Yearly Archives: 2015

Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Denny Heck (D-Wash.) today introduced new legislation to help homeowners make investments in their homes and save money on their electricity and water bills. The Solar and Water-Efficient Homes Act would improve and modernize the Title I Home and Property Improvement Loan Program, one of America’s oldest tools for assisting homeowners to remodel and upgrade their homes, and spur homeowners to invest in efficiency upgrades, greywater systems and other water-conserving improvements, photovoltaic panels, and new HVAC systems.

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) issued the following statement after the House Natural Resources Committee voted in a business meeting to approve theWestern Water and American Food Security Act of 2015, which includes legislation he introduced earlier this year, the Bureau of Reclamation Surface Water Storage Streamlining Act.

Seattle City Light has completed installation in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park of automated switching technology that is designed to speed the restoration of service when a power line is damaged.

Councilmember Bruce Harrell,chair of theCouncil's Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee,issued the following statement regarding President Obama's newFair Housing ruleannounced on Wednesday

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced The Homeless Veterans Services Protection Act with cosponsor Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), which would prevent thousands of homeless veterans from losing access to housing services. VA’s proposed changes to the decades-old policy for homeless services would bar access for veterans who served less that than two years continuously, or who had an other than honorable discharge.

After the hottest June in recorded history, higher-than-usual water consumption, record-low stream flows into storage reservoirs and the onset of El Niño conditions, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) today changed its water supply outlook from good to fair

McDevitt is a member of the California State Bar Association and previously served on the Alameda County Civil Grand Jury. He also was a senior manager in information technology for DIRECTV and NorthPoint Communications, Inc. McDevitt is currently self-employed

RainWise, a joint program of Seattle and King County, is a popular and beautiful way to fight water pollution. The average rebate for the installation of an approved rain garden or cistern is $4,500. Collectively, more than 600 RainWise projects are reducing 9 million gallons of runoff annually. These functional systems also add curbside appeal to homes.

"National service is an essential part of the solution to many of the challenges facing our state. These AmeriCorps members will meet pressing local needs as they develop civic and leadership skills to last a lifetime. I congratulate these outstanding organizations and thank all those who serve their communities through AmeriCorps."

Although it’s summertime, the Washington Department of Ecology is preparing for the rain by updating a water quality permit to help construction sites prevent muddy runoff the next time it rains.

Mayor Ed Murray today transmitted legislation recommending 22 recipients of the City’s 2015 Technology Matching Fund for projects that will assist more than 14,900 residents in need and help to further the City’s digital equity goals. Once approved by the Seattle City Council, a total of $470,000 will be distributed to community organizations throughout the city. The Council will discuss these recommendations on Wednesday, July 15.

Real Trends just published their ninth annual ‘The Thousand’ list in The Wall Street Journal to honor the top 1,000 real estate sales professionals and teams in the United States. Only agents who have a closed sales volume that ranked in the top one half of one percent of more than one million REALTORS® nationwide make the cut. Over 260 members of the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estatenetwork made the list this year – that is a 60 percent increase over last year’s numbers.

Three upcoming events offer opportunities to enjoy river-based conservation properties and celebrate Legacy Lands’ 30th anniversary in Clark County. Anniversary activities for July include a volunteer effort and tours.

Residents of Wenatchee, Washington in the path of the Sleepy Hollow Fire should carefully monitor and heed evacuation warnings. Once evacuated to a safe location, residents should save receipts for evacuation-related expenses and contact their insurance companies immediately through their toll free claims telephone numbers to begin receiving assistance if their home is damaged, said the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI)

This month Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) met with community faith leaders from the group Esperanza to discuss the importance of religious freedom, educational opportunities, and the future of immigration reform. Esperanza, a nationwide faith-based community group, focuses on empowering Hispanic communities through education, economic development and advocacy.

About 1,000 Washington State homeowners facing foreclosure will receive financial counseling to help resolve their mortgage issues, thanks to a grant awarded this week by Attorney General Bob Ferguson to the Washington State Housing Finance Commission

A dramatic drop in streamflows caused by drought has several hundred irrigators in north-central and eastern Washington facing water cutoffs far earlier than normal this year. That’s because snowpack in Washington melted a month early, and 43 percent of rivers statewide are now running at record-low levels.

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) introduced an amendment to H.R. 2042, the Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015, which would direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recognize hydropower as a renewable energy source under the EPA’s carbon reduction regulations. The amendment was approved by a voice vote

The Washington State Housing Finance Commission recognizes NGBS Green Certification (Silver level and higher) as one option for meeting the requirements of the Energy Spark Home Loan program. Energy Spark provides a .25 interest rate reduction for qualifying buyers of energy-efficient homes and home improvements. NGBS is recognized alongside Northwest Energy Star Homes, LEED, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, Passive House, and Built Green.

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell (WA) today applauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) announcement of an additional $7.6 million in grants for recovery efforts, including removal of debris deposited in the wake of flooding and mudslides that occurred in March and April last year