6/6 Coal suit, BC coal, climate consultant, Enbridge pipe, Gov's Point, Mukilteo ferry dock, MaST, BrandQuery, crow attacks

Blog: Return of the Cicadas

New blog: "Guests spent a few days in my cabin in the Lopez woods last week and reported that once the cabin got warm, the big black ants swarmed out of the woodwork. Not quite so dramatic were the little winged ants in our bedroom last weekend coming from and going into the heater vent..." ‘Tis the Season of Profligate Fecundity

The Sierra Club is suing Burlington Northern Santa Fe in federal court in Seattle over coal dust that blows off trains into Washington rivers and Puget Sound. The suit filed Wednesday says the railway sends an average of four trains or 480 open-top rail cars through the state each day carrying coal from mines in Wyoming and Montana to Canada or the only remaining coal-fired power plant in Washington at Centralia. The number could increase significantly under pending proposals for three coal export terminals in Washington and Oregon. The suit follows a notice of violations sent to the railroad in April from the Sierra Club, Puget SoundKeeper, Columbia Riverkeeper, RE Sources for Sustainable Communities and Friends of the Columbia Gorge. Sierra Club sues railroad over coal dust from trains  

This is required reading—and viewing—for anyone worried about how export terminals handle coal in reality: a jaw-dropping exposé on the pollution from Ridley Terminals at Prince Rupert, British Columbia. You absolutely must click through and see the photos collected by The Northern View newspaper in it’s excellent investigation of Ridley. Eric de Place reports. What a Coal Terminal is Really Like

A group opposed to the increased shipping of coal from the West Coast is demanding to know the location of a major new bulk loading terminal that has been proposed by an Australian company. “I would like to know where it’s proposed for and why the public hasn’t heard about it,” Kevin Washbrook of Voters Taking Action on Climate Change said Wednesday about plans by County Coal Ltd. to build a new facility somewhere in British Columbia. The company, which is based in Sydney, issued a shareholder update recently in which it announced two new coal terminals are in the works, one somewhere in B.C. and the other in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. “The Canadian terminal is located at a greenfields industrial site that can accommodate Capesize (+150,000wt) vessels for the export of coal and bulk commodities from North America to the Asian market,” the company states. Capesize ships are so called because they are too big to pass through the Panama Canal. Mark Hume reports. Anti-coal group slams Australian firm for keeping terminal location secret

A legislative workgroup chaired by Gov. Jay Inslee voted unanimously Tuesday to hire a Virginia-based climate consultant to examine Washington state’s options for reducing greenhouse gases that are contributing to global climate change. The Climate Legislative and Executive Workgroup is tasked with figuring out the best way for Washington to meet its goal of slashing greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 — and how best to reach that goal set by a Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2008... Two firms scored highest in an analysis by nonpartisan staff – Science Applications International Corp. of McLean, Va., which was selected for the $350,000 contract, and ICF International of Fairfax, Va. Brad Shannon reports. State climate consultant hired to shrink greenhouse gases

The CEO of Enbridge said Wednesday he is willing to work with the B.C. government to allay doubts it has about the safety of the proposed $6-billion Northern Gateway pipeline. The province officially declared opposition to pipeline last week, telling a federal review panel the project shouldn't go ahead because there are too many unanswered questions about how Calgary-based Enbridge would respond to a spill. "I don't view it as a blow," Enbridge CEO Al Monaco told reporters following a pipeline safety forum hosted by the National Energy Board. Enbridge CEO ready to work with B.C. on pipeline

Plans to build more than 100 homes on Governors Point received another setback this week. The state Court of Appeals on Monday, June 3, upheld a 2011 Whatcom County Superior Court decision to deny city water to the point's major landowner. The lawsuit was sparked by a 2009 decision by Bellingham city officials to not provide water to the proposed 141-lot subdivision on 126 acres owned by the Governors Point Development Company. The forested point is along Chuckanut Drive west of Larrabee State Park. The decision was based in part on a statewide prohibition against urban sprawl. Ralph Schwartz reports. Governors Point developers again denied access to Bellingham water

A new ferry terminal in Mukilteo is looking more certain than ever. After many hang-ups and delays, two major developments this week have cleared the way for the state to begin building a $140 million terminal as soon as next year and be finished by 2017. The state has finished its environmental study of the 20-acre former tank farm property along the northern Mukilteo shoreline, officials announced Wednesday. The study gives a go-ahead to the project pending a sign off by local Indian tribes. Also, the federal government is close to transferring the former U.S. Air Force tank farm to the Port of Everett, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray's office announced Tuesday. The port then will trade part of the property to the state in exchange for the Mount Baker Terminal property directly to the east, Port of Everett director John Mohr said. Bill Sheets reports. New ferry dock in Mukilteo two steps closer  

Highline Community College's Marine Science and Technology (MaST) Center celebrates two special occasions on Saturday, June 15 – its fifth birthday and annual octopus graduation. Festivities begin at noon at the center, located on Redondo Beach Drive, next door to Salty's, at 28203 Redondo Beach Drive S., Des Moines. Scarlet, the MaST Center's Giant Pacific Octopus, will "graduate" and be released back into the Puget Sound with a dive team and underwater, interactive video. HCC's Marine Science and Technology Center celebrates 5th birthday, octopus graduation


The Mount Vernon-based company BrandQuery has been selected to craft a regional marketing plan for counties affected by the closure of Interstate 5 following the Skagit River Bridge collapse. The company will use $150,000 made available from the state Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Strategic Reserve Account to develop a campaign to raise awareness of how consumers can reach local businesses through all the increased traffic on local roads. Mark Stayton reports. Company chosen to lead regional marketing campaign  

If there's a bird on a wire by the Everett Police Department - beware. Officers there are on the lookout for an attacker - two attackers, to be exact. Suspects' description: one male, one female, last seen ambushing officers and people on the street right in front of the cop shop. Even the chief herself has been a victim. Lindsay Cohen reports. Murder of crows dive-bombing Everett residents, police  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU JUN 6 2013
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
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