November 15, 2005

Environmental Watch: Hicks joins Historical Research Associates

SEATTLE -— Brent Hicks, a senior archaeologist, has joined the Seattle office of Historical Research Associates as director of the Cultural Resource Management Division.

He has over 18 years of experience in the field, working on archaeological projects in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California. Hicks has managed projects for public and private clients to satisfy environmental and historic preservation laws, and managed the Colville Tribes' cultural resource program for off-reservation lands.

He is currently supervising cultural resources compliance for relicensing Avista Utilities' Spokane River hydroelectric project and assisting the Bonneville Power Administration with cultural resource management issues in the Lake Roosevelt area.

Hicks will manage a staff of 12 archaeologists and historians in the Seattle and Missoula offices. The company has recently opened an office in Portland.

ID group gets funds for pollution video

SEATTLE — A program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is designed to help people with limited English skills in the International District show, rather than say, what they think about pollution in their community.

The International District Housing Alliance will run this program under an $86,000 grant from EPA. The alliance's executive director, Stella Chao, says government officials must be able to cross language and cultural barriers as the area's immigrant and refugee population grows.

As part of the program, Asians and Pacific Islanders who live in the International District will be able to shoot video of pollution sources they find in their communities. EPA officials said the goal is get local people talking about their pollution concerns and finding solutions.

IDHA will plan ways to reduce pollution, working with businesses, nonprofits, local governments and the University of Washington. IDHA will help community members set priorities for toxic cleanup.

The funds come from a new program called Community Action for a Renewed Environment, or CARE. For more information, see http://cfpub.epa.gov/care/ or call (877) CARE-909.

State seeks biodiesel in fuel contract

OLYMPIA — The Washington state government is seeking bids for a new fuel contract that is intended to reduce fuel costs to state agencies and help boost production of biodiesel.

Responses are due Nov. 22 to the Department of General Administration.

The department, which annually manages $800 million in contracts for goods and services, has invited its 700 purchasing cooperative members to buy fuel under this new contract. The state hopes to leverage its collective buying power to reduce prices.

This would boost the amount of fuel purchased from the state contract to 43 million gallons annually, up from 26 million gallons. It would affect police vehicles, fire trucks, school buses, ferries and other public transportation.

Fuel contracting is part of the governor's SmartBuying Partnership, which is intended to help save taxpayers $50 million by 2007 by improving purchasing procedures.

Public agencies that buy fuel through state contracts pay less than consumers do, but have also seen costs skyrocket in 2005. The price of state contract diesel fuel, used in ferries and school buses, has more than doubled to about $2.60 a gallon.

Another goal is to encourage growth of the biodiesel market by requiring successful bidders to guarantee supplies of the product. There are now 20 distributors statewide, but biodiesel is hard to find.

Deal reached for Oregon Superfund work

SEATTLE — In Southern Oregon's Fremont National Forest, several areas of mineralized waste rock and materials near the White King uranium mine will be consolidated and capped with clean fill material, thanks to a settlement reached between the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, Kerr-McGee Chemical Worldwide, Western Nuclear Corp. and Fremont Lumber.

The EPA estimates the cost of the clean up at $7.9 million.

The nearby White King pond will also be neutralized with lime, and the entire site will be monitored and evaluated every five years.

The White King/Lucky Lass Superfund site, also known as the Fremont National Forest Uranium Site, is located on the Fremont National Forest, near the town of Lakeview, Ore.

Under the settlement, Kerr-McGee, Western Nuclear and Fremont Lumber have together agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty and to perform additional mitigation, including construction of a wetland, according to state officials.

A significant portion of the cleanup work is already underway as part of an order issued by EPA in 2003.

The White King/Lucky Lass Superfund site was listed on EPA's National Priorities List in April 1995.

The consent decree may be viewed online at the Department of Justice Web site: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/open.html.

Products with mercury illegal in 2006

OLYMPIA — Starting in January 2006, selling a variety of items that contain mercury will be illegal in Washington.

Fever thermometers and thermostats contain mercury. So does some jewelry. Products such as thermometers are not dangerous intact, but are toxic when they break, either by accident or in landfills.

The liquid metal is toxic. The main source of mercury exposure is by eating fish, where it builds up in body tissue. The state legislature passed a law in 2003 to limit mercury's effects on human health and reduce environmental contamination.

Some mercury-containing products will not be part of the ban, including fluorescent bulbs and batteries. Fluorescent bulbs are not illegal to sell, but must be clearly labeled as containing mercury. Ecology penalizes store owners $1,000 fines for first offense violations and $5,000 for repeat violations.

Most counties or cities have household-hazardous-waste disposal programs. To locate these, people can call (800) RECYCLE.

Retailers can call Miles Kuntz, Department of Ecology, at (360) 407-6748. For more information, see http://www.mercurymess.org.

New Globe ‘06 topic: green construction

VANCOUVER, B.C. — The Globe 2006 Trade Fair will be March 29-31, 2006, at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre in Vancouver, B.C.

More than 10,000 international business leaders, policy makers and others are expected to attend to learn about recent developments in the environment business. Globe 2006 will also cover critical and emerging sub-sectors, such as new transportation technologies and sustainable construction.

About 400 exhibitors are expected from North America, Europe and Asia.

For more information, call registration manager Zahida Kanani at (604) 775-8031 or e-mail Zahida.Kanani@globe.ca. Or see http://www.globe2006.com.

It is organized by the private, non-profit Globe Foundation of Canada and is held every two years in Vancouver.