March 7, 2006

Environmental Watch: Second fine for Skagit Highlands project

BELLEVUE — The Department of Ecology has fined Skagit Highlands LLC of Redmond and Boss Construction, Inc. of Bellingham $17,500 for polluting Nookachamps Creek in eastern Mount Vernon.

On Jan. 20, an Ecology inspector reported seeing silty stormwater runoff entering the creek from the 206-acre Skagit Highlands project.

Skagit Highlands LLC and Boss Construction have 30 days to appeal the $17,500 penalty. Last year Ecology fined them $16,000 fine for similar violations. That fine, which the company is appealing, was later reduced to $14,000.

Pierce County buys land near Orting

TACOMA — Pierce County has just acquired 10 acres of land on the upper Puyallup River near Orting. Orting, which is only 20 miles from Tacoma, is growing fast, and the area around the Puyallup River there has been under a lot of pressure from development.

The 10-acre parcel is by the river and is a salmon spawning area.

The former Port of Tacoma property was transferred to Pierce County in December 2005 as part of an environmental mitigation package. “When we make improvements in the tideflats area,” says Port of Tacoma spokesperson Mike Wasem, “we create new habitat for wildlife as mitigation.”

Venture fund will seed green power firms

SEATTLE — A new venture capital company, the Northwest Energy Angel Group, has been organized to fund young companies that are innovators in energy conservation technology such as biofuels, solar and wind power.

The group has 17 members with about $20 million in capital to invest. It has already provided seed capital to one company, but officials could not disclose the amount or the name of the company, though they did say they've given the company all the money it was looking for.

The group plans to seek five more members, according to founding member Martin Tobias. Tobias is also president of Seattle Biodiesel and a venture partner with Ignition Corp.

"The whole point is this is an organization for investors who want to find companies who match their social and economic objectives," said Tobias, "and for companies to find investors who are prequalified for these kinds of investments."

NEAG is an outgrowth of programs at the Washington Technology Center, a statewide nonprofit which encourages economic growth through technology.

New state permit for aquatic pesticide

OLYMPIA — The state Department of Ecology has issued a new permit regulating the use of aquatic pesticides. These chemicals control the growth of aquatic pests, aquatic plants that can endanger fish and pollute the water.

The new permit, which also concerns the treatment of noxious weeds, has new protections for threatened, sensitive and endangered plants, and separate treatment limitations for Lake Washington, Lake Union/Portage Bay and Lake Sammamish.

The permit, which will be obtainable online, will become effective on April 1.

Money available for parks, habitat work

OLYMPIA — The Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation is accepting grant applications to build new parks, safeguard wildlife habitat and fund recreational activities such as building boat facilities and maintaining backcountry trails. Grants to preserve farmland and protect and preserve riparian habitat are also available.

To apply for a grant, submit a letter of intent to the agency by March 15. Grant applications are due May 1. For more information, see http://www.iac.wa.gov.

Since 1964, the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation has awarded more than $783 million in grants for almost 4,000 projects around the state.

DNR updates east side water maps

OLYMPIA — The state Department of Natural Resources has released improved water type maps for Eastern Washington to help landowners plan their forest management activities.

The new maps sort waters into "Type S," or shoreline waters, "Type F," or fish habitat, or "Type N," or non-fish habitat. All forest practices applications after May 1 will require the use of these maps, which can be found at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/forestpractices/.

Oregon takes 'big look' at land use planning

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Pendleton farmer and former legislator was chosen to lead the new Oregon board that is taking what's been called the "big look" at the state's system of land-use planning.

At a kickoff meeting of their task force, members chose as chairman Mike Thorne, a state senator for 18 years. He was elected in 1973, the year the state's current land-use laws were passed.

"We should keep in mind that our job is to look forward and find ways we can re-establish some of the positive values of land-use planning," Thorne said. "If we can make them apply for the next 30 to 50 years, we will go a long way toward bridging the gaps that exist."

Thorne and his family are longtime wheat growers in Eastern Oregon, and he has held jobs heading up the Port of Portland and the Washington State Ferries.

The 10 members of the panel said their job is to forge a new consensus about statewide land-use planning, an issue that has driven Oregonians apart over three decades and brought the state national attention.

The laws protected most farm- and forestland and confined most development within urban-growth boundaries.

Voters rejected three attempts to weaken or repeal statewide planning requirements.

But when they overwhelmingly approved Measure 37 in 2004, they also required government to pay landowners when regulations cause losses in property values — or waive the regulations . The Supreme Court upheld the measure Feb. 21.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski and legislative leaders, who appointed the task force, said they do not want it to become the Measure 37 "fix-it committee."

Kulongoski told the group Friday he is working on proposals to deal with the land-use system's perceived unfairness to individuals seeking to build single homes for themselves or family members, or selling land for retirement purposes.

"But my admonition to you is not to get bogged down in specifics about Measure 37," he said. "It's to look long-term at the broader program."

Kulongoski said planning needs to become less tedious and needs to reconnect with Oregonians' values.

"The program has been a one-size-fits-all across 36 counties," Kulongoski said, promising to join the task force on the road. "You're looking at differences all over the state and trying to get them all into the same shoebox. ... I just want the program to be more flexible, to take into consideration the diversity of Oregon."