A bonus podcast episode and coming attractions
plus some reading recommendations
There’s been a lot going on this month, but none of it is quite ready to be written up. Fortunately, one of the fun things that happened is that I got to be a guest on Whidbey Environmental Action Network’s (WEAN) Action Hour Podcast with host
. It was my first time as a podcast guest. Luckily for me, Amanda is a skilled interviewer, and, luckily for you, she’s also a great editor! You can listen on Spotify, Apple Music, iHeart Radio, or on WEAN’s website.We actually recorded two episodes back-to-back. This first one is on drinking water and water systems. You can find all my posts on drinking water here.
The second, which should air shortly, will be on sea level rise, on which previous posts can be found here. I recently attended a couple of workshops on sea level rise and shorelines. Look for a report on those when I post that second podcast link.
PFAS
In PFAS news, EPA Announces It Will Keep Maximum Contaminant Levels for PFOA, PFOS | US EPA, but buried the lede, as further down we read:
As part of this action, EPA is announcing its intent to extend compliance deadlines for PFOA and PFOS
and
EPA is also announcing its intent to rescind the regulations and reconsider the regulatory determinations for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (commonly known as GenX), and the Hazard Index mixture of these three plus PFBS to ensure that the determinations and any resulting drinking water regulation follow the legal process laid out in the Safe Drinking Water Act.
EPA is essentially caving to the industry demands in this lawsuit which we reported on in October last year.
A PFAS Sandwich
This news update is part of a series on PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, "Forever Chemicals") in drinking water. You can read all the previous posts here.
This throws the initiative on PFAS back to the states. I’ll be sharing details of Washington’s response as that becomes clear along with other PFAS news in the next few weeks.
Budget woes
Alongside the well-publicised and devastating cuts to federal budgets, a budget shortfall here in Washington State is foreshadowing local cuts. In the latest legislative session,
…many bills aligned with Puget Sound recovery failed to pass and many more were trimmed back to reduce the associated workload. And the final budget included a series of budget cuts that will slow the work of Puget Sound recovery.
for example:
The legislature provided ongoing funding to various state natural resource agencies to support interagency cooperation on environmental permitting of habitat restoration projects, but this funding was vetoed by the Governor.
Further reading
Here are two Substack posts by authors local to me that deserve a wider audience.
In the first, podcast host
writes this heartbreaking story about the legacy of the wartime internment of Japanese Americans in Seattle’s Pike Place Market today.“In 1941, two-thirds of the agriculture stalls at Pike Place were owned by Japanese Americans. Today, there are none.”
The second is from
, penned by Executive Director , on the complexity of resilience. It’s about farming, but applicable to so much more.
Thanks for reading, and I hope, listening! I’ll be back soon with more posts on drinking water and sea level rise. To make sure you don’t miss any, please subscribe!