industry has sought the incentives after months of poor auto sales... Under the House bill, car owners could get a voucher worth $3,500 if they traded in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for one getting at least 22 miles per gallon. The value of the voucher would grow to $4,500 if the mileage of the new car is 10 mpg higher than the old vehicle. The miles per gallon figures are listed on the window sticker. Owners of sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans that get 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new truck or SUV is at least 2 mpg higher than their old vehicle. The voucher would increase to $4,500 if the mileage of the new truck or SUV is at least 5 mpg higher than the older vehicle. Consumers could also receive vouchers for leased vehicles. * Bike-safety fairs set for weekend http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009325727_webbikesafety11.html Bicycle-safety fairs will be held this weekend in Issaquah and Bellevue. GREEN SCHOOLS * Holy Rosary students pilot state "Green School" program http://www.westseattleherald.com/2009/06/03/news/holy-rosary-students-pilot-state-green-school-program Starting August 17, 2009, any K-12 school in the state can register and participate in the revised five- level program. Interested schools can find out more information and create an account online at http://www.wagreenschools.org. Washington Green Schools was developed by solid waste educators and other environmental and education experts throughout the state and is currently funded by a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology. * Holy Rosary makes history: First "Green School" in Seattle http://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=17417 Parent volunteer chair Nancy Stillger reports that West Seattle's Holy Rosary School has been certified as the first Washington State Green School in Seattle. "Our volunteer-led Green Team has implemented food composting, installed 'No-Idle' signs, participated in Bike-to-School Month, started seedlings for food banks through Lettuce Link, conducted an Earth Day poetry contest, and in general promoted awareness of taking care of our Earth," she explains. * Two celebrations for Holy Rosary School http://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=17535 A ceremony and assembly Thursday afternoon as Holy Rosary School celebrated its certification as Seattle's first "Washington Green School" (first reported here earlier this week). Parent volunteer coordinator Nancy Stillger and principal Kris Brown (center) accepted the certificate. The program will be available online in time for other schools to sign on starting this fall; recycling is just part of it, and Nancy posed with HR teacher Matt Seacrest at one of the recycling stations in the hallway on the second floor. Matt will be teaching an elective course next year about recycling and being environmentally sound. GREEN JOBS * Weatherization program aims to provide jobs, save homeowners money http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090607/BIZ/706079910/1005#.Weatherization.program.aims.to.provide.jobs.save.homeowners.money The federal stimulus package will provide a $5 billion boost in weatherization programs across the nation. The investment should lead to home improvements that advocates say will more than pay for themselves in reduced energy costs within a few years while putting thousands of otherwise laid-off contractors to work. But the spending raises concerns among government auditors who say the weatherization program could be one of the most difficult-to-track portions of the $787 billion recovery act signed into law by President Barack Obama in February... The weatherization program and general consumer tax credits tied to the stimulus are expected to boost sluggish sales of windows, refrigerators, furnaces and other energy efficiency products. * Study: Jobs in fledgling green sector growing http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090610/ap_on_bi_ge/us_green_job_growth;_ylt=ApHtK1Km1r.9.PHaYACS9FRpl88F The fledgling renewable energy industry has grown steadily over much of the past decade, adding jobs at more than twice the national rate, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study released Wednesday. Solar and wind-power companies, energy-efficient light bulb makers, environmental engineering firms and others expanded their work force by 9.1 percent from 1998 to 2007, the latest year available, according to Pew. The average job growth in all industries was 3.7 percent during the same period. ENERGY * Stimulus Check: Following the Money -- 'Smart grid' to spur bids from Puget Sound companies http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/06/08/story7.html Local utilities are making a play to land federal stimulus money to make the region's electric grid more efficient and responsive... Bellevue-based Puget Sound Energy, for example, wants to work with BPA on a Whidbey Island project to reduce the frequency and length of power outages through advanced equipment that could re-route electricity around damaged power lines, said Andy Wappler, Puget Sound Energy spokesman. If the BPA does not select Puget Sound Energy, the utility might bid for stimulus funds on its own, Wappler said. Snohomish County PUD, meanwhile, plans to make a separate bid for the smart grid funding. The public utility wants to get started upgrading its system so it can monitor and respond to renewable sources such as solar and tidal power, said Steve Klein, general manager. <<'Smart grid' to spur bids from Puget Sound companies - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle).htm>> * EPA signs 10-year lease in downtown Seattle http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/06/08/daily6.html The GSA added that designating the building "silver" in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards was a requirement of the lease. According to the GSA, the Park Place Building will attain LEED-Existing Building "platinum" certification, which it said will be the only "platinum" existing building in Seattle and one of only 14 in the world. <<EPA signs 10-year lease in downtown Seattle - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle).mht>> * Molten salt is "secret sauce" of new solar energy technology http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009312233_saltsolar08.html SolarReserve plans to build a larger version of a pilot plant near Barstow, Calif., that uses sun, mirrors and molten salt to produce electricity. * Not so windy: Research suggests winds dying down http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090610/ap_on_sc/us_sci_diminishing_winds The wind, a favorite power source of the green energy movement, seems to be dying down across the United States. And the cause, ironically, may be global warming - the very problem wind power seeks to address. The idea that winds may be slowing is still a speculative one, and scientists disagree whether that is happening. But a first-of-its-kind study suggests that average and peak wind speeds have been noticeably slowing since 1973, especially in the Midwest and the East. * Windmill blade plant laying off 80 workers http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009313824_apuslmglasfiberlayoffs.html Windmill blade maker LM Glasfiber said Monday it will lay off about 80 workers at its Port of Little Rock plant, or about 21 percent of its work force at the site, because it does not have enough orders. Glasfiber said Monday the crisis in the credit markets and the recession have resulted in a prolonged slowdown of orders. The Danish company's plant at the Port of Little Rock has been on a 24-hour schedule, seven days per week. It will still run around the clock, but only Monday through Friday, the company said. * India plans much solar power, slower emissions rise http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090611/india_nm/india402595 India will submit plans within weeks to slow its rise in carbon emissions significantly and to generate more solar power by 2020 than the whole world generates now, a senior climate official said on Thursday. But the world's fourth biggest emitter of greenhouse gases cannot say when its emissions will peak and start to decline, said Shyam Saran, special climate envoy to Prime Minster Manmohan Singh. FUEL * American flight will test fuel-saving tricks http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090608/BIZ/706089857/1005#American.flight.will.test.fuel-saving.tricks American said it will be the first U.S. carrier to test the full range of fuel-saving and emissions-reducing tactics on a trans-Atlantic route. The test is being conducted with the Federal Aviation Administration... Despite a recession-caused reduction in travel, the FAA is still pushing to modernize air traffic control to improve fuel efficiency and reduce environmental harm. * BP says global oil consumption fell 0.6% in 2008 http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090610/wl_uk_afp/britainenergyoiloutputcompanybp BP said Wednesday that global oil consumption fell 0.6 percent in 2008, the first annual decline since 1993 and the largest drop since 1982, as the downturn slashed demand. The energy company added in an annual report that worldwide crude oil production climbed by 0.4 percent in 2008. * Consumers feel pinch of high gasoline prices http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090610/us_nm/us_gasoline_price U.S. motorists are again facing summer pain at the pump as rising crude oil prices drive up the cost of gasoline, forcing spending cuts elsewhere and threatening the fragile economic recovery. Average U.S. gasoline prices hit $2.63 a gallon on Wednesday, up about 9 percent since the Memorial Day weekend when the summer driving season kicked off, according to data from the travel and auto group AAA. CLIMATE * Puget Sound cleanup budget may rise by 150 percent -- HOUSE: Panel OKs 150% boost, sets clean water among top priorities http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/774823.html Overall, the interior appropriations bill is $4.7 billion over last year's spending level. Though it was a serious increase, Dicks said that during the Bush administration funding for the Interior Department was slashed 16 percent, the EPA by 29 percent and nonfire Forest Service accounts by 35 percent. The latest bill bulks up spending for clean water and drinking water grants, providing nearly $420 million in additional funding for climate change research, $195 million for the National Park Service and $316 million to fight wildfires. * Humanitarian Angle Key to Climate Deal http://news.yahoo.com/s/oneworld/20090611/wl_oneworld/world3643131244740251;_ylt=Aq_WL2zkM6LKcCXzxzM_IyFpl88F The humanitarian impact of global warming must be addressed in the next major global treaty on climate change -- to be negotiated in Copenhagen in December, urged 18 aid organizations during climate talks in Bonn, Germany. * UN sketches countries with climate risk profile http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090611/sc_afp/climatewarmingdisasters;_ylt=Anq1CIutuqikFHgdVci5aiFpl88F Disasters caused by climate change will inflict the highest losses in poor countries with weak governments that have dashed for growth and failed to shield populations which settle in exposed areas, a UN report said on Thursday... Large developing countries, led by China, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia, suffered the biggest mortality in absolute terms, but in relation to population, the highest tolls were in Dominica, Vanuatu and Myanmar. Poor small-island states and poor landlocked states, which can suffer years-long economic damage after an extreme weather event, are most in the firing line, according to the report, "Risk and Poverty in a Changing Climate." * China says no to greenhouse gas cuts http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090611/sc_afp/chinausclimatewarming;_ylt=Avre9Rn1BTQLir.o5Ykd7kxpl88F China will not accept binding cuts in its greenhouse gas emissions, an official said Thursday, after the United States said it made progress with Beijing in talks here on a global climate pact. METHANE * Clean-air lawsuit against WA dairy dropped http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_dairy_lawsuit.html Complaints about odor are routinely collected by the Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency, officials at the agency said. That odor isn't caused by a single substance but rather a number of compounds. Environmentalists have been largely unsuccessful in bringing the federal Clean Air Act to bear on the emissions of gases, such as ammonia, from large animal-feeding operations. NOTE: If the hyperlink to the article fails, contact Consuelo Davis. Consuelo Davis Communications Dept. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency 206-689-4074 consueloD@pscleanair.org 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