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MEmbersLetter
Governor Issues
Executive Order on Climate Change Governor
Gregoire on May 21st issued an executive order broadly calling for
new action on climate change. The Governor’s order does not affect
state law – it only pertains to state agencies – but it lays the
groundwork for a wide range of new climate change legislation in the near
future. Many of the specific elements of the executive order are nearly
identical to Senate Bill 5735, which was introduced this session at the
request of the Governor but ultimately failed to pass the Legislature (the
House and Senate each voted out a different version of the bill, and
negotiators were unable to reach concurrence). Most
of the directives in the Governor’s order apply to the Department of
Ecology, though other agencies are also affected, including the Departments
of Transportation, Natural Resources, Health, and Community, Trade and
Economic Development. Specific tasks include: ·
Continue to participate in the Western Climate
Initiative’s development of a regional greenhouse gas emissions
reduction program. · Begin
notifying the largest emitters in the state (25,000 metric tons or more of
carbon dioxide emitted each year) of efforts to reach reduction goals by 2020
as previously set by the Legislature. · Prepare for
a federal or regional cap-and-trade program by establishing emission
benchmarks for each industry sector. · Assess which
fuel standards to pursue in Washington (either standards passed in
California, or those developed in other states or nations). · Develop
strategies to reduce emissions from the transportation sector, including
working with planning organizations in the largest counties to reduce per
capita vehicle miles traveled. ·
Seek funds to implement a West Coast interstate
electrification project and install public infrastructure for electric,
high-efficiency, and low-carbon vehicles (although, unlike SB 5735, this
directive does not specifically reference ports). In
addition to efforts to reduce Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions,
the Governor’s order calls for preparing for some of the inevitable
consequences of climate change. The Department of Ecology must evaluate
potential impacts of sea level rise, more frequent inclement weather, coastal
flooding, loss of wildlife habitat, and increased erosion. The order also
calls for recommendations on how to prepare for anticipated changes in water
resources due to the effects of climate change. More
information on Executive Order 09-05 is available at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange Issues Watch Funding to Complete 20-Year
Columbia Channel Deepening Project Secured
Sen. Patty Murray announced that a $26.6 million stimulus under the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act will
enable workers to blast one last stubborn mile of river bottom, completing a
long-sought project to deepen the Columbia River to 43 feet to accommodate
bigger modern ships. The
completion of the project will have a critical economic impact, including
more than 40,000 jobs in the region that depend on maritime commerce. Southern
California Clean Truck Program Clears Hurdle but Stumbles on Another Two separate rulings were issued
late last month in the ongoing battle surrounding the Clean Truck Program at
the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Prompted by a 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals decision in March, a federal judge temporarily
suspended several key components of the Clean Truck Program, including the
mandate that independent truck drivers become employees of trucking companies
and that they have access to health care coverage. The ruling was a partial
win for the American Trucking Association, which filed suit against the program
in the summer of 2008. This latest ruling is preliminary, however. A full
trial has been scheduled for December 15 of this year. Also in late April, a federal
judge ruled against a request by the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to
halt the Clean Truck Program. That decision, considered a win for
environmental and labor groups, rejected claims by the FMC that the program
would reduce competition and cause economic harm by forcing out small
trucking firms and independent drivers. The three-member FMC voted 2-1 in
October of last year to file the lawsuit. The terms of the two commissioners in
support of the lawsuit expire next month and in June 2010, prompting
speculation that a change of course could be in store for the regulatory
agency. More information about the Clean
Truck Program is available on the Port of Los Angeles website at www.portoflosangeles.org/ Knowing the Waters Do ports
have the authority to operate power generation facilities, such as wind
turbine or solar panel farms? Port
districts are limited in their powers to those which have been expressly
conferred upon them by statute or reasonably implied or necessary to those
powers. State ex Operating
wind turbine and solar panel generation facilities are most likely incidental
to the powers granted in RCW 53.08.040, but service is restricted to port
district boundaries. The statute
gives ports the authority to operate certain utilities but, as a public
entity, production is limited to the reasonable demands of the port’s
own business operations. As always,
contact your local counsel with any questions regarding this issue. Employment Opportunities |
Spring Meeting Focused
on Challenges of the Economy WPPA's
Spring Meeting at the Pasco Red Lion received high remarks from participants
for its focus on issues geared to help ports through our current recession.
The varied presentations were geared for ports of all sizes, whether on the
waterfront or with inland industrial property. Wednesday's
luncheon speaker, Rogers Weed, the new Director of the Dept. of Community,
Trade and Economic Development was well received as he described ways he
plans to lead his agency in partnering with ports to keep and recruit the
business community in Washington state.
One of the
highlights of the meeting was the report on the just-completed 2009
Legislative Session which featured limericks to lighten the results of the
dismal “there’s no money” session. And the ever-popular
Port Reports featured the ports of Ephrata, Longview and Skagit County. Other
sessions included tips for ports on how and when to provide rent relief to
keep your struggling tenants, the success of using innovative partnerships to
create an enology and viticulture center to aid the wine sector of the Walla
Walla’s regional economy, and Paul Sorenson presented the 2009 Marine
Cargo Forecast that offers reassurance that the cargo will come back.
Roundtable discussions included a variety of topics from updating your
comprehensive plan to harvesting rainwater.
This year’s Spring Meeting was the second
of the new, shorter two-day format and comments both pro and con were again
heard from attendees. We’re still working out the kinks of this new
format and could use your help. Meeting attendees should have received an
email survey from Zoomerang. It won’t take up much of your time and
your responses will help us build a meeting better suited to your needs. If
you attended the meeting and did not receive an email survey, please complete
one online at: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB228JZX2C9LX Mark your calendars now for both the Annual
Meeting, to be held November 18-20 at the Renaissance Hotel in Seattle, and
next year’s Spring Meeting, which will be May 12-13 at Campbell’s
Resort in Lake Chelan. BARS Filings Due May
30, 2009 State law requires the State Auditor’s Office to prescribe Budgeting,
Accounting, and Reporting Requirements (BARS) and requires local governments
to file financial information within 150 days of the fiscal year end (RCW
43.09.230). Local governments that are late in meeting this filing deadline should
expect that fact to be disclosed in the next audit report and published on
the SAO’s Web site. Annual financial reports for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2008, are due May 30, 2009. Please refer to the Reporting Section of the applicable BARS manual or
Reporting Package for detailed guidance regarding reporting requirements
available at: http://www.sao.wa.gov/ If you need assistance or have questions regarding Annual Reports,
please contact Duane Walz at (360) 725-5594 or walzd@sao.wa.gov AAPA Port Operations,
Safety and Information Technology Seminar AAPA
is conducting a biennial seminar that will focus on the integration and
cooperation required among these three disciplines to meet increasing demands
in a highly competitive port world. Participants will hear from various
supply chain partners and port experts who will share their experiences and
discuss innovative approaches to addressing these demands. The
seminar is June 10-12 at the Seattle Renaissance Hotel. AAPA is extending
member registration rates to members of WPPA. For more information or to
register go to: http://www.aapa-ports.org/Programs/seminarschedule.cfm?itemnumber=10715 Passings Albert Anderson, Industrial
Park Manager for the Port of Moses Lake, passed away earlier this
month. Anderson was
employed by the port for over 14 years. As the port’s Industrial
Development Manager and a board member of the Grant County Economic
Development Counsel, Albert worked on many issues including Genie
Industries’ move to Moses Lake and the Northern Columbia Basin Railroad
Project. A
memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at 1:30PM May 29th at
Benson Funeral Home, 5th and Division, Moses Lake. Donations in lieu of
flowers can be sent to The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at
Washington State University, PO Box 642520, Pullman, WA 99164. Alan Harger, formerly with WSDOT and
instrumental in past WPPA/WSDOT Marine Cargo Forecasts, also passed away this
month. The
1964 graduate of Bowling Green High School earned his Bachelor's degree at
M.I.T. in 1969. He
worked several years for the Center for Policy Alternatives in Cambridge, MA.
He retired in May 2008 after 25 years with the Dept. of Transportation, State
of Washington. A
private service will be held for the family. Memorials may be sent to the American
Cancer Society or South Sound Fly Fishers, c/o Burt Sarver, 2345 48th
Ave. SW #4, Tumwater, WA 98512. |
May
2009 Upcoming Events June 16, 2009 June 17-19, 2009 July 9-10 End of the Session Signals the Start of the
Seminar Season Having survived yet
another grueling legislative session, your WPPA staff is now focused on
bringing you the quality education programs you’ve come to expect.
Dates and places have been set and the agendas are being created. Expect to
see registration materials in your inbox about 45 days before the start of a
seminar. Contact the WPPA offices if you’d like more information on any
one of the programs listed below. June 16, 2009: BARS Reporting/ June 17-19, 2009: Finance and Administration
Seminar, Hilton Hotel, Vancouver July 9-10, 2009: Port Directors Seminar, Resort
at Port Ludlow August 2009: Public Relations Seminar, SeaTac
Airport August
2009: Personal Services Contracting Training, SeaTac Airport September
17-18, 2009: Trade & Economic Development Seminar, Marcus Whitman Hotel,
Walla Walla October 1-2, 2009: Environmental Committee
Seminar, Sun Mountain Lodge, Winthrop November
3-4, 2009: Northwest Marina Conference October
21, 2009: Personal Services Contracting Training, Enzian Inn,
Leavenworth October
22-23, 2009: Small Ports Seminar, Enzian Inn, Leavenworth Port
News
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2006 Washington Public Ports
Association. All rights reserved PO Box 1518 * Olympia, WA
98507 360-943-0760 * 360-753-6176
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