EnviroPolitics Blog

Seattle’s rate of car ownership saw the biggest drop among big U.S. cities

Cars are packed on 16th Avenue East in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle. It may not seem like it when you’re looking for a parking space, but car ownership is dropping in Seattle.

(Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times) — Cars are packed on 16th Avenue East in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle. It may not seem like it when you’re looking for a parking space, but… (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times) **More**

By Gene Balk / FYI Guy Seattle Times

When it comes to car ownership, Seattle has finally turned a corner.

Census data released last month shows the city’s car-ownership rate has dropped dramatically in the past several years. In the new estimates, about 81% of Seattle households owned at least one vehicle in 2018 — that’s the lowest rate since the 1980s.

And that number is down by 3 percentage points just since 2010, which is a tremendous change in less than 10 years. In fact, among the 50 most-populous U.S. cities, Seattle’s drop in its car-ownership rate is the biggest, and by a wide margin.

We now rank 11th among the 50 largest cities for the percentage of car-free households. Since 2010, we’ve leapfrogged Miami, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Oakland, California.

What makes Seattle’s nation-leading drop in car ownership even more remarkable is that only 11 of the 50 largest cities saw any decline at all. And in most of our “peer” cities — those with similar demographics — the rate of car ownership has actually bumped up since the start of the decade: Portland, San Francisco, Denver, Boston, Austin, and Minneapolis. (The exception is Washington, D.C., which saw a decline of less than one percentage point).

One reason, surely, is that we’ve invested more than any other region in transit, and as a result, we’ve led the nation in ridership growth. Significant improvements in transit, including the light-rail line that opened in 2009, have made it a lot easier to get by without owning a car.

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Another factor: Seattle has experienced tremendous population growth since 2010, and due to strict zoning laws, the vast majority of that growth has been concentrated in a handful of high-density areas that are walkable and transit-rich. That means a greater share of city residents live in neighborhoods where they have the option of forgoing car ownership and instead relying on transit, walking, biking and car-share services.

And so, the benefits of owning a car no longer outweigh the costs and the hassle for an increasing number of Seattleites. There are now nearly 64,000 households in Seattle that do not own a car, a 46% increase since 2010.

To be sure, that’s still just 19% of the city’s households — we’re a long way off from New York City, where 55% are car-free.

Younger and older people in Seattle are much less likely to own a car than folks in the middle. For households headed by someone under age 35, or by someone 65 and older, nearly one-quarter do not own a car. That number drops to 13% for households headed by someone 35 to 64.

There’s something else of interest in the new census data. It also shows that the total number of cars owned by Seattleites could finally be leveling off.

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Scotsman out to pave the world with plastics

Can his pavement curb the world’s epidemic of plastic waste?

Consumer plastics are ground up and then mixed with a “secret ingredient” to replace an oil-based component of road pavement – eliminating plastic from landfills while also reducing CO2.

By CBS News

Ninety percent of the plastic we use ends up in landfills, or in the world’s oceans. Now, a Scottish firm has invented a way to recycle that hard-to-use plastic for a role that requires durability: paving roads and highways.

The driveway at Christopher Boyle’s 17th-century English estate looks like regular asphalt and feels like regular asphalt, but it’s not. It’s paved with 21st-century plastic trash.

“It has all the ecological, environmental benefits, but to your ordinary punter, you don’t see any difference at all,” Boyle said.

It used the equivalent of 750,000 plastic bags and bottles ground up along with other hard-to-recycle plastic. The plastic flakes are mixed at a plant in Scotland with what MacRebur co-founder Toby McCartney calls a secret ingredient. It’s then bagged up and shipped to asphalt manufacturers.

That blend replaces some of the black, oil-based bitumen that keeps regular roads together.

“For every ton of bitumen we replace, we save a ton of carbon emissions,” said McCartney, “so for the environment, it’s the way forward.”

A Scottish firm has created a way to recycle plastic trash into asphalt. **CBS NEWS**

MacRebur, based in Lockerbie, Scotland, is now paving plastic roads across the world – from highways in England to a street in San Diego, where the firm is also opening a new factory.

Correspondent Roxana Saberi asked, “So, is this a long-term solution to the world’s plastic problem?”

“I believe so!” McCartney replied. “It’s the stuff that nobody else can use. It’s destined for landfill or for incineration. We can take all of that plastic and we can recycle it in our roads.”

Environmentalists like Libby Peake are cautiously optimistic.

“They’re potentially lower carbon than conventional roads, so that’s very positive. What we don’t know yet is how much micro-plastics these roads might shed.”

McCartney said, “There are no microplastics present in any of the roads that go down.”

Saberi asked, “But shouldn’t people just stop using plastic?”

“I don’t know whether that’s ever really going to happen,” McCartney replied.

He said, for now, plastic pavement can curb the world’s plastic epidemic, a sentiment shared by Boyle, who says since he laid down his plastic driveway three years ago, it’s held up fine.

He thinks the reason more people haven’t paved roads with plastic is only because they aren’t aware of the new option.

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Latest California wildfire updates: Vineyard impacts, damage estimates, Trump tweets

California’s wine country has become fire country, leaving devastation and fear

Clayton Fritz surveys the vineyards of the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

MARIA L. LA GANGA reports for the Los Angeles Times

HEALDSBURG, Calif. — The things that set California apart, for better or worse, were all there last Sunday afternoon: terrifying flames, wine country glamour and a rescue straight out of Hollywood. Captured via smartphone. Of course.

As John Viszlay and Dominic Foppoli watched, horrified, the Kincade fire crested the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains and headed straight for their adjoining vineyards. Winds gusted. Smoke swirled. At any moment, they realized, everything they’d worked for would be lost.

“We came within a couple hundred yards of the fire hitting and destroying our winery,” said Foppoli, who is also the mayor of nearby Windsor. It would have been a disaster, “if it wasn’t for a perfectly timed Hollywood scene, where the skies parted and a 747 supertanker … shows up out of the sky and blasts the fire.”

Charred hillsides show the path of the Kincade fire adjacaent to vineyards near Healdsburg.
(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

A bright pink plume of skillfully placed fire retardant saved Christopher Creek Winery, which was founded in 1972 and acquired by Foppoli’s family 40 years later. It spared Viszlay Vineyards, which has been operated by its eponymous owner and his son for the past decade. Beyond that, good news is in short supply.

Evacuation orders have lifted in Healdsburg, Windsor and most other swaths of Sonoma County. Vineyard owners and winemakers have been returning to their operations for the first time since the vast Kincade fire ignited, to assess the fire’s impact. Some tasting rooms are reopening.

For the most part, vines and wineries survived the flames, and, as of Saturday night, the blaze was 74% contained. But questions loom over how much of the 2019 vintage survived a week of intense heat, smoke and evacuation-caused neglect. How big an economic hit the region’s small, family-owned operations will take.

The Kincade fire destroys Soda Rock winery last Sunday near Healdsburg, Calif.
(Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

And whether the wine country’s carefully cultivated image can survive year after year of increasingly destructive fires, which are reshaping how the world views this region of rolling hills, orderly beauty, popping corks and clinking glasses.

“We don’t want this to be our new normal,” said Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers. “We love people visiting Sonoma County and our fellow wine regions and having a great experience. We don’t want people to worry about coming here. We have some work to do.”

When Sonoma County isn’t reeling from disaster, it is among California’s most scenic and verdant regions. Grapevines march in graceful rows — bright green in spring, lush with fruit in summer, deep red and gold in the autumn chill. The Russian River snakes through the Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley grape-growing regions to the ocean. There are stately redwoods, 50 miles of rugged Pacific coastline, more than 425 wineries. It is Napa’s relaxed and welcoming sister.

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Trump rips California governor as wildfires ravage the state

KYLE BALLUCK – reports for The Hill 11/03/19 09:33 AM EST

President Trump on Sunday ripped Governor California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) as wildfires ravage the Golden State, saying the Democrat has done a “terrible job of forest management” and threatening to withhold federal financial aid.

“I told him from the first day we met that he must ‘clean’ his forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him. Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers,” Trump said in a tweet.

“Every year, as the fire’s rage & California burns, it is the same thing-and then he comes to the Federal Government for $$$ help. No more. Get your act together Governor. You don’t see close to the level of burn in other states,” he added.

Trump also said that teams are working well to put out the “massive, and many” fires.

“Great firefighters! Also, open up the ridiculously closed water lanes coming down from the North. Don’t pour it out into the Pacific Ocean. Should be done immediately. California desperately needs water, and you can have it now!” he tweeted.

The tweets come as several wildfires burn in Northern and Southern California.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Kincade fire north of San Francisco is the largest active blaze. It has burned more than 77,000 acres since it began last month and is 74 percent contained.

California wildfires will cost tens of billions

By John Roach, Accuweather.com

The Kincade Fire burns in the hills above Geyserville, Calif. Photo by Peter Dasilva/EPA-EFE/

The beginning of November confirms what Cal Fire Deputy Director Mike Mohler told AccuWeather at the start of the state’s fire season. “We don’t really have a fire season anymore; it’s really a fire year,” Mohler said.

Numerous fires blazed in parts of Northern and Southern California heading into the weekend. Wildfires have ravaged more than 260,000 acres in the state as of Nov. 1, which is much less than the 1.8 million acres burned last year and the 1.3 million burned in 2017. AccuWeather forecasters believe that nearly half a million acres in California could be scorched in total in 2019.

AccuWeather now estimates the total damage and economic loss caused by the California wildfires in 2019 will be $80 billion, according to AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers, based on an analysis incorporating independent methods to evaluate all direct and indirect impacts of the fires based on a variety of sources.

“This estimate, which includes both insured and uninsured losses and the impact on the U.S. economy, is far less than our estimate for the 2018 wildfire season,” Myers said. “Power outages are more of a factor this year. That will result in a significant cost per customer during the duration of the blackouts throughout the state.”

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Report: Cancer-Linked Contaminants In Princeton’s Tap Water

A new study found drinking water is often less safe than what the federal government may deem legal.

By Alexis Tarrazi, Patch Staff

Dangerous chemicals tied to cancer, problems in pregnancy and child development issues are found in drinking water across the country (Shutterstock)

PRINCETON, NJ — Most Americans don’t think twice about drinking a glass of water. A report released Wednesday, though, found more than 270 harmful contaminants in local drinking water across the nation, including in Princeton. The substances are linked to cancer, damage to the brain and nervous system, hormonal disruption, problems in pregnancy and other serious health conditions.

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group, collaborating with outside scientists, aggregated and analyzed data from almost 50,000 local water utilities in all 50 states.

The organization found a troubling discrepancy between the current legal limits for contaminants and the most recent authoritative studies of what is safe to consume.

“Legal does not necessarily equal safe,” Sydney Evans, a science analyst at the environmental group, told Patch.

“A lot of these legal limits are outdated and not necessarily the safe level, and the EWG really wants to fill that gap,” Evans said. “The federal government has not been able to, or is not willing to, set those new regulations to protect public health. We’re trying to fill the gap to let people know, based on the latest science, what the safe levels of contaminants in water are.”

In Princeton, the group found 31 contaminants across our water supply between 2012 and 2017.

NJ American Water – Raritan served 615,430 people, according to the environmental group.

The following contaminants were detected above the environmental group’s own recommended health guidelines in Princeton:

1. 1,4-Dioxane

Potential Effect: Cancer
2.2 times the rate of suggested EWG guideline
0.779 parts per billion is the rate this contaminant appears in NJ American Water – Raritan’s utility
The EWG’s health guideline is 0.35 parts per billion
There is no legal limit set for this contaminant

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Losing confidence in its safety after quakes, England shuts down fracking

By Dearbail Jordan, BBC Business Reporter

Fracking at Cuadrilla Resources site in Lancashire in August caused a 2.9 magnitude earth tremor

The government has called a halt to shale gas extraction – or fracking – in England amid fears about earthquakes.

It comes after a report by the Oil and Gas Authority said it was not possible to predict the probability or size of tremors caused by the practice.

Fracking has been suspended since a tremor in Lancashire in August.

Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said shale gas had “huge potential” but the government was “no longer convinced” it could be extracted safely.

Fracking was suspended after activity by Cuadrilla Resources – the only company licensed to carry out the process – at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire caused a magnitude 2.9 earthquake.

Mrs Leadsom said: “After reviewing the OGA’s report into recent seismic activity at Preston New Road, it is clear that we cannot rule out future unacceptable impacts on the local community.

For this reason, she said, she had concluded the government should put a moratorium on fracking “with immediate effect”.

The government says it will “take a presumption against issuing any further Hydraulic Fracturing Consents” and this will continue unless compelling new evidence is provided.

However, it has stopped short of an outright ban.

Chart showing seismic events near Blackpool

Fracking is a process in which liquid is pumped deep underground at high pressure to fracture shale rock and release gas or oil trapped within it.

Assessment by the British Geological Survey in 2013 suggested there were enough resources in the Bowland Shale across northern England to potentially provide up to 50 years of current gas demand.

But research published in August suggested there were only 5-7 years’ supply.

The UK’s fracking industry, which has suggested the process could contribute significantly to future energy needs, dismissed the report’s findings.

Fierce opposition

Fracking must be halted for 18 hours if it causes a tremor measuring 0.5 or above.

The government announcement is the second time it has placed a moratorium on fracking.

The first suspension, which lasted a year, was in November 2011 during the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Ms Leadsom said: “Shale gas offers huge potential in the UK, there’s no doubt about that”

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“There’s also no doubt that in our determination to decarbonize, the continued use of gas will be very important for the next several decades so there’s no doubt that extracting more natural gas in the UK would be very attractive.

“But we’ve always been clear we can only do that if it can be done safely and on the advice from the Oil and Gas Authority we’re no longer convinced that is the case.”

The fracking industry has faced fierce opposition from both communities and environmental groups.

Local communities and environmental groups have protested against fracking

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has in the past supported fracking, writing in the Daily Telegraph that the discovery of shale gas in the UK was “glorious news for humanity”.

A recent report by the National Audit Office found the UK had spent at least £32.7m supporting fracking since 2011.

Labour has promised to stop the technique if elected in the general election on 12 December.

Labour’s shadow business secretary, Rebecca Long Bailey, said: “The next Labour government will ban fracking – whereas the Tories will only call a temporary halt to it.

“You can’t trust a word the prime minister says.”

Both the Liberal Democrats and Green Party also support a ban on fracking.

All fracking in Scotland has been suspended since 2013 and the SNP recently confirmed that a policy of “no support” for the extraction method.

The Welsh Government has also opposed fracking for several years, with a “moratorium” in place since 2015, while there is a planning presumption against fracking in Northern Ireland.

The suspension in England will put pressure on Cuadrilla Resources which has so far invested £270m in the country’s shale gas industry.

Cuadrilla Resources has 30 full-time workers but also employs a number of contractors.

A spokeswoman for Cuadrilla Resources declined to comment.

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How bad is the air in Delhi? Better wear a mask

BBC News reports:

Five million masks are being distributed at schools in India’s capital, Delhi, after pollution made the air so toxic officials were forced to declare a public health emergency.

A Supreme Court-mandated panel imposed several restrictions in the city and two neighboring states, as air quality deteriorated to “severe” levels.

Dangerous particulate levels in the air are about 20 times the WHO maximum.

The city’s schools have also been closed until at least next Tuesday.

All construction has been halted for a week and fireworks have been banned. From Monday, the city will introduce a temporary scheme so that only cars with odd or even-numbered license plates can drive on given days, in a bid to cut traffic pollution.

The masks are being handed out to students and their parents, and Mr. Kejriwal has asked people to use them as much as possible.

The levels of tiny particulate matter (known as PM2.5) that enter deep into the lungs are 533 micrograms per cubic meter in the city. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the PM2.5 levels should not be more than 25 micrograms per cubic meter on average in 24 hours.

Delhi smog: Foul air came from India’s farming revolution

Tackling pollution from stubble burning in India

How thick is the pollution?

As thick white smog blanketed the city, residents started tweeting pictures of their surroundings.

Photos of German leader Angela Merkel’s official visit showed the obscuring effect of the smog at the presidential palace – though both leaders ignored the declared public health emergency and declined to wear masks.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel (R) talk at Rashtrapati Bhavan, India's presidential palace in Delhi, India, 01 November 2019 — IThe German and Indian leaders met at India’s presidential palace amid the smog

Some workers were being told to work from home to avoid the pollution.

One account director at market research firm Kantar, which employs several hundred people in the city, told Reuters staff had been told not to come in on Monday.

Many local residents are furious that the situation remains the same year after year. Municipal workers and vulnerable groups have been given thousands of free high-grade N95 masks in recent years.

N95 masks to patients with respiratory, lung disease and other high-risk patients at the civil hospital, on November 13, 2017 in Gurgaon, India. — Two years ago this month, hospital patients in Gurgaon were issued masks amid similar conditions

“I didn’t realize how bad it would get,” one resident said. “Do we really want our kids to grow up in such an environment? No-one really cares, no-one wants to improve the situation.”

The hashtags #DelhiAirQuality and #FightAgainstDelhiPollition are trending on Twitter.

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Seattle’s rate of car ownership saw the biggest drop among big U.S. cities

Scotsman out to pave the world with plastics

Can his pavement curb the world’s epidemic of plastic waste?

Latest California wildfire updates: Vineyard impacts, damage estimates, Trump tweets

California’s wine country has become fire country, leaving devastation and fear

California wildfires will cost tens of billions

Report: Cancer-Linked Contaminants In Princeton’s Tap Water

A new study found drinking water is often less safe than what the federal government may deem legal.

By Alexis Tarrazi, Patch Staff

Losing confidence in its safety after quakes, England shuts down fracking

Fierce opposition

How bad is the air in Delhi? Better wear a mask

How thick is the pollution?

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