From the governor's medium page
“What goes around, comes around,” as the idiom goes. What one puts into the world is often returned in kind. It’s true of good humor, and it’s true of malice. It’s also true of waste — the effects of consumption increasingly confront humanity.
The consequences of human activity are shocking. Nearly 85% of wildfires are human-caused. About 27% percent of greenhouse gases come from vehicles and transportation. One million species are threatened with extinction. Garbage is swirling in gargantuan ocean patches. The planet has lost 11% of its tree cover since 2000.
The notion of a “circular economy” involves minimizing or repurposing waste. Innovative firms large and small are experimenting with circular methods to reduce waste and emissions, and even recapture profits. Locally, a Seattle nonprofit hired refugee artisans to convert waste products into tote bags and medical scrubs. A Tacoma utility is repurposing biosolids as soil and fertilizer.
Gov. Jay Inslee’s trade mission to the Nordic countries included visits to industrial sites practicing circular methods. It’s time to put a better foot forward — these Nordic countries are leading the dance.
Making use of waste
Just outside Helsinki, the Suomenojan Cooling and Heating Plant generates heat for residents of nearby Espoo, Kauniainen, and Kirkkonummi. Homes in the region are warmed by district heating — underground pipes convey warm water through a municipal network into residential radiators.
The plant’s fuel mix continues to evolve in pursuit of zero-emissions operation. Plant operators built a heat storage container to preserve excess heat. Carbon-neutral biosolids have replaced coal fuel sources. Several electric boilers were added.
Most recently, Microsoft and plant operators devised a method to recapture heat generated by servers for municipal use. The recaptured heat may serve nearly 40% of the surrounding population’s heating needs.
“We take outside air in to cool down our servers, and then that air heats up slightly,” said Noelle Walsh, Microsoft’s vice president of cloud services and innovation. “Fortum has the technology to extract the heat from that air for distribution.”
“We have a heating network with hot water powering the whole city,” said Panu Ahrnberg, Fortum’s head of heating and cooling production. “When Microsoft recovers the heat in a water circle going through their plant, we take it in our heat pump plant. The heat pump utilizes that energy to heat the water going to our customers.”
The Suomenojan facility is exploring several other methods to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Artificial intelligence helps to efficiently allocate heat and conserve power. A new heat pump recovers excess heat from treated wastewater and seawater, serving 20% of district needs. Industrial air-to-water heat pumps will operate by 2028 to improve efficiency and help cool the region.
Innovative forest products
The governor also stopped in Stockholm, Sweden at a research facility pioneering forestry products. The Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) is a state-owned operation weaving ties between the public and private sectors in service of sustainability.
RISE research encompasses many categories, including wood technology. From load-bearing applications for laminated timber to improved fire safety of timber structures, RISE imagines new possibilities for wood products.
Forestry is one of Washington state’s legacy industries. Today, more than 1,700 businesses generate $36 billion in annual revenue from Washington forest products. Innovation might enhance competitiveness and create new jobs.
At the molecular level, wood is held together by organic polymers called lignins. For trees, they help conduct water through the organism. For researchers, they present opportunities to engineer new properties in wood products. Lignin softening might permit bending and densification of solid wood, among other possibilities.
“At Washington State University in the Tri-Cities, we’re using lignin in many ways,” said WSU Chancellor Sandra Haynes. “One of the primary ways is to create biodegradable Styrofoam which has already gone to market — you’ll find it in meal kit boxes you can have sent to your home. All of those are lined with our biodegradable Styrofoam so that all the packaging that arrives at your door can be recycled.”
Haynes and Inslee were introduced to some of RISE’s latest lignin research; the institute has mixed wood with electrical components to make conducting filaments that might comprise a type of battery. The concept is already approaching the market — a Swedish carmaker has entered an agreement with a supplier to develop batteries made from renewable wood sources.
“I’ve already sent a message to our researcher about this battery research. We would love to collaborate,” said Haynes.
Injecting jobs to replace extractive industries
In addition to preserving the planet, clean energy offers another big benefit: jobs. Solar farms, wind farms, dams, and clean power plants don’t run themselves. Washingtonians keep them going. The state is better off powered by locally-generated electricity rather than nonrenewable fossil fuels extracted half a world away.
Many clean energy jobs will be found where they are needed most — rural communities.
Sweden is experiencing its own “green transition” and has committed to restoring jobs to communities formerly defined by “extractive economies.” Local economies experience difficult aftermath once a mine closes or mill shutters. Clean energy presents opportunities to breathe new life into suffering local economies, both by creating jobs and reducing energy costs.
The state Department of Commerce is spurring a “green transition” of its own through programs like the Clean Energy Fund. Since 2013, the fund has allocated more than $150 million in grants to organizations and researchers exploring new energy concepts. Grants from the Clean Energy Fund have supported firms like Beta Hatch, a commercial insect farm in Cashmere that recycles data center waste heat to nurture mealworms to be used as livestock feed. Grant funds also helped the Composite Recycling Technology Center in Port Angeles, which recycles carbon fiber scrap to make products like cross-laminated timber.
The state Department of Commerce has just launched an Industrial Symbiosis Program to repurpose industrial waste for mutual benefit between businesses. Researchers at Washington State University are partnering with Inland Empire Paper and Qualterra to use fly ash from the paper mill, biochar, and agricultural waste to improve soil health and crop yields. The City of Pasco is exploring the reuse of food processing wastewater through a system that will protect groundwater from nitrate while generating a value-added product. Truly, one company’s trash is another’s treasure.
What goes around, comes around. By investing in research and promoting public and private sector collaboration, Washington state is putting out good — and good is coming back.
In other state news headlines.
AG Ferguson seeks to stop Seattle business scamming immigrants.
Washington finalizes historic cap-and-invest plan to slash carbon pollution.
Salmon fishing resumes beginning Oct. 1 for Columbia River below Bonneville Dam.
Winter crabbing season opens Oct. 1 in several Puget Sound marine areas.
Statement of charges issued against Nexo for violating Securities Act of Washington.
State revokes, suspends licenses, certifications, registrations of health care providers.
State ferries says, ‘Welcome aboard for free!’ to youth.
From our Congressional delegation to DC.
Successful Electric Airplane Test Could Mean More Flights to Regional Airports, Cantwell Says
(2) WORLD NEWS HEADLINES.
Afghanistan: UN condemns ‘callous’ suicide attack on education center.
Ukraine: UN Secretary-General condemns Russia annexation plan.
Human rights: ‘Disturbing trends’ in reprisals against those cooperating with the UN continues.
Black Sea exports ramp up, bringing confidence to global commerce and food to most vulnerable.
Remarks at an Interactive Dialogue with an Independent Expert on the Rights of Older Persons--USUN
NATIONAL & BUSINESS HEADLINES.
More Can Be Done to Bring Hispanic Americans Into DOD, Defense Official Says --DOD
Home Health Care Company Owners Sentenced for $6.7 Million Health Care Fraud
CDC Releases Data on Chronic Diseases and Related Risk Factors.
HUD MAKES MORE THAN $28 MILLION AVAILABLE TO FIGHT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION
Grants will support fair housing education and outreach, testing and enforcement activities--HUD
HUD Awards $4.9 Million to Public Housing Agencies to Correct Emergency Conditions
BUSINESS HEADLINES:
Large Bank Supervision and Regulation
Global Financial Stability Considerations for Monetary Policy in a High-Inflation Environment
Insulation Contracting Firm and Co-Owner Sentenced for Rigging Bids and Fraud
First Two Defendants Sentenced in Investigation in the Insulation Contracting Industry--DOJ
We Can’t Stand Still: Why America Must Lead on Trade
(3) IN FOCUS!
Drivers, carmakers, and states are leaving fossil fuels in the rearview mirror. Is Washington ready to drive electric?.
From the governor's meduim page.
The future of car travel in Washington state will be electric. Washington will join California in requiring auto companies to require that new cars sold have zero tailpipe emissions starting with 2035 models. Many governments are adopting similar measures — it’s a matter of planetary necessity to reduce carbon emissions.
In 2020, the state legislature adopted a law directing the state Department of Ecology to adopt California vehicle emissions standards. This summer, California announced that cars with model years of 2035 or later must have zero tailpipe emissions to be sold within the state. Washington state will adopt matching regulations, but the state legislature had already set a goal of its own. The transportation plan approved by the legislature this spring set a goal five years more aggressive: cars and light-duty vehicles of model year 2030 or later must be electric.
The 2030 target is not a mandate but a goal, one that the state is developing a strategy to achieve. The 2035 measure would be a law and a requirement once enacted. The Washington State Department of Ecology is now accepting public comment on the proposal.
“We think of the California regulation as the floor and we’ve set a new ceiling of trying to get that done by 2030,” said Anna Lising, senior climate advisor to Gov. Jay Inslee.
Electric transportation has been an ongoing priority for Inslee, including cars, buses, ferries, and even rail. Lising has been instrumental in helping the governor craft those policies. She has answers to common questions about EVs.
Washington and California have just committed to electrify personal vehicles. Why now?
This goal wasn’t set overnight — it’s been years in the making.
There’s a sense of urgency. Transportation is the number-one contributor of carbon emissions in Washington state and our biggest opportunity to make a difference.
Electric vehicles (EVs) have entered mass-market production and they are increasingly affordable.
We’re at a tipping point. The threat of climate change is clear. EVs have matured. The private sector is on board. Washington state’s leadership has helped the state, the nation, and the world get where we are now.
Electric cars may be zero-emissions, but not zero-footprint. Are they definitively better for the environment?
Absolutely.
EVs leave a much smaller carbon footprint than vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs). Once built, they don’t keep consuming nonrenewable resources and belching carbon emissions. In a state like Washington with such clean electricity, EVs are even better. That said, there’s more work to be done to ensure batteries can be reused and recycled.
Reduced emissions will also improve air quality near roadways. Low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately located in polluted areas, diminishing life expectancy. EVs are better for the environment, and our communities and people.
EVs accounted for 3.2% of light vehicles sold in 2021. What will change by 2030 for EVs to become the popular choice?
EV market share is accelerating — fast. EV registration in Washington state has increased nearly fivefold in five years. This July, 8% of new vehicles registered in Washington state were battery-powered. New models are shipping and price parity is improving.
The most encouraging sign is carmakers leaning in. New models by Audi, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Genesis, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen are coming this year. Your favorite car will soon be electric.
Cost is key to any car shopper. How do EVs compare in price and cost of ownership?
EVs are cheaper to own in the long term — especially factoring Washington’s affordable electricity. Electricity in Seattle is now about 29% cheaper than the national average. Fuel savings can quickly overcome a sticker price premium.
EVs have a higher sticker price right now. Clean technology cannot be exclusive to wealthy urbanites. That’s why a renewed $7,500 federal tax credit for the purchase of a qualifying EV is important. That’s why the sales tax exemption in Washington state is important.
The goal is for clean technology to be accessible to every Washingtonian. We’re getting closer.
If it breaks, who can fix it? Are EVs reliable?
People love their EVs — an EV manufacturer took the top spot for consumer satisfaction in a recent study by Consumer Reports. They also found EV reliability comparable to ICEs.
EVs have fewer moving parts, which means fewer things that can break down and fewer pieces to maintain. You might also be able to fix a problem with a simple firmware update
EVs still need tire changes. They rely on hydraulic brakes. You still need to take care of them. Some manufacturers might be more reliable than others, but there are advantages to fewer moving parts.
Weather has stressed electrical grids in California and Texas. Is Washington’s grid ready to charge the population’s personal vehicles?
Research by the federal government projects that the nation’s grid is ready for EVs. State forecasting shows that our grid can support EVs through the next decade.
We’re actively working with utilities to build new clean energy in the state to meet growing demand. A new wind farm at Rattlesnake Flat is generating 160 MW and it created 250 jobs. More than 40 solar farm projects are currently proposed across the state.
China is out-building America in the production of EVs. Will EV adoption benefit domestic industry?
EVs create jobs. Their “fuel” is made by Washingtonians operating our wind and solar farms, clean power plants, and utilities. Manufacturers like Kenworth are building electric trucks here already.
Nationally, the Inflation Reduction Act established incentives for domestic EV manufacture. Lithium is being processed in Nevada. Cars, batteries, and other components can and will be made in America. Earlier this week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “We can dominate the next big global industry. This is about economic dominance across the spectrum.”
He’s right.
Few enjoy 240-volt service near their parking spot. What measures may help the average driver charge overnight?
Every Washingtonian should have access to cleaner cars and the means to charge them. Our top priorities include rural distribution, chargers serving multifamily housing, community charging locations, charging to serve low-income residents, and charging along residential streets.
We’re working with regional housing authorities to install chargers in lower-income housing developments. We’re also working on “right to charge” laws that prevent landlords and HOAs from prohibiting charging. As we work towards mass adoption, we want everyone to have a place to charge.
Fast chargers seem few and far between. How will future charging infrastructure be distributed?
Right now, the private sector has built chargers where profitable. That hasn’t been good enough.
The federal Infrastructure and Jobs Act allocated funding for states to install fast charging stations every 50 miles along highways. The state received $71 million from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program — at least 40% of that prioritizes rural and disadvantaged communities.
The state Department of Transportation is launching a mapping tool that shows where chargers are going, and where they’re needed. Washingtonians can use it to suggest charging locations in their communities.
Chargers often require different apps, adapters, and payment methods — will drivers have to hunt for compatible chargers?
Many Washingtonians are underbanked. They may not have tap-to-pay cards or digital payment accounts. Likewise, your native language should not be a barrier. The state Department of Agriculture is working on rules that require payment and language accessibility.
Finally, charging hardware must be universal. This is less of an issue than it used to be. Charging standards are consolidating and federal funding requires interoperability. State-funded stations will meet the Level 2 standard at minimum, and most federally-funded stations will support fast charging.
Are EVs ready for the demands of daily driving and long commutes?
Drivers with gas-powered cars seldom leave home with a full tank. Most EV drivers charge overnight and leave home topped off. Federal research shows that only 5% of trips exceed 30 miles. The average commuter drives under 15 miles to work. The typical range of a modern EV is over 200 miles. Range improves with each generation of EVs.
Additionally, more charging stations are popping up. You’ll see more soon thanks to funding from both the federal government and our state legislature. Not so long from now, chargers will be operating all over the place.
(4) LOCAL MEETINGS
CLALLAM COUNTY MEETINGS.
Clallam County Commission work session for 10/3/22
Clallam County Commission board meeting for 10/4/22
City of Port Angeles Council meeting for 10/4/22
Special Port of Port Angeles Commission Meeting for 10/4/22
JEFFERSON COUNTY MEETINGS.
Jefferson Commission Meeting for 10/3/22
https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/a2c2ab35-e832-4f11-9091-a44825e9c8f5
City of Port Townsend Council meeting for 10/3/22
https://cityofpt.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=4&event_id=1710
(5)Weekly devotional
BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 5:11-12 (New King James Version)
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Weekly Bible Study
Religion and War, by Doy Moyer
If religion is so great, why are religions responsible for so much war?”
http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/ReligionAndWar.html
Free bible studies (WBS)
https://www.worldbibleschool.org/
Learn English using the bible as text (WEI)
http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/
(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)
1233 E Front St, Port Angeles, WA 98362
The Chosen: About the life of Christ
https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen
The Port Angeles Globe is a weekly Publication, every Saturday-- Publisher, Peter Ripley
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This Week's Video:
The Nord Stream pipeline SABOTAGE puts us ALL AT RISK
530,059 views Sep 28, 2022 Was the Nord Stream explosion sabotage? And who was behind the attack? Was it Russia? Ukraine? Or Germany? No matter who was behind the move, Glenn explains, it puts us ALL at risk. Because destroying civilian infrastructure now is 'on the table' for Vladimir Putin, and this may give him enough reason to 'take his gloves off.' The stakes here are real, Glenn says: 'Water, electricity, oil, pipelines...ALL of our infrastructure is at risk.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAKhBVv3w0w
HEADLINES FROM OTHER SOURCES:
West Coast, Messed Coast™ Gavin Newsom's Moral Reckoning--PJ MEDIA
Are Polls Understanding Republicans’ Support?
The West Is Wrong to Fixate on Xi’s Fate
The entire CCP is the danger.--American Spectator
