REGISTERED SOURCE * Cedar Grove Compost responds to PSCAA citation http://www.northcountyoutlook.com/1009_CedarGrove-PSCAA.htm <http://www.northcountyoutlook.com/1009_CedarGrove-PSCAA.htm> Although the local company has not admitted its operation caused the air quality concerns that plagued Marysville this summer, Cedar Grove vice president Gerry Bartlett said the company has taken action to eliminate some of the likely odor sources at the Smith Island plant. DIESEL SOLUTIONS * International body slashes ship air pollution by clamping down on dirty fuel http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081009/ship_pollution.html?.v=1 <http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081009/ship_pollution.html?.v=1> Ships traversing the world's oceans will have to clean up the air under new international regulations adopted Thursday. The International Maritime Organization set a global cap for the amount of sulfur in marine fuels to reduce the air pollution plaguing ports and coastal communities in the U.S. and worldwide. Ships will have to burn diesel fuel containing 0.5 percent sulfur by 2020, down from an average of 2.7 percent now... The Environmental Protection Agency, which took part in the negotiations in London, said Thursday it will apply next year to make U.S. coastal waters emission control areas. The agency is under a federal court order to issue regulations to reduce emissions from oceangoing ships by December 2009. * Maritime organization seeks to cut air pollution from oceangoing ships http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/10/healthscience/10ships.php <http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/10/healthscience/10ships.php> Emissions from ships steaming into ports from Rotterdam to Shanghai to Long Beach, are blamed for about 60,000 premature deaths around the world annually... Sulfur emissions are a major source of airborne fine particulates, which have been associated with pulmonary and cardiovascular disease. In some ports in Europe and in the United States, environmental groups, using the courts, and local governmental bodies have required ships to shut off their engines and plug in to the local electrical grid to keep ship operations functioning while in port. * Nations agree to slash sulfur ship emission by 2015 -- By 2010 sulfur limits will be limited to just 1 percent in the protected areas http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20081010/twl-environment-us-emissions-ship ping-im-1202b49.html <http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20081010/twl-environment-us-emissions-shi pping-im-1202b49.html> Simon Bennett, secretary at the International Chamber of Shipping, told Reuters that the ambitious targets, first formally aired in April, will likely cost the oil and ship industry billions of dollars to implement. They could also raise the price of road transport fuels as the industry, which numbers 50,000 ocean going ships, switches from heavy fuel oil to cleaner burning distillates. "The big question will be whether or not the oil refining industry will be able to deliver this new demand for distillate that is going to be created for shipping," Bennett said. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING * Critics fear traffic backup with I-985 -- They also predict fund loss http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/382675_985initiative10.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/382675_985initiative10.htm l> According to Initiative 985, there are HOV lanes going to waste in the Puget Sound region, and, doggone it, more cars should get access. At I-985's heart is a regional issue: reducing traffic congestion by filling lanes with more single-occupancy vehicles, or using lanes to move more people via car pooling and transit. Even critics say the latest Tim Eyman initiative's ballot title -- "Reducing Traffic Congestion" -- sounds good, but the "how" is much more complicated than the initiative portrays, opponents say. A growing number of critics say that, if passed, I-985 will backfire, producing a range of unintended consequences including the removal of critical funding to replace the aging Evergreen Point Bridge. * Sound Transit's Proposition 1 is back, different http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topphoto/story/507809.html <http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topphoto/story/507809.html> The economic climate has changed dramatically in the months since Sound Transit decided to ask voters for a $17.9 billion expansion. it's fate will be decided Nov. 4. TRANSPORTATION CHOICES * Gas falling; will guzzling now return? -- Analysts say drivers know better http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/382964_gaspriceshock13.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/382964_gaspriceshock13.html> Prices at the pump are dropping fast, and gas could fall below $3 a gallon in a matter of weeks, if not sooner. Does that mean Americans will return to their heedless, gas-guzzling ways? Experts say no, because most drivers assume the dip in prices will be short-lived, and motorists have adjusted their habits accordingly... Analyst Stephen Schork said that any return to more liberal use of fuel would occur a long time from now because consumers are already making big-ticket decisions about what cars they will drive. * The first 100-mpg car http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/motoring/2008245933_100mpg10.html <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/motoring/2008245933_100mpg10.html > General Motors said it has reached a preliminary agreement with Environmental Protection Agency regulators that clears the way for the Chevrolet Volt, an electric vehicle that could be recharged at home or with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine, to be certified as the first 100-mpg car. Even though the Volt is classified as an electric car, GM will still be able to claim it's the most fuel-efficient vehicle because a gasoline-powered engine would take over if the sedan exceeded the 40-mile range of its battery. HOME HEATING * Heating bills: Will yours get bigger? Natural gas costs are expected to rise, while electricity bills will likely remain about the same. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081012/NEWS01/710129867#Heating.bills .Will.yours.get.bigger <http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081012/NEWS01/710129867#Heating.bill s.Will.yours.get.bigger> Heating homes with natural gas is expected to cost about $83 more during the fall and winter heating season in Snohomish County than a year ago, while electricity users are unlikely to see any rate hikes... Forty-three percent of households in Snohomish County use natural gas for heating, 42 percent of them rely on electricity, and the rest use propane, oil or wood, according to a survey conducted by Snohomish County PUD in early 2008. CLIMATE * Meltdown may delay climate change action -- Reviving a struggling economy could take priority http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/383157_climate14.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/383157_climate14.html> In the short term, a declining global economy could reduce the growth in greenhouse gas emissions as consumption of goods and energy use drops. But world leaders warn that it could also undermine efforts to find long-term solutions. * GPS could save airlines time, fuel and money -- $35 billion plan would replace radar system http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/382668_airlinegps10.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/382668_airlinegps10.html> The $35 billion plan would replace the current radar system with the kind of GPS technology that has become commonplace in cars and cell phones. Supporters say it would triple air traffic capacity, reduce delays by at least half, improve safety and curb greenhouse gas emissions. An Associated Press analysis of federal and industry data found that if the new system were already in place, airlines could have saved more than $5 billion in fuel this year alone. GREEN ECONOMY * 'Green jobs' won't be the answer for every economy http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/383092_virgin14.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/383092_virgin14.html> It's barely dawn in the green economy. Some technologies will work only after considerable tweaking and reinvention; some won't work at all and will flame out entirely. Some companies and entire sectors with considerable early promise will struggle (exhibit A: the struggles of the alt-fuels segment, in the form of ethanol-plant cancellations and the recent woes of Seattle-based Imperium Renewables). Companies and technologies not yet heard of will emerge. * Green building is environmental solution http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/383102_greenbuilding14.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/383102_greenbuilding14.html> Green building is not an issue to be "solved." Rather, green-building practices offer solutions to a number of environmental challenges, including those the official named. Green building can be a boon to a flagging economy and a response to social issues. ENERGY * Congress Extends Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives http://www.energytaxincentives.org/general/legislative.php <http://www.energytaxincentives.org/general/legislative.php> An extension of the tax credit for efficient furnaces, boilers, air conditioners, and water heaters; and insulation and window upgrades to existing homes (covering improvements installed in 2009, but not 2008). * Home and the Range -- New appliances promise to reduce energy use in big ways and small http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122306002836002973.html <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122306002836002973.html> Small efficiency gains spread across millions of homes hold huge promise for energy savings as a nation. The trick is to keep coming up with products that reduce energy needs while still satisfying consumer demands. * Flexible OLEDs could be part of lighting's future http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081010/ap_on_hi_te/tec_sheets_of_light <http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081010/ap_on_hi_te/tec_sheets_of_light> Compounds known as organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs. While there are plenty of problems to be worked out with the technology, it's not the dream of a wild-eyed startup. LEDs and OLEDs both hold the potential for big energy savings over standard incandescent bulbs. Matching fluorescents is tougher. Universal Display this year created OLEDs that exceeded the energy efficiency of fluorescents, but combining that feature with longevity and mass production will be a challenge. ALTERNATIVE FUELS * Imperium restructuring with new investment -- Key contract still waiting for official approval http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/382978_imperium13.html <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/382978_imperium13.html> 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