7/23 Vancouver adaptation, WA refineries gas, septic rules, shellfish woes, Oly CAO, Enbridge pipe, Tony Wright, quakes

Upcoming: Whatcom septic rules, fees

The city of Vancouver has designed a climate change “adaptation” strategy to tackle a potential increase in street flooding, sewer backups, damaged forests and heat-related illnesses by 2050. The strategy, scheduled to go to council for approval in principle Tuesday, suggests nine measures to address the potential impacts of climate change, which is expected to bring more intense rain and windstorms, hotter and drier summers and rising sea levels, affecting the city’s economic prosperity and livability.  Vancouver plans to face climate change head-on  


Though Governor Chris Gregoire three years ago declared that Washington would treat greenhouse-gas emissions as dangerous pollutants, the state is now fighting attempts to force it to reduce emissions from oil refineries. Craig Welch reports. State, enviros clash over cutting refineries' greenhouse gases  

The estimated 28,000 Whatcom County homeowners with septic systems would face a new fee and mandatory inspections if the County Council accepts recommendations from the Health Department. The trouble is that too many county homeowners are failing to heed the county's reminders of their legal obligation to get their systems inspected.  Whatcom County ponders tougher septic system rules, new fees  

A new health threat has been discovered in Whatcom County shellfish. Samples from Semiahmoo Spit reveal unsafe levels of the biotoxin that causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, or DSP. All county beaches have been closed since early July to recreational shellfish harvesting due to high levels of the toxin responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning.  Whatcom shellfish tainted with new biotoxin; beaches remain closed to harvest

In the gray of dawn, the day before the Fourth of July, Bill Dewey awoke to heavy rain. The owner of Chuckanut Shellfish panicked, and as the waters of the Samish River rose, he quickly woke his crew. Once at the clam beds, they found the baskets of shellfish partially submerged. The swollen Samish River and the threat of polluted runoff had closed the bay on one of the busiest sales days for the area’s shellfish farmers, with customers wanting shellfish barbecued or stewed for the holiday. Trouble on the half-shell

The Olympia Planning Commission will hold two public hearings next week on the city’s draft comprehensive plan, the first major update to the plan in nearly 20 years. It’s the latest chance for the public to chime in, after the city has spent more than two years and collected thousands of public comments on the plan.   Olympia seeks input about rare comprehensive plan update  

Facing widespread concern about the safety of oil pipelines, Enbridge Inc. promised to spend up to $500-million to reinforce its planned Northern Gateway pipeline to the British Columbia coast, while the Alberta government is launching a broad review of industry practices in the province. Enbridge said Friday it plans to use thicker-walled steel for delicate sections of the planned project, including more than 100 important river crossings, and install about 50 additional remotely operable valves that it can shut in the event of an emergency. Together, those measures will add $400- to $500-million, or roughly 10 per cent, to the $5.5-billion twin-pipe project, which would haul Alberta crude for Pacific export at Kitimat, B.C.  Enbridge plans $500-million safety upgrade for Gateway

B.C. Premier Christy Clark says the proposed Northern Gateway oilsands pipeline poses "a very large risk" to her province with "very small" benefit, and doubts British Columbians believe the current risk to the environment is an acceptable one. Christy Clark: Northern Gateway pipeline a 'very large risk' with 'very small benefit' for B.C.  

Anthony Wright, the recently retired commander of the Seattle District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, takes over this week as the new executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership. Craig Welch reports. Puget Sound cleanup agency gets a new director  

Since 1900, six earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater have been recorded as having caused damage in Snohomish and Island counties, or were centered within the counties' borders. Bill Sheets reports. Major modern quakes of Puget Sound  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUL 23 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.

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