King County plans to cut emissions in half by 2030 in climate change fight, Sea-Tac airport improves air quality in new north satellite terminal amid COVID-19 concerns and more from this week’s Seattle in the Spotlight.

King County Plans to Cut Emissions in Half by 2030 in Climate Change Fight

KING 5 | KING 5 Staff | August 27

https://www.king5.com/article/tech/science/environment/king-county-climate-change-plan/281-97ad3999-293f-4d0c-b0fb-cc78c41ab0e6

“King County plans to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and plant and protect 3 million trees in the next five years. These goals are part of the county’s 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan that King County Executive Dow Constantine unveiled Thursday. In addition to slashing countywide emissions, King County plans to cut emissions from its operations by 80% by 2030, which it says is two decades sooner than it originally planned. It also hopes to lower emissions on county-owned vehicles by 45% by 2025.”

Sea-Tac Airport Improves Air Quality in New North Satellite Terminal amid COVID-19 Concerns

KING 5 | Glenn Farley | August 26

https://www.king5.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/new-hvac-system-at-sea-tac-airports-north-satellite-terminal-seattle-washington-coronavirus/281-89668bc3-f2e6-4843-a0ac-1eb8a26f6e5a

“Some passengers may be nervous about flying in airplanes right now over the fear of contracting coronavirus, but what about walking through and sitting at airports to get on and off those planes? Engineers at Sea-Tac International Airport, who manage and supervise the construction of massive heating and air-conditioning systems, are working to boost safety inside the airport terminal when it comes to air filtration. Those same engineers are currently supervising a new, massive rebuilding of the HVAC system for the North Satellite Terminal at Sea-Tac. The core of the HVAC system was built in Cheney, Wash., and is the size of multiple semi-trucks parked side by side.”

King County Rental Assistance Program to Help Up to 10,000 Households Impacted by Coronavirus

Seattle PI | Becca Savransky | August 24

https://www.seattlepi.com/coronavirus/article/King-County-rental-assistance-program-to-help-up-15510686.php

“King County is putting more than $40 million toward emergency housing assistance to help up to 10,000 households in the region impacted by the spread of the coronavirus pay their rent. The program — King County Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program — is one of several efforts to prevent people from losing their homes during the pandemic. “Many people are facing serious challenges due to COVID-19 and the loss of health or income, leaving them extremely vulnerable to eviction,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement. “This emergency program will forestall the loss of housing and prevent homelessness for thousands of residents in need across King County.”