February 8, 2005

Environmental Watch: Golder expands in California, Colorado

Smith

REDMOND — Golder Associates named Cathy Smith engineering group leader and senior engineer in its Redmond office. Smith started as an intern and has been with the company for 12 years.

Golder also opened a satellite office in Mountain View, Calif. The new office manager is William L. (Bill) Fowler, who has 20 years' experience as a consulting engineering geologist and was in Golder's Sacramento office. Kris Johnson has 20 years' experience and does hydrogeology and geochemistry for solid waste landfills and petroleum-impacted sites. Jennifer Panders heads groundwater monitoring services for solid waste landfills.

Golder recently acquired PIC Technologies, a firm with operations in Colorado and Wyoming that specializes in environmental permitting for natural gas pipelines, and oil and gas development. Its six-person team joins Golder's Denver office to consult on pipelines and permitting. Work could include new lines to carry natural gas from new fields in the Rocky Mountain West region, replacing hundreds of miles of aging pipelines, which would require FERC approval, and constructing liquified natural gas import terminals.

Cliff Knitter, a principal in the Seattle office, has teamed with PIC Technologies on projects for Williams--Northwest Pipeline. Golder is a global group of consulting companies specializing in ground engineering and environmental services.

Landau Associates expands staff

Morin

Detamore

EDMONDS — Engineering and environmental consulting firm Landau Associates added Lora "Travy" Moncure as project coordinator, Diane E. Morin as environmental/GIS scientist, Dana L. Olcott as staff geotechnical engineer, Teresa M. Bellevue as executive administrative assistant, Jason W. Detamore as staff scientist, and Nathan B. Moxley as environmental technician in the Edmonds office.

In the Spokane office, staff hydrogeologist Ryan R. Reich returns after studying construction management at Eastern Washington University. James Wilson, a senior staff engineer in Tacoma, passed his P.E. exam.

Landau Associates is an 80-person environmental, geotechnical and natural resources consulting services firm headquartered in Edmonds.

Workshop on resource damage litigation

SEATTLE — Law Seminars International will host a workshop, "Natural Resource Damages Litigation," on Feb. 16 at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel in Seattle.

The workshop will be led by Bradley M. Marten of the Marten Law Group and Elliott Furst, senior counsel in the Ecology division of the Washington State Attorney General's Office.

Marten and Furst will give tips on bringing and defending natural resource damages claims. Brad Campbell, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, will talk about New Jersey's program.

Topics will include federal, state and tribal claims, strategies to minimize damage liabilities, new topics in groundwater contamination, and natural resource damage banking.

For registration and more information, call Law Seminars International at (206) 567-4490 or (800) 854-8009, fax (206) 567-5058, e-mail registrar//www.lawseminars.com/seminars/05NRDWA.php.

WWU to run with green power

BELLINGHAM — Western Washington University's board of trustees recently approved a student fee to be used to buy renewable energy. A student initiative on green energy passed with 84.7 percent approval. Students and university administrators are studying what's needed to start a renewable energy program.

University officials are set to start negotiations with Puget Sound Energy to buy green energy from Bonneville Environmental Foundation, one of Puget Sound Energy's green power wholesale supplierS.

Vashon, Maury islands forest conserved

SEATTLE — Government and community groups collaborated to conserve 237 acres of forestland on Vashon and Maury Islands. Land was transferred from Washington State Department of Natural Resources to King County.

The transfer includes the 200-acre Island Center Forest at the headwaters of Judd Creek, the 17-acre Marjorie R. Stanley Wildlife and Wilderness Area, and the 20-acre Dockton Forest.

Conserving forest land will help protect Judd Creek and the island's aquifer, and keep green space for Vashon and Maury islands.

Land was transferred through the state Trust Land Transfer Program, which allows the transfer to counties or other public entities parcels of state trust lands that are difficult to manage for natural resource revenue production or that have a high value as open space or parklands.

More than 3,000 privately owned acres are enrolled in King County Current Use Taxation programs and will not be further developed in the near future.

Free pollution spill kits for businesses

SEATTLE — The city of Seattle is offering a limited number of free spill kits to qualifying businesses. The program is being run by Seattle Public Utilities, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, and Resource Venture, a program of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

A kit and cleanup plan can save money when it comes to dealing with spills, which the Resource Venture says can cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to clean. Kits are useful for businesses that make, store, use or transport liquids and are required if there is a chance pollutants can be carried away by rainwater.

For more information, call Resource Venture at (206) 389-7304 or see www.resourceventure.org/spillkit.htm.