EnviroIssues

Specialty: Provides public outreach, facilitation and technical integration on capital facilities, wastewater, water resources, transportation, land use and other projects
Management: Patricia Serie (principal), Louise Dressen (prin- cipal), Amy Grotefendt (associate) and Diane Adams (associate)
2002 revenues: $3 million
Projected 2003 revenues: $3.8 million

Public outcry has always had the power to stall transportation, water, cleanup and other Puget Sound projects. Recently, though, EnviroIssues has seen projects stall mostly from a lack of funds.

Finally, said company principal Pat Serie, that appears to be changing.

EnviroIssues spent five years helping to allocate liability and specify costs for the Thea Foss Waterway Superfund cleanup. Last year, cleanup finally began on the $30 million-plus job. Utilities Pacific Corp., Puget Sound Energy and Advance Ross Sub Corp. will pay 20 percent of the cost, and more than 100 companies will pay the city of Tacoma the rest of the cost to carry out the job.

“A lot of the time, Superfund sites go on for years without anything really happening,” Serie said.

EnviroIssues also has been providing community outreach for planned updates to Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct and state Route 520 floating bridge, projects the state deems high-priority transportation fixes.

The state is weighing four-, six- and eight-lane options for the 520 bridge and aerial, surface and tunnel options for the Alaskan Way viaduct.

Because of the Legislature’s recently passed 5-cent gas tax, the projects are poised for design and environmental review. “It’s moving along, then it’s dead, then it’s moving, then it’s dead for several years,” Serie said. “The gas tax will help the projects get some continuity.”

EnviroIssues also spent much of 2002 providing community outreach for the conveyance system of King County’s proposed $1.3 billion Brightwater sewage treatment plant. The system would cross jurisdictions and include marine outfall to Puget Sound.

On top of fears about odors and the stigma of living near a sewage treatment plant, area residents worry that tunneling will cause vibrations and noise. The plant would also handle wastewater growth in Snohomish County. “It’s not going to be a small thing to get permitted,” Serie said of the system, which is in pre-design and environmental review. “It leads to some interesting politics.”

Series said the 26-employee firm hopes to hire six new employees in the coming year.