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Posted by David Haviland
on October 21, 2009 at 8:55 am (821 social interactions)
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Olympia, WA - The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) today placed new limits on pollution in stormwater runoff from industrial facilities, affecting approximately 1,200 permitted facilities across the state.
New changes under the state's new industrial stormwater permit reduce how much copper and zinc the industries can have in their stormwater discharges. Copper and zinc harm salmon and aquatic life.
Copper is commonly found in brake pads, paints and many industrial materials. It can cause salmon to lose their ability to sense the presence of predators and spawning grounds. Zinc is pervasive in industrial settings, washing off chain link fences and galvanized roofs. Zinc binds with silt and can harm or suffocate fish.
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Posted by David Haviland
on October 21, 2009 at 7:42 am (1361 social interactions)
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 21, 2009): The current economic downturn is not sidetracking state-level efforts to make the most of energy efficiency as the cheapest, cleanest and quickest of all energy resources, according to a 50-state scorecard on energy efficiency policies, programs, and practices from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
The 2009 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, which ranks states in six categories, concludes that the 10 states doing the most to implement energy efficiency are: California (1); Massachusetts (2); Connecticut (3); Oregon (4); New York (5); Vermont (6); Washington state (7); Minnesota (8); Rhode Island (9); and Maine (10).
"By embracing a wide range of cost-effective energy efficiency strategies, the leading states are demonstrating that efficiency is their ’first fuel’ to meet energy demands while growing their economies," said Maggie Eldridge, ACEEE research associate and lead author of the report. "States continue to raise the bar with comprehensive strategies to improve efficiency in their buildings, industry, and transportation systems. They are the ‘living laboratories’ of energy efficiency."
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Posted by David Haviland
on October 21, 2009 at 5:57 am (888 social interactions)
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Portland, Ore. - Tens of thousands of Northern pikeminnow, rapacious predators of young salmon, were caught this year as part of the 2009 Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery Program, which ended Oct. 11. The annual pikeminnow program, sponsored by the Bonneville Power Administration and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, was originally scheduled to run from May 1 through Sept. 27; however, it was extended for two weeks.
All told, 141,645 pikeminnow were caught this season in the Columbia and Snake rivers, down from a typical 160,000 to 200,000.
“This year the total number of pikeminnow caught was lower than in recent years, but we believe it’s due to the program doing what it was designed to do: reduce the number of pikeminnow in the river,” said Russell Porter, senior program manager for the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. “But that’s not to say that we should stop fishing for them."
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Posted by David Haviland
on October 20, 2009 at 9:35 am (610 social interactions)
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The Grays Harbor EDC invites you to join the numerous businesses, non-profits, schools and governmental agencies that are coming together for two days in November to put their expertise in job development to work for the Pacific Mountain Region. So if you live, work and play in Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston counties, this expo is for you.
Held November 6th and 7th at Little Creek Resort in Shelton, this event promises to make a meaningful impact on your career, your industry and the success of your hometown.
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Posted by David Haviland
on October 20, 2009 at 9:30 am (902 social interactions)
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Voter turnout should be a respectable 51 percent for the General Election that is now under way across Washington, Secretary of State Sam Reed predicted Tuesday.
This off-year election follows a record-high turnout of 85 percent in last year’s hotly contested presidential-gubernatorial election year. With no statewide contests or congressional battles on the ballot this year to spur voter interest, the turnout should be about average for an off-year, Reed said. As of Oct. 12, Washington has 3,575,498 registered voters. More than 50,000 registrations have been culled from the rolls since last November’s record registration of over 3.63 million.
Records for the past four decades show that odd-year turnouts average around 51 or 52 percent, with some higher spikes in years with multiple controversial ballot measures. An assortment of good local races, a pair of hotly debated state ballot measures, and the popularity of vote-by-mail should keep this year’s turnout on pace, Reed said.
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