Two county programs to receive grants

Two Jefferson County programs are slated to receive Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) awards through the Washington State Department of Commerce, the agency announced Aug. 19.

The grants are funded by the Biden Administration’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“This federal funding is designed to empower small local and tribal governments seeking to advance a variety of energy efficiency and conservation goals and priorities,” said Commerce Director Mike Fong. “From increasing building efficiency and reducing harmful emissions to exploring DIY house plans and transportation electrification, Washington communities are pursuing innovative work to benefit their residents and our environment in the future.”

The grant awards announced for Jefferson County are:

•$253,000 to create energy-efficient, stock house plans. Do-it-Yourself Residential Plans will focus on energy efficiency, reducing community-wide emissions, and enabling low-income and middle-income households to build their own homes in an area with rapidly rising living costs.

•$110,000 to promote C-PACER program to increase industrial energy efficiency. The Cornerstone Commercial Audits Serving the Rural Economy project will conduct energy audits for C-PACER participants on commercial structures to help retain commercial and historic assets in the community.

Labor market cools a tad

Washington’s economy shed an estimated 100 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis while the July unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.9%, according to the state’s Washington state Employee Security Department. 

“Washington’s labor market is in a holding pattern,” said Anneliese Vance-Sherman, chief labor economist for the Employment Security Department. “July marked the fifth consecutive month with an unemployment rate in the 4.8% to 4.9% range. Payroll employment shows a mix of employment gains and losses by sector, continuing the trend we’ve been experiencing. The extremely tight labor market of the pandemic is behind us.” 

Employment Security paid unemployment benefits to 56,548 people in July, a decrease of 1,340 over the previous month. Decreases in paid claims in these educational services, transportation and warehousing industries helped contribute to the decrease.

Meanwhile for June, the preliminary estimated gain of 7,100 jobs was revised up to 8,700, while the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate decreased to 4.8%.

Retired ferries depart, return to terminal

Elwha and Klahowya, two retired Washington State ferries on their way to new owners in South America on Aug. 19, returned to the Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island after challenges arose with towing equipment the same. The vessels got only as far as Elliott Bay before the decision was made to return.

“We don’t have an update on what’s next,” Sue Anne Pelley, a spokesperson for WSF, said Tuesday, Aug. 20.    

The purchase and sale agreements are with Nelson Armas of Ecuador, with the vessels bringing $100,000 each. The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration approved the deal. The new owner plans to scrap the vessels at a steel mill facility in Ecuador, according to Washington State Ferries (WSF) officials. Both boats were certified to be free of hazardous materials.

Elwha mainly served the Anacortes/Friday Harbor/Sidney, British Columbia route before being retired on April 8, 2020. The Klahowya mainly served the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route before moving to the San Juan Islands inter-island run in 2014. It was decommissioned on July 1, 2017.

“[T]he sale of these two retired ferries will free up our docking space so we can focus vessel maintenance needs on our current fleet,” said WSF Assistant Secretary Steve Nevey. “In addition, any time we needed to move these decommissioned boats to allow for vessel or terminal maintenance, there was a cost for a tugboat, and we needed a tow captain on board, taking away a crewmember from working on one of our routes.”

The sale of a third decommissioned vessel, Hyak, is pending. WSF reported that more information would be provided when the transaction is finalized.

Grant for great aviation projects

Blaine’s BP America Cherry Point Refinery and Everett hydrogen-electric engine manufacturer ZeroAvia will receive federal awards as part of over $36 million in grant funding for Washington-based innovative sustainable aviation projects. The grant program was authored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. 

These efforts, and two other sustainable aviation projects in Washington state, were awarded funding under the Inflation Reduction Act program.

The Cherry Point Refinery in Blaine, owned by BP America, will receive $26.7 million to build infrastructure and buy equipment to allow them to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using renewable biomass feedstocks.