TACOMA, WA – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will be awarding more than $18.3 million in federal funding to two projects in Washington’s Sixth Congressional District through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program for 2024. This funding includes $17 million for Kitsap County Public Transportation Authority (Kitsap Transit) and more than $1.3 million for the Makah Tribe.
Earlier this year, Rep. Kilmer wrote to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of both Kitsap Transit’s and the Makah Tribe’s applications to the RAISE discretionary grant program.
“This is a big deal,” said Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06). “These investments in projects across Washington state will help move people and freight better. That’s important for our local economies, for quality of life, and for helping community connectivity. Having the federal government provide this grant funding means we will see improvements without the cost being borne entirely by taxpayers in our neck of the woods. That’s a huge win for our region.”
Kitsap Transit will receive $17 million to construct a full-service maintenance facility and procure five double decker routed battery electric buses.
The construction of a full-service maintenance facility is a new initiative by Kitsap Transit to strategically address the challenges posed by the outdated Charleston Base facility. This 1940s maintenance facility, currently operating at full capacity with only three maintenance bays, has become increasingly overcrowded and is inadequately equipped to handle the evolving needs of Kitsap Transit's expanding fleet. With an anticipated annual growth of their electric fleet as they work towards their 30 by 2025 goal, the current facility's limitations in handling battery replacements, ensuring safe access to the tops of buses, and providing charging capabilities in the maintenance bays pose a significant concern. This new federal funding will assist in the construction of a new full-service maintenance facility that would address these challenges by providing the necessary infrastructure to support the maintenance and charging requirements of the expanding electric bus fleet, ensuring the safety and efficiency of Kitsap Transit's operations.
The facility will include updated maintenance workspaces with crane lifts, elevated walkways, and high voltage protective equipment. The facility will also incorporate designs for the inclusion of internal charging infrastructure and onsite green energy production. The success of this project aims to not only fortify Kitsap Transit's vital transportation network, but also contribute significantly to environmental sustainability and enhanced service provision throughout Kitsap County.
“Having a maintenance facility that can accommodate Kitsap Transit’s new electric buses is vital for the agency’s future operations, creating a more equitable and environmentally friendly transit system for the residents of Kitsap County and beyond. We are so excited, as this project will not only save taxpayers millions of dollars in spent fuel, labor costs, and vehicle miles traveled over the next three decades, but it will significantly cut agency emissions and reduce traffic congestion on some of our busiest roads. It will also provide us with a much-needed backup for our 1940’s-built maintenance facility that is small and not designed for either battery buses or double-decker buses. Kitsap Transit appreciates the continued support from the Department of Transportation and is grateful for this new opportunity,” said Kitsap Transit’s Executive Director, John Clauson
“The City of Bremerton greatly appreciates this major investment in our public transit system which many of our residents rely on. This funding will help support current service needs in the county as well as our growing population while helping to electrify the transit fleet to reduce carbon emissions for our local communities,” said City of Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler and Chair of the Kitsap Transit Board.
The Makah Tribe will receive $1.3 million to support the planning, market analysis, feasibility study, engineering, design, and permitting for a multi-use barge loading facility to mitigate critical supply chain interruptions in Neah Bay, Washington, where the Makah Tribe is located. Neah Bay is located at the crux of the Pacific Ocean and several crucial shipping lanes servicing the Puget Sound and Canada. The Makah Tribe currently relies on SR 112 for transportation in and out of Neah Bay, including all commercial supplies, tourist traffic, logging trucks, and local passenger vehicles. SR 112 is often considered to be in poor condition – and experiences regular closures due to washouts, landslides, rock fall, and fallen trees and powerlines. These road closures affect the economic vitality, public health and safety, and community well-being for the Makah Tribe. A multi-use barge loading facility in Neah Bay would aim to provide an alternate marine route for cargo transportation and provide key benefits to the Makah Tribe and the region. The facility would allow for loading of outgoing forestry products, delivery of emergency supplies transport into Neah Bay, and transportation of critical cargo for the community’s relocation efforts out of the Tsunami Inundation Zone and anticipated waste removal from the Warmhouse Superfund site.
“One of the greatest transportation challenges faced by the Makah Tribe is supply chain interruption caused by frequent closures of SR112. Interruptions impact every facet of day-to-day life for our members from off-Reservation medical care, fuel supply, consumable products, medicine, and waste disposal. The RAISE 2024 funding ($1.3M) will be used for planning, market analysis, feasibility study, engineering, design and permitting of the MBLF. The Makah Tribe is grateful to the Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that will provide this funding,
said Timothy J. Greene, Sr, Chairman of the Makah Tribe.
The RAISE discretionary grant program provides an opportunity for the USDOT to invest in road, rail, transit and port projects that promise to achieve national objectives. RAISE discretionary grants help project sponsors at the state and local levels, including municipalities, Tribal governments, counties, and others complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects. The eligibility requirements of RAISE allow project sponsors to obtain funding for projects that may be harder to support through other U.S. DOT grant programs.
Previously known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grants, Congress has dedicated nearly $14.3 billion for fifteen rounds of National Infrastructure Investments to fund projects that have a significant local or regional impact.
Overall this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding just over $1.8 billion in total RAISE grant funding to transportation and infrastructure projects across the country – including nearly $90 million to projects in Washington state, the most of any state.
IN OTHER NEWS FROM OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION:
Senator Murray, Members of WA State Delegation Secure $5 Million for Affordable Housing
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) and Adam Smith (D-WA-09), announced $5 million in funding for the City of Seattle from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) program./ From a press release issued 6/26/24
Senator Murray Statement on SCOTUS Decision in EMTALA Case
Senator Murray: “This decision fails patients and doctors—and leaves an unacceptable level of uncertainty for women and their health care providers. Even with EMTALA still in place for now in Idaho —Republican abortion bans continue to have a dangerous chilling effect. Doctors are still forced to contend with dangerous laws on the books that threaten them with prosecution or jail time, making our health care providers either hesitant or altogether unwilling to provide women lifesaving abortion care in these states.”/From a press release issued 6/27/24
https://www.murray.senate.gov/senator-murray-statement-on-scotus-decision-in-emtala-case/
Cantwell Celebrates Project Kuiper Satellite Production Facility Opening in Kirkland
Project Kuiper partnered with LWTech to create new satellite technician training program; facility will create 200 jobs/from a press release issued 6/27/24
STATE:
WSDA TO GAIN AUTHORITY TO ACCREDIT CANNABIS LABORATORIES STARTING JULY 1, 2024.
OLYMPIA – Starting July 1, 2024, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will have the regulatory authority to accredit cannabis laboratories.
For over five years, WSDA has been engaged in a process to improve the integrity and oversight of the laboratories that test cannabis destined to be processed and sold in the state. Laboratories test cannabis for pesticides, heavy metals and cannabinoid concentration, serving as a valuable public health safeguard for Washington consumers.
mproving the integrity of the cannabis industry
Cannabis laboratories have been scrutinized at times due to concerns about “THC inflation” and “lab shopping” — a practice where businesses seek out laboratories that will provide higher THC numbers in hopes of attracting more customers. But regulators, legislators and laboratories have worked to improve the reputation and integrity of regulated cannabis by creating stronger standards and oversight.
For example, in 2019, the Legislature passed HB 2052, directing the Department of Ecology (ECY) to steer a Cannabis Science Task Force to develop recommendations for laboratory quality standards. The task force worked to create recommendations for the testing of potency, pesticides, residual solvents and heavy metals in cannabis. Testing methods and standards were developed to meet the needs of the regulatory framework governing cannabis in Washington.
New laboratory standards
Another recommendation from the task force was to create an interagency team (ICT), that included WSDA, to develop new laboratory standards. In response, the Legislature passed HB 1859, which required WSDA to serve as the lead agency of the ICT responsible for and maintaining quality standards for cannabis testing laboratories.
Today, the ICT has a new, more descriptive name: Cannabis Lab Accreditation Standards Program (CLASP) and is intended to foster a cohesive collaboration for cannabis science in Washington. The program lives up to its name by partnering with other state government agencies, while also listening to and integrating feedback from private cannabis labs, cannabis licensees, and the greater I-502 community.
WSDA’s evolving role
Originally, the intent was for WSDA to lead the development of the new laboratory standards, while ECY, which audits drinking water and soil laboratories, would begin to accredit cannabis labs. However, seeing an opportunity to streamline the process, WSDA submitted a request for legislation, HB 2151, that would allow the agency to take on accreditation of laboratories in addition to their role of developing the new standards.
Starting July 1st, WSDA will have the regulatory authority to accredit laboratories. At that time, laboratories will have a six-month grace period to make the necessary updates to comply with the new, more stringent standards. By having a cohesive local team of chemists and microbiologists, WSDA can provide a continuous service and support laboratories seeking accreditation, emphasizing compliance and heightened integrity.
For more information on WSDA’s Cannabis Program, visit the program’s webpage, https://agr.wa.gov/departments/cannabis.
ref. https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=39401&culture=en-us
MORE STATE HEADLINES:
AG Ferguson: Albertsons lifts illegal restrictions that created food desert in Bellingham neighborhood.
AG Ferguson will pilot hate crimes hotline in Clark, King and Spokane counties.
Washington Courts: News and Information
Administrative Office of the Courts Launches New Podcast, “Washington Courts Report”; First Episode Features Therapeutic Courts.
https://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/?fa=newsinfo.internetdetail&newsid=50445
Diesel spill from sunken fishing boat in 2022 off San Juan Island leads to penalty.
SEATTLE –
In August 2022, a 58-foot fishing boat sank off the western shore of San Juan Island, kicking off a complex, lengthy response to prevent additional diesel from spilling out of the sunken vessel, and to eventually raise the boat back to the surface.
https://ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who-we-are/news/2024-news-stories/june-26-aleutian-isle-penalty
WDFW seeks information on common loons killed in Okanogan County.
OLYMPIA - Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police are asking the public for any information on an incident where someone shot and killed two adult common loons and their chicks in Okanogan County near Chesaw, Wash. Non-governmental organizations are offering a $6,000 reward for information leading to convictions.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-release/wdfw-seeks-information-common-loons-killed-okanogan-county
WORLD< NATIONAL< BUSINESS
WORLD:
Adopting Presidential Statement of Concern over Reported Surge in Missing Persons during Armed Conflict, Security Council Urges Advanced Steps to Reverse Trend
Expressing concern about the reports of a dramatic increase in missing persons in armed conflict, the Security Council today unanimously adopted a presidential statement aimed at reversing the trend by advancing measures set out in a resolution adopted five years ago./ UN PRESS RELEASE
https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15754.doc.htm
Adopting Resolution 2740 (2024), Security Council Reappoints Serge Brammertz of Belgium as Prosecutor, International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, for Two Years
The Security Council today re-appointed Serge Brammertz of Belgium as Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals for a term beginning on 1 July 2024 and ending on 30 June 2026./UN PRESS RELEASE
https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15752.doc.htm
Adopting Resolution 2739 (2024) on Yemen, Security Council Demands Houthis Immediately Cease All Attacks against Merchant, Commercial Vessels
Condemning continued attacks on merchant and commercial vessels from Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen, perpetuating an unstable and volatile situation in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways, the Security Council today adopted an updated resolution demanding that the Houthis immediately cease all such aggression./UN PRESS RELEASE
https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15750.doc.htm
Joint Statement on the Unlawful Arms Transfer by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to Russia./USUN
Secretary Antony J. Blinken At a Room Rededication Ceremony for Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell/US STATE DEPT.
NATION:
Navy Conducts Climate Action Exercise With Caribbean Partners.
The Navy conducted a tabletop exercise alongside Caribbean partner nations to explore ways to enhance climate readiness and resilience throughout the region./DOD
National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Results in 193 Defendants Charged and Over $2.75 Billion in False Claims/DOJ
Secretary Cardona Statement Ahead of One Year Anniversary of Supreme Court Ruling on College Affirmative Action Programs/DEPT. of EDUCATION
President Biden’s Presidential Proclamation and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest Border by Over 40 Percent in First Three Weeks/DSHS
HHS Announces Cost Savings for 64 Prescription Drugs Thanks to the Medicare Rebate Program Established by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Lower Cost Prescription Drug Law
Under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, some people with Medicare will pay less for some Part B drugs if the drug’s price increased faster than the rate of inflation./HHS
BUSINESS:
Virginia Businesswoman Sentenced for Employment Tax Crimes.
A Virginia woman was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for not paying employment taxes to the IRS.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/virginia-businesswoman-sentenced-employment-tax-crimes
Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Following Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) Roundtable in Saint Paul, Minnesota/US TREASURY
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2432
USDA to Begin Accepting Applications for Expanded Emergency Livestock Assistance Program to Help Dairy Producers Offset Milk Loss Due to H5N1/USDA
IRS provides tax relief for taxpayers impacted by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding in Mississippi; various deadlines postponed to Nov. 1, 2024/IRS
FTC Acts to Stop Student Loan Debt Relief Scheme that Took Millions from Consumers in First Case under the Impersonation Rule
Agency says scammers pretended to be affiliated with the Department of Education to collect illegal junk fees for fake student loan debt relief/FTC
IN FOCUS: North Cove turns the tide
From fastest eroding West Coast beach to one of the best restored.
The 1.1 mile long North Cove beach is located along the north entrance to Willapa Bay in Pacific County and was once the fastest eroding ocean beach on the U.S. West Coast.
Starting in 2018, we worked arm in arm with the local community to reverse chronic and rapid shoreline erosion eating away the beach. This year, these concerted efforts have been recognized by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association as one of the nation’s Best Restored Beaches.
North Cove has come a long way. For decades, the area used to be called “washaway beach” as winter storms, tidal currents and ocean-borne waves ate away bluffs, dunes, and trees as well as homes, garages, and other structures facing the Pacific Ocean. Through the years, advancing erosion took out a lighthouse, a U.S. Coast Guard station, and 640 parcels of property. It wasn’t unusual to see toppled homes and debris scattered on the beach.
Coastal erosion also threatened lands culturally and historically significant to the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe as well as State Route 105, a lifeline corridor connecting coastal communities in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties. About 800 acres of local cranberry farms faced being flooded by saltwater.
To finally halt the erosion and restore the beach, we worked with community members, looking at natural, dynamically stable beaches on other parts of the high wave-energy Washington coast.
Mimicking what they saw, the community, led by David Cottrell, strategically placed about 46,500 cubic yards of natural material –cobbles, gravel, and pebbles – to create cobblestone berms along the backshore of the beach, complemented with large, assembled wood structures and planted native vegetation.
Cottrell, who passed away in 2023, was born and raised in the North Cove community. He was a long-time cranberry farmer and commissioner for Pacific County Drainage District No. 1. He was also a mathematician and keen observer of coastal dynamics.
The cobble berms proved to have a natural stabilizing effect by absorbing and dissipating wave energy while the large woody material and new vegetation retained sand that rebuilt protective dunes. On one 3,000-foot reach, the width of the dune area grew seven-fold in six years – the accumulation of more than 232,000 cubic yards of sand along the beach.
“David was an innovator and problem solver who worked well with everyone,” said Ecology coastal engineer George Kaminsky. “A quiet giant in the North Cove community, he intuitively understood coastal processes better than most coastal engineers.”
Since the natural materials dynamically adjust to waves and water levels, the nature-based approach, if maintained, will also provide long-term coastal resilience to climate change and sea level rise.
“We are so pleased that the beach environment has transitioned from one littered with house debris, concrete foundations, and destroyed infrastructure to a broad healthy recreational beach enjoyed by the public and multiple species of interest,” Kaminsky said. “It was David’s insight and initiative that started the North Cove dynamic revetment, which has effectively halted a century-long trend of shoreline retreat and saved the remaining North Cove community.”
In Cottrell’s honor, Kaminsky said the community and Ecology will continue working on the project to enhance its long-term resilience.
“North Cove serves as a model for grassroots community engagement,” he said. “The results have rejuvenated the community and inspired investments in similar nature-based approaches to enhance coastal resilience across the country and around the world.”/DOE
ref. https://ecology.wa.gov/blog/june-2024/north-cove-turns-the-tide
CLALLAM COUNTY MEETINGS:
Clallam County Commission work session for 7/1/24
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07012024-1218
Clallam County Commission meeting for 7/2/24
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07022024-1219
City of Port Angeles Council meeting for 7/2/24
https://www.cityofpa.us/DocumentCenter/View/15098/07022024-CC-Agenda-Packet
JEFFERSON COUNTY MEETINGS:
Jefferson County Commission meeting for 7/1/24
https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/a028be8d-40da-4c5b-9e52-7502bf586498
City of Port Townsend Council meeting for 7/1/24
https://cityofpt.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=4&event_id=3561
Weekly devotional
BIBLE VERSE: Psalm 138:8 (New International Version)
The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
Weekly Bible Lesson:
Jesus' Death, Burial, and Resurrection
The most important series of events in the history of the world was the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus. By means of His death, Jesus fulfilled prophecy and bought man’s freedom from slavery to sin. By means of His burial, Jesus removed any doubt that He had really died. By means of His resurrection, Jesus proved He had power over death. --TFTW
https://truthfortheworld.org/jesus-death-burial-and-resurrection
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
THIS WEEKS VIDEOS
PROOF the DOJ Is Running Election Interference for Joe Biden
After Hunter Biden was found guilty of a minor gun charge, Democrats and the media were quick to use his conviction as evidence that all is “hunky-dory” with the justice system under President Joe Biden. Anyone who questioned the Left's "fair justice" narrative was branded a conspiracy theorist. Cue New York Magazine: “Hunter Biden Conviction Blows Up Republican Conspiracy Theories” and Vanity Fair: “Trump and Co. Come Up with Most Deranged Theory Yet: Joe Biden Wanted Hunter Biden to Be Found Guilty.” Never mind the fact that the only reason Hunter went to trial is because a judge blew up a secret deal between his lawyers and his dad’s DOJ that all but gave him blanket immunity on tax fraud charges. But sure, the justice system is fair and impartial! Never mind the fact that the regime’s main political opponent in the upcoming presidential race — Donald Trump — was convicted on 34 BOGUS felonies and faces three more major trials.
AND never mind that Trump's ally Steve Bannon was ordered to prison for contempt for Congress and yet Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland got away with the EXACT same crime. Glenn lays out the case that proves the weaponization of our justice system goes right to the top. Through unredacted court documents, White House visitor logs, and documents from congressional committees, the evidence trail leads directly to the Joe Biden White House. Glenn is joined by legal warrior Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer for Donald Trump and the Center for American Liberty founder and CEO. She says the weaponization of government she’s witnessed is unprecedented and believes the end game is to trigger civil unrest in the country if Trump is jailed. “The constant fear being injected into conservatives is deliberate,” Harmeet says. But she gives four solutions for how conservatives can avoid entrapment from a government treating them as enemies of the state.--Glenn Beck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAtG-K1FHnc
Sunday Worship 6/23/2024--Four Lakes C. of C
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc-6Jsm8Mtw
NIGHT OWL COMICS
https://pjrnightowlcomics.blogspot.com/
The Port Angeles Globe is a weekly Publication, every Saturday-- Publisher, Peter Ripley
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