3/2 Norm Dicks, Martha Kongsgaard, BP, owl-sniffing dogs, XL pipe, ocean acid

Rep. Norm Dicks

Some stats about the news service and communications blog: This Salish Sea News and Weather blog site has received 5,917 visits since it was launched in September 2011 and received 1,484 visits in February 2012; the Salish Sea Communications blog site has received 3,059 visits since it was launched in October 2011 and received 584 visits in February 2012.

"I am announcing today my intention to complete my service in the House of Representatives at the end of the current session but not to be a candidate for re-election to the 113th Congress." Rep. Norm Dicks won't seek re-election

Listen up: With one week remaining in the legislative session, the environmental community is playing defense. Bi-partisan proposals would roll back some of the state’s most important environmental safeguards including those that protect the Sound from runoff, “growth management” and salmon recovery. Martha Baskin at Green Acre Radio reports: On the Defensive: Environmental Community Fights Back as Bi-Partisan Bills Attack Safeguards   Martha Baskin continues with a print interview with Martha Kongsgaard, chair of the Partnership’s Leadership Council, Environmentalists on edge as Legislature nears an end

Jordan Schrader at The News Tribune explains how the fate of major proposed cutbacks in state aid to city and county budgets could hinge on whether state lawmakers are willing to hit the brakes on new environmental rules for development. Pollution rules might be delayed by state budget cuts

It will likely be another month before BP’s Cherry Point refinery resumes operations. The company said Wednesday it will extend the outage caused by a Feb. 17 fire to include maintenance that had been planned later in the spring. BP’s Cherry Point refinery to be closed into April

Tom Banse of Northwest News Network reports on the problem counting Northern spotted owls when barred owls invade their territories. The spotted owls stop responding to owl calls because they're afraid of being attacked by the barred owls. Solution? Train dogs to locate owls by the scent of their pellets and poop. Owl Detection Dogs Need To Overcome Some Skepticism   Wait. You think that's fascinating? Read Burkhard Bilger's article in The New Yorker about New York City detection dogs, Beware of the Dogs

Big brain, little brain, no brain: Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney on Thursday channelled his inner Stephen Harper in a speech touting the Keystone XL pipeline as a "no-brainer," while accusing President Barack Obama of failing to understand the value of Canadian oil to the U.S. economy. Keystone XL pipeline a 'no-brainer': Romney

The world's oceans may be turning acidic faster today from human carbon emissions than they did during four major extinctions in the last 300 million years, when natural pulses of carbon sent global temperatures soaring, says a new study in Science. The study is the first of its kind to survey the geologic record for evidence of ocean acidification over this vast time period. Ocean Acidification Rate May Be Unprecedented, Study Says

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI MAR 2 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PST TODAY THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SE 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7
 FT AT 11 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN LIKELY EARLY...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN.
SAT NIGHT
SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 7
 FT.
SUN
S WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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