Environmental Watch: Rachman joins Riley Group

SEATTLE -- Environmental and engineering consulting firm The Riley Group hired

Elizabeth Rachman for its Seattle office. Rachman has ten years' experience in environmental consulting, including contaminated site evaluations and aquifer testing.

Workshops set on DNR forest plan

OLYMPIA -- Washington State Department of Natural Resources will hold public workshops to revise its forest resources plan March 22-25, 30, 31 and April 1.

The department will also do an environmental impact statement analyzing the revision.

DNR manages more than 3 million acres of state-owned trust forest land and commercial properties.

Workshops are from 6 - 8 p.m. For more information and for meeting locations, visit www.dnr.wa.gov.

Surveying Capitol Hill for street defects

SEATTLE -- The Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce and Sustainable Seattle will work with neighborhood volunteers to survey street conditions in Capitol Hill on April 25.

Deborah Kuznitz of Sustainable Seattle said groups will look at sidewalks, alleys and crosswalks. They'll use handheld computers to record places that could be hazardous and neglected areas.

The work is being done through a grant that will maintain staff, buy handheld computers and support a partnership with the Fund for the City of New York, which owns the ComNET software being used.

Other neighborhoods that will be surveyed are North Beacon Hill and Greenwood/Phinney Ridge. For more information, contact Deborah Kuznitz at Sustainable Seattle at (206) 357-5433.

NW ranks high for green power

SEATTLE -- A report by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory ranked Oregon, Montana and Washington second, fourth and 10th respectively in a study on green pricing.

Green pricing lets consumers pay a premium to support electricity generated from renewable resources like sun and wind energy.

More than 500 utilities in 33 states now offer these programs.

The report compared market trends in these services, ranking them according to total sales of renewable energy, participant numbers and the lowest price premium charged for a green pricing service.

It named the green pricing program of Austin Energy as first in the nation, followed by Portland General Electric, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, PacifiCorp, and Xcel Energy.

Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative commissioned a study that has indicated technology-driven renewable energy sources could generate as many as 30,000 new jobs in the Northwest. The study also showed the Northwest is a globally competitive innovation center for new energy efficiencies in hydrogen, biomass and solar applications, with more than 225 companies working in these fields. For more information, visit www.nwetc.com.

Complain about air quality online

SEATTLE -- Olympic Region Clean Air Agency just launched a service for residents to file air quality complaints online. The agency has a form on its Web site to take smoke, dust, odors and air emissions complaints.

"With this new online service, we are trying to make sure folks can reach us in whatever way works best for them," said agency spokesman Dan Nelson. Complaints can still be phoned in by contacting (800) 422-5623.

The agency aims to protect and enhance air quality in Thurston, Mason, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson and Pacific counties. It intends to enforce air quality regulations at all levels of government. For more information, call (360) 586-1044 or visit www.orcaa.org.

Small farm expo in Enumclaw

ENUMCLAW, King County -- Washington State University Extension in King and Pierce counties, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, and King and Pierce Conservation districts will sponsor a free expo on March 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the King County Fairgrounds in Enumclaw.

Lopez Island farmer Dr. Henning Sehmsdorf will speak on small acreage farming and WSU Puyallup research station's "soil guru" Andy Bary will demonstrate how compost can be used as a soil amendment and mulch. For more information or a full schedule, visit www.metrokc.gov/wsu-ce/farmexpo or call (206) 205-3206.

5,000 respond to Ore. pollution proposal

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- Thousands of Jackson County residents are protesting a state proposal that would allow more local industrial air pollution, even though the county's standards would remain among Oregon's most stringent.

"A clear majority that we've received did not favor the proposal," said David Collier, air quality planner with the state Department of Environmental Quality, which received 5,000 responses to the plan.

The state Department of Environmental Quality proposal would eliminate a stringent emissions requirement on new or expanding industries that annually produce five tons or more of fine particle pollutants that cause haze.

Under current regulations, industries must purchase so-called clean air credits from other existing industries that have installed emission devices to lessen pollution.

Business leaders and the DEQ say that in practice, there are no credits available, making it impossible for industries to locate in Jackson County and create more jobs.

Oregon adds residents, but saves water

PORTLAND (AP) -- The pints and gallons saved by water-saving shower heads and low-flow toilets are adding up to substantial savings for Oregon homes and businesses.

The state added 250,000 residents in the latter half of the 1990s, but it's water usage declined by 12 percent.

The official estimate, reported by the U.S. Geological Survey, highlights how effective water conservation has become since nationwide water use hit all-time highs in the 1980s.

Nationwide, total U.S. water use increased 2 percent from 1995 to 2000, while the population jumped 13 percent.

"What the data show is that we can change how we use these resources; it's not something that is out of our control," said survey hydrologist Susan Hutson.

Conflicts increase between humans, cougars

SPOKANE (AP) -- Urban sprawl and shrinking habitat are increasing conflicts between humans and cougars, an expert on carnivores said last week.

More cougars, which range throughout the West from British Columbia to South America, are living near humans, Donny Martorello, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife carnivore manager, said.

"Lions are living in very close proximity to humans, and in many cases, those people are unaware they are there," Martorello said.

In 1996, Washington state voters approved Initiative 655 to ban the use of hounds to hunt cougars, forcing the wildlife department to develop new ways of managing the animals, Martorello said.

The commission that oversees the department extended hunting seasons, doubled the bag limit and reduced the license fee to encourage harvest of the lions, he said. More cougars are being harvested now than before the ban on hounds.

Environmental Watch: State revives wetland bank with $120K

OLYMPIA -- Lawmakers have budgeted $120,000 for the Department of Ecology to revive a "wetland banking" regulation. Budget cuts meant the regulation couldn't go ahead when it was proposed two years ago.

The new funds allow Ecology to come up with strategies and start a pilot project.

Wetland banking lets local governments and developers earn "credits" by restoring, creating, enhancing or preserving wetlands before they take action that would damage an existing wetland. Credits can be used or sold.

Ecology will create an advisory committee of state agencies, the Army Corps of Engineers, businesses, mitigation-banking organizations and environmentalists for guidance on the pilot project and the new rule.

Gordon White, who manages Ecology's shorelands program, said three or four wetland banks will be developed and evaluated as part of the pilot project. Data will then be used to come up with a rule, but that rule will only be adopted if funds are set aside in the 2005-07 state budget.

Help make Northgate walkable March 25

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Planning Commission invites community members to a workshop to plan a walkable Northgate urban center. "Improving Pedestrian Connections at Northgate" will be held March 25 at 4 p.m. at the Verity Credit Union Conference Center at 11027 Meridian Ave. N.

Register at www.seattle.gov/planningcommission.

EcoBuild shows favorite green projects

SEATTLE -- Ten presenters will show slides of their favorite Seattle area green projects March 24 at 7 p.m. Some of the presenters are Mark Huppert of Catapult Community Developers, Terry Phelan of Living Shelter Design Architects, Jim Burton of Blip Designlab and Eric Jackson of Charter Construction.

Slides include a corporate headquarters, a straw-bale home and a kitchen remodel. The presentation takes place at Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N, in the Brick Building's community hall. Free to NW EcoBuilding Guild members, $5 non-members.

For more information contact: Thor Peterson 206-615-0731 or thor.peterson@seattle.gov.

Drainage fix works in Fall City

FALL CITY, King County -- A defective drainage pipe on Southeast 46th Street and runoff from the Mitchell Hill drainage basin caused flooding in Fall City, but a system installed last year has put a plug on the problem.

After storms, flooding would hinder emergency access, so Fall City was designated for one of King County's 26 drainage projects.

The county's water and land resources division created a new channel to improve drainage. A channel and pipes direct runoff to a stream and wetland area in Patterson Creek. King County also cleared invasive species and planted native vegetation at the wetland site.

Conference in Portland on agriculture rules

PORTLAND -- A conference on agriculture will be held March 29 and 30 at the Westin Portland Hotel. It will inform farmers, irrigators, landowners, Realtors and developers about how to deal with new agricultural regulations. Co-chairs are Tom Lindley and A. W. "Sandy" Mackie of Perkins Coie.

"Competing interests for water, concerns for animal feedlots and pesticide use, court decisions, mad cow disease and growth management regulations are driving major changes in farm economics," said conference organizers. "Recent cases ... place the courts at the forefront of farm management and regulation. The rules are changing and interpretations are changing even faster."

To register, e-mail registrar@lawseminars.com, mail to 800 Fifth Ave., Suite 101, Seattle, WA 98104, phone (206) 567-4490 or (800) 854-8009 or fax to (206) 567-5058.

Stormwater technology OK'd by Ecology

SCARBOROUGH, Maine -- Vortechnics, a Maine-based supplier of stormwater treatment technology, said Washington State Department of Ecology has issued a general use level designation for its products in specific applications.

Vortechnics products clean stormwater runoff from parking lots, roads and other impervious surfaces. Units are engineered with a vortex concentration and flow control to help remove sediment, oil, pollutants and debris before water is released into surface waters. Such pollutants can damage ecosystems and plant, fish and bird habitats.

Vaikko Allen, technical manager for Vortechnics, said, "In order to achieve this designation, we submitted full scale laboratory testing, field testing and third-party studies."

Ore. residents may face fireproofing fines

RUCH, Ore. (AP) -- More than 12,000 suburban or rural homeowners in Jackson County are being asked to voluntarily fireproof their property as part of the Oregon Department of Forestry's new statewide program to reduce the wildfire risk to rural homes.

In addition, 30,000 Deschutes County property owners will be notified in April that their land has been classified as forestland-urban interface under a 1997 law that can make residents liable for $100,000 in firefighting costs if they fail to trim flammable grass, brush and trees.

State foresters estimate woodsy areas on the outskirts of towns contain 250,000 homes.

Homeowners will have two years to voluntarily certify that they've created a 30-foot firebreak around their homes.

Oregon's new rules follow the lead of California, which in 1982 began classifying fire hazard zones. Washington and Idaho stress public education about fireproofing, but legislators have failed to pass laws requiring homeowners to trim flammable vegetation.

New water quality standards in Oregon

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- New water-quality standards have been issued for every fish-bearing waterway in Oregon aimed at protecting endangered salmon and trout species from heat and pollution.

"We have essentially redesigned 30 years of water-quality standards," said Mark Charles of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

The standards resulted from a lawsuit filed by Northwest Environmental Advocates of Portland that claimed the old standards did not meet requirements of the federal Endangered Species and Clean Water acts.

The standards are effective immediately. But cities and industrial sites only need to meet the new standards upon renewal of their water-quality permits about once every five years.

Critics, however, say the changes will not have a significant impact on fish that need cold water to thrive.

"Our belief is that this set of standards amounts to one gigantic loophole for industrial and municipal sources and land activities," said Nina Bell, executive director of the group that filed the lawsuit.

She said the state can "fudge" on where it will measure the temperature of discharge from a pipe.

Environmental Watch: Two meetings on green forestry plan

OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of Natural Resources has scheduled two public meetings to review its preferred approach to sustainable forestry. Meetings will be held on March 10 at 6 p.m. in Chehalis and March 11 at 6 p.m. at the King County Library Service Center, 960 Newport Way N.W., Issaquah.

The preferred alternative will be analyzed in a final EIS and the board will make a final decision in June that will guide stewardship of 1.4 million acres of state trust forests in Western Washington. For more information, see www.dnr.wa.gov.

Workshops for small forest landowners

OLYMPIA -- Small forest landowners are invited to attend April and May workshops sponsored by Department of Natural Resources, Washington Farm Forestry Association, Washington State University and the University of Washington.

Workshops will help landowners understand changes to forest practice rules involving fish, wildlife and water quality. Workshops will cover road maintenance standards and how to use road engineering strategies to minimize stream impacts.

They will be held in Sedro Woolley April 1, Chehalis April 15 and Colville May 6. No fee, but pre-registration is required. Contact the Small Forest Landowner Office at (360) 902-1122 or sflo@wadnr.gov.

WWU dean and professor recognized

BELLINGHAM -- Dean Bradley Smith of Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment recently received two new appointments: president of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors, and the university liaison for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Smith serves as co-chair of Gov. Gary Locke's Sustainable Washington Advisory Panel.

The state House of Representatives recognized WWU professor Michael Seal for his contributions to automobile innovation. Seal is founder and director of the university's Vehicle Research Institute. He has overseen production of 36 fuel-efficient cars, which have won awards in events around the world.

David Evans names power director

PORTLAND -- The consulting firm of David Evans and Associates appointed Michael P. Elliott director of power generation and transmission. Elliott will direct staff in electrical design, natural resource studies, permitting and right-of-way services.

He comes to DEA from Ida-West Energy Co. Elliott was project manager for development of the Garnet Energy Facility, a power plant near Middleton, Idaho, and for development of the Hermiston Power Project, an electrical generation facility in Oregon.

Nominations due for green road awards

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The American Road and Transportation Builders Association's transportation development foundation is accepting nominations for 2004 Globe Awards, which recognize exceptional projects and processes in U.S. transportation construction, environmental protection and mitigation.

Completed surface transportation projects or organizations may be nominated. Applications must be received by June 30. Contact Rhonda Haskins at (202) 289-4434 or see www.artba.org.

Bitterroot wins Montana contract

BUTTE, Mont. -- Bitterroot Restoration Inc. has been awarded a four-year contract to revegetate mining-impacted areas around Silver Bow Creek near Butte.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte was listed by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1983 as one of several Superfund sites in the Upper Clark Fork River Basin. In 1999, Arco agreed to pay $215 million to the state of Montana to resolve claims and $80 million was set aside for Silver Bow Creek.

Bitterroot is an ecological restoration company based in Corvallis, Mont., with an office near Seattle. This is the fourth contract the firm has received for Silver Bow work.

Asarco may haul more soil to Ruston

TACOMA (AP) -- If the Everett Housing Authority agrees to buy an Asarco smelter site there, the company plans to send three times as much contaminated soil as previously estimated to its former copper smelter site in Ruston, just north of Tacoma.

David South, state Department of Ecology site manager, told The News Tribune that Asarco's final design report for the Everett cleanup calls for as much as 63,660 cubic yards of poisoned soil to be buried in Ruston. Past estimates ranged between 20,000 and 25,000 cubic yards -- enough to fill 2,500 dump trucks.

The most dangerous waste in Everett -- about 2,250 cubic yards of arsenic blobs -- will be hauled to a hazardous waste disposal facility in Idaho or Arlington, Ore., South said.

Asarco is under a court order to clean up the 4.7-acre site of a former lead smelter in northeast Everett by Oct. 31. In Ruston, Asarco is part way through a massive Superfund cleanup that includes removal of contaminated residential soils in north Tacoma neighborhoods within a mile of its former copper smelter.

To help Asarco reduce cleanup expenses at its Everett and Ruston sites, federal officials have approved Asarco's plan to dump polluted dirt in Ruston.

The soils destined for Ruston will be hidden either beneath the surface of the 60-acre smelter site or discarded inside the so-called onsite disposal facility, a huge pit built to hold 250,000 cubic yards of smelter waste.

The cleanup plan has the support of Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma and Ruston town officials.

Asarco could save $3 million on the cost of the Everett cleanup by hauling contaminated soils to Ruston.

$25M forest center eyed for Oregon

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Ron Wyden is pushing a new bill to locate a federal research center in central Oregon to evaluate forests throughout the West, as officials move to implement a landmark forest-health law approved by Congress last fall.

The $25 million center, to be built in Prineville at the Ochoco National Forest headquarters, was included in a Senate version of the forest bill, but was stripped out during final negotiations between House and Senate leaders.

Wyden called the center an important tool to evaluate the effects of insects, disease, fire and weather on Western forests.

Parkland project needs volunteers

PARKLAND, Pierce County -- Volunteers are needed to plant 2,500 willow and dogwood stakes and wetland plants next to the west tributary of the North Fork of Clover Creek on March 13 and April 10.

Planting will take place between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on both days and will be led by the Pierce Conservation District's Stream Team and the Water Programs Division of Pierce County Public Works and Utilities Department.

For project information, call Janine Redmond, water programs senior planner, at (253) 798-7569.

Environmental Watch: A fair for livable communities

TACOMA -- The Pierce County Livable Communities Fair will be held April 3 at Pacific Lutheran University. It will focus on projects and programs that can make local communities more livable in the face of the challenges posed by population growth.

Diane Braaten, fair manager, said, "We welcome any livable/sustainable idea that benefits neighborhoods and communities."

Booth registrations will be accepted through March 5. Booth space costs $50 for nonprofits and $150 for commercial organizations. For more information, call Braaten, assistant to the county executive, at (253) 798-6691 or Dick Ferguson, media and community relations, at (253) 798-3979 or visit www.livablepiercecounty.org.

The lighter side of haz-mat

SEATTLE -- Rick Gleason presents a talk on "Humor and Hazardous Materials" tonight at the Rock Salt Steak House, at 1232 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle, at the quarterly membership meeting of the Northwest Chapter of the Academy of Hazardous Materials Management. The dinner event begins at 6 p.m. with a no-host social hour.

Gleason will discuss a variety of federal environmental safety and health regulations.

"As professionals in the field, we should never take an accident or a near miss lightly, but we should not take ourselves too seriously," he said. Gleason spent 13 years with OSHA and WISHA as an inspector and consultant, and works at Prezant Associates as an industrial hygiene consultant.

For reservations call Peggy Willingham at (206) 392-9854 or e-mail peggy.willingham@alaskaair.com.

DDES expands permit center hours

SEATTLE -- Starting next week the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services will expand operating hours at the DDES Permit Center to 8:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., five days a week. The additional hours will allow more intake appointments and reduce the wait times for permit customers, according to DDES director Stephanie Warden.

DDES issues building and land use permits for unincorporated King County. Intake appointments can be scheduled by calling DDES at (206) 296-6797.

Volunteers needed for Capitol Lake work

OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of General Administration is looking for volunteers to help with plantings at Capitol Lake on March 27.

The interpretive center trail and mitigation site on the lake's south end was severely damaged by the February 2001 Nisqually earthquake. DGA, which owns and operates the park, agreed to restore the upland and wetland area.

Volunteers will attend from Stream Team, the Evergreen State College, the Squaxin Island Tribe, the Native Plant Salvage Project, conservation districts, National Resource Conservation Service, Olympia and Capital high schools, and YMCA Earth Corps. Plants and shovels will be provided.

Oregon considers tough rules on beaches

PORTLAND (AP) -- State officials are considering closing 25 percent of the sandy beaches on the Oregon coast to dogs, campfires and driving during the spring and summer to protect the western snowy plover, an endangered species.

Of those stretches, about half would be more tightly restricted to include bans on kite flying and bicycle riding because of the menace they are thought to pose to nesting plovers.

Oregon's coastal plover population is estimated at 100 adults, one-third the number of 30 years ago.

The rules would be among the toughest limits ever placed on the use of Oregon's coastal beaches.

The proposal, conceived by the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation and open now to public comment, has upset many coastal residents who view it as a betrayal of state laws assuring the public access to beaches.

The provisions will change as the state reworks its plan in response to public comment, said Mike Carrier, director of the Parks and Recreation Department.

The beach restrictions are part of a state maneuver to avoid liability for harm that might befall coastal plovers, protected under the state Endangered Species Act since 1987 and the federal Endangered Species Act since 1993. The state could be sued for unlawful "taking" of a protected species if permitted uses harmed plovers.

DNR asks to boost logging by 30%

SEATTLE (AP) -- Logging on 1.4 million acres of state forest in Western Washington would increase dramatically over the next decade under new long-term goals sought by state Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland.

Today the state Board of Natural Resources is expected to set the new timber target calling for at least 30 percent more wood than has been logged from state forests in recent years.

The board also is expected to dismantle other regulations that in the past decade prevented logging from reaching previous state goals.

The potential change alarms environmentalists who fear the combination could further threaten spotted owls and salmon runs, and possibly expose steep slopes and watersheds to stream-choking erosion.

Timber-industry representatives, however, say logging practices are much less environmentally damaging than in the past.

State managers insist they're only removing ecologically unsound or redundant rules that kept them from fulfilling their obligations to maximize the forests' economic potential.

The proposal will be open for public review until this summer, but it's not likely that the board will drastically change the plan, based on 2.5 years of research and reviews.

Vegas lifts some drought restrictions

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Water officials are relaxing some drought restrictions, saying that conservation measures last year cut water use in the Las Vegas area more than expected.

At the same time, the Southern Nevada Water Authority stepped up plans to bring more water to Las Vegas from surrounding rural areas while receiving a report that said limiting growth could cripple the regional and state economy.

The authority board approved easing bans on at-home car washing, misting systems and ornamental fountains for homes and businesses.

Resorts like the Bellagio hotel-casino, which features a prominent "Dancing Waters" attraction on the Las Vegas Strip, remain exempt from drought restrictions because they are considered essential to the area's tourism-based economy.

A 642-page report commissioned for the water authority said interrupting the area's growth cycle for any reason would have a damaging economic effect that would ripple through many industries.

Pat Mulroy, water authority general manager, said the study was designed to determine whether growth control would work as a means of drought management, and to provide an answer to other states relying on the Colorado River who ask why southern Nevada won't stop growing.

The water authority placed new emphasis on its plan to build a $1 billion pipeline by 2014 to import water to Las Vegas.

Environmental Watch: Last meeting on sustainable forest plan

OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of Natural Resources will hold two public meetings in March to review the preferred alternative for sustainable forestry.

These are the last in a series of 15 public meetings about the two-year study of sustainable forestry in Western Washington state trust forests.

Meetings will be held Wednesday, March 10, 6 to 9 p.m. in Chehalis, and Thursday, March 11, 6 to 9 p.m., in the King County Library Service Center, 960 Newport Way N.W., Issaquah.

The selected preferred alternative will be examined in the final EIS.

DNR Director of Communications Todd Myers said the agency manages 1.4 million acres of forestland in the western part of Washington. One percent of that is harvested each year, with money going to school construction, county boards and universities. For more information, see http://www.dnr.wa.gov.

BIRV now just Resource Venture

SEATTLE -- The whole name was hard to pronounce, but the acronym was tough to remember. Now the Business and Industry Resource Venture is trying to keep it simple. What we knew (or didn't know) as BIRV is now just the Resource Venture.

Resource Venture is a program of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and is supported by Seattle Public Utilities. The group provides local companies with information on waste prevention, water conservation, stormwater pollution prevention and sustainable building to help them make informed decisions.

Resource Venture's new address is 1301 Fifth Ave., Suite 2500, Seattle, WA 98101-2611.

Clean Air for Kids seeking volunteers

SEATTLE -- Volunteers are needed for Clean Air for Kids. The organization conducts home environment assessments in Pierce County to help create healthier home environments. Volunteers receive 40 hours of training on environmental hazards such as mold, moisture, dust, arsenic and hazardous household products.

Training will be offered on Wednesdays from March 17 through April 28, 6:30 to 7 p.m. For more information, call (253) 798-2954.

NEBC talk on new wastewater rules

SEATTLE -- The Olympic chapter of the Northwest Environmental Business Council March 3 meeting will include a presentation on wastewater.

Betsy Cooper, a wastewater treatment department administrator with King County, will speak on the recently released draft policy from EPA on blending regulations, and how to handle and discharge water during peak flow conditions.

The presentation will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the McCormick and Schmick's Harborside on Lake Union, 1200 Westlake Ave., Seattle. Cost is $30 for members and $45 for non-members. For information contact NEBC at (888) 609-NEBC or visit the Web site at http://www.nebc.org.

HAZMAT training courses in April

SEATTLE -- Two hazardous materials courses administered by the Environmental Resource Center will be held in Seattle in April.

A hazardous waste management training course covers waste characterization, container marking, waste minimization, emergency response and land disposal certification. This two-day seminar also addresses laws relating to identifying and shipping hazardous waste, and how to comply with new emission standards for hazardous waste generators.

A certification training course, DOT 49 CFR Transportation Regulations, will cover issues such as how to classify, package, label and ship hazardous materials in accordance with DOT regulations.

Both courses take place at Wyndham Seattle Tacoma Airport, 18118 Pacific Highway S. The hazardous waste course is April 20 and 21, and the DOT training course is April 22. For information, call (800) 537-2372.

Skiers enlisted in global warming fight

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) -- A national environmental group hopes to enlist skiers and snowboarders in the effort to reduce greenhouse gases, warning that global warming poses a major threat to the industry.

The Natural Resources Defense Council has teamed with the National Ski Areas Association to try to educate ski area customers about what is says will be shorter winters and warmer temperatures over the next 50 years.

Daniel Lashof, science director of the council's climate center, said no one can accurately predict how global warming will change the climate of a specific area.

Lashof is touting a program, "Keep Winter Cool," that promotes alternative energy use, such as wind power, and energy efficiency. It also backs legislation that would require the United States to reduce its greenhouse gas production.

Old Oregon hatchery gets $1M upgrade

BUTTE FALLS, Ore. (AP) -- It leaked like a sieve, grew bumper crops of moss and looked more like a Roman ruin than like a fish hatchery.

But after a $308,000 overhaul the 89-year-old Butte Creek Fish Hatchery pond now runs like a dream, teeming with tiny fish after the upgrading turned one large old pond into five state-of-the-art raceways for fish.

Fed with modern and adjustable water pipes and lined specially for cleanliness, the pond is the newest part of the hatchery's nearly $1 million face-lift.

The pond's first graduates, 75,000 young coho salmon, were trucked to the Rock Creek Hatchery along the North Umpqua River last week. Those that survive will return in the fall of 2006.

The new pond is just the latest phase of the massive rebuilding of one of Oregon's oldest fish hatcheries. There is also a new water intake system, leaky pipes were repaired and the building where eggs are incubated and hatched was rebuilt.

In two years the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has spent about $846,000 on the project.

Another $300,000 has been approved, but not spent, on a pollution-abatement pond to treat used hatchery water as required by federal law.

EPA: Biscuit salvage plan harmful

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- U.S. Forest Service salvage logging plans for the 2002 Biscuit fire promise to cause long-term damage to key salmon streams already suffering from poor water quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.

EPA urged the Siskiyou National Forest to limit salvage logging to areas designated for timber harvest under the Northwest Forest Plan, known as matrix lands, and drop plans to log extensively in key salmon watersheds and undeveloped forest known as inventoried roadless areas.

The 2002 Biscuit fire burned 500,000 acres in southwestern Oregon. It has become the focus of an intense debate over whether it is better to salvage timber killed in wildfires to speed up restoration of fish and wildlife habitat, as the Forest Service and timber industry want to do, or leave forests to recover naturally, as environmentalists and some ecologists advocate.

Environmental Watch: Greenhouse tries hydrogen fuel heater

VANCOUVER -- Technology developed by Hydro Environmental Resources, a Vancouver company, could save an Oregon nursery significant dollars in heating costs.

The technology was developed when a scientist working in Australia received a grant to clean arsenic-laden water from mining operations. In the process, he discovered the efficiency of hydrogen fuel.

The device is a fuel reactor. Four hydrogen-based compounds are added to water, yielding hydrogen fuel and generous quantities of heat.

Terra Nova Nurseries, of Canby, Ore., relies on natural gas to heat its greenhouse. The area is about the size of a football field and must be kept at a constant 70 degrees. Dependence on fossil fuel is expensive.

Terra Nova recently placed an order for Hydro Environmental's fuel technology, but is still doing a cost analysis. This would be the first installation of the reactor, said James Painter, a lab technician with Hydro.

Painter said the hydrogen fuel will be more cost-effective, and heat generated as a byproduct of the combustion process will be circulated through underground pipes to heat plant roots and maintain temperature.

Clean water conference March 22-23

SEATTLE -- A clean water and stormwater conference will be held March 22 and 23 at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel.

It will cover Clean Water Act issues, targeted at lawyers, real estate professionals, government and tribal officials, consultants and engineers.

Co-chairs are Michael P. O'Connell, a partner at Stoel Rives, and James A. Tupper, Jr., of the Mentor Law Group.

Topics include permitting, environmental group perspectives, regulatory initiatives, watershed planning and endangered species and oil-spill response.

To register, e-mail registrar@lawseminars.com, mail to 800 Fifth Ave., Suite 101, Seattle, WA 98104, phone (206) 567-4490 or (800) 854-8009 or fax to (206) 567-5058. Cost is $695.

EcoBuilding Guild to hold 'movie night'

SEATTLE -- The Central Puget Sound chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild will explore the use of video as a medium to advocate responsible urban development and green building on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

The event will begin with screenings of videos about urban development, ideas for healthier homes and interviews with guild members and business owners on indoor air quality and green building materials. The filmmakers will be available afterwards to discuss their work.

Screenings begin at 7 p.m. in the basement of the Brick building at 6532 Phinney Ave N.

Program is free for guild members, $5 for non-members. For information, contact Thor Peterson at (206) 615-0731.

Rural forest commission seeks members

SEATTLE -- The King County Rural Forest Commission has four vacancies to fill. The commission advises the county executive and county council in its efforts to conserve forestland and facilitate appropriately scaled forestry.

Deadline for applying is March 15. For information, call Benj Wadsworth at (206) 296-7805.

Groups to appeal pesticide spray ban

WENATCHEE (AP) -- A coalition of nearly 40 agriculture and pesticide groups says it will appeal a federal judicial ban on spraying certain pesticides near Pacific Northwest salmon waterways this week or next, an industry spokeswoman said.

Corinne Simon of CropLife America, a pesticide trade association based in Washington, D.C., said the action will be filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

On Jan. 22, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour of Seattle banned ground spraying of 38 pesticides within 60 feet of streams and aerial spraying within 300 feet of streams.

Heather Hansen, executive director of Washington Friends of Farms and Forests in Olympia, said she hopes the decision can be stayed in time to allow farmers to keep using the pesticides on this year's crops.She cited a federal study that estimated the economic impact to Washington farmers alone could be $31 million to $495 million annually.

Patti Goldman, attorney for the Seattle-based Washington Toxics Coalition, said the groups faced an uphill battle to get a stay.

The coalition and three other groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency for violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to consult with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries in its review of 54 pesticides.

Mule deer target of large western study

RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Wildlife biologists are mapping mule deer habitat from Mexico to Canada and identifying specific regional problems to try to stem the deer's decline across the West.

As recently as the 1960s, an estimated 2.3 million mule deer roamed the diverse landscape stretching from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains and the deserts of the Southwest to the mountainous terrain of the Northwest Territories. But their numbers have since dropped sharply, the biologists reported.

The Mule Deer Working Group of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies hopes to reverse the declining population trend by identifying and mapping habitat and recommending how best to manage it. The work is expected to be completed this spring.

Biologists hope the information will be used by property owners, land managers and urban planners.

Experts said fire suppression hurts deer habitat because it disrupts the natural rejuvenation of the grassy plants and shrubs called forbs that deer feed on.

Oregon pushing use of cleaner diesel

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon could beat federal clean air standards for diesel buses, vans and delivery vehicles by more than a year.

Federal standards for ultra-low-sulfur diesel, which reduced emissions by up to 15 percent, are set to take effect in fall 2006. When paired with engine filters and particulate traps, the combination can cut harmful exhaust by up to 95 percent.

The potential health benefits are huge, said Kevin Downing, air quality planner with the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Officials aim to steer buses and trucks toward the special diesel first, then light-duty trucks and passenger cars. Exhaust from diesel engines is one of the top air quality concerns in Lane County, pollution control officials say.

The cleaner fuel costs more than regular diesel, limiting its appeal among cash-strapped public agencies and private businesses.

Environmental Watch: New sales manager for Vortechnics

BOTHELL -- Vortechnics Inc., a Scarborough, Maine-based stormwater treatment company, named Michael Scott Pacific Northwest regional sales manager. Scott has more than 25 years of experience in sales, management, business development and engineering. His emphasis is on filtration, fluid purification and process equipment for municipal and industrial markets. Scott will work in the Bothell office covering Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.

Stormwater fine for Narrows bridge

OLYMPIA -- Inadequate stormwater treatment at the construction site of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge has resulted in a $10,000 penalty.

The state Department of Ecology fined the state Department of Transportation and design-builder Tacoma Narrows Constructors for lack of attention to proper stormwater management.

Ecology said it found stormwater pollution problems during four months of site inspections, stating that WSDOT and its contractor have jointly failed to contain and control stormwater at the site.

Ecology fined DOT/Tacoma Narrows Constructors for failing to report at least one muddy discharge, for neglecting standards to contain and control runoff, and for allowing muddy water to flow into Puget Sound.

80% of dairies meet new water law

OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of Agriculture reports that 80 percent of the state's 599 licensed dairy farms met the Dec. 31, 2003, deadline imposed by the Dairy Nutrient Management Act. The law is designed to protect surface and groundwater.

The measure aims to prevent discharge of contaminated water or manure into streams, drainage ditches, surface water and groundwater. It will also specify when and in what amounts manure or water from manure lagoons can be applied to crops and pastures.

In order to conform to the law, farmers must have strategies for containment, collection, storage, transfer, treatment and use of dairy waste.

GLOBE 2004 starts March 31 in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- The GLOBE 2004 convention, which takes place from March 31 to April 2 in Vancouver, will be the eighth GLOBE trade fair and conference. The program is targeted towards environmental business leaders and corporate environmental managers.

Among the topics to be discussed are corporate sustainability, energy and climate change, and building sustainable cities.

DNR grants available for open space

OLYMPIA -- Private landowners in Washington have until April to apply for grants to the state Department of Natural Resources' Riparian Open Space Program.

The state established the Open Space program to buy habitat in forested river channel islands as well as areas where river courses have changed. The Legislature has appropriated $1 million for the program, which is also to cover administration and survey costs.

Land must be "managed only in a manner necessary for ecological protection or fisheries enhancement," according to DNR.

For details, visit http://www.dnr.wa.gov/riparian or call contact Omroa Bhagwandin at (360) 902-1059 or riparian<@>wadnr.gov.

Calif. needs feds' OK on new washer rule

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California regulators approved efficiency rules for washing machines designed to save billions of gallons of water a year, but the changes will need the federal government's blessing to go beyond federal appliance efficiency statutes.

If it gets the waiver, California will become the first state to have water-efficiency rules for washing machines, which consume about 20 percent of households' annual water use.

A freeze on state regulations declared by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger held back the rules, which were supposed to be adopted by Dec. 31 under legislation signed by the governor's predecessor, Gray Davis.

California has 35 million residents and a perpetual water shortage. The rules on new washing machines would save an estimated 80 billion gallons annually by 2019.

Methow backcountry rules prompt suit

SPOKANE (AP) -- The U.S. Forest Service failed to take environmental impacts into account when it approved expanded backcountry snowmobiling and helicopter skiing in the Methow Valley, conservation groups allege.

Methow Forest Watch, Kettle Range Conservation Group, North Cascades Conservation Council, Lands Council and Wild Wilderness have sued the agency in U.S. District Court in Portland for approving the special-use permits.

The plaintiffs contend that the Forest Service has not done sufficient planning in order to appropriately address the increased impacts on winter wildlife, mountain wetlands, alpine meadows and other forest resources in roadless areas. They also allege a lack of monitoring and record-keeping of the area's recreational activities.

The permits, which have expanded the regions where heli-skiing and snowmobiles are permissable in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests, have nearly doubled the number of helicopter trips allowed, and have nearly tripled the number of clients that snowmobilers can take into the backcountry.

Group says B.C. waived fish farm fines

VICTORIA, British Columbia (AP) -- Documents show British Columbia's government refunded hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines to fish farmers and forgave other fines shortly after the Liberal party took office in May 2001.

The Sierra Legal Defense Fund said it obtained documents showing the fish farming industry had been let off the hook for as much as $2.3 million (US$1.74 million) in fines.

Premier Gordon Campbell said fish farmers deserved a break because their license and tenure renewals and applications got snarled in a lengthy government-generated backlog. He and George Abbott, sustainable resource management minister, blamed the mess on the New Democratic party government that preceded the Liberals in Victoria.

Salmon farmers were fined for illegally expanding operations on government lands. They argued that they were trying to comply but found that their paperwork was being tied up.

Campbell said the decision was made when Land and Water British Columbia decided to clear up a pile of about 3,000 various applications and documents pertaining to the aquaculture industry.

Environmental Watch: Floyd Snider McCarthy adds staff

SEATTLE -- Environmental consulting firm Floyd Snider McCarthy hired principal John Herzog. Herzog has 12 years of scientific and environmental experience, with an emphasis on shoreline facilities, and upland and marine properties. He studied geological sciences at the University of Colorado and oceanography at the University of Washington.

Kleinfelder adds staff

SEATTLE -- Kleinfelder, Inc. -- a San Diego-based management, engineering, environmental science and construction consulting firm -- hired Mary Ann Carlson as marketing manager for its Seattle office. Carlson has 20 years of experience in the architecture and engineering industry, specializing in marketing federal, state and local agencies.

Ecology to set rules for stream flows

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology plans to set requirements for minimum stream flows in 10 watersheds. Ecology also may change or enhance flow requirements in seven other watersheds by June 2005, according to the department.

Since 1976 Ecology has adopted stream flow rules for 19 of Washington's 62 watersheds. Setting minimum stream flows helps fish habitats and helps determine if watersheds have enough water for irrigation, recreation, commercial and public use.

This year Ecology will work with tribes, watershed planning groups and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to adopt minimum flows for the Elwha-Dungeness, Entiat, Lower Skagit-Samish sub-basin, Stillaguamish and Walla Walla watersheds. Next year Ecology will set stream flows for the Cowlitz, Grays-Elochoman, Lewis, Quilcene-Snow and Salmon-Washougal watersheds.

Invasive weed battle gets $440,000 grant

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology will award more than $440,000 in grants to control the spread Eurasian milfoil and other non-native aquatic weeds.

In 2004 Ecology will award grants to the University of Washington, state Department of Fish and Wildlife, cities of Kent and Rock Island, Liberty Lake and Sacheen Lake sewer districts, and Chelan, Island, Wahkiakum counties.

The funding comes from the state's Freshwater Aquatic Weeds Account. For details visit www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/grants/focusgrant.html.

Feb. 7 plant salvage seeks volunteers

NEWCASTLE -- King County's Native Plant Salvage Program is looking for volunteers to help salvage native plants at a development site near Hazelwood Elementary School in Newcastle.

Volunteers will dig up native plants and shrubs on the Renton School District site from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 7, and help re-pot the plants at the county's Native Plant Holding Facility on the Sammamish Plateau from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The county salvages native plants to reduce erosion, shade streams, and provide fish and wildlife habitat at restoration sites. For directions to the salvage site and holding facility and other details, visit http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/PI/salvage.htm or contact Greg Rabourn at (206) 296-1923 or greg.rabourn@metrokc.gov.

Ecology fines top $1 million for 2003

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology issued $308,306 in fines in the last quarter of 2003, bringing total fines for 2003 to $1.04 million.

Ecology fined Okanogan-based Bains LLC $87,100 for not having leak protections on underground petroleum storage tanks, and fined Port Angeles-based Naftomar Shipping and Trading Co. $75,000 for spilling 1,188 gallons of oil into Port Angeles Harbor while refueling the "Gaz Diamond." Ecology fined Ferndale-based Mid-Mac Enterprises $49,500 for spilling 1,050 gallons of fuel into Deer Creek when a tank trailer crashed near Ferndale.

In King County, Ecology fined the city of Bellevue $4,000 for doing construction work on a Valley Creek tributary without required plans and permits; and fined Seattle-based Covich Williams Facility $28,242 for illegally transferring 12,370 gallons of diesel into a tank barge on Lake Washington.

Sustainable Seattle award nominations due

SEATTLE -- Sustainable Seattle is seeking nominations for its third-annual Sustainable Community Outstanding Leadership Awards.

The awards recognize people, organizations, businesses and public agencies for leadership in government, business, social justice and the built environment. Past winners are Jones & Jones Architects & Landscape Architects, the RE Store, Maxine Buie Mimms of Antioch University, Tracy Dieckhoner of the city of Seattle's Pesticide Reduction Program, and Patty Borman of the city's Cascade neighborhood.

County offers new environmental grants

SEATTLE -- The King County Water and Land Resources Division is offering six grant programs this year for watershed protection, habitat restoration, reforestation, salmon conservation and natural resource stewardship projects and related education efforts.

Projects must be located in King County or south Snohomish County watersheds that flow into Lake Washington. The Adopt-a-Stream Foundation, Heron Habitat Helpers, Homewaters Project/North Seattle Community College, Mid-Puget Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group and city of Bothell won grants in 2003.

The deadline for maximum awards, which range $10,000 to $75,000, is March 1. There is no deadline for grants up to $2,000. For details contact Ken Pritchard, grant exchange coordinator, at (206) 296-8265 or ken.pritchard@metrokc.gov.

Four vie for good-government award

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Council for Excellence in Government and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government named four Pacific Northwest programs as semifinalists for the Innovations in American Government Awards.

The awards give $100,000 grants to five state, local, tribal or federal programs. In March contest judges will choose 15 finalists from 50 semifinalists, before the National Selection Committee on Innovations in American Government chooses five winning programs on July 28.

The semifinalists include A Regional Coalition for Housing, a partnership of King County and 15 suburban cities; the state of Washington's Developmental Disabilities Endowment Trust; the city of Seattle's Natural Drainage Systems program; and the state of Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit Pass-Through program. For details visit www.excelgov.org.

Green building conference March 10-12

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Missouri Heartland Organizing Group of the U.S. Green Building Council will host "Greening the Heartland 2004: Beyond Sustainability" March 10-12 in Columbia, Mo.

Speakers at the two-day conference in the Holiday Inn Select Expo Center will include Ray Anderson of Interface Inc., Christine Ervin of the USGBC, Bob Berkebile of BNIM Architects, Amy Liu of the Brookings Institution, and Richard Swett of the American Institute of Architects and Design Futures Council.

Workshops will discuss design/construction, alternative/renewable energy, regional perspectives, education, health/social issues, and government/business. For details visit www.usgbc.org.

Environmental Watch: Open house today on Kirkland I-405 projects

KIRKLAND -- The state Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration will hold an open house at Kirkland City Hall this afternoon about environmental effects of proposed road improvements along Interstate 405 between State Route 520 in Bellevue and SR 522 in Bothell.

From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Peter Kirk Room at 123 Fifth Ave., I-405 team members will talk about what gets studied in the environmental document for the Kirkland Nickel Project, a WSDOT project funded by the nickel gas tax.

The Kirkland project is part of the first phase of the I-405 Master Plan, the long-range mobility strategy for I-405. The project includes a northbound lane from N.E. 70th Street to N.E. 124th Street and a southbound lane from SR 522 to SR 520. For details visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/I-405/.

Central waterfront forum set for Feb. 12

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Department of Planning and Development's Central Waterfront Planning Project will hold a Forum on the Natural Environment at REI Feb. 12 about environmental measures the city will use to evaluate waterfront plans.

The city is plotting the future of the waterfront from the Elliott Bay shoreline and First Avenue, from Myrtle Edwards Park on the north to South Atlantic Street at the south. Environmental sustainability is one of DPD's waterfront planning principles, which also include access/connection, function/diversity, destination/movement, authenticity/history, economic development and integration/balance.

The forum is from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in REI's North Room at 222 Yale Ave. N. To attend, send an RSVP by Feb. 3 to info@enviroissues.com. For details visit www.cityofseattle.net/dclu/centralwaterfront.

Meth labs down for second year in a row

OLYMPIA -- The number of methamphetamine drug labs in Washington in 2003 fell for the second year in a row, reversing an upward trend that started in 1995, according to Ecology.

Ecology received reports of 1,480 sites last year, 12.5 percent less than 2002. Numbers rose in Pierce and Snohomish counties and fell in King and Thurston counties. Ferry, San Juan and Whitman counties reported no drug labs, and Garfield, Klickitat and Okanogan reported one lab each.

Spokane County reported the largest decrease, from 189 drug labs in 2002 to 91 last year. According to Ecology, cleaning up meth labs costs the state $2 million a year, but the state has reduced disposal costs by consolidating waste from lab sites.

Oregon, Washington tree farms for sale

PORTLAND -- Port Blakely Tree Farms is selling four tree farm properties totaling more than 24,000 acres and 320 million board feet of timberland.

On March 9 Portland-based Realty Marketing/Northwest will conduct a sealed-bid auction for the Washington and Oregon properties, according to the company. The two Washington farms are in Kitsap County near Bremerton and in Snohomish County near Wallace Falls State Park.

Oregon's Reedsport and Coquille tree farms are in Lane, Douglas and Coos counties between Florence and Bandon. For details visit www.rmnw-auctions.com or call Tim Reinertsen, senior vice president, Realty Marketing/Northwest, at (800) 822-4669.

Tacoma wants volunteers for enviro program

TACOMA -- The city of Tacoma Resource Conservation Stewardship Program is looking for volunteers ages 16 and older to learn about and promote recycling, waste reduction, natural lawn care and other earth-friendly practices.

The program, funded by Tacoma Environmental Services, offers 40 hours of free environmental training in exchange for 40 hours of teaching. Lectures, field demonstrations and hands-on activities will run Tuesday nights from March 2 through April 27 at the Tacoma Nature Center at 1919 S. Tyler St.

Applications are due Feb. 24. For details call (253) 573-2415 or visit www.cityoftacoma.org/envirosteward.

Ecology to reward earth-friendly schools

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology is taking applications until Feb. 25 from kindergarten-through-12th-grade public schools for the Terry Husseman Sustainable Schools Awards.

The program, named after late Ecology deputy director Terry Husseman, awards $500 to $5,000 for environmentally friendly materials and management. Ecology will judge the creativeness of programs, schools' purchasing policies, and schools' success increasing recycling and reducing waste.

Programs might include organic food, renewable energy, innovative weed control, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, and curriculum that discusses business' environmental costs. To apply visit www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0207020.html or call Michelle Payne at (360) 407-6129.

High court rules against Red Dog Mine

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal regulators can trump more permissive state officials in some disputes over costly measures to limit air pollution, the Supreme Court said.

The Clean Air Act lets state officials make some decisions involving facilities within their borders, but still gives the EPA wide authority to enforce the anti-pollution law passed by Congress in 1970.

Alaska's governor wanted to let the world's largest zinc mine use less effective equipment, but the federal Environmental Protection Agency said no. The Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling upheld EPA's veto power in such cases and departed from the court's trend toward granting states more power.

The fight was over whether Red Dog Mine must use equipment that would reduce emissions from a new diesel generator by 90 percent. The state wanted to let the mine operator use equipment that would reduce pollution by 30 percent. The EPA insisted on "selective catalytic reduction" technology for the new generator but did not require that technology for the mine's older generators.

Citigroup adopts `green' corporate policy

NEW YORK (AP) -- Citigroup intends to become more environmentally friendly. The nation's largest financial institution said it is adopting a corporate policy to carefully evaluate requests for project financing that could adversely affect the environment. The policy will also ban funding for illegal logging operations and commit Citigroup "to invest in sustainable forestry and renewable energy."

Adoption of the initiatives comes after two years of anti-Citi demonstrations by the Rainforest Action Network aimed at getting the bank to make a commitment to environmental causes.

Ilyse Hogue, global finance campaign director for the San Francisco environmental activist group, said Citi is the first American bank to adopt such a comprehensive policy.

Pam Flaherty, head of global community relations and environmental affairs for Citigroup, said the new initiative builds on voluntary guidelines known as the Equator Principles that 18 global financial institutions have signed since last June. The principles require the banks to adopt procedures to evaluate the social and environmental impacts of infrastructure projects that they finance.

Environmental Watch: Ecology seeks comment on state waters

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology is accepting public comments on the largest assessment ever of Washington's waters.

Ecology assessments identify polluted waters and set priorities to improve water quality, according to the department. In the assessment, Ecology placed more than half of 1998's 2,362 polluted-water listings into other categories. Nineteen percent of the 1998 listings are no longer polluted, according to the assessment, but the assessment includes 320 new listings.

Ecology will submit a final list to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ecology will hold workshops on the assessment Feb. 3 in Spokane, Feb. 4 in Yakima, Feb. 10 in Everett, Feb. 11 in Longview, and Feb. 12 in Lacey. Submit comments by March 15. For details visit http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/303d/2002/2002-index.html.

Anchor Environmental adds staff

SEATTLE -- The environmental science and engineering firm Anchor Environmental hired Mike Sallis and Chad Durand in its Seattle office.

Sallis, who has 10 years of experience in environmental planning and permitting, will work on permitting, shoreline management and salmonid protection. Durand, who has 11 years of experience in environmental permitting and Endangered Species Act compliance, will focus on permitting, fish passage and habitat enhancement.

Environmental law workshop Feb. 19

SEATTLE -- Representatives of Stoel Rives, Davis Wright Tremaine, Preston Gates & Ellis, Bricklin Newman Dold, Parametrix, the Washington State Office of the Attorney General and other environmental and legal groups will speak at the "Environmental Litigation Tool Kit" at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel Feb. 19.

The Law Seminars International event is called "Substantive Workshop on Procedural and Evidentiary Aspects of Environmental Litigation" and will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For registration, tuition and topic details visit http://www.lawseminars.com or call (206) 621-1938.

Environmental health lecture Jan. 27

SEATTLE -- John Peterson "Pete" Myers, founder and CEO of Environmental Health Sciences, will discuss the links between human and environmental health Jan. 27 at the Seattle Art Museum at 100 University St.

During "A New View on Toxic Chemicals and How They Impact Our Health" from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Myers will discuss conceptual chances in scientific thinking, including new research on the impact of toxic chemical exposure on unborn children.

The lecture is part of a three-part series funded by the Seattle Biotechnology Legacy Foundation and organized by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health. The other two are "Pollution Gets Personal: Tracking Toxic Chemicals in Our Bodies" on Feb. 17 and "Breast Cancer: Are Environmental Toxins a Major Factor?" on March 10. Attendance is $10 per lecture, or $25 for all three. For details call (360) 331-7904 or visit http://www.iceh.org.

Snohomish County to prepare hazard plan

EVERETT -- Snohomish County cities and agencies are preparing an All Natural Hazards Plan to identify hazards and define ways to reduce them.

The plan includes Arlington, Darrington, Gold Bar, Index, Marysville, Monroe, Mukilteo, Snohomish, Stanwood, Sultan and unincorporated Snohomish County. The county will hold meetings on the plan 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club and 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at the city of Monroe Fire Station.

Topics will include Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance and community rating system programs, home elevation and buyout options for flood-damaged properties, and the Skykomish River Flood plan. For details call DJ Sessner, Snohomish County Surface Water Management, at (425) 388-3464.

Thornton Creek habitat work proposed

SEATTLE -- Seattle Public Schools will issue a draft State Environmental Policy Act checklist describing the possible environmental impacts of enhancing vegetation on a 170-foot section of the south branch of Thornton Creek near Nathan Hale High School.

The pilot project would include removing and replacing blackberry bushes and other invasive plants along the stream buffer east of 30th Avenue Northeast. The draft is available at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence at 2445 Third Ave. S. or in the main office of Nathan Hale High School. It can be reviewed at http://www.seattleschools.org/area/facilities/SchoolProjects/HaleLink.xml.

Restoration is scheduled to start in mid-2004. Submit comments by Feb. 11 to Ron English, Environmental Officer, Seattle School District No. 1, P.S. Box 34165, MS 32-151, Seattle, WA 98124-1165.

DDES starts preferred consultant roster

SEATTLE -- A new King County Department of Development and Environmental Services program lets residential permit customers choose critical-areas consultants from a list of preferred stream, geotechnical and wetland consultants.

The DDES Web site, http://www.metrokc.gov/ddes, offers application materials and describes criteria necessary to be listed in the Preferred Consultant Program. For details call Steve Bottheim, Critical Areas Supervisor, at (206) 296-7144.

Brownfields luncheon Feb. 4

SEATTLE -- Representatives of Ecoss, the Washington Public Ports Association and the cities of Tacoma and Tukwila will speak from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 4 at "Brownfields 2004: Opportunities in the Puget Sound Area" at McCormick & Schmick's Harborside on Lake Union.

The Northwest Environmental Business Council Olympic chapter event will be held at 1200 Westlake Ave. Presenters will discuss brownfield spending for the Puget Sound area. Attendance is $30 for NEBC members and $45 for nonmembers. For details call (888) 609-6322 or visit http://www.nebc.org.

Canada tells EPA to back off

SPOKANE (AP) -- Canada contends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cannot force the owners of a British Columbia smelter to pay for studying the pollution it discharged into the Columbia River.

Teck Cominco Ltd. and the EPA are battling over heavy-metals pollution flowing into the Columbia and ending up in Lake Roosevelt in Washington. The smelter has dumped as estimated 10 million to 20 million tons of waste slag into the river.

In a letter last week the Canadian ambassador asked the U.S. State Department to not require Teck Cominco to pay for the studies, said Dave Croxton, manager of the EPA's Superfund projects in the Northwest.

The Spokesman-Review obtained a copy of the letter, which also said EPA should work with the company on a "mutually acceptable" cleanup plan.

Environmental Watch: Landau adds staff in three offices

EDMONDS -- Engineering and consulting firm Landau Associates added employees to its Edmonds, Spokane and Portland offices and hired William Park as principal and manager in Portland.

Park will manage Landau's Oregon and southern Washington services. He has nearly 15 years of experience as a contaminated site cleanup specialist and managed regional construction/remediation operations and client services for an international consulting firm.

Production/file coordinator Jayne Bloomberg, environmental technician Mario Lopez, staff geologist David Nelson and accounting specialist Charlene Kerr will work in Edmonds. Staff hydrogeologist Ryan Molsee and senior biologist Bill Towey will work in Spokane. Technician David Moser, project engineer Scott McDevitt and senior technician Michael Vedder will work in Portland.

Herrera announces promotions

SEATTLE -- Herrera Environmental Consultants promoted Mark Ewbank to principal engineer, Theresa Wood to contracts director, Sue Dunigan to administrative director, Court Harris to senior engineer, Kris Lepine to project scientist and Katie Bullock and Kevin Houck to staff engineer.

Design competition for green rest stop

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- Architects, engineers and college students are competing to design an environmentally friendly rest stop along Interstate 270 near the nation's capitol.

The federally funded contest is aimed at producing a Maryland Welcome Center that will demonstrate self-sustaining technologies while serving the toilet and travel needs of 1,300 people daily.

All designs must include self-contained electrical, water and waste-treatment systems for the 1,200-square-foot structure, said an aide to Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., the project's congressional sponsor. Charles B. Adams, director of environmental designs for the Maryland State Highway Administration, said the project could be the first of its kind in the country.

AdvanceMed wins Hanford contract

RICHLAND -- The U.S. Department of Energy awarded AdvanceMed Corp., a California-based Computer Sciences Corp. subsidiary, a contract to provide services for the Hanford site.

AdvanceMed will provide medical surveillance, employee counseling, health promotion and disaster and emergency preparedness and monitor legacy health issues at the Richland site, the nation's largest environmental cleanup and restoration project.

The contract could be worth up to $96 million, according to Computer Sciences Corp.

Fort Lewis enviro work goes to Anteon

FORT LEWIS -- The U.S. Army awarded Virginia-based Anteon International Corp. a contract to provide environmental support to the Fort Lewis Public Works, Environmental and Natural Resources Division.

Anteon provides information technology and engineering services to federal government and international clients. The five-year contract worth up to $15.7 million is for information technology, environmental analysis and program management, according to the company.

Comments due on Cowlitz watershed plan

TACOMA -- Tacoma Power is accepting comments on a draft plan for fisheries and hatchery management to restore wild salmon and steelhead in the Cowlitz River watershed.

The plan, required by the utility's Cowlitz River Project federal license, sets strategies for fish passage, hatchery production, water quality and fishery harvest. Submit comments by Feb. 12 to Tacoma Power Natural Resources, P.O. Box 11007, Tacoma, WA 98411 or e-mail to cowlitz@cityoftacoma.org.

The utility will hold an open house about the plan Feb. 5 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge at 2501 N.E. Kresky Ave. in Chehalis.

Hearing on Columbia dam relicensing

EPHRATA -- The state Department of Ecology will hold a public hearing Jan. 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. about the Grant County Public Utility District's application to relicense its dams.

The PUD operates the Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project, which includes the Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams on the Columbia River. The application includes scientific and operation information about how dams affect water quality. The PUD proposes advanced-design turbines, downstream fish-bypass facilities and programs to protect fish and wildlife.

Prior to the hearing in the Grant County PUD's office at 30 S.W. "C" St., experts will answer questions about the relicensing application from 3 to 5 p.m. For details visit www.ecy.wa.gov.

Master Home Environmentalist training

SEATTLE -- The American Lung Association of Washington is accepting applications for a Master Home Environmentalist training session from February 3 to April 6.

The training focuses on how indoor pollutants affect health, and how to recognize pollutants and get rid of them. The application deadline is Jan. 22. For details call (206) 441-5100 or visit www.alaw.org.

Kent company wins green business award

KENT -- The city named vinyl manufacturer Mikron Industries as Kent's Green Business of the Year.

Mikron's Kent facility designs and produces window frames and other building materials. According to the city, Mikron recycles about 14.5 million pounds per year including paper, metals, scrap wood and industrial plastics. It also buys recycled-content products, and collects and reuses used vinyl products.

Skokomish Tribe buys Hood Canal marshland

SKOKOMISH (AP) -- The Skokomish Tribe bought 165 acres of marshland at the mouth of the lower Skokomish River on Hood Canal.

The site provides prime habitat for fish and wildlife, tribal officials said.

The tribe's natural resources director said the tribe will develop a stewardship plan for the land, which also includes two tributaries of Skokomish, Weaver and Purdy creeks. Restoration could improve salmon spawning and rearing grounds. The area also hosts birds, otters, beavers and an occasional cougar.

The tribe used $195,000 in federal Coastal Salmon Recovery Program funds to buy the land.

Oregon forest board sees green future

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- The Oregon Board of Forestry issued its vision for the future last week, declaring that 28 million acres of state and private timberlands should be managed on an international model of sustainability that recognizes economic, social and environmental values.

The 2003 Forestry Program for Oregon represents two years of work developing an overall strategy that will be the basis for board policy decisions over the next eight years. The Department of Forestry is beginning work on a companion strategic document to guide day-to-day decisions.

The document makes Oregon the first state in the nation to formally endorse the forest management principles of the Montreal Process Santiago Declaration of 1995, an international convention signed by the United States.