6/14 Sea vents, divestment, Kinder Morgan pipe, oil train, Smith Island, Thornton Cr., fin whale, farm fish

'Black smoker' (Ocean Networks)

If you like to watch: Armchair scientists are in for a treat as live video of plumes of black smoke, billowing up through towering mineral chimneys in the deep reaches of the ocean off Vancouver Island, are streamed by the latest NEPTUNE expedition. The research vessel Thomas G Thompson, with scientists from the University of Victoria-led Ocean Networks Canada and other international organizations, is at the Endeavour Hot Vents, 250 kilometres off the coast of Vancouver Island. The vents, 2,200 metres below the surface of the ocean, exist in a strange volcanic landscape, where a wealth of specially adapted creatures — including colonies of giant tube worms — thrive in the hot water. Judith Lavoie reports. ‘Black smokers’ vent from the deep off coast of Vancouver Island

Listen up: Students on more than 300 campuses across the US are behind a growing movement to get schools to drop stocks in oil, gas, coal and tar sands from their investment portfolios. Among them are students at the University of Washington. Students are rallying at the University’s Board of Regents today (June 13) to draw attention to the issue. Martha Baskin reports.  Campus Fossil Fuel Divestment  

Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI), the largest U.S. pipeline operator by market value, shut the only line that carries Canadian crude to the West Coast after discovering a spill of light crude in a remote region of British Columbia. Workers found the 12-barrel spill from the Trans Mountain Pipeline yesterday while performing routine maintenance, Andy Galarnyk, a Calgary-based spokesman for Kinder, said by e-mail. The company shut the 300,000-barrel-a-day line, which carries both light and heavy oil, and is making repairs. Dan Murtaugh reports. Kinder Shuts Only Pipeline Carrying Canadian Crude to West Coast  

Last October, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, the biggest U.S. pipeline operator, announced plans to build a 740-mile pipeline from the oil fields of West Texas to a refining hub outside Los Angeles. Dubbed the Freedom Pipeline, the $2 billion project would deliver 277,000 barrels a day of cheap Texas crude to West Coast refineries that had long relied on expensive oil shipped from Alaska’s North Slope or even foreign markets. All Kinder Morgan needed was to get regulatory approval and long-term contracts with large California refiners, including Valero Energy (VLO) and Tesoro (TSO). In April, Kinder Morgan began negotiating agreements with refiners, who normally commit to buy predetermined amounts of oil for as long as 10 years. On May 31, however, Kinder Morgan announced it was canceling the project after Valero and Tesoro said they weren’t interested in buying the pipe’s oil on a long-term basis. They’d found a better way to get their hands on domestic crude: railroads. Matthew Philips and Asjylyn Loder report.  Amid U.S. Oil Boom, Railroads Are Beating Pipelines in Crude Transport  

Snohomish County’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Smith Island Restoration project is now available for public review. A joint effort proposed by Snohomish County and the city of Everett, the Smith Island Restoration Project is located in the Snohomish River Estuary between Union Slough and Interstate 5 and is a key component of Chinook salmon recovery strategies for the Puget Sound region. As part of the 2005 Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan, the project will restore nearly 400 acres of land to estuary and tidal marshland conditions that are essential for Chinook salmon, which is listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.  County completes Smith Island environmental review  

Scientists with the city of Seattle are narrowing in on the source of polluted water that flows through the city’s largest watershed. With a new study, they’ve confirmed human fecal bacteria are likely entering Thornton Creek at multiple locations near Northgate and Lake City Way. Seattle Public Utilities has known for at least a decade that fecal coliform bacteria concentrations in Thorton Creek exceed the state water quality standard and pose a potential health risk. But they were looking for the source in 22 square miles of the watershed. Now, after a two year investigation with new testing methods, they’ve narrowed it down to about ten segments of the stream that cover six or eight city blocks. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. Human fecal bacteria confirmed in Seattle’s Thornton Creek   See also: Chris Dunagan blogs on “New method could reveal presence of human waste”

A 68-foot male fin whale washed ashore dead Thursday morning on the coast about four miles north of Ocean Shores. Cascadia Research Collective's John Calambokidis says the whale likely died after being struck by a ship. The whale had evidence of blunt force trauma. Calambokidis says fin whales are at higher risk of being hurt by ship strikes. He says the reason is under study but it may be that those species don't know how to react to ships, which are becoming faster and more numerous. Dead fin whale washes up on Ocean Shores beach

The human diet appears to have reached an important milestone, as worldwide fish farm production has surpassed beef production for the first time in the modern era. That's according to figures from the United Nations and U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's another sign of the fish farming boom, taking place across the globe, which has also seen more and more universities dedicate programs to aquaculture. Fish farming tops beef production in race to the plate

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI JUN 14 2013
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
SAT
SE WIND 10 KT...BECOMING E TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
SUN
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS.

--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told