West Seattle, Washington
01 Wednesday
In case you didn’t see it in our coverage of last month’s HPAC meeting or on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – this Saturday morning (April 17th) brings another compost giveaway in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). 9 am until it’s gone, bring your own shovel and container(s) for up to a half-yard of compost per household. Masks required.
(WSB photo from spring 2018 Duwamish Alive!)
The twice-annual Duwamish Alive! event is back, and you have two ways to be part of it this Saturday (April 17th):
This Saturday, communities in the Green-Duwamish watershed will be celebrating Earth Month by participating in restoring habitat along the Green-Duwamish River and offering the self guided Green-Duwamish Journey. Several volunteer opportunities are still available, including the Heron’s Nest site:
Volunteer at Heron’s Nest restoration site in West Seattle, stewarded by the Duwamish Tribe and Shared Spaces as they restore native habitat on this site along with additional activities. Volunteers will be weeding, mulching, planting, and helping Seattle Tool Library build needed items. Email: heronsnestoutdoor@gmail.com
2021 Green-Duwamish Self Guided Journey
Community members are also encouraged to learn more about the Green-Duwamish River by visiting many of its environmental, historical and culturally significant sites on the Green-Duwamish Journey, provided in a booklet with activities families can enjoy while visiting the sites. The booklet can be downloaded from DuwamishAlive.org, with coordinating learning packets from Nature Vision for grades K-12.
If you were on or near the Fauntleroy ferry terminal at mid-afternoon, you might have seen those students sending a message they hope will be heard thousands of miles away. They’re from the Summit Atlas hub of the Sunrise Movement, which organizer Hannah Lindell-Smith describes as “a youth-led organization to stop the climate crisis and create good jobs in the process.” Today, school hubs around the city were holding actions like this to send a message to U.S. Senator Patty Murray, asking her, Hannah says, “to stand up for our generation’s right to good jobs and a livable future and sign onto the Green New Deal and Good Jobs For All Pledge.”
Starbucks, like many coffee purveyors, has not yet resumed accepting personal cups. But for customers uneasy about all the resulting waste, they’ve just launched a pilot program called Borrow A Cup – testing it at five stores, four of them in West Seattle.
(Fauntleroy/Avalon cup return – photo courtesy Starbucks)
At a participating store, you can “borrow” one of these cups for your hot or cold beverage for a one-dollar deposit, which is refunded when you return the cup in one of two ways: Scanning and dropping it in a special box at a participating store, or having door-to-door recycler Ridwell pick it up if you’re a member. Either way, baristas don’t have to handle used cups – they’re collected, cleaned, sanitized, and returned to stores by a company called GO Box. Starbucks says the cups are USA-made “from a very lightweight polypropylene plastic … the same material used in our current cold cups and both our hot and cold cup lids, and is recyclable in Seattle.” Each cup is expected to get about 30 uses The pilot program is running through the end of May; participating stores are at California/ Fauntleroy, California/Alaska, Westwood Village, and Avalon/Fauntleroy. (the fifth is at 4th/Diagonal in SODO).
P.S. The “borrowable” cups are available for 12-, 16-, and 24-ounce drinks, but 31-ounce drinks are still only available in single-use cups.
(EPA slide explaining ways in which people come into contact with pollutants)
If you have something to say to the Environmental Protection Agency about a plan to reduce the Duwamish River cleanup, today’s your last chance. (10:36 AM UPDATE: This has just been extended until April 21st.)
We reported back in February on the proposal to remove scattered areas totaling about five acres (not yet mapped) from the cleanup zone because the government increased the allowable level of a particular pollutant – benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a “carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (cPAH).” On the night of the EPA community meeting we covered, the agency agreed to extend the public-comment window, and has since extended it again, but the deadline is tonight.
The reminder came in emails from two interested parties sharing the comment letters they have just submitted. The first is from BJ Cummings, longtime area advocate, who points out “significant questions about the scientific merit of the BaP reassessment” as well as a lack of time for discussion with community members who will be most affected by a cleanup change, which would leave a higher level of the substance in shellfish. Here’s her comment letter:
She refers to comments from an unofficial community coalition called the Duwamish River Accountability Group, which also sent us their letter:
That group’s points also include the time frame as well as the fact the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, an official advisory group, only released its own fact sheet on the proposal about a week ago;
The DRCC fact sheet also notes that the scientists from the UW are concerned that “inconsistent results” among studies including those that led to the proposal to change the cleanup “means that there is still a high level of uncertainty about the cancer risk of BaP.”
As linked in our February report, the full document for review is here; an explanatory one-sheet is here. If you are interested in commenting, 11:59 pm tonight April 21 is the deadline to send email to Region10@epa.gov.
(WSB photo, March 20)
Two weeks after the latest West Seattle drop-off recycling/shredding event, we have the results! Forwarded by the West Seattle Junction Association, which organized the event in partnership with the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce:
Still have stuff to recycle beyond the regular curbside items? Fauntleroy Church is bringing back the Recycle Roundup, 9 am-3 pm Sunday, April 25th – this flyer lists what will and will not be accepted at that event. And if you need to shred – Daystar Retirement Village (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) is offering free drive-up shredding Saturday, April 17th, 10 am-1 pm – bring up to three boxes.
(Reader photo, recent tree work near Alki Point)
Much of the city’s remaining forested areas are here in West Seattle, so it’s no surprise that many people on the peninsula feel fiercely protective of trees. We often get email from readers concerned about development projects that take out trees; most of the time, our subsequent research reveals the removal was allowed. So, what if anything is the city doing to try to keep the Emerald City from turning something closer to topaz? A couple of hints came during the most-recent meeting of the City Council’s Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee, 39 and a half minutes in:
The committee got its “quarterly tree report” – mandated since fall 2019 – from reps of the city Department of Construction and Inspections and Office of Sustainability and the Environment. See the summary here. This didn’t includes basics such as “X trees cut,” however – they’re still working on compiling that kind of data. But they discussed both progress toward the city’s revised Urban Forest Management Plan – three years in the making – and what’s being done under existing rules.
Sandra Pinto Urrutia from OSE talked about the former, explaining that they’ve continued to collect public input about what the new plan should cover; prevailing themes so far, she said, included requests to focus city resources on tree care and to examine economic effects of tree loss. A draft of the updated plan should be ready for council review later this spring.
Chanda Emery of SDCI said the department has been enforcing violations, even fining one developer $99,000 in a “triple penalty” for illegally removing an exceptional tree. She elaborated that despite extensive back-and-forth with SDCI, the tree eventually was cut to make way for a two-car garage. Councilmember Alex Pedersen interjected that this wasn’t a situation city reps discovered, but rather something that community members had uncovered.
One point of progress mentioned by Emery: A draft “director’s rule” requiring tree services operating within the Seattle city limits to acknowledge that they have read and are aware of city rules. She also said the city plans a federally funded survey using LIDAR data to determine how the city’s tree canopy has changed, starting within a few weeks. Councilmembers were told that past canopy assessments weren’t of much comparative use because the technologies kept changing, but this time “we have everything we need in place.”
For more on what the city is and isn’t doing about trees, you can go here.
(February photo, sent by Conrad)
That photo is from the last community cleanup that Conrad organized under and around the West Seattle Bridge last month. He tells WSB, “I got so many requests to hold another event that I’m hosting a second one – people felt such a pleasant sense of community and neighborliness at the last event,” It’s happening next Saturday afternoon (April 3rd), 1-3 pm, and you’re invited to join – here qre the basics:
Once again, we’ll meet at the cul-de-sac on SW Marginal Place. This project will focus on litter abatement, and it will have a larger focus on removing invasive and overgrown vegetation. Our work on vegetation will make the highly trafficked area safer for pedestrians and allow us to remove trash that’s currently covered in blackberries. We’ll also send people to the nearby Riverside Memorial Plaza to rake leaves.
P.S. If you’ve been participating in Jessica‘s monthly first-Saturday Alki cleanups – she’s joining this one for April, but will be back hosting Alki events in May and beyond.
10:24 AM: If you’re headed for the recycling/shredding event in the north lot at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) – be patient! By 9:30 am, the vehicle line was backed up on northbound 16th SW past the campus’s south entrance and almost all the way to SW Holly. (If you’re just bringing something you can carry, you can park on 16th and walk in.) Once you’re in, here’s the setup:
Trucks are lined up from participants including Friendly Earth for electronics/small-appliance recycling:
Bring your Styrofoam, too, since Styro Recycle is there. And for paper, Sea-Dru-Nar is there for up to four boxes of shredding:
Volunteers are there to guide you in. The event organized by the West Seattle Junction Association and Chamber of Commerce is on until noon – 6000 16th SW, north entrance. Don’t forget your mask! If you have to head north to somewhere else on Puget Ridge this morning, we advise an alternate route. Southbound 16th, however, is not affected.
P.S. If you miss this event, as announced earlier this week, Fauntleroy Church is bringing back its twice-annual dropoff Recycle Roundup on April 25th (no shredding or Styrofoam, though) – details soon!
11:33 AM UPDATE: From volunteer Judy: “No longer taking light bulbs and electronics. Shredding, Styrofoam, batteries still accepted.”
Now there are TWO upcoming chances for dropoff electronics-and-more recycling in West Seattle:
(WSB photo, September 2020)
SATURDAY: We’ve told you about this one several times already – now it’s already here! The West Seattle Junction Association and Chamber of Commerce are presenting a spring recycle/reuse/shredding event 9 am-noon this Saturday (March 20th), different location this year – the north parking lot of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). Drive up, ride up, walk up! This preview explains how it’ll work as well as what they will and won’t take. Masks required!
APRIL 25: Just announced, Fauntleroy Church is bringing back the Recycle Roundup – usually held in spring and fall, but last year both were skipped because of the pandemic. Details on what will and won’t be accepted are still in the works but the time/date is set – 10 am-3 pm Sunday, April 25, in the church parking lot (9140 California SW).
(Seattle Parks photo)
If you walk, run, or ride along the Lincoln Park beach, you might have seen this cleanup operation – removing a damaged floating dock and the Styrofoam beads with which it was contaminating the water and shore. A post by Seattle Parks today explains how volunteers and city crews teamed up to get rid of it after an initial report came in from a park visitor. Friends of Lincoln Park, Puget Soundkeeper, Green Seattle Partnership all had a hand in it. The cleanup started last Thursday with Parks’ Heavy Equipment crew removing the dock, and continued Friday with work to remove the bits of Styrofoam. That involved a variety of tactics – from vacuuming up dry bits of foam to filling buckets with scooped-up beach stones, sand, and shells, adding water so the foam pieces would float up for removal. (See more photos here.) If you ever see a problem like this, you can report it via the Find It Fix It app or the Parks maintenance line, 206-684-7250.
Another reminder so you can get ready this weekend – next weekend starts with the FREE recycling/shredding event presented by the West Seattle Junction Association and WS Chamber of Commerce, 9 am-noon Saturday, March 20th. Different location this year so there’s lots of room to distance – the expansive north parking lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). Guidelines for what the event will and won’t take:
ACCEPTED ITEMS INCLUDE:
Styrofoam
Household batteries
Fluorescent tubes and bulbs
Small electronics
Paper for shredding (limit 4 boxes) – you CAN bring confidential documentsNOT-ACCEPTED ITEMS INCLUDE:
Automotive waste
Furniture
Broken household goods
Construction waste
Latex paint
Large appliances
Garbage or yard waste
Hazardous waste
Car seats
Non-recyclable or non-reusable items
Commercial loads
NO clothing/linens (due to capacity)
NO household goods (due to capacity)
Masking/distancing protocol and other info is on the WSJA’s preview page.
P.S. The sponsoring nonprofits run on volunteer power, and a couple spots remain for peoplr to help the event go smoothly. Sign up here!
A West Seattle woman is in the bug business this time of year. Tiny Science proprietor Jen the Entomologist says it’s time for Mantis Madness – science lessons you and your kid(s) can explore at home:
Tiny Science started 5 years ago when Jen brought a praying mantis tank to her kids’ preschool. Visiting to care for the tank, those preschoolers asked some awesome questions. Jen started planning weekly visits to discuss insects with preschoolers and Tiny Science was born. Jen has taught around West Seattle (including WorldKids School, Senior Center of West Seattle, The Tilden School, Gatewood and Arbor Heights Elementaries, Westside, and more).
The praying mantis hatching kit from Tiny Science comes with everything you need for a summer full of fascinating praying mantis encounters. Purchase your hatching kit online at tinyscience.org/mantis-madness
This simple and memorable project includes observing newly hatched mantises, releasing them into your outside space, and encountering them all summer long. Mantises are completely self-sufficient from hatching and require no care. This is an excellent educational experience for all ages, especially wonderful for multi-generational relationships. Kids and grownups spend the summer outside searching for (and finding!) these charismatic arthropod ambassadors of nature as they hunt and grow in your natural space.
Some FAQ include “Is it responsible to release these here?” and “Are they safe to hold?” These are Chinese mantids, a naturalized generalist predator with no direct native competitors. They contribute to their ecology as a prey item for many birds and arthropods and rarely generate offspring in our mild, wet climate. They are safe and fascinating to hold. Find more answers to frequently asked questions on the Tiny Science website.
High-quality ootheca (egg cases) are treated with expert care by Jen the Entomologist, West Seattle mom and small-business owner. We expect high viability from this robust bunch. Tiny Science’s mission is to improve science literacy and learner confidence in science. Contact Jen to learn more about awesome online science “Field Trips” for your class or school. Tiny Science teaches entomology to all ages and groups.
*Purchase your kit online
*Porch pick-up in West Seattle (Seaview, near the Junction) beginning mid-March. Hatching is expected to begin sometime in April with kits available through that month.
Mantis Madness is an annual springtime educational science experience from Tiny Science. Jen the Entomologist is a West Seattle mom and business owner of Tiny Science, a community resource for science education. Tiny Science online classes for early elementary boost learner confidence.
Jen says Tiny Science offers classes, parties, and badges too.
The first day of spring – March 20th – is also the next big recycling/shredding event in West Seattle. This was announced a month ago; we’re reminding you about it now that it’s just two weeks away. The location has changed this year, to the north parking lot of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) – look for the sign in the photo at right. Here’s what the event, with sponsors including the West Seattle Junction Association and WS Chamber of Commerce, will and won’t take:
ACCEPTED ITEMS INCLUDE:
Styrofoam
Household batteries
Fluorescent tubes and bulbs
Small electronics
Paper for shredding (limit 4 boxes) – you CAN bring confidential documentsNOT-ACCEPTED ITEMS INCLUDE:
Automotive waste
Furniture
Broken household goods
Construction waste
Latex paint
Large appliances
Garbage or yard waste
Hazardous waste
Car seats
Non-recyclable or non-reusable items
Commercial loads
NO Clothing & linens (NEW in 2021 due to capacity)
NO Household goods (NEW in 2021 due to capacity)
Distancing protocol and other info is all on the WSJA’s preview page. One more thing: Want to volunteer to help the event go smoothly? Sign up here.
P.S. The event is scheduled for 9 am to noon.
Though the rest of the election cycle is still months away, there’s one local election happening right now, with online voting. You might even have received a postcard about it. Here’s the announcement:
King Conservation District (KCD) is holding its annual Board Supervisor election in March to fill an open Board of Supervisors seat. The 2021 election has attracted an unprecedented eight candidates for the position. Brittany Bush Bollay, Kali Clark, John Comerford, Wayne Gullstad, Doug Hennick, Natalie Reber, Melissa Tatro, and David Toledo are all vying for the open seat. Candidate statements can be read at kingcd.org/elections.
In 2020, KCD made international headlines by offering electronic ballot access for their Board Supervisor election. Those changes increased the visibility, and accessibility, of the election and doubled voter turnout from the prior year. To increase awareness of the election in 2021, KCD will be mailing out over 800,000 postcards to eligible voter households in the district with information on how to vote in our board election. …
KCD is a natural-resources-assistance agency authorized by Washington State and guided by the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC). Its mission is to help people in King County steward their natural resources and offers services to assist people with forestry management, streamside and shoreline restoration, farm conservation planning, and other environmental efforts. KCD promotes conservation through demonstration projects, educational events, technical assistance and, in some cases, providing or pointing the way to funds which may be available for projects. KCD has no regulatory or enforcement authority and only works with those who choose to work with KCD.
An all-volunteer, five-member Board of Supervisors is responsible for overseeing all KCD programs and activities. Three of the members are elected while the other two are appointed by the WSCC, an agency created to assist and guide conservation district activities in Washington State. Supervisors serve a three-year term and oversee the operations of KCD. Board members contribute local perspectives on important natural resource management and conservation issues, seek feedback about conservation programs from district residents, set KCD policy, and direct KCD’s work plan and budget.
KCD’s district includes all eligible voters in King County (but does not include City of Enumclaw, City of Federal Way, City of Milton, City of Pacific, and City of Skykomish that are not within our service area). Voters will have the option of voting through electronic ballot access, print and mail, or picking up a ballot at the KCD Office at 800 SW 39th St Suite #150, Renton, WA 98057.
Ballots are available to eligible voters online and at the KCD Office (800 SW 39th St Suite #150, Renton, WA 98057). Voters may return ballots electronically through the electronic ballot marking system by 5:00 p.m. on March 23, 2021, or print and mail the ballots with a postmark of March 23, 2021. Ballots postmarked March 23, 2021 and mailed to King County Elections, 919 SW Grady Way, Suite 200, Renton WA 98057 will be counted and accepted through March 26, 2021.
Side note – Current KCD supervisors include West Seattleite Chris Porter.
Today the state House passed a major environmental bill sponsored by one of our area’s lawmakers, Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, who chairs the House Environment and Energy Committee. Here’s the news release:
Washington is one step closer to joining its west coast neighbors in establishing a clean fuel standard. House Bill 1091, sponsored by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-West Seattle) directs the Washington State Department of Ecology to adopt a rule establishing a Clean Fuels Program that would limit greenhouse gas emissions per unit of transportation fuel energy to 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2028 and 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. It passed the House today with a vote of 52-46.
“It is long past time for Washington to join our neighbors in Oregon, California, and British Columbia in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector,” said Fitzgibbon. “We owe it to future generations to protect the climate, improve our air quality, and create jobs in the biofuels industry. Washington can be a leader in clean fuel production, but we are falling behind our neighbors. This bill protects our climate, cleans our air, and grows clean energy jobs. This program is overdue, but it’s not too late for us to do our part.”
The transportation sector is responsible for roughly 45% of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will also help reduce the state’s contributions to climate change. The most recent National Climate Assessment, a federal report prepared by hundreds of scientists, details the disruptive impacts anticipated in the United States and the Pacific Northwest if greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed. The addition of fire season to the west coast calendar highlights the urgency of the moment.
This would create opportunities for Washington producers of clean transportation fuels – from biodiesel, to renewable natural gas, to the clean electricity produced by the state’s utilities. The policy itself is technology-neutral, not mandating use of any specific renewable fuel. Currently, Washingtonians spend $9 billion annually on gasoline and diesel, while the vast majority of locally-produced clean fuels are shipped to states that already have a clean fuel standard. A clean fuel standard will create a market for clean fuels right here in Washington.
Prior to passing the full House, the bill advanced through the House Environment & Energy, Transportation, and Appropriations committees. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Our area’s senior House Rep. Eileen Cody also voted for the bill, which you can read in its entirety here. As for the Senate, here’s what our area’s State Senator tweeted tonight:
I 👀 you @joefitzgibbon! Marathon of a debate for Clean Fuels in WA State.
We’re ready to fight for it in the Senate. #WaLeg
— Joe (@meetjoenguyen) February 28, 2021
(WSB photos)
If you noticed all those city vehicles parked alongside SW Thistle just east of Chief Sealth International High School, here’s what was happening: The Clean City Initiative spent time this morning at Longfellow Creek P-Patch, focused on the area behind the garden. We don’t have a “before” photo, but here’s the creekside greenbelt after more than a ton of trash and junk was removed and other maintenance work was done:
The garden beds are tidy too:
Clean City is a new multidepartmental program in which crews from Seattle Public Utilities, Parks, and SDOT visit various locations for “trash pickup and enhanced maintenance,” including graffiti removal where applicable. Previous West Seattle stops have included Greg Davis Park in North Delridge; the mayor’s office tells WSB that Camp Long is on the schedule next month. Crews’ work around the city removed more than a million pounds of trash and junk in January alone. To report trash/junk/vandalism on city property, you can call 206-684-CITY or use Find It, Fix It.
If you haven’t already seen this in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar: You’re invited to join neighbor Conrad for a community cleanup around the West Seattle Bridge tomorrow afternoon. He’s leading volunteers 1-4 pm in a cleanup delayed a week because of the snow:
We’ll meet at the cul-de-sac on SW Marginal Place. We’ll then disperse along W Marginal Way as it passes under Spokane Street (for both trash removal and overgrown vegetation removal), and to parts of the five-way intersection by the Chelan Café. Please wear a mask and get ready to clean up under the bridge.
Thank you to our partners Puget Soundkeeper, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, and We Heart Seattle! Puget Soundkeeper is donating all necessary equipment (trash grabbers, garbage bags, gloves, the scale for weighing trash), DRCC is providing Duwamish Dollars as an incentive for volunteers, and We Heart Seattle is providing a U-Haul truck to take the trash to the transfer station following the event.
RSVP by signing up here.
(EPA slide explaining ways in which people come into contact with pollutants)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The announcement for Wednesday’s online meeting about a possible change in the Environmental Protection Agency‘s Duwamish River cleanup plan declared that no decisions would be made that night.
But one was – EPA reps agreed to a request to extend the public-comment period on the change. So you now have until March 22nd to weigh in.
The proposed change involves a particular pollutant, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a “carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (cPAH).” Higher levels are now considered safe, the EPA says, so allowing for lower levels could remove about five acres from the cleanup area – the sum total of “scattered” areas – and cut about $1 million from the cleanup’s $340+ million projected cost.
The meeting began with this video presentation explaining it all: Read More
(File photo)
A change in government safety standards for a certain chemical could lead to a change in the Duwamish River cleanup plan. So the Environmental Protection Agency is taking public comments, and having an online meeting tomorrow night to talk about it. The EPA says the change could remove an aggregate total of five acres from the 170+ acres that were part of the ~$342 million 7-year-old cleanup plan for the polluted river. Now, they have to ask you about it. The substance in question is benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a “carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (cPAH).” The federal government raised the level of what’s considered safe, and that’s what could lead to the cleanup change. So the EPA is taking comments until March 8th, and will have an online meeting Wednesday (February 17th) at 5:30 PM, including Q&A. Spanish, Khmer, and Vietnamese interpretation will be available. The Zoom link for viewing/participating is here; meeting ID is 362 818 756. The agenda and slide deck for the meeting are linked here; an EPA one-sheet about the proposed changes is here. If you want to comment on the proposed changes, whether or not you attend the meeting, you can email Region10@epa.gov by March 8th.
(WSB photo, September 2020)
While many in-person events were shelved last spring/summer because of the pandemic, and will likely skip this year too, here’s one that WILL happen: The West Seattle Junction Association confirms that another recycle/reuse event is set for this spring – the day of the spring equinox, in fact – Saturday, March 20th. A few changes from last fall’s event – no housewares, as that quickly overwhelmed capacity last time, and led to more disappointment than recycling; and a new location – South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) on Puget Ridge, where there’s much more space to handle drive-up traffic. Plans include electronics recycling, Styrofoam recycling, light-bulb recycling, and paper shredding. Watch for more info as the date gets closer.
Want to volunteer, outdoor and distanced? You have two chances to help with neighbor-organized cleanups in the next two weekends:
ALKI CLEANUP: Jessica continues organizing first-Saturday cleanups at the beach. Next one is 10 am-2 pm Saturday, February 6th. To RSVP or ask a question, text Jessica at 206-769-6330.
UNDER THE BRIDGE: Conrad is working – with Jessica’s help – to organize volunteers “to clean up trash under the West Seattle Bridge and ultimately along West Marginal Way.” 1-4 pm Saturday, February 13th. Sign up here.
Last month, we reported on Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s announcement that she planned to pursue a ban on natural-gas usage in many types of new construction. On Wednesday, while we were focused on windstorm aftermath, her office announced that the proposal has been officially sent to the City Council. Note, this is for new multifamily/commercial construction and major remodeling of larger buildings, NOT existing gas usage. Here’s the announcement:
Following the State Environmental Policy Act process, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced that she has transmitted to City Council the proposed update to the energy code that would further electrify buildings using clean energy and restrict fossil fuels for most building use. By updating its energy code, the City will restrict the use of fossil fuels in new commercial and large multi-family construction for space and most water heating in order to cut down on the significant emissions contributed by the building sector. Space and water heating account for most building gas use according to City and national data.
“2020 and 2021 will be remembered as years of crises, and as we recover, Seattle can create a more equitable city with green buildings. It is up to Seattle and other cities to make the bold changes necessary to lower our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mayor Durkan. “Business as usual will not get us to a future where all Seattle residents, especially our Black, Indigenous and people of color neighbors who are unfairly burdened by environmental inequities, enjoy a healthy and prosperous future. Electrifying our buildings is an important step in the many actions needed to curb climate pollution.”
The proposed Seattle Energy Code update includes the following key changes for commercial and large multifamily buildings:
Eliminates all gas and most electric resistance space heating systems
Eliminates gas water heating in large multifamily buildings and hotels
Improves building exteriors to improve energy efficiency and comfort
Creates more opportunities for solar power
Requires electrical infrastructure necessary for future conversion of any gas appliances in multifamily buildingsIn 2019, Mayor Durkan issued an Executive Order committing the City to new actions that will support the goals of Seattle’s Green New Deal. In addition to requiring that all new or substantially altered City of Seattle buildings operate without fossil fuels, City departments will work with the Office of Sustainability & Environment to develop a strategy to eliminate fossil fuel use in existing City buildings, improve data collection and sharing on Seattle’s climate emissions, and engage stakeholders like the philanthropic community, business community, labor community, non-governmental organizations, health care community, county and state agencies, state legislators, and tribes to achieve the goals of the Green New Deal.
The proposed energy code amendments will eliminate most direct carbon emissions from new commercial and multifamily buildings. Requiring these changes at construction is the most economical opportunity to transition to clean electricity. Without the proposed code changes, the City expects that greenhouse gas emissions from buildings to be at least 12% higher by 2050.
Since 2017, the City has also helped approximately 600 households convert from dirty, inefficient heating oil to clean, energy-efficient heat pumps. The City will convert more households to electric heat with the goal of eliminating heating oil use by 2028.
The City also requires Building Tune-Ups to help building owners identify ways to reduce energy and water costs. Through tune-ups, building owners find operational efficiencies and low- and no-cost fixes that improve building performance and can reduce building emissions 10-15% on average. Seattle’s largest buildings have completed 450 tune-ups to date, reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the city and saving money on their energy bills.
The Seattle Energy Code impacts new construction and substantial alterations of commercial and 4+ story tall multi-family buildings. The proposed code changes were recommended for approval late last year by Seattle’s Construction Codes Advisory Board (CCAB), an advisory body tasked with reviewing changes to technical codes for construction.
The City of Seattle is receiving technical support in developing the energy code from the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge. Seattle is one of 25 cities participating in the Climate Challenge, a program to significantly deepen and accelerate their efforts to tackle climate change and promote a sustainable future for their residents.
With City Council approval, code updates will become effective in the spring of 2021, along with the full suite of Seattle building code changes in line with the statewide building code updates. For more information about the proposed energy code updates, including the proposed code language, visit the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections energy code web page.
We’ll follow up when it appears on council agendas (which you can always preview here, once they are published).
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