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CLEAN AIR NEWSLINE

July 2007 Edition

In this issue:

 

Kudos to Tacoma Rail for its air-friendly diesel retrofit

Tacoma Rail now has four locomotives outfitted with idling reduction technology. This came about thanks to Tacoma Rail’s partnering and receiving funds of $50,000 from the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

For the Clean Air Agency, this was one of our first Diesel Solutions projects to focus on the rail/locomotive sector.  According to the US EPA, locomotives contribute about seven percent of nitrogen oxides emissions and five percent of diesel particulate matter emissions from on-road and non-road engines sources, nationwide.

Diesel exhaust from these locomotives and other diesel engines contains fine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs. This can lead to health problems such as increased risk of lung cancer, chronic respiratory problems and asthma. Additionally, research has shown that the diesel exhaust has an affect on the environment contributing to ozone air pollution and increased smog.  To learn more about the health concerns related to diesel exhaust, click to www.pscleanair.org/programs/dieselsolutions/concerns.aspx .

Tacoma Rail is one of the largest short-line railroad systems in the United States. Its newly installed Kim HotStart Diesel Driven Heating System and SmartStart System allows an idling locomotive to be shut down by heating the locomotive engine and switching to an auxiliary engine.  This results in reduced fuel use and emissions.

“Initial review shows that we are reducing idle time by a minimum of 40 percent and we have already seen a significant reduction in the fuel usage on the locomotives that were converted,” says Alan Hardy assistant superintendent with Tacoma Rail.  Quantitative results of the Tacoma Rail idling reduction project will not be known until data is collected then submitted to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency later this year.

To find out more about our Diesel Solutions program and other projects in our region, visit www.pscleanair.org/programs/dieselsolutions/default.aspx .

 

Join us at the Duwamish River Festival in South Park

On Saturday August 18, from 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., people passing the Duwamish River Park in Seattle’s South Park will hear quite a party going on.  There will be live music, kids jumping on giant inflatable toys and people yelling "ahoy!" while taking kayak and water taxi rides, not to mention a buzz of conversations about air and water quality, as well as environmental clean-up projects in the South Park neighborhood.

The 3rd Annual Duwamish River Festival is a family-fun-oriented community gathering to increase awareness of environmental issues for the area.  The Clean Air Agency is pleased to co-sponsor this festival in partnership with Washington Department of Ecology, US EPA, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Public Health - Seattle and King County, State Department of Health and many others who see this event as an ideal opportunity to connect with a segment of the public directly impacted by environmental issues.

The Clean Air Agency staff will be on hand at our booth to answer questions, as well as helping with running the festival itself.

Check out the full details about the festival, along with driving directions and bus routes to get you there, at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites/lower_duwamish/meetings_and_events/m_and_e.html .

 

Meet our new Advisory Council members

2007 brings several new members to our agency’s Advisory Council.  Our Advisory Council is comprised of individuals representing large and small business, non-regulated business, education, environmental justice, transportation, health and science, tribal interests, fire officials, the environmental community, ports and the public-at-large. The role of the Advisory Council, which meets monthly, is to provide counsel and input on agency programs and regulations.

Our new Advisory Council members and the interests they represent are: 

  • Scott Daniels, Kitsap County Health District, representing Health
  • Michael Davis, Seattle Public Utilities, representing Environmental Justice
  • Kimberly Freeman, Pierce County Planning & Land Services, representing Planning
  • Tim Gould, University of Washington, representing Public-at-Large, King County
  • Sue Mauermann, Port of Tacoma, representing Ports
  • Bill Smith, Tacoma Solid Waste Management, representing Public-at-Large, Pierce County

To view the full roster of Advisory Council members, visit www.pscleanair.org/about/advisory.aspx .

 

 

I-5 Spokane Street to I-90 Bridge repair -- Commute options and information

The clock is ticking on Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT's) biggest construction closure ever.  Friday, August 10, WSDOT crews will close multiple lanes and ramps on northbound Interstate 5 between Spokane Street and I-90 in Seattle.  The closure is scheduled around the clock for 19 days in order to perform extensive rehabilitation work on the freeway.

WSDOT is expecting back-ups on I-90, I-405, State Route (SR) 99, the West Seattle bridge and on surface streets south of downtown Seattle.  Unless drivers help to reduce the number of vehicles on northbound I-5 just south of downtown by more than 50 percent, WSDOT traffic engineers expect severe congestion on I-5 from 4 a.m. to midnight every day.

To keep us all moving in August, WSDOT is asking drivers to try alternative transportation now, such as riding the bus or train, vanpooling or carpooling, bicycling, walking or telecommuting.  From a clean air and climate protection standpoint, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency hopes you find one of these commuting alternative sticks and you continue past the construction period.

For a comprehensive list of commute options, including commute planning assistance, bus reroute information, Vanshare and Rideshare resources, even bike-and-ride lots, visit
www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair/CommuteOptions.htm .

 

Monthly air quality data summary: May*

May was a clean-air month with 27 days in the “Good” category and only four days in the “Moderate” category.  We registered no days in the “Unhealthy” or “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” categories.

Although May’s weather was pretty normal, the stories were in the details. 

Temperatures at SeaTac Airport averaged 0.8 degrees above normal for the month.  However, record low temperatures at SeaTac were tied on both May 5 and 12. The monthly high temperature was 87 degrees on May 30. The average high temperature for the month was 66.4 degrees.  However, the average high temperature for the eight weekend days in May was only 60 degrees, more that six degrees below normal – a bad month for weekends.

SeaTac rainfall for the month was 1.46 inches, 0.32 inches below normal.  Nearly 40 percent of this rain (0.56 inches) fell in one day – a Sunday.

For data summaries of air quality monitored throughout our four-county region, click to www.pscleanair.org/airq/aqsumm/07-05.aspx .

* Because of the time it takes to review data for quality assurance and process data for reports, our air quality discussions in each Newsline edition will be two months previous.  Thus our report for this edition is for May 2007.

 

Announcements

We’re hiring – Payroll Accountant position available
www.pscleanair.org/about/employment.aspx
Resume and cover letter deadline, August 24, 2007.

Permits open for comment
The following Puget Sound Clean Air Agency permit is now open for public comment:

Jerry Nybo Construction, Inc., Permit No. 9629. Comment Period: July 12, 2007 to August 12, 2007. www.pscleanair.org/announce/permits/openpermits.aspx#nybo

All comments relevant to the proposed permit conditions will be considered. Instructions for submitting comments are included in the "public notice" posted with the permit application.

To receive notice about permitting; proposed Orders of Approval, Regulatory Orders, Variances and Operating Permits; hearings on those actions; extensions of comment periods; and final actions; simply sign up or change your profile to receive e-mail notification at www.pscleanair.org/news/agencynews.aspx .

 

About the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency serves the people of King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.  We work together to clean the air we breathe and protect our climate through education, incentives and enforcement.  To learn more about our work, and how you can be a part of it, too, visit us at www.pscleanair.org .

 

About the Clean Air Newsline

Clean Air Newsline is a monthly electronic newsletter to provide air quality information to the residents of King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Subscribers receive the latest on air quality news, trends and projects that affect our local communities and the air we breathe. Feel free to pass the information along to others.

We also use the Newsline as needed to send timely and important messages about burn bans, Smog Watches and early calls to action when air quality deteriorates.

If this newsletter was forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe, you can do so at www.pscleanair.org/news/agencynews.aspx . Be sure to select Clean Air Newsline to be added to the e-mailing list.