Sound Bites: Bite-Sized Bits of News From Around Puget Sound

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WWU Viking 23 Bio-Diesel Car Takes Third in National Competition: Viking 23, an electric/bio-diesel hybrid designed and built by Western Washington University students, took third overall in the national Tour de Sol competition outperforming 21 vehicles including those of manufacturers such as Toyota’s Prius. Running on fuel derived from recycled vegetable oils and grease, Western’s Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) Viking 23 car also won the title of “Most Climate Friendly Light-Duty” for an alternative fuel hybrid built from the ground up. The team also took 2nd in the autocross competition and won $100. Led by VRI director and founder Michael Seal, the Viking 23 team consisted of: Bryan Harris, Ryan Harris, McKenzie Spoor, Paul Wyndham, Jeremiah Jewell, Eric Nordlund and David Neal. Viking 23 is powered by both an electric motor and combustion engine and has about twice the fuel economy as regular vehicles.

Groups Settle Hatchery Lawsuits: Two lawsuits that might have prevented the release of millions of young hatchery fish bound for Puget Sound were settled in May. Lawsuits filed by Washington Trout and the Native Fish Society were settled when the groups reached an agreement with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife over the state’s Puget Sound salmon hatchery operations. The agreement will create a public comment process that expands the public’s opportunities to help shape hatchery management practices in Washington. (05/14/03), Olympian, http://www.the-olympian.com/home/news/20030514/southsound/5700.shtml. From Tidepool.org.

Missile Defense—The Northwest Front: The Cold War is a memory, but some of the concerns are being revived. When Kim Jong Il, threatens to unleash his nuclear arsenal on America, it’s mostly a negotiating tactic. But it works because we believe North Korea actually does have the capability to fire a missile that could hit the U.S. mainland, most likely somewhere in the arc from Alaska to California. That possibility has put our region at ground zero of George W. Bush’s missile defense initiative—a multibillion-dollar system that is supposed to knock enemy missiles out of the sky. But there are big questions about whether the system—designed to fight a war above our heads—is much more than a money pit in the sky. (05/09/03) Seattle Weekly, http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0319/news-berger.php. From Tidepool.org.

Environmentalists = Terrorists (?): Have you ever signed a petition in support of an environmental or animal-rights issue? Do you belong to the Mt. Baker Sierra Club, Washington Environmental Council, the Natural Resources Defense Council or Greenpeace? Have you publicly protested some environmental or animal rights outrage? If legislation crafted and promoted by the ultra-conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) becomes law, these fundamental rights of American citizenship could become illegal. Exploiting the current political climate against terrorism, ALEC has teamed up with the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, a pro-hunting group, to create a model “Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act.” The legislation is part of an intense backlash against increasingly effective and vocal citizen campaigns aimed at halting—and holding corporations accountable for—environmental, animal-rights and public health abuses. (05/09/03) TomPaine.com, http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/7748. From Tidepool.org.

Environment Key to Gauging Wealth, Canada Told: Canada is being urged to become the first country in the world to start using formal environmental indicators to measure the country’s real wealth and the sustainability of its economy. In a report being released today, the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy is recommending the use of six indicators, ranging from the extent of Canada’s forests to the annual tally of greenhouse-gas emissions, to give a better picture of the health of the Canadian economy. (05/12/03), Toronto Globe and Mail, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030512/UENVIXO/TPEnvironment. From Tidepool.org.

Wild Salmon Off the Hook: The wild salmon industry may gain a marketing edge from two recent but unrelated events. Industry leaders hope Congress’ recent decision to recognize wild salmon as “organic,” and a decision by the Safeway, Albertson’s and Kroger supermarket chains to post signs describing farmed salmon as “color added” may encourage consumers to choose wild salmon over the farmed salmon competition. Wild salmon producers need some help, with farmed salmon imports to the United States continuing to grow 20 percent in 2002, to 214,000 metric tons. (05/13/03), Puget Sound Business Journal, http://seattle. bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2003/05/12/story3.html. From Tidepool.org.

Environmental Bills Become Law: Gov. Gary Locke signed five environmental bills into law, prompting one environmental leader to call this year “one of the most successful sessions we’ve had in a decade.” But other environmentalists noted lawmakers continue to negotiate the state budget—which may or may not include money for several key environmental issues. The environmental bills Locke signed yesterday balanced different and sometimes competing interests, especially one bill aimed at reducing mercury pollution and another setting deadlines for local governments to update shorelines protection rules. (05/15/03), Seattle P-I, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/122090_environment15.html. From Tidepool.org.

Federal Judge Blocks Future Waste Shipments to Hanford Site: A federal judge in mid-May temporarily barred the U.S. Department of Energy from sending radioactive trash from other states to the Hanford nuclear reservation. The order is in effect until there is a resolution of the lawsuit filed in March by the state of Washington against the Energy Department in an ongoing dispute over cleaning up radioactive waste at Hanford. From ENN.com.

Nonprofits Grapple With Change, Poor Economy: The number of nonprofit corporations registered with Washington’s secretary of state grew by 3,700 in 2002, to total 43,904. There were about 19,700 federally recognized foundations and charities at the end of 2003. Of these, 7,350 had revenues of more than $50,000. Together, their revenues totaled nearly $32 billion. Yet after a decade when the number of these larger charitable nonprofits in the state grew by 300 to 400 each year, last year’s growth was only 212. Nonprofits not only responded to the difficult climate affecting their communities, they were also affected themselves. Numerous organizations, small and large, reported unprecedented challenges in fund raising. (05/20/03), Puget Sound Business Journal, http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2003/05/19/focus18.html. From Tidepool.org. §