11/19 Longview coal, BC coal, UN coal, Tacoma PCBs, BC ferries, Seattle waterfront, Issaquah bag ban

Parchment Tube Worm (Scripps/UCSD)

Oooh, this is cool: Tube worm lights up the undersea night with vitamin B
This is not a fight with light sabres or a biological sample made visible with glowing dye. It's a real living phenomenon: this parchment tube worm's whole body fluoresces bright green when exposed to a certain wavelength of light. What's more, prod it and it expels puffs of mucus that generate bright blue light...

Today’s Event: Public Forum on Risky Business: How oil transport threatens Washington’s health, economy and waters
Washington State is becoming center stage in transportation of oil. Learn more about oil transport proposals, the risks they pose to Washington, what protections and safeguards are currently in place, and what gaps need to be addressed to reduce the risk of oil spills. Tuesday, November 19, 6:30 PM, Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st St., Seattle. To RSVP: Rein Attemann.

New blog: Read A Newspaper Recently?
Only a fourth of the adult population reads newspapers. Google this year will do $60 billion in revenue, mostly from advertising, more than either newspapers and magazines. Puget Sound daily newspapers are neither search engines nor social media platforms. But, in this day and age-- and into the future -- what are they?

165,000 coal comments — and a message for Obama
A phenomenal total of 165,000 people have written or signed comments to federal, state and local agencies evaluating a proposed coal export terminal in Longview on the Columbia River, topping the number heard from on another coal port proposed for Cherry Point, north of Bellingham. And 21 state  legislators have weighed in, in a tough letter urging a sweeping review of what impacts the terminals, which would ship coal to China, would have on both the “natural environment” and “Washington’s built environment . . . impacts felt by cities and counties across Washington state.”... The lawmakers’ letter, signed by Seattle’s Mayor-elect Ed Murray, is a direct shot across the bow of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which opted to do a very limited, site specific environmental study of the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal project at Cherry Point. It’s also a message to President Obama.  The President is due in the Puget Sound area for one of his “cash and dash” big-ticket fundraising visits. Joel Connelly reports. See also: Thousands Weigh in on SW Wash. Coal-Export Plan

Coal-shipping facility at Fraser Surrey Docks would be clean, study concludes
An environmental study commissioned by Fraser Surrey Docks concludes its proposed coal-shipping facility is “not likely to cause significant adverse affects” on the environment or human health. The study, prepared by engineering firm SNC-Lavalin and posted Monday by Fraser Surrey Docks and Port Metro Vancouver, is certain to come under fire from critics who have already raised concerns about alleged flaws in the review. Wendy Stueck reports. And: Coal terminal health assessment slammed by health officials

Top U.N. official warns industry leaders of coal risks
In a speech Monday in Warsaw, the United Nations’ top officer on climate change warned coal-industry executives that much of the world’s coal will need to be left in the ground if international climate goals are to be met.

PCB investigation leads to Tacoma neighborhood
Tacoma’s Foss Waterway is heavily monitored for any toxins that threaten its cleanup. So when workers with Tacoma’s Environmental Services Division discovered traces of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the waste water system, they launched an investigation.  They found the source and possibility identified a problems for many other cities in the region, state and country.  Investigators tracked the PCBs, which have been determined to cause cancer and other health problems, several miles up the storm sewer system. It led them to a small 1970s-era neighborhood on Tacoma’s east side. Workers took samples and found a sealant used in the joints between the curb and streets in five blocks of the neighborhood were contaminated with PCBs. Gary Chittim reports.

Ferries overhaul ends free rides for seniors, cuts trips on minor routes, adds gambling
The B.C. government is clawing back free ferry passes for seniors, slashing thousands of sailings and introducing slot machines on certain ships in a bid to stem losses at the financially-troubled B.C. Ferries corporation. The cutbacks and changes will be unpopular, Transportation Minister Todd Stone admitted Monday, but are necessary to achieve $19 million in savings required to keep fares affordable. Rob Shaw reports.

Seattle Waterfront Braces For Seawall Construction
Construction begins this month on the long-anticipated plan to replace Seattle’s crumbling downtown seawall. Waterfront businesses are bracing for what is likely to be three years of disruptions from the $290 million project, which was approved by voters last year...The first phase of the project involves re-routing traffic from Alaskan Way, the main arterial that runs along the waterfront. Construction crews need to excavate the road to reach the seawall, which lies beneath it. Deborah Wang reports.

Issaquah bag-ban foe goes to court over ballot language
A judge will decide whether ballot language on an initiative to repeal Issaquah’s plastic-bag ban is misleading and should be rewritten. Craig Keller, sponsor of the initiative citizens will vote on Feb. 11, filed a petition Friday in King County Superior Court that objects to the wording of the ballot title and ballot statement. Keller is chair of Save Our Choice, the group that circulated petitions against the law, which went into effect for larger stores last March and is scheduled to be extended to smaller stores next March. Keith Ervin reports.

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 243 AM PST TUE NOV 19 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING
TODAY
NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING NE 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL
 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
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