Sky High on Biofuels
Joan Smith | Published on 6/1/2026
Sky High with Biosolids
How does the County encourage economic development at Paine Field while keeping its pledges to the Climate Commitment Act to reduce the impacts of carbons in the atmosphere? Trudy Soriano, the County’s specialist on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAFs), spoke at the May 15th Natural Resources meeting on the efforts in Research and Development to achieve that goal. With about 3% of global carbon emissions attributed to jet fuel, the mission is huge. Replacing petroleum jet fuels with jet fuels made from sustainable sources; food stock (such as cooking oil), woody biomass, or waste would save up to 80% of the emissions. Such an undertaking requires several well-placed factors: access to food stock, political and social will, qualified work force, incentives, sky energy such as an airport, and producers.
In cooperation with Washington State University, where aviation research and development is nationally recognized, Cascadia and Cascadia Accelerator have joined forces to propose a two-step Research and Development building at Paine Field. Temporary housing is being built near the airport parking lot, with a more permanent structure envisioned in the next five years. Temporary fuel depositories are already in place as Cascadia and Cascadia Accelerator grapple with the design and expense to bring a solution to market. They have targeted several focus areas for testing a variety of blends. So far, they have received support from a number of grants and funding from the USDA, Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon. See the May YouTube segment on the League website.
Data Centers Discussion
The Natural Resources Committee discussed the growing demand for data centers, particularly driven by generative AI. Chair Joan Smith shared that she had begun to craft questions to share with members of the County Council. In particular, Julie Winchell discussed concerns about a proposed data center project that would straddle Marysville and Arlington, explaining that while the county might benefit financially from tax revenue, the project requires city approval and involves water and sewer services from Arlington. Joan expressed concerns about potential impacts on the local aquifer and salmon recovery efforts. Joan advocated for conducting a study to gather expert insights and develop a League position on the data center proposal. President Lisa Utter suggested a follow-up meeting to continue crafting questions carefully before sharing.
On your bookshelf: The Beauty of the Beasts: Rethinking Nature’s Least Loved Animals by Jo Wimpenny has us question how we vilify some species as pests without considering their important role in the ecological balance of the natural world.
Next meeting: Field trip on June 16 at 11:00 A.M. to Willow Creek Salmon Recovery Center at the Susie Schaefer Wildlife and Native Plant Community Garden at 95 Pine St., Edmonds followed by lunch at Beach Café, Anthony’s.
Thank you all for allowing me the joy of serving 20 years as your Natural Resources Chair. Carry on!