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February 21, 2006
OLYMPIA The state Department of Ecology announced $2 million in grants to help local governments buy devices that curb pollution from heavy-duty diesel vehicles and equipment.
Transit buses, dump trucks and garbage trucks are among the types of vehicles that will be fitted with emissions control technology.
Stu Clark, Ecology's air-quality program manager, said diesel soot poses the highest cancer risk of any air pollutant. Technology to eliminate up to 99 percent of the toxic emissions generated by diesel vehicles is now readily available, he said.
Forum on the future of St. Edward's park
KIRKLAND Area residents can learn about plans for St. Edward's State Park at a meeting of the Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. in the social hall of St. John Mary Vianney Catholic Church on Finn Hill.
Rex Derr, director of the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission, and Bill Koss, manager of planning and research for the commission, and DCNA's representative on the park's advisory committee, Ken Davidson, will talk about options for the park.
Suggestions have included converting a former seminary building into a hotel/restaurant/brew pub, an environmental school, housing for Bastyr University or a municipal center for the city of Kenmore. The committee also is studying Kenmore Little League's proposal to add ballfields and night-lighting.
ShoreBank names sustainability officer
FEDERAL WAY ShoreBank Pacific has named an on-staff sustainability officer to help clients adopt sustainable economic, social and environmental practices.
Lucy Brehm, vice president and five-year veteran with ShoreBank Pacific, is now the sustainability officer. Brehm was national accounts and marketing manager for the bank. In adddion to helping clients, she will also oversee the bank's internal sustainability measures, such as offsetting carbon emissions for all bank operations through The Climate Trust's carbon offset programs.
"By creating a sustainability officer position, we're showing that we're serious about our own accountability as well as our commitment to helping clients adopt business practices that contribute to the health and vitality of the region," said David Williams, ShoreBank Pacific CEO and president.
WWU, Evergreen in green energy top 10
BELLINGHAM Western Washington University is second on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of the nation's top 10 green energy purchasers in higher education.
Western ranked behind the University of Pennsylvania on the EPA's first Top 10 College and University Partners list of schools with the largest completed renewable energy purchases.
The University of Utah was third, followed by Syracuse University, Duke University, Pennsylvania State University, Harvard University, The Evergreen State College, Oberlin College and the University at Buffalo.
Western and Evergreen were the only colleges or universities on the list receiving 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources.
Comments sought on stormwater permits
OLYMPIA The state Department of Ecology is inviting comments on three general permits regulating stormwater runoff pollution from cities, counties and other public districts.
Ecology is issuing drafts of the first Phase II municipal stormwater general permits for both Eastern and Western Washington and re-issuing a draft of the expired Phase I municipal stormwater general permit. Phase I covered cities, counties and other public districts serving over 100,000 people.
Ecology issued the first Phase I municipal stormwater permits in 1995. These permits expired in 2000, but they remain in effect until Ecology issues the new permit.
Federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations established Phase II municipal stormwater rules in 1999. The Phase II permits regulate cities, counties and public districts located in urbanized areas of Washington. Phase II covers areas that generally have more than 1,000 people per square mile.
Ecology will issue two separate Phase II permits, one for Eastern Washington and one for Western Washington.
Ecology will be holding public hearings on these permits in April and May. There will be eight workshops on the proposed draft permits. For information see Ecology's Web page: http://www.ecy.wa.gov.
Livable communities fair April 8
TACOMA The third Pierce County Livable Communities Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.
The free event is held every two years since 2002. More than 150 booths feature such topics as parks and open space, salmon recovery, natural resource conservation, transportation issues, environmental services, emergency preparedness, farm issues and education programs.
In 2004 the event drew 10,000 people. More than 15,000 are anticipated this year.
A look at WSDOT's environmental impact
SEATTLE The Washington State Department of Transportation's impact on the environmental industry will be the topic of the March 1 meeting of the Northwest Environmental Business Council.
WSDOT Northwest Region Administrator Lorena Eng will discuss current and future WSDOT projects of special interest to those in the environmental industry, including environmental impact studies, mitigation, soil/water testing and land use issues. Eng oversees a biennial budget of $850 million and a staff of 1,400 employees .
The event is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at McCormick & Schmick's Harborside on Lake Union, 1200 Westlake Ave. N. Cost is $35 for NEBC members and guests and $48 for non-members. For information e-mail linda@nebc.org.
Corps seeks comments on wetland bank
PORTLAND The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Oregon Department of State Lands are considering a proposal to establish a wetland mitigation bank.
Muddy Creek Mitigation Bank, LLC wants to create a bank southeast of Muddy Creek in Benton County. The 135-acre site would help meet requirements for compensatory mitigation for projects permitted by the Corps.
Comments must be received by March 10. A copy of the public notice can be found at https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/OP/g/public.asp.