County acts on global warming, New local company targets Plymouth County for biodiesel plant

County acts on global warming
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
... meeting. Using 50 percent renewable energy -- such as plant-derived biodiesel -- for vehicles by 2020 and by 2012 for non-transit uses. ...
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Saving water, using more renewable energy and protecting undeveloped land
were strategies announced Wednesday by King County Executive Ron Sims to respond to global warming.

Sims signed four executive orders specifying goals and timelines for the
strategies. He said they reflected the county's overarching objective of
minimizing global warming gas production in county policies and day-to-day
operations.

"There is no question that we are going to experience warming that is going
to have a substantial impact on us," Sims said.

The orders come two days before Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is set to publicly
announce his recommendations for reducing local contributions to climate change
in order to comply with the international Kyoto Protocol.

For more than a year, Nickels has been urging U.S. mayors to join him in
supporting the Kyoto agreement, and he created a Green Ribbon Commission that
helped craft the recommendations. The county had planned previously to issue the orders now, Sims said. The coincidence with the city announcement was accidental.

"I respect the leadership of Mayor Nickels," he said. "This has nothing to do
with anything he's doing."

City officials would not comment specifically on the county's timing.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, "we need strong action at all levels,"
said Steve Nicholas, director of the city's Office of Sustainability and Environment.

"Every resident, every household, every business, every government needs to
be involved. So if the new actions (by the county) are going to reduce global
warming pollution, we're all for it. We welcome it."

Sims said that by embracing his strategies, the county can serve as a
"national lab," testing ideas for reducing planet-warming pollution -- such as
carbon dioxide and methane gases -- and preparing for the effects of a warmer
world. The gases are created primarily when oil, gas and coal are burned.

Sims said he hopes the region could be a model for other municipalities, that
King County could show others "these are the tools you can use, these are the
goals you can achieve."

The county could not say Wednesday what the costs would be to implement the
orders.

County officials predicted that nearly 200,000 tons of greenhouse gas
emissions would be cut annually as a result of using more renewable energy. U.S.
emissions for 2004 totaled about 7.8 billion tons.

In October, the county spearheaded a climate meeting attended by more than
500 scientists, government officials, environmentalists and others. The event
explored what a warmer Northwest might look like and how to plan for changes
that could include less snow in the mountains, droughts and a shift in the kinds
of plants and animals found here.

The county strategies released Wednesday expand on ideas highlighted at that
meeting.

They include:

• Using 50 percent renewable energy -- such as plant-derived biodiesel -- for
  vehicles by 2020 and by 2012 for non-transit uses.
• Reclaiming all of the wastewater produced at the county's sewage treatment
  plants for reuse, potentially returning some of the water back to pools trapped
  underground that are used for drinking water.
• Capturing all of the greenhouse gases produced by rotting garbage at King
  County's Cedar Hills Regional Landfill and turning that gas into energy.
• Protecting 100,000 acres of undeveloped land in the county, which can reduce
  the amount of warming gases when plants consume carbon dioxide in
  photosynthesis, and promoting land-use policies that reduce sprawl and create
  communities where amenities are in walking distance.
  Critics often scoff at local efforts to reduce emissions, noting that they won't do much to address the issue globally.

But even groups often skeptical of environmental programs said they didn't
object to Sims' plans. Don Brunell, president of the Association of Washington Business, had not seen the orders, but said, "We all need to look at the reduction of greenhouse gases and other pollutants as well."
P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com. See the P-I's environment blog at www.datelineearth.com

New local company targets Plymouth County for biodiesel plant
Sioux City Journal - Sioux City,IA,USA
AKRON, Iowa -- Northwest Iowa Renewable Energy LLC announced Tuesday that it plans to build a biodiesel manufacturing facility in Plymouth County. ...

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