Seattle Port Commissioner Alec Fisken (part two of the blue-green alliance's attempts to get a pro-labor, pro-environment majority on the SPC) links to an interesting news release from the Port of Tacoma. Apparently the Evergreen Group, one of the largest container shippers in the world, has voluntarily switched to Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) for its straddle carriers (large crane-like things that move cargo containers from ships to rail). This will reduce sulfur-dioxide (SO2) emissions by 97%. As SO2 is a contributor to respiratory illness as well as global warming, this is heartening news.
ULSD is not available everywhere yet, but US Oil, located next door to the Port of Tacoma is one of the world's major refiners and suppliers, who knew?
This illustrates some of the major improvements that are possible in the environmental impact of the ports of our state. These are all incredible economic engines for the region, creating good, high paying jobs. But they also have a great capacity to cause major environmental damage. For instance the Cruise ship industry is the biggest polluter of Puget Sound, but there has been very little work done to bring them into line. Another major polluter is rainwater runoff from the acres of asphalt at the Port of Seattle, but there is very little interest in mitigating that problem from the current commission. We all need to start paying attention to the types of candidates we vote for to run these entities. There is a huge gap in focus between Port commissioners like Pat Davis and Ray Niver that Brian has been talking about, and commissioners like Lawrence Molloy and Alec Fisken in Seattle.
