7/24 Oil terminal OK'd, shooting owls, eating fish, BC LNG, canoe journey, fish ears, plane noise

Barred owl shoot (Ray Bosch/USFWS)

If you like to watch: Divers almost swallowed by whales  

Port of Vancouver commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved leasing 42 acres for a controversial oil terminal, despite overwhelming public testimony against the plan by Tesoro Corp. and Savage Companies to build what would be the largest such facility in the Pacific Northwest. Commissioner Brian Wolfe said the lease — worth $45 million to the port over an initial 10 years — addresses public safety concerns. Port managers will stay on top of Tesoro and Savage like “white on rice” to ensure the project is “done right,” Wolfe said. Aaron Corvin reports. Port of Vancouver unanimously approves oil terminal lease    See also: Vancouver oil port could help Whatcom refineries  See also:  Study finds little environmental enforcement in oilsands infractions  

Federal wildlife officials plan to dispatch hunters into forests of the Pacific Northwest starting this fall to shoot one species of owl to protect another that is threatened with extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday released a final environmental review of an experiment to see if killing barred owls will allow northern spotted owls to reclaim territory they've been driven out of over the past half-century. Jeff Barnard reports. Feds plan to shoot barred owls

The official estimate of how much fish people eat dictates the levels of pollution that are allowed, and a statewide coalition of clean water advocates says an accurate standard is long overdue. Waterkeepers Washington is threatening to sue the federal government over lack of enforcement. Right now, the state Department of Ecology sets water pollution standards based on an assumption about how much fish people eat that is woefully inaccurate, says Janette Brimmer, staff attorney with Earthjustice, which is  representing the members of Waterkeepers Washington who have threatened to file suit. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. EPA Put on Notice over Wash. State's Fish Consumption Rate

In its latest bid to demonstrate the potential scale of its nascent liquefied natural gas industry, the province has unveiled a scenario that shows the sector could support a permanent workforce of 75,000, which British Columbia’s northern regions couldn’t hope to fill on their own. It is the first full-scale estimate of potential employment in the sector, on the assumption that five LNG export plants would be built on B.C.’s coast by 2021. The numbers were compiled as part of the work of the B.C. Natural Gas Workforce Strategy Committee, whose report was released Tuesday. On top of that, the construction phase under this scenario would require a workforce of 60,000 during its peak in 2016/17. Derrick Penner reports. B.C.'s LNG export industry could provide 75,000 permanent jobs, report claims  

Between 30 and 40 canoes from across the Pacific Northwest and Canada made landfall Tuesday morning at Hollywood Beach as children and adults from the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe welcomed travelers in the Paddle to Quinault journey. Jeremy Schwartz reports. Perilous paddle: Another mishap on tribal canoe journey  

A tiny white sliver inside the heads of fish could hold evidence of a century’s worth of humans wrecking the environment: atomic bombs, overfishing, even climate change. Fish ear bones, also known as otoliths, are like tree rings for the ocean. A layer of calcium carbonate laid down each year offers a snapshot of both the fish’s yearly growth and its surrounding ocean conditions. The University of Washington’s Burke Museum has been transferring and cataloging 2 million pairs of otoliths, representing some 80 species. Scientists hope this collection, gathered over the past half-century, will help them track the health of fish populations and ocean conditions up and down the West Coast. Sarah Zahang reports. Fish-ear bones offer clues to health of ocean, species  

If you like to listen: Some Whidbey Island residents say Navy jets are so loud that they have to sleep with headphones on, and now they're suing to get some peace and quiet. The Navy often practices "touch and gos" at nearby outlying field runway, and everyone involved admits they can be rather loud. Luke Ducey reports. Whidbey Island neighbors sue Navy over jet noises  And: Army serves notice on Jefferson County: The choppers are coming

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUL 24 2013
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 7 SECONDS.

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