Winter road treatments have environmental considerations

By Jani Gilbert and Sandy Howard

Every winter the phones at Ecology light up with questions about de-icers and anti-icers. Are they safe? Do they pollute? Is one product better than another?

Good questions, since nationwide we dump millions of tons of de-icing and traction materials onto our roadways every year.

"There is no black and white answer," said Mike Hepp of Ecology’s Spokane office.

Air Time: Kittitas County burn ban expires Saturday

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramA burn ban in Kittitas County will expire Saturday (Jan. 14, 2012) because forecasts show changing weather conditions will improve air quality there.Ecology’s Stage 1 burn ban for Kittitas County will expire at 4 p.m. Saturday.During a Stage 1 ban, use of uncertified wood-burning devices (including wood stoves, inserts and fireplaces)

Our Changing Climate: Mapping greenhouse gas emitters

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a map showing the largest single-source emitters of greenhouse gases in each state.The New York Times published this story about the map and what it shows.Check it out. Pretty interesting.For more information about greenhouse gas emissions in Washington, see the offerings on this

Air Time: Burn ban starts in Kittitas County

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramA burn ban starts at 4 p.m. today (Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012) for Kittitas County, where air quality is expected to worsen during the next few days.Ecology’s Stage 1 burn ban for Kittitas County will continue until at least 4 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 14), when it could be called off or extended. The Stage 1 ban applies to unnecessary use of

Free Auto Leaks Workshops: How to not be a drip (from your car, that is)

by Justine Asohmbom, Puget Sound educator


** NEW 2013 Workshops! for more information about FREE workshops see Don't Drip and Drive - Fix That Leak workshops (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/washington_waters/fixcarleaks.html) **

An oil leak in your car can be a frustrating thing, not to mention the fact that oil that drips onto driveways, parking lots and streets can find its way to our local creeks

Our Changing Climate: Mount Adams glaciers disappearing

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramOver the weekend, the Yakima Herald-Republic published this interesting article about how warming temperatures are melting glaciers on Mount Adams.The photo of Mount Adams is from the U.S. Geological Survey.For more information on Cascade Mountains glaciers, check out the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project from Nichols College in

Good News for the Environment

By Barbara MacGregor, Web Communications, LaceyWith all the water that’s been falling from the sky recently, it’s fitting that there’ve been a number of good news stories about water-related topics.For the third year in a row, Ecology invited folks to get their cameras and snap photos of the season’s unusually high tides. People in Australia, British Columbia, Oregon and other places are doing