Groups challenge Kalama power plant
Nonprofit citizens group Columbia Riverkeeper, the Willapa Audubon Society and Vancouver’s Rosemere Neighborhood Assoc. have been granted legal status to challenge the permitting process for Energy Northwest’s proposed coal gasification plant at the Port of Kalama.
The Washington Environmental Council, Sierra Club’s Cascade Chapter and the Northwest Energy Coalition have been granted intervention status.
In September, the groups testified about potential environmental damages at a public hearing held by Washington’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council.
The deadline for public comment on the plant’s sequestration plan is Oct. 20.
State minimum wage increases Jan. 1
Washington’s minimum wage will increase 14 cents to $8.07 per hour beginning Jan. 1.
The Dept. of Labor and Industries recalculates the rate for inflation every year according to state law.
Washington is projected to once again have the highest minimum wage in the country.
REAL ESTATE + DEVELOPMENT
Miller Nash hosting GMA conference
Law firm Miller Nash’s Vancouver office will host “Land, Jobs and People III: The New GMA Plan – Development, Opportunities and Constraints” on Oct. 26 at the Vancouver Hilton.
The half-day conference will include updates on Clark County’s new growth management plan, including new urban growth areas, urban holding areas, shorelines and critical areas with development regulations and legislative updates.
Commissioner Marc Boldt is scheduled to share his perspective on the new plan.
Registration opens at 7:15 a.m., and the program runs from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is $25.
Vancouver Toyota seeks permission to build
Vancouver Toyota has requested site plan approval to build a 48,585-square-foot sale and service facility on about 14.9 acres at 10009 N.E. Fourth Plain Road.
Office condos planned for waterfront
Vancouver-based commercial real estate company C.E. John Co. has planned a two-story, 22,540-square-foot luxury office condominium building on the east riverfront next to Beaches Restaurant and Bar called Two-Thousand-One.
One suite in the four-suite Class A building has been pre-sold, and construction is scheduled to begin this month and to be completed by late 2008.
WAC extended for another year
Port of Camas-Washougal commissioners extended the term of the 12-member Waterfront Advisory Committee, which provides input on the proposed RiverWalk development, for another year.
The committee met for eight months to discuss the project, to be developed by Riverwalk on the Columbia LLC, and submitted its report to the port commission in June. The commission endorsed the report, requiring WAC’s recommendations be incorporated into any master development plan that may be approved.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Skills Center hosts harvest dinner
Students in the Clark County Skills Center’s restaurant management and culinary arts program will present their first themed dinner of the new school year at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 at the center’s restaurant, 12200 N.E. 28th St. in Vancouver.
The harvest dinner is $25, half of which is tax deductible. Tickets are available by calling 360-604-1050, ext. 2176.
INNOVATION + TECHNOLOGY
Adalis adds packaging expertise
Vancouver-based Adalis Corp., a global packaging and supply chain solutions company, announced today that it is expanding its capabilities to support growing market needs for sustainable packaging and supply chain optimization. The company’s newly launched website at www.adalispackaging.com describes these new platforms, which come on the heels of rising retail demand for improved supply chain performance and environmentally friendly packaging that minimizes waste and reduces cost.
New Edge positioned on analyst firm’s ‘Magic Quadrant’
New Edge Networks, the business communications unit of EarthLink Inc., said it is among 10 communications providers included in Gartner’s 2007 Magic Quadrant for Managed Remote Access and Mobility Services.
Gartner Inc., a global information technology and advisory company based in Stamford, Conn., assessed solutions providers in this category based on their ability to execute and completeness of vision. Gartner’s Magic Quadrants are visual snapshots of market direction, maturity and participants.
