Seattle Aquarium joins plastics campaign

SEATTLE — The Seattle Aquarium has joined the Aquarium Conservation Partnership to focus on reducing plastic pollution, with a national campaign aimed at consumers and businesses.

Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, said in a press release, “We're just beginning to understand the full impacts of ocean plastic pollution on ecosystems, marine life and human health. But we already know enough to say that now is the time to act.”

The goal is to drive a national shift away from single-use plastic and raise awareness about the issue.

All ACP members have eliminated plastic straws and single-use plastic bags in their institutions. According to ACP, about 8.8 million tons of plastic enters the ocean each year worldwide.

NW farmland values are increasing

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Agricultural land values in Idaho, Oregon and Washington increased this year while the national average remained unchanged.

Estimations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service showed that average values of cropland in the Northwest increased in 2017 from the previous year, The Capital Press reported.

The average value of Idaho cropland was estimated to be $3,400 per acre, a 3 percent increase from $3,300 per acre in 2016. The estimates for both irrigated and non-irrigated cropland also increased 3 percent to $5,150 per acre and $1,460 per acre, respectively.

The average value of cropland in Oregon increased 4.8 percent to $2,860 per acre, with irrigated cropland averaging $4,850 per acre and non-irrigated cropland at $2,120 per acre.

Washington's average value of cropland was estimated at $2,890 per acre, which is up 4.7 percent. The irrigated cropland was at $8,700 per acre, while non-irrigated cropland was at $1,380 per acre.

The national average value of cropland is unchanged at $4,090 per acre, which remained below the averages in 2015 and 2014.

Northwest Farm Credit Services Vice President Doug Robison said limited supply, investor demand and low interest rates are driving up prices.

Planes spray for post-Harvey mosquitoes

BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) — Texas health officials say the Federal Emergency Management Agency will use military planes to spray chemicals near Houston to help control disease-carrying mosquitoes following Hurricane Harvey.

Texas Health and Human Services spokesman Chris Van Deusen says spraying began Saturday evening east of Houston, in Jefferson, Orange and Chambers counties.

Harvey's rains flooded the region. Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, including those that carry the West Nile and Zika viruses.

Van Deusen says FEMA is using modified Air Force C-130 aircraft to spray the chemicals, which he says don't pose health risks to humans or pets.

Fairbanks considers water bill stipend

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — An ordinance is being introduced in Fairbanks that would provide a water bill stipend for residents with contaminated water.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the ordinance, introduced Monday at a City Council meeting, would appropriate $100,000 toward a stipend to help affected families pay their water bills.

A Fairbanks well had been contaminated with a dangerous amount of perfluorinated compounds, affecting the water at dozens of properties.

Tesla opening urban charging stations

NEW YORK (AP) — Tesla Inc. is building electric charging stations in city centers to attract urban buyers who don't have a garage to charge in.

The first two stations — in Boston and Chicago — opened Monday. The Chicago station can charge 10 vehicles at a time, while the Boston station can charge eight.

A map on Tesla's website shows urban stations planned for New York, Philadelphia, Washington and other cities before the end of this year.

The new stations take up less space and are easier to install than Tesla's previous Supercharger stations, which are mostly along highways or at hotels. Tesla said it's locating the stations near grocery stores and shopping areas, so owners can run errands while they charge.

The urban stations can deliver 72 kilowatts of power to each car, so it will take about 45 to 50 minutes for most drivers to fully charge their vehicles. Tesla's highway Superchargers deliver up to 120 kilowatts; they can charge up a car in 30 to 40 minutes.

The company began delivering the new Model 3 small car this summer. With a starting price of $35,000 — which is half the price of Tesla's previous models — the Model 3 is expected to attract many more buyers to the brand.

Tesla said earlier this year that it planned to double its Supercharger network to 10,000 by the end of this year.

Idaho plan to regulate water pollution

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal authorities are holding five public meetings around Idaho this week as part of Idaho's plan to take over regulating pollution discharge into the state's lakes and rivers.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting comments at the meetings as Idaho officials seek to shift control of permitting and enforcement aspects from federal authorities acting under the federal Clean Water Act to the state.

Alaska seeks funds for junkyard cleanup

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The state is postponing final cleanup plans at a former junkyard site in southeast Alaska to see if funding can be secured for disposal in the Lower 48.

Plans have called for building a site on state-owned land on Wrangell Island to dispose of the treated, lead-contaminated soil.

But the state Department of Environmental Conservation says it is delaying those plans until April 1, to allow time to explore other ideas and funding.

Site preparation on Wrangell Island is expected to continue in case additional money is not secured.

The estimated cost to build and secure a local site and to haul the material is $5.7 million. Alternately, costs to ship and dispose of the soil in the Lower 48 have been estimated around $12 million.

Trees for Neighborhoods RFQ issued

SEATTLE — Seattle Public Utilities is requesting qualifications until Sept. 29 to work on Trees for Neighborhoods.

Trees for Neighborhoods helps city residents plant and maintain trees around homes. Free trees are provided as well as water bags, workshops on selecting the right site and ongoing care reminders. Trees can be planted on private residential property, including rights-of-way. This five-year contract will be conducted in annual phases.

Information is available from the SPU website. A notice appeared in the DJC Aug. 1.

NEBC event on risk mitigation Sept. 7

SEATTLE — NEBC's Olympic Chapter will meet Thursday, Sept. 7 starting at 11 a.m. in Seattle at the Washington Athletic Club, and the topic is “On Time and On Budget: Risk Mitigation Strategies for Successful Management of Construction Projects.”

Risk mitigation attorneys Lisa Marchese and Traeger Machetanz of Davis Wright Tremaine will offer terms in construction clauses that companies should consider to address common problems such as over-budgeting, project delays, and unexpected claims. Information and registration is at http://www.nebc.com.

On Oct. 5, NEBC will hold the Northwest Remediation Conference at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center starting at 7:30 a.m.

The event will focus on cleanups — both technical solutions and regulatory issues. It is aimed at regulators, service providers, consultants, attorneys and property owners. Information is at http://www.nebc.com.

New bridge on Idaho-Oregon byway

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Workers are replacing a bridge on the Owyhee Uplands Backcountry Byway that connects remote areas of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management in a news release Friday says work on the Current Creek Bridge about 43 miles southwest of Grand View, Idaho, should wrap up by November.

BLM Owyhee Field Manager Michelle Ryerson says the bridge is more than 50 years old and that a routine inspection resulted in unspecified safety concerns.

She says local ranchers use the bridge as do recreationists and sightseers. The byway is a mostly gravel road with about 92 miles in Idaho and 12 miles in Oregon.

Seattle eyes ban on plastic straws, utensils

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle officials are considering a ban on plastic straws and other plastic to-go ware, such as utensils.

KING-TV reported that the ban is part of a 2010 ordinance that phases out various plastic products. Each year the city revisits the list of plastic items they want to phase out. The potential plastic straws and plastic to-go ware ban would start July 2018.

Seattle spokeswoman Becca Fong says plastic straws and plastic utensils can be replaced with compostable options.

Many restaurants like Juicy Cafe in Columbia Tower have already swapped out plastic straws for compostable ones as well as a few other items, such as forks, spoons, and lids. Other restaurants like Kidd Valley are phasing out plastics.

Fire retardant record at Oregon base

REDMOND, Ore. (AP) — Central Oregon fire managers say a record has been set this season for gallons of fire retardant loaded at the Redmond Air Tanker Base.

The Bulletin reported that more than 1.3 million gallons of fire retardant has been loaded into planes with most dropping payloads on fires across Central and Eastern Oregon.

Deschutes National Forest spokeswoman Kassidy Kern says the planes have flown 537 missions this year.

Kern said the bulk of retardant was used on the region's larger fires including one between Bend and Burns, one on the Warm Springs Reservation, one near Sisters and another still burning near that town.

The prior record of 1.2 million gallons was set in 2002. Kern says on average over the past 10 years, the tanker base has gone through 640,000 gallons a year.

Yellowstone will poison exotic fish

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — A stretch of the Gibbon River and its headwater lakes are being poisoned so Yellowstone National Park can remove non-native fish and reintroduce native west slope cutthroat trout and river-running grayling.

Yellowstone officials say the two species are being reintroduced as part of the effort to help flora and fauna of Yellowstone adapt to the warming climate.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that warm water in the height of summer closes waters to fishing on the 8,000-foot Yellowstone plateau with some regularity. The project will treat 18 miles of stream and 232 acres of standing water.

Meeting Sept. 7 on Mount Spokane project

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold an open house Sept. 7 about plans to re-classify 40 acres at Mount Spokane State Park and move the park's maintenance compound.

The meeting is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place in Spokane Valley.

The preferred site is south of the entrance road (SR 206) near Linder's Ridge. SEPA documents will be posted on the State Parks website Sept. 1, at http://bit.ly/ParksSEPA. Comments are due by Sept. 15.

The existing shop's foundation was damaged in a flood. The new site is outside stream and wetland buffers, but some trees will need to be cleared. Project lead is Michael Hankinson: (360) 902-8671 or michael.hankinson@parks.wa.gov.

Calif. pollution permits raise $640M

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California raised more than $640 million recently by auctioning off permits for businesses to emit greenhouse gases as part of a program aimed at fighting climate change.

This month's auction was the first since lawmakers voted to extend California's cap and trade program through 2030. It requires businesses, oil refineries and other polluters to obtain permits to be able to emit carbon, with the overall goal of drastically reducing emissions. Money raised goes to projects such as high-speed rail, public transit and housing projects.

Demand for the permits rebounded after more than a year of flagging interest as businesses waited to see if the program would continue.

Permits for near-term emissions sold for $14.75, while future allowances went for $14.55 as companies snapped up permits before prices rise over the next 13 years. The sale price was nearly $1 higher than the price last quarter.

The auction revenue pays for initiatives that reduce emissions or mitigate the impacts of climate change. Sixty percent of the money is earmarked for specific purposes, including the bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco, public transit and housing projects.

Cap and trade is a central part of California's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below the level in 1990 by 2030. Polluters must obtain permits for each ton of carbon that they release. The number of permits goes down each year, increasing the cost of pollution over time.

The program was scheduled to expire in 2020.

Steve Martin to lead state salmon office

Martin

OLYMPIA — Steve Martin of Dayton has been selected to lead the Governor's Salmon Recovery Office, which coordinates regional efforts to protect salmon.

The office coordinates with 25 community watershed groups and seven regional organizations working on federally approved recovery plans for salmon, steelhead and bull trout. Eighteen species of salmon, steelhead and bull trout are listed as either threatened or endangered.

Martin has been executive director of the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board since 2001, and worked as a biologist with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

More information is at the State of Salmon website.

Help count people who bike and walk

OLYMPIA — Registration is now open for volunteers who want to help count the number of people who walk or ride bicycles to their destinations during a three-day survey that starts Sept. 26.

About 400 people are needed for the count. Last year, volunteers tallied more than 78,000 people biking and walking in communities statewide.

WSDOT and Cascade Bicycle Club will work with FeetFirst, Washington Bikes and Futurewise on the count.

Data is used by state and local agencies to estimate demand; measure the benefit of projects; and improve policies, design and funding.

WSDOT, Cascade Bicycle Club and local agencies will also install permanent counters around the state. Sign-up to volunteer at bikepedcount.wsdot.wa.gov.

State seeks partners for park services

OLYMPIA — The state Parks and Recreation Commission is seeking partners to develop public facilities and services in four state parks: Fort Flagler, Westport Light, Millersylvania and Squilchuck.

The sites are appropriate for cabins, recreation facilities, cafes or food service. The request for qualifications seeks help with design, permits, construction and possibly operations. Information is at http://parks.state.wa.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/9580.

“The objective of this is for State Parks to identify practical ways that we can provide services and activities that people want, without additional capital investments or on-going increases in net operating costs,” said Don Hoch, agency director.

The state currently has lease agreements with 50 concessionaires, including boat rentals, food stands, tree climbing, cabin rentals, a ski resort and a golf course. The state wants to find other small-scale as well as larger-scale opportunities.

Lease agreements could be in place by June 2018.

New tech increases solar collection

BELLINGHAM — UbiQD of Los Alamos, New Mexico, said it has reached an agreement with Western Washington University and the University of Washington to license solar technology that was developed with the two schools.

The technology involves luminescent solar concentrators that are partially transparent and lightweight so that windows and other surfaces of buildings could act as solar collectors.

Hunter McDaniel, founder and CEO of UbiQD, said the technology could change the way people think about energy. “We envision a world where sunlight harvesting is ubiquitous, a future where our cities are powered by quantum dot-tinted glass on skyscrapers.”

UbiQD is a nanotech development company that manufactures low-hazard quantum dots and nanocomposites for energy applications.

Cedar River logjams have been cleared

RENTON — King County said a stretch of the Cedar River has reopened for recreational activities after being closed for over a year due to logjams. Clearing was done by the county's Water and Land Resources Division, Road Services Division and Washington Conservation Corps.

A nine-mile stretch between Maple Valley and Renton was closed in July 2016. Logjams and fallen trees prevented swimming, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, floating and wading.