International Business News - WA http://www.ibtimes.com All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.com 400 100 http://www.ibtimes.com/ http://www.ibtimes.com/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif A task force created by Gov. Chris Gregoire has released final recommendations on how to curb climate change in Washington state. The final report of the Climate Action Team calls for more energy-efficient buildings, compact urban development, better collection of recycled materials, using tolls to reduce driving and revising development rules to account for greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081204/wash-task-force-releases-climate-change-report.htm Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:31:33 EST Staff at the Port of Seattle steered contracts to preferred bidders and committed several other instances of fraud, a former federal prosecutor found in a report. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081204/report-probe-reveals-fraud-at-port-of-seattle.htm Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:12:39 EST The Washington Department of Natural Resources has granted a mining company a new lease to build a dock for an expanded gravel mine on Maury Island in south Puget Sound. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081203/wash-oks-dock-for-maury-island-gravel-mine.htm Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:11:27 EST Gov. Chris Gregoire says Washington state needs at least $600 million in federal money for short-term road and bridge projects to help kickstart the state's struggling economy. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081203/governor-says-wash-needs-600m-economic-stimulus.htm Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:48:02 EST Port of Seattle Commissioners changed their minds and decided not to increase the tax the port collects from King County property owners. In adopting a budget Tuesday, commissioners decided to keep the tax at the $76 million collected in 2008. Earlier this month commissioners indicated they would approve an 11 percent increase in the 2009 levy. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081126/port-of-seattle-decides-not-to-raise-taxes.htm Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:33:53 EST Facing another daunting drop in state tax collections, Gov. Chris Gregoire has ordered an additional $260 million in emergency spending cuts to ensure the current budget ends its year in the black. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081125/wash-gov-orders-260m-more-in-emergency-cuts.htm Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:24:01 EST Low clouds and showers were perfect for Thursday's dedication of a new Seattle-Tacoma International Airport third runway that cost more than $1 billion, nearly five times the original estimate. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/179676-sea-tac-runway.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081121/seattle-airport-opens-1-billion-third-runway.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081121/seattle-airport-opens-1-billion-third-runway.htm Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:02:26 EST Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire had authority to approve a Kittitas County wind farm over the objections of local officials, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/wash-supreme-court-oks-kittitas-county-wind-farm.htm Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:50:58 EST As more Americans rely on charity amid worsening economic gloom, operators of food banks and other charities are relying on the surprisingly resilient generosity of their neighbors and finding that even when times are tough, people still give. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/178658-meltdown-charity.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/history-says-economic-meltdown-wont-hurt-charity.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/history-says-economic-meltdown-wont-hurt-charity.htm Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:56:25 EST The deeply troubled economy is sapping Washington's tax collections again, saddling newly re-elected Gov. Chris Gregoire--who pledged not to raise taxes--with a $5.1 billion budget hole. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081119/washington-revenue-drops-overall-deficit-tops-5b.htm Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:20:07 EST Washington's unemployment rate jumped more than half a percentage point to 6.3 percent in October--the highest rate in about four years--even without counting the Machinists union strike at Boeing Co. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081118/wash-jobless-rate-jumps-to-6-3-percent-in-oct.htm Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:54:04 EST Shell Oil Co. has entered an agreement with the state Department of Ecology to clean up contamination at 83 current and former gas stations in Western Washington. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081118/shell-to-clean-up-83-former-gas-stations-in-wash.htm Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:32:16 EST Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, diving into her second term after a convincing election victory, is pushing a $300 million economic relief package aimed at helping families who are struggling to make ends meet. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/172859-gregoire-stimulus.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081111/washington-gov-gregoire-pushes-immediate-stimulus.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081111/washington-gov-gregoire-pushes-immediate-stimulus.htm Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:14:09 EST The Kitsap Sun will eliminate 26 jobs by the end of the year because of the troubled economy and its effect on the newspaper business, Publisher Mike Levi says. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081107/washington-newspaper-plans-companywide-cuts.htm Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:13:10 EST The boundless frustrations of traffic-addled drivers in the Puget Sound region failed to fuel initiative activist Tim Eyman, who saw his latest ballot measure defeated. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081105/wash-voters-defeat-eymans-traffic-focused-i-985.htm Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:33:58 EST Puget Sound Energy says it has completed a $44 million expansion of a natural gas storage reservoir in Lewis County. The utility says the Jackson Prairie underground facility supplements the pipeline system to help meet peak demands for natural gas on cold days. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081104/natural-gas-reservoir-expanded-in-wash-state.htm Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:06:05 EST A large amount of gasoline has spilled from a huge storage tank at the Exxon Mobil facility in the Spokane Valley. The spill lasted some 90 minutes after a temperature sensor broke in the 1.6 million gallon tank. The amount spilled is not immediately known. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081104/large-gas-spill-contained-in-spokane.htm Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:10:30 EST Federal regulators issued $718,000 in fines and other penalties in the past year to Pacific Northwest companies that use the noxious chemical anhydrous ammonia for refrigeration but don't have adequate safety plans in case of a leak. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081103/feds-increase-fines-in-pnw-over-ammonia-plans.htm Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:56:42 EST With unconcealed annoyance, Republican Dino Rossi began the final week of his campaign for governor in his lawyer's office Wednesday, answering questions for a lawsuit brought by supporters of his Democratic opponent, Gov. Chris Gregoire. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081029/wash-gops-rossi-giving-deposition-in-lawsuit.htm Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:04:42 EDT Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi should not be rushed into giving a deposition before Election Day in a campaign-spending lawsuit, the Building Industry Association of Washington argued in a court filing Monday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081027/wash-judge-to-rule-on-rossi-testifying-on-funding.htm Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:32:55 EDT