5/9 Kinder Morgan coal, Elwha update, bad salmon, shore buffer, Norm Dicks, sewage fertilizer

Rufous hummingbird (Ward Perrin)

If you like to watch: Hungry hummingbirds are dropping in for a feed at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta. Take a look. Hummingbirds stop by Delta sanctuary  And don’t forget: Where to look for migratory birds on Saturday  

Texas-based Kinder Morgan officials announced Wednesday they are dropping plans to build a $150 million coal terminal at Port Westward, a move cheered by environmentalists and lamented by Clatskanie officials. Company spokesman Allen Fore made the announcement during a meeting of Port of St. Helens commissioners, who were hoping to lease about 100 acres of land to Kinder Morgan. Erik Olson reports. Kinder Morgan scraps Port Westward coal terminal proposal    See also: Ambre Energy's export coal deal stalls as companies renegotiate  

And, Floyd McKay reports, "The withdrawal of Kinder Morgan from plans for coal exports from the Port of St. Helens still leaves other efforts in the works. And the company is hunting for other coal port sites...."Big energy firm still hungry after backing out of OR coal plan

One of the two dams on the Elwha River has been completely removed and there are about 50 feet of the remaining Glines Canyon dam left. Already so much sediment has been released that its clogged up and shut down one of the water treatment plants in nearby Port Angeles, temporarily halting the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. While sediment is a problem for infrastructure people rely on, it’s providing excellent new habitat for fish and wildlife in the Elwha watershed on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Ashley Ahearn reports. Elwha River: Recovery Proceeds Despite Sediment Setbacks    And, in Part 2: In Largest Dam Removal In U.S. History: Which Fish Get To Recolonize?

An independent researcher who has been warning of salmon disease outbreaks on the West Coast is taking the federal government to court for allegedly allowing farms to move infected fish to ocean pens. The action, filed with the Federal Court by Ecojustice on behalf of Alexandra Morton, alleges the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) acted “unlawfully” by issuing a licence to Marine Harvest Canada Inc. to allow the farm to transfer fish carrying piscine reovirus (PRV). Mark Hume reports. Infected fish at centre of lawsuit against Ottawa  See also: Vancouver Island salmon farm accused of putting diseased fish in ocean pens

A 100-foot shoreline buffer has been reduced to 40 feet by the Kitsap County hearing examiner to allow a home to be built on a vacant lot on Indianola Spit. The lot, 70 feet wide and 185 feet long, was created before modern zoning codes. The structures to be built — a 1.600-square-foot house with a 450-square-foot detached garage — are no larger than other homes built on the sand spit and smaller than most, according to Kitsap County Hearing Examiner Kimberly Allen. Chris Dunagan reports. Indianola home approved with reduced buffer

Norm Dicks stayed retired for all of five months. On Wednesday, the longtime congressman was back in the other Washington, preparing to work on pet issues. Dicks, who represented the 6th District for 36 years in the House, hired on as senior policy counsel with the law and lobbying firm Van Ness Feldman. Wednesday was his first day in the office... Among them is the environment, one of the firm’s staples. Dicks, 72, says he’s concerned about ocean acidification and wants to continue efforts to clean up Puget Sound, restore salmon and complete the Elwha River dam removal. Ed Friedrich reports. Dicks pursuing same concerns in new role in D.C.

A family business with a history of odor complaints is applying for a permit to mix solids left over from sewage treatment with soil, apparently to make fertilizer. Tenelco has applied for a permit from the city of Lake Stevens for the soil operation. A similar business might have operated on the site in the past without permission from the city, according to city officials. Dave Eldredge operates Evergreen Sanitation on the 22-acre site at 2910 and 3024 Old Hartford Road. This operation -- separate from the soils mixing business -- installs and pumps out septic systems and grease traps, and pumps out portable toilets. This business also has been operating without a permit, according to city officials. Bill Sheets reports. Company wants to mix leftover treated sewage with soil  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU MAY 9 2013
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 2 FT AT 18
 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 2 FT AT 16 SECONDS.

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