11/11 Train safety, salmon volunteers, rain study, landslides, Navy testing

Atlantic puffins (Steve Gravie/BirdNote)

Restoring Bird Colonies with Social Attraction
What does relocating Caspian Terns from an island in the Columbia River have to do with luring Short-tailed Albatrosses away from an active volcano in Japan? They both use methods of social attraction pioneered by Dr. Stephen Kress. Social attraction utilizes visual cues such as decoys and audio recordings of birdcalls. Using these, scientists can entice bird colonies out of harm’s way. These Atlantic Puffins represent another successful use of social attraction: Kress and his team established new colonies of puffins on the coast of Maine! (BirdNote)

Feds reject industry challenges to oil train safety rule
The U.S. Department of Transportation has rejected several appeals by industry groups to its rule issued in May on the safety of trains carrying large quantities of crude oil and ethanol. The department also agreed with tribal groups in the Pacific Northwest that had expressed concern about proposed changes to notification requirements to states for large rail shipments of crude oil. The trade groups, which represented railroads, refiners, and chemical companies, had objected to a variety of components of the rule relating to its scope, to the timeline for completing a retrofit and replacement of tank cars used to carry flammable liquids, what level of fire protection the cars should have and whether they should be equipped with advanced electronic brakes. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy)

Qualicum Beach couple part of Pacific Salmon Foundation's 'mosquito fleet'
A Qualicum Beach couple are good examples of the crucial fleet of locals who are making the Pacific Salmon Foundation's Citizen Science Program a success. Ryan and Nicole Frederickson are two of the many volunteers taking part in the foundation's Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, trying to understand the causes of declines in coho and chinook salmon in the Strait of Georgia and wider Salish Sea. Auren Ruvinsky reports. (Parksville Qualicum Beach News)

UW, NASA deploy scientific blitz to study rainy Olympic Peninsula
The OLYMPEX project will use aircraft, radar, weather stations and volunteers with rain gauges to improve local forecasts and ground-truth satellite data. Sandi Doughton reports. (Seattle Times)

Washington Updates Guidelines For Landslide-Prone Slopes
Washington forestry officials have updated state guidelines for evaluating unstable slopes that, if logged, could contribute to landslides. The Washington Forest Practices Board took up the issue Tuesday. It has been a topic of some controversy following the 2014 landslide that killed 43 people in the community of Oso in Washington’s North Cascades. Land above the Oso slide zone was logged in 2004 and replanted in 2005 — prompting some critics to blame the removal of trees for the disaster. After lengthy debate and several breaks, the board unanimously approved updates to the guidelines that were favored by the timber industry. However, the board also took steps to address conservationists’ concerns before it meets in February. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Navy ends consultation on historic resources in sonar, explosives testing zone that includes Strait of Juan de Fuca
The federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is getting involved in a dispute between state and Navy officials over cultural and historical resources in a broad area, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca, that has been targeted for sonar and explosives training and testing. The testing area also includes Puget Sound and the Behm Canal in southeastern Alaska. The Navy notified state Historic Preservation Officer Allyson Brooks — referred to as the SHPO — last Thursday that military officials had finished consulting with her on potential adverse effects to the resources, according to a Nov. 5 letter from Larry M. Foster, director of environmental readiness for the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Brooks' response was that she was “stunned.” …. Brooks said Monday she had been consulting with Navy personnel from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, not Pearl Harbor. “It was shocking to get the letter from Pearl Harbor when all the work was being done with Whidbey Naval Air Station,” Brooks said. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Salish Sea News and Weather will not be posted on Thursday and Friday. Mahalo.

Now, your tug-weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 304 AM PST WED NOV 11 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
W WIND 20 TO 30 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W SWELL 12 FT AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING S 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 12 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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"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.

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11/9 Keystone, BC unmuzzled, NW tribes, Asarco, port races, Wisconsin derail, bag ban, Navy jets, Elwha

Citing Climate Change, Obama Rejects Construction of Keystone XL Oil Pipeline
President Obama announced on Friday that he had rejected the request from a Canadian company to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline, ending a seven-year review that had become a symbol of the debate over his climate policies. Mr. Obama’s denial of the proposed 1,179-mile pipeline, which would have carried 800,000 barrels a day of carbon-heavy petroleum from the Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast, comes as he seeks to build an ambitious legacy on climate change. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times) See also: Justin Trudeau 'disappointed' with U.S. rejection of Keystone XL  Kathleen Harris reports. (CBC)

Keystone pipeline rejection means oil tankers could multiply in Strait of Juan de Fuca
President Obama’s decision Friday to reject the Keystone XL pipeline puts a fresh spotlight on other efforts to bring Canadian crude to market, including a $5.4 billion project to boost oil flows to British Columbia. The oil piped from Alberta would be targeted for maritime export, dramatically increasing the number of oil tankers traversing the Strait of Juan de Fuca and raising environmental concerns among Washington state Department of Ecology (DOE) officials.  Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Kristi Miller, muzzled fisheries scientist, felt like a second-class citizen
A federal edict that prevented government scientists from talking publicly about their work turned them into "second-class citizens", a B.C. based molecular geneticist told CBC news Friday. Kristi Miller, a scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, told CBC News Friday that she was excited at news the newly elected federal government had lifted the muzzle from its researchers. Kristi Miller was prevented from talking to media about the results of her study. (CBC) See also: Scientists, ministers get green light to speak under Trudeau  Pauline Dakin reports. (CBC)

Exxon Mobil accused of climate change cover-up
Oil giant Exxon Mobil is being investigated for misleading the public about the impact of climate change. The New York attorney general has sent a request for emails and financial records to the company. Allegations surfaced last month that the company's own scientists raised concerns about global warming decades ago and that Exxon had worked to suppress that information. (BBC) See also: Oil companies and climate change: who should pay?  Environmentalists say an investigation into ExxonMobil may open the door to tobacco-style lawsuitsJason Proctor reports. (CBC)

UW Symposium: Ocean Acidification Pushing Boundaries Of Environmental Law
The University of Washington held its first annual symposium on environmental law last week. The idea is to choose a topic and examine how it fits into current and future regulations. This year’s focus—ocean acidification.  It is sometimes called the evil twin of global warming. Ocean acidification is caused when carbon pollution from fossil fuels dissolves into our waterways. Scientists say it may cause serious harm to life on the planet; some say it is already damaging the local shellfish industry. It is also pushing the envelope of current environmental law. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Northwest tribal leaders fight for government to uphold treaties
A proposed coal terminal and affiliated railway for Cherry Point, Wash., has sparked concern about treaty violations and environmental degradation for many Pacific Northwest tribal leaders, 10 of whom rallied together in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning against what they said is government disregard for their treaties. Grace Toohey reports. (McClatchy)

Three decades after the Asarco smelter shutdown, its toxic legacy surprises Tacoma newcomers
Tacoma’s industrial history confronted Alex Stillman on a late spring morning while she was up to her wrists in front-yard dirt. A neighbor saw the 27-year-old school nurse, part of the city’s influx of new homeowners, digging to plant a hedge outside her North 40th Street house and walked over to share some friendly insight about the neighborhood. The conversation sent Stillman inside to start learning things no real-estate agent or inspector had explained to Alex or her husband, Bryce, when they bought the place in fall 2014. It fell to Google to tell her about the long-gone Asarco copper smelter that operated less than a mile from where her tidy 1940s bungalow stands, and that the lead and arsenic emitted from its 571-foot-tall smokestack for several decades had polluted her yard and thousands of others with agents linked to cancer and other serious health problems. Derrick Nunnally reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Dangerous, tasty fishery resumes off B.C. coast
One of British Columbia's most unusual and dangerous fisheries is poised for a comeback. Gooseneck barnacles, which grow on the rocks below the high tide line off the west coast of Vancouver Island,.are prized in Spain and served as appetizers by high-end restaurants across North America. With a shell-like top and stubby stalks of rich meat beneath, goosenecks resemble clumps of asparagus. However, the best ones are hard to reach and risky to harvest. Chris Brown reports. (CBC)

Port Commissioner: The Race We Can No Longer Afford To Ignore
As election results continue to filter in, most eyes focus on the big-ticket races—city council members, state ballot measures, and levies. Yet way down near the bottom of the ballot is one of the most important votes that we cast in the Northwest: the races for port commissioner. Historically overlooked by voters and pundits alike, the Northwest’s recent controversies over coal and oil have begun to shift some attention to the leadership of public ports. It’s an entirely appropriate shift, because the elected leaders of the region’s ports play a more important role—for good or for ill—in determining the fate of the thin green line than almost anybody else. (…. Running for an empty seat vacated by outgoing Commissioner Bill Bryant, environmental advocate Fred Felleman, who was an outspoken critic of the Port’s decision to host Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet this summer, defeated Marino Yoshino. Felleman raised $86,000 to Yoshino’s $29,000.) Eric de Place and Nick Abraham report. (Sightline)

2nd Train Derails in Wisconsin in 2 Days, Spills Crude Oil
Canadian Pacific Railway says less than 1,000 gallons of crude oil has spilled after a train derailment that prompted evacuations in southeastern Wisconsin. Thirteen cars derailed around 2 p.m. Sunday in Watertown. Canadian Pacific said in a statement late Sunday night one car was punctured and it leaked some oil. The company says it's working to determine the exact amount, but it's no more than 1,000 gallons…. The derailment Sunday was the second in the state in as many days. On Saturday, a freight train derailed near Alma in western Wisconsin, spilling thousands of gallons of ethanol. (ABC)

California lawmaker plans law to end killer whale captivity
A California congressman announced Friday that he is planning federal legislation that aims to phase out the captivity of killer whales by banning breeding, importing and exporting the animals for public display. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said he will introduce the Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement Act to ensure that orcas now at aquatic parks such as SeaWorld are the last ones and that when they die, no other whales will replace them. The bill also would ban taking any whales from the wild. Although no orca has been captured in U.S. waters since 1976, Schiff says captive killer whales are bred. (Associated Press)

Construction site washout kills salmon on Burnaby Mountain
Water thick with sand and sediment has fouled a fish-bearing creek after heavy rain washed out an active construction site on Burnaby Mountain last week. The silty water poured into Stoney Creek from a tributary, killing spawning Chum and Coho salmon and smolts, said John Preissl, a local streamkeeper. Salmon had been absent from the once polluted creek for half a century, but returned about a decade ago, thanks to decades of rehabilitation work by foundations, government agencies and hundreds of volunteers, Preissl said. Before the accident, streamkeepers had counted nearly 200 salmon in the creek. Matthew Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: Rain causes more problems at Burnaby Mountain construction site  Joanne Lee-Young and Matthew Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Victoria council backs ban on single-use plastic bags, staff to study
The days of plastic bags in Victoria could be numbered. Victoria councillors Thursday took the first steps in developing a bylaw that would ban retailers from providing single-use plastic bags. Several councillors said they support the proposal provided the public is properly consulted and the city works in concert with retailers so that the change, if implemented, is even-handed. Bill Cleverely reports. (Times Colonist)

Navy, National Park Service to work together to monitor jet noise over Olympic National Park
The Navy and National Park Service are coordinating efforts to monitor jet noise over Olympic National Park during training missions. “I'm glad the Park Service — the staff who are charged with protecting the visitor experience at Olympic National Park — and the Navy will work together to monitor noise issues and evaluate any increase in noise from Navy training activities,” said U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer in a news release issued Thursday. A Democrat from Gig Harbor, Kilmer represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula. He had requested that the Park Service and the Navy work together on monitoring jet noise. Chris McDaniel reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Taking the pulse of Puget Sound
The state’s effort to improve the health of Puget Sound is moving slowly, even with a variety of fish-focused projects in motion throughout the Skagit River watershed, from major dike setbacks to minor culvert replacements. In a State of the Sound Report released last week, the Puget Sound Partnership describes the progress to restore this inlet of the Pacific Ocean as largely stagnant. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald) See also:  Puget Sound restoration: two steps forward, one back — or vice versa?  Chris Dunagan blogs. (Watching Our Water Ways)

With dams down, restored Elwha River mouth 'a treasure'
No one, not even among those studying the ecology of the Elwha River mouth, expected the degree of change seen there after the dams came down, according to a woman who has researched it for years. An area that once was little more than large cobbles is now a vast tract of quiet, sandy beach speckled with hundreds of seabirds and brushed by ocean waves. It contains pools constantly dimpled by the jumping of fish. Sometimes, looking at the acres of new beach — and the new life it now supports — she nearly cries, said Anne Shaffer, a marine biologist and the executive director of the Coastal Watershed Institute of Port Angeles. Arwyn Rice and Leah Leach report. (Peninsula Daily News) See also:  Who owns new Elwha River land? Discussions begin about ownership, responsibility  Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 228 AM PST MON NOV 9 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PST THIS MORNING
TODAY
NE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 10 FT AT 14 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 8 FT AT 14 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

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"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

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6/11 Herring, Great Bear, Vic sewer, coal pollution, Wild Oly, Van beaver, D crab, Shelter Bay, fading green

Little Uncle’s Herring Week Special (SeattleMet)

Welcome to Seattle Herring Week—No, Seriously
In a follow-up to distiller Lexi of Old Ballard Liquor Co.'s search for herring…. "Seattle Herring Week, wherein a handful of restaurants around town will have fresh herring dishes on their menus through June 14, or until they run out of herring. The Facebook page has updates, but this is an eclectic group, and it’s not limited to Ballard. The list includes Anchovies and Olives, Schooner Exact, Chippy’s, Palace Kitchen, the Walrus and the Carpenter, Sushi Kappo Tamura, Little Uncle, Pair, and grocer Scandinavian Specialties (plus Sogno di Vino and Marina Market in Poulsbo). " Allecia Vermillion reports. (SeattleMet)

Proposed deal to preserve large swaths of B.C.'s Great Bear Rainforest
The last land parcels of the Great Bear Rainforest have been identified, clearing the way for an extraordinary pact between the forest industry, First Nations, the province and a coalition of environmental organizations to be finalized by September. The new land-use agreement, if approved following a summer-long public consultation period, would ensure the preservation of 70 per cent of the old-growth forests in a huge section of the province’s north and central coast. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Sewage project stalled, yet boss tops Capital Regional District pay list
Albert Sweetnam, head of the stalled Seaterra sewage-treatment program, is at the top of the Capital Regional District’s salary list for 2014. Sweetnam, hired on a five-year contract in 2013, was paid $297,466 in salary and expenses last year — more than even CRD chief administrative officer Bob Lapham, whose salary and expenses totalled $238,036, according to the CRD’s latest statement of financial information. Last year, when the CRD was moving ahead with its $788-million sewage-treatment program with plans to build a treatment plant at McLoughlin Point, Sweetnam was managing a staff of 20-plus consulting engineers. But no more. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

US plans to focus on environment in Columbia River talks
After a long delay, the Obama administration has signaled that it’s ready to launch talks with Canada to renew the 51-year-old Columbia River Treaty, a controversial pact that created dams for electricity and flood control in the Pacific Northwest. But there will be one big change from the negotiations that created the original 1964 treaty: This time, the United States plans a major push on environmental issues. Rob Hotakainen reports. (McClatchy)

US Supreme Court won't consider Seward coal pollution appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court will not review a federal appeals court decision that said coal falling into Resurrection Bay from the Alaska Railroad's loading system in Seward violates the federal Clean Water Act. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in September reversed a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Tim Burgess, who ruled that incidental coal falling from the Seward Coal Loading Facility was allowed under the railroad's permit to discharge storm water. The judges said coal was not a list of substances that could be discharged with storm water. The district court will decide whether the railroad committed specific violations of the federal Clean Water Act, whether there will be penalties, and whether the parties will be directed to pay attorney fees, Alaska Railroad corporate communications officer Stephanie Wheeler said. Dan Joling reports. (Alaska Dispatch News)

Court Sends Coal Pollution Rules Back To EPA
A federal appeals court has struck down pollution rules intended to reduce haze from coal that is burned in Montana to provide electricity for people in the Pacific Northwest. Haze reduces visibility and is caused by tiny particles of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. The Clean Air Act requires companies to use the best available technology on older coal plants to reduce the pollutants, which can cause health problems such as respiratory illness. But a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the rule from the Environmental Protection Agency would arbitrarily require PPL Montana to install pollution controls costing tens of millions of dollars without assurance of improvements in visibility. Tuesday's ruling applies to the 2,100-megawatt Colstrip plant and a second plant in Billings that recently shut down partly because of the projected cost of complying with separate mercury pollution rules. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

The Wild Olympics: The next step in a half-century of preserving wild Washington?
The Olympic Peninsula is a hot destination these days for those who appreciate recreation, natural beauty and wild spaces. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, and Rep. Derek Kilmer picked the first day of Washington’s warm spell last week to reintroduce legislation that would preserve more wild places and rivers on the peninsula. Product of what Murray called “years of negotiation and compromise,” the legislation would protect as wilderness 126,554 acres of federal, national forest land surrounding Olympic National Park, and put 19 rivers and major tributaries into the nation’s Wild and Scenic River System. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Very Canadian: Beaver joining Vancouver cyclists and joggers for evening waddle caught on video
People on Vancouver's busy False Creek seawall got a rare, up-close look at a Canadian icon on Tuesday, when a beaver chose to take an evening stroll next to runners and cyclists. "Joggers stopped, cyclists dismounted and a group of us formed a barrier alongside him to protect him as he strolled along," said runner Rita Gunkel in an email to CBC. Gunkel spotted the beaver waddling along the seawall and took a video. (CBC)

Dungeness crab season in Hood Canal opening more than two weeks earlier than expected
Sport anglers can get a head start on the Dungeness crab fishery in Hood Canal that begins more than two weeks sooner than expected. Fishing in the “Hood” will begin Monday – the original opening date was July 2 — after test fisheries found crabs have reached ideal hard-shell condition and populations in some areas appear to be healthy. Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

Shelter Bay residents to decide if they want new lease with Swinomish
Shelter Bay residents who own homes on reservation land are expected to decide next month if they want to pursue an agreement with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community that would extend a master lease with the tribe until 2089 but also would dramatically increase homeowners’ rents.
The Shelter Bay Community’s board of directors has scheduled an advisory vote on the matter for July 15. If residents vote to pursue a new lease, the board will begin working out details with the tribe, then homeowners will have a chance to vote once more, said Community Manager David Franklin. Evan Marczynski and Shannen Kuest report. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Concerns Arise That The Green Is Fading At Seattle's Port
As the Port of Seattle joins with Tacoma to compete against other ports in British Columbia and California, concerns have arisen that it might be losing sight of some of key environmental goals, such as creating sustainable jobs. The concerns come as Seattle moves forward with a controversial deal to temporarily host Royal Dutch Shell’s oil drilling fleet at terminal 5 in West Seattle. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU JUN 11 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
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"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

6/8 Oceans Day, WA budget, ship misses, oil spill, Longview, fuel trains, port alliance, glass-sponge reefs, herring, clean streets, Navy pier, Skagit dike, Olympic Park, drought

World Oceans Day is June 8th
This year’s theme is healthy oceans, healthy planet and people all over our blue planet are organizing celebrations throughout the week, from June 6th all the way to June 14th. Jump in.

Budget writers in Olympia have tentative spending agreement
State budget writers have tentatively agreed on a spending level for the state’s 2015-17 operating budget, according to the director of the state Office of Financial Management. Lawmakers are in the second special legislative session after months of a stalemate over how to fund government. If there’s no new budget by the July 1 start of the state’s new fiscal year, parts of the government will shut down. Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times) Meanwhile: Lawmakers claim $120 daily payments during special sessions Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

A year of close calls for ships on B.C. coast
Commercial ocean-going ships reported being involved in at least 14 official occurrences on the B.C. coast last year, including collisions, groundings, mechanical breakdowns at sea and close calls with other vessels, federal transportation safety board reports show. While not all involved accidents, some had the potential to be extremely serious, including the Japanese-owned 200-metre bulk carrier Ultra Saskatoon on July 2 reporting a “close-quarters situation” with the Hong Kong-owned 217-metre bulk carrier Great Loyalty near Race Rocks marine reserve off Victoria. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

In plain sight: How the Marathassa oil spill took hours to find
The sloop Odin set out from False Creek late on the sunny afternoon of April 8 for a pleasure sail, with the two-man crew, Rob O’Dea and Arnt Arntzen, using a steady northwest wind to tack their way around the transport freighters that use English Bay as a parking lot.  Around 4:45 p.m., the pair aboard Mr. Arntzen’s 21-foot sailboat spotted a large slick on the water, accompanied by the smell of fresh asphalt. It took them just 15 minutes of sailing to track the source to the bulk grain carrier MV Marathassa, which was at anchor in the bay after putting in to the Port of Vancouver to begin loading its cargo. By then, the slick was half a kilometre long and 250 meters wide, by Mr. O’Dea’s estimation. Beneath the blue sheen, he could see the water was thick with globules of oil. Mr. O’Dea called 911 at 5:05 p.m. from his cell phone, and a Canadian Coast Guard official called him back three minutes later to assure him they were already aware of the spill and had dispatched a pollution response team. That would have been reassuring, except there was no Coast Guard or any other emergency response vessel in sight. In fact, the clean-up crew would not be authorized to respond until three hours later. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Mike Lowry’s visit to planned coal port upsets environmentalists
On the battlefield of one of the biggest environmental clashes to erupt in the Pacific Northwest in decades, an old soldier for liberal causes and steeped in “green” cred has re-emerged — but this time, he’s fighting for the other side. Or at least that’s how some environmental groups perceive Mike Lowry’s recent visit to the site of a proposed coal-export terminal on the Columbia River, where the former Washington governor and congressman spoke favorably about the controversial project. Lowry’s tour on May 28 of the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals (MBT) coal-export facilities site in Longview — during which he met with company brass, local elected officials and labor representatives who back the project — quickly generated a story in the hometown newspaper. Lewis Kamb reports. (Seattle Times)

The Clean Energy Governor And The Columbia River Oil Refinery
A new oil refinery is the last thing you might expect Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration to be courting. After all, Inslee has developed a national reputation as a champion of curbing the use of fossil fuels. And yet, Inslee’s administration has worked for months to facilitate such a project along the Columbia River. A Texas-based energy company wants to site a combined crude oil and biofuel refinery in Longview, Washington. The company’s goal is to capitalize on low carbon fuel standards championed by West Coast political leaders, including Inslee. Conrad Wilson and Tony Schick report. (KUOW)

Coastal Salish Nation steps up opposition to fossil fuel trains
The Coast Salish Nation issued a statement this week that it plans to work collectively against the transport of crude oil by rail and sea through tribal territories. The Coast Salish Nation includes the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and represents the ancestral territory of British Columbia First Nations and Western Washington tribes. The group met on Swimomish land in May and voted unanimously to try to stop all crude oil shipments through tribal territory. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Tacoma, Seattle ports approve Northwest Seaport Alliance plan
Two ports that for decades competed fiercely for Puget Sound shipping business toasted a friendly new alliance Friday that will join terminal operations and marketing activities under a single management. Those Champagne toasts came after the governing commissions of the ports of Tacoma and Seattle voted unanimously to seek the blessing of the Federal Maritime Commission for the newly named Northwest Seaport Alliance that will link the two ports’ shipping terminals to form the nation’s third-largest container port. John Gille reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Bellingham port environmental director retires after 20 years
When Mike Stoner first toured the Port of Bellingham’s properties 20 years ago, he started to make a mental list of contaminated sites that needed work…. Two decades and countless hours of investigating, building partnerships, and environmental planning later, one of the largest cleanup projects on that list is about to break ground and Stoner is set to retire. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Ottawa announces fishing closures to protect glass-sponge reefs in Strait of Georgia
Glass sponges are fragile, long-lived lifeforms that can be damaged by prawn traps…. The federal fisheries department announced Friday commercial and recreational fishing closures to protect nine glass-sponge reefs in the Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound. The closures prohibit all "bottom-contact" fisheries, including prawn and crab traps, shrimp trawl, groundfish trawl, and hook-and-line, within a buffer zone of 150 metres around the nine reefs. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

First Nation Heiltsuk calls for extension of herring fishery closure
The Heiltsuk First Nation is calling for a coast-wide closure of the 2016 herring fishery, after it successfully shut down the 2015 fishery on the central coast earlier this spring. On Tuesday, the Bella Bella-based First Nation will issue a declaration that the herring and herring roe fisheries will remain closed until herring stocks have recovered. The Heiltsuk are in talks with the Haida and Nuu-chah-nulth to support a closure for the entire coast. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

State public lands commissioner calls for more study on Navy electronic warfare range plan
The Navy should rethink its proposed expansion of activities in its electronic warfare range in light of potential impacts on the threatened marbled murrelet and a deluge of comments against the plan, said Peter Goldmark, state commissioner of public lands. Goldmark, who manages the state Department of Natural Resources, said last week that the Navy's 2010 environmental impact statement on the effects of jet noise on the seabird listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act did not go far enough. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Cleaner streets for cleaner Puget Sound planned
Copper, zinc, phosphorous and other pollutants build up on Seattle’s streets before rain washes them into storm drains and waterways that lead to Puget Sound. During heavy rains, the sewer system fills up and the problem can worsen. As a solution, the city plans to double the coverage of its street-cleaning program, hoping to scour at least 40 additional tons of pollutants from roadways each year before they can reach the Sound. The $800,000 street-cleaning expansion — meant to help satisfy a consent agreement with state and federal authorities to rein in combined sewage overflows — also is the frugal way to go, officials said. Miguel Otarola reports. (Seattle Times)

Navy offers new option for proposed Port Angeles submarine escort pier
The Navy has announced the location of a fourth alternative site for a proposed pier at Ediz Hook, where a plethora of activity already is taking place. The new location was offered to mollify concerns expressed by the Puget Sound Pilots and others about the $16.7 million proposal, which would provide a dock for up to seven Navy submarine escort vessels. But the route of the vessels as they proceed to the newest-option pier also places them within 100 feet of Seattle-based Icicle Seafoods Inc.’s Atlantic-salmon fish farm. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Fir Island Farms Reserve closed to public for dike setback
Public access is now closed to the Fir Island Farms Reserve, where heavy machinery will begin moving dirt and materials next week for the start of a two-year tidal marsh restoration project, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday. The project, which is being done on Fish and Wildlife land on Fir Island, will set back the existing mile-long dike about 5,500 feet to reopen 131 acres of tidal marsh in the Skagit River Delta to fish and wildlife. Kimberley Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Whatcom charter review board targets environmental groups
Conservatives on the county Charter Review Commission and their allies have a strategy for fixing what they say is wrong with Whatcom County. In addition to recommending more local representation on the council through district-only voting, a task they finished in February, they seek to de-fund “special interest groups” that support environmental causes. At the May 18 charter review meeting, Michelle Luke, who was endorsed by Republicans during her unsuccessful campaign for council in 2013, said district-only voting was needed to correct the excessive protections placed on rural land by conservation nonprofits…. Commissioners on May 18 didn’t mention by name any of the nonprofits they were targeting, but it appeared they were referring to conservation advocacy groups such as Futurewise and RE Sources for Sustainable Communities. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Olympic National Park's newest attraction is made out of an old dam
The west rim of the Glines Canyon overlook is finished and ready for visitors, just in time for summer. Perched on what was once the spillway of the 210-foot-tall Glines Canyon Dam, the overlook offers expansive views of a wide valley that previously held the Lake Mills reservoir. The Elwha River, released by breaching of the dam that was finished in August, now flows freely through the deep canyon just below the viewpoint. (Peninsula Daily News)

Drought Conditions Reach Unexpected Corners Of Northwest
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows almost all of eastern Oregon and parts of eastern Washington are now in severe drought. But the dry conditions are also reaching into corners of the Northwest that usually remain relatively lush. An example is the south fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. The river feels different and is slower than normal. Jessica Robinson reports. (EarthFix)

Will fake killer whale fool sea lions in Astoria — and what if it does?
Chris Dunagan writes: "I was eager to find out if a 32-foot fiberglass replica of a killer whale could scare off a huge number of sea lions crowded together on the docks in Astoria, Ore. I kept telling my wife Sue, “It’s not going to work” — and I had not the slightest idea that the motorized orca might capsize during its attempt to frighten the persistent sea lions…." (Watching Our Water Ways)

Calls mount for B.C. to take stronger action against invasive mussels
With the start of summer boating season in British Columbia’s freshwater lakes, the annual game of chance begins: The provincial government is gambling that it can prevent any boats contaminated with invasive mussels from launching within its borders. B.C. introduced its new mobile decontamination units on May 29, to check boats coming from other parts of North America for signs of quagga and zebra mussels. The rapidly reproducing invaders can hitchhike on boats, marine trailers and fishing gear. Once they have a foothold they choke out native species, clog infrastructure such as water intakes, and leave beaches littered with piercing shells. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 8 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 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

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6/5 Hot times, Wild Olympics, BC LNG, BC pipe, CG fines, orca track, fake killer, sick water, fracking

Feeling like summer!
One word — sunscreen!  Keep it handy today and this weekend.  Also, drink lots of water.  And enjoy what will be the warmest weekend of the year so far. High pressure aloft will dominate today and through the weekend for sunny skies and warm temps.  We’ll top out close to 80 today and get into the mid 80s over the weekend.  Some of our foothills communities and perhaps Olympia southward it could nudge 90. M.J. McDermott forecasts (KCPQ) See also: Heat wave coming to Vancouver Saturday and Sunday will be the hottest days of this spell  (CBC) And if you really care: When forecasts disagree who do you trust?  Cliff Mass explains. (Weather Blog)

Murray, Kilmer reintroduce Wild Olympics wilderness bill; familiar opponents begin to take aim at legislation
Wild Olympics legislation is headed for its fourth go-around — and fourth sequence of opposition from North Olympic Peninsula timber interests. The federal Wild Olympic and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2015 was introduced in the House on Thursday by U.S. Rep Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, and in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle. Like its 2014 predecessor, the proposed bill would protect 125,554 acres of Olympic National Forest and 464 miles of 19 rivers and major tributaries on the North Olympic Peninsula. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

B.C. LNG facilities may not be built until after 2020, report says
The provincial government and the gas industry are continuing to send a positive message about LNG development in British Columbia, but critics are saying a new report has exposed a harsh reality. B.C. may not see any LNG facilities built until after 2020, according to the International Energy Agency, which reported Thursday that the world market is flooded with liquefied natural gas. Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

Kinder Morgan pledges to protect against oil spills
Kinder Morgan is pledging to protect against any threat of oil spills caused by its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, as opposition to the project mounts in British Columbia. The energy-shipping giant showed off its marine and storage terminals in Burnaby, B.C., on Thursday, detailing new safety measures it is promising to introduce if the $5.4-billion expansion is approved. Senior director of marine development Michael Davies said Western Canada Marine Response Corp., the agency responsible for spill cleanup, will invest $100-million in new equipment. Laura Kane reports. (Globe and Mail)

Oil, gas, coal industries want Washington, British Columbia as permanent home ports
Shell’s exploration fleet is due to depart Seattle soon for the Arctic, but other energy industries are planning their own home ports up and down the West Coast, from the Columbia River to the Salish Sea to British Columbia’s North Coast. The public’s attention will wane at its peril.  Public understanding of the gains and pains of Big Oil and Big Coal’s plans for the Northwest is strongly advised. The waters of Puget Sound, Georgia Strait and the Inland Passage are fast becoming a chosen path for shipment of coal, liquid natural gas, and — if many in Congress have their way — oil to China and other fast-developing Asian markets. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Coast Guard could fine Bellingham Shell protesters
The Coast Guard is seeking fines against four protestors who approached or attached themselves to Shell’s Arctic Challenger in Bellingham Bay. Two of the protestors, Chiara D’Angelo and Matthew Fuller, clipped onto the oil spill response vessel’s anchor chain at various times between May 22 and 24. D’Angelo stayed on the chain for three nights, while Fuller joined her for part of one night. Both were eventually assisted down from the chain by the Coast Guard. During the three-day protest, geared against Shell’s plans to drill for oil in the Arctic, Cody Erdman and Paul Adler also drove boats or rafts into the 100-yard safety zone the Coast Guard had set up around the ship. Erdman also was on the anchor chain at one point, said Lt. Dana Warr, a Coast Guard spokesman. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Orcas back at Columbia River as 2015 tracking comes to an end
Orcas made it back to the vicinity of the Long Beach Peninsula in time for the Memorial Day weekend as this year’s satellite-tracking program came to an end…. Orca L84, an adult male member of the L pod of Southern Resident Killer Whales usually identified with Puget Sound, along with other family members, made a rapid swim from the west coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island to the Columbia River plume between May 11 and May 17, NOAA Fisheries West Coast-Science & Management reported. (Daily Astorian)

Fake orca runs into trouble before it can scare sea lions
An effort to use a fake orca to scare off hundreds of sea lions crowding docks off the Oregon coast has ended, at least temporarily, with the fiberglass creature belly-up after it was swamped by a passing ship. Still, Port of Astoria Executive Director Jim Knight says the sea lions briefly "got deathly silent" Thursday evening when the orca sailed into view. That was just before it started listing and tipped over. He says there's "a chance" they'll try the orca again Friday. Earlier Thursday, officials had to find a replacement motor for the 32-foot killer whale replica that belongs to a whale watching business. It was brought overland from Bellingham, Washington. (Associated Press)

Health officials warn swimmers of bacteria in Thea Foss Waterway
Health officials are warning swimmers to avoid the Thea Foss Waterway for the time being. Wading or swimming near the dock at Johnnys or the Esplanade downtown is inadvisable, because high levels of bacteria in the water could increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said in a notice Thursday. Alexis Krell reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

EPA Finds No Widespread Drinking Water Pollution From Fracking
The Environmental Protection Agency says it finds no evidence that hydraulic fracturing — better known as fracking — has led to widespread pollution of drinking water. The oil industry and its backers welcome the long-awaited study while environmental groups criticize it. Jeff Brady reports. (NPR)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 248 AM PDT FRI JUN 5 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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"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

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4/1 Orca births, herring talks, Nature Conservancy, B'ham port, GOP budget, old ferries, climate, BP spill

Elwha River, 3/26/15 (Tom Roodra/Coastal Watershed Institute)

Could Seattle's Tunnel Deliver Salmon Salvation?
The tunneling machine known as Bertha has been stuck beneath the Seattle waterfront since December 2013, stalling construction and racking up millions in cost overruns. One local engineering firm has a fresh idea for the fumbling tunneling project: Instead of moving Subarus through the heart of the city, the tunnel should be used by salmon. "What we’ve found is the leftover tunnel could be an outstanding, if not the perfect, conduit to help our coho friends make their way from Puget Sound into Lake Union," said Don Meadows, lead engineer at Seattle-based Subterranean Design Group. Ashley Ahearn entertains. (KUOW)

Mystery of the orca moms rekindled by birth of another J-pod whale
A newborn orca calf in J pod extends the ongoing baby boom for the three Southern Resident pods, but it also rekindles a debate about motherhood — namely who is the mom of J-50 and now J-52. The new calf is the fourth to be born since just before the new year. Three of the young ones are in J pod and one is in L pod, bringing the total population of the three pods to 81 — or 82 if you count Lolita in Miami Seaquarium. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

New blog: Eating Together… Can We Talk?
I’m anticipating the day when the waitperson serving my chicken pad thai sits down and wants to talk about eating. I guess I’d have to start off with the one thing I don’t like:

Heiltsuk First Nation in talks about herring fishery
B.C.'s Heiltsuk Nation says it is now in talks with federal officials about a disputed herring fishery in its central coast territory but has yet to see a resolution. The First Nation issued a news release that says its representatives met Monday in Heiltsuk territory with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans regional director general, Sue Farlinger…. The First Nation says Farlinger has now offered to set aside areas for Heiltsuk food, social, and ceremonial fisheries, but the nation wants a guarantee that the fishery will be closed to commercial harvesters. (Canadian Press)

Conservancy buys $7M in timberland on Olympic Peninsula
The Nature Conservancy has purchased 3,184 acres of Rayonier timberlands in the Hoh River drainage in a $7 million acquisition that is part of a broader forest-restoration effort on the Olympic Peninsula. The land sale, which closed Monday, will help in the creation of a 32-mile conservation corridor extending from the Olympic National Park to the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Port of Bellingham: Harcourt can start to rebuild waterfront site, Granary
A decade after the Port of Bellingham purchased a contaminated waterfront site, the Port Commission unanimously cleared the way for an Irish development firm to start the first work there. The three commissioners gave the OK to sign onto a development agreement with Dublin-based Harcourt Developments during an extended special meeting Tuesday, March 31, after hours of public comment and discussion about the agreement. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Washington Senate Republicans Increase Spending, Reject Higher Taxes In Budget
Majority Republicans in the Washington state Senate unveiled a no-new-taxes budget Tuesday that would still boost spending by $4 billion. The Senate plan stands in sharp contrast to a proposal last week from House Democrats. But House and Senate budget writers seem agree on one thing: a double-digit percentage increase in state spending is appropriate over the next two years. How they get there is another matter. Austin Jenkins reports. (KUOW)

The Problem With Having Ferries In Their Late 40s
…. Forty percent of Washington’s fleet is over age 40, and the state’s policy is to try to keep vessels until they reach age 60. But older vessels break down more often. Currently the vessels that spend the most time out of service because of maintenance or breakdowns are the ones in their late 40s. Washington is building new ferries to replace several that are now pushing 60. But the Tacoma crisis revealed that replacing older ferries won’t solve an important stressor: the lack of standby vessels. Carolyn Adolph reports. (KUOW)

US makes climate pledge to UN
The US has pledged to tackle climate change by cutting its carbon emissions 26-28% by 2025. The US announcement said: "The target is fair and ambitious. The United States has already undertaken substantial policy action to reduce its emissions. Additional action to achieve the 2025 target represents a substantial acceleration of the current pace of greenhouse gas emission reductions. Achieving the 2025 target will require a further emission reduction of 9-11% beyond our 2020 target compared to the 2005 baseline and a substantial acceleration of the 2005-2020 annual pace of reduction, to 2.3-2.8 percent per year, or an approximate doubling." Roger Harrabin reports. (BBC)

Five years after Deepwater Horizon, wildlife still struggling dolphins dying in high numbers; sea turtles failing to nest
As the five-year anniversary of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig approaches, a new report looks at how twenty species of wildlife are faring in the aftermath of the disaster. (Science Daily)

Now (no fooling), your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED APR 1 2015
TODAY
SW WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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"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

6/25 Wild Oly, climate change, oil trains, Elwha film, Kitsap Water Trail, submarine canyon

Wild Olympics/This American Land

If you like to watch: Wild Olympics
Washington’s Wild Olympics and the local effort to safeguard its clean water and old growth forests are highlighted in an upcoming episode of the television series This American Land, which airs nationwide on PBS stations. Check out the segment which features interviews with a number of Olympic Peninsula community members working to permanently protect ancient forests and salmon streams on Olympic National Forest as wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers.

New blog: What Does It Mean To Be Canadian?
I ask that having being in Montreal these last three days, reading signs in French, conversing with bartenders in English and having a great bowl of Nouilles de Lan zhou in a tiny restaurant in Chinatown where everyone was speaking Chinese...

Money men tally cost of climate change
Climate change is likely to exact enormous costs on U.S. regional economies in the form of lost property, reduced industrial output and more deaths, according to a report backed by a trio of men with vast business experience. The report, released Tuesday, is designed to convince businesses to factor in the cost of climate change in their long-term decisions and to push for reductions in emissions blamed for heating the planet. It was commissioned by the Risky Business Project, which describes itself as nonpartisan and is chaired by former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and Thomas F. Steyer, a former hedge fund manager. Jonathan Fahey reports. (Associated Press) See also: Bipartisan Report Tallies High Toll on Economy From Global Warming Justin Gillis reports. (NY Times) Read the report, Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States

Whatcom County gets 5 Bakken oil trains per week, BNSF report shows
Five trains loaded with Bakken crude oil roll through Whatcom County each week, according to BNSF Railway figures released by Washington state on Tuesday, June 24. That ranked on the low end for Washington state. Kickitat County gets the most BNSF trains carrying Bakken crude, at 19 per week. Snohomish gets 10 and Skagit County nine, according to the BNSF data. The information came from a one-week count of rail traffic, for May 29-June 4. Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy) See also: Ferndale senator's handling of oil safety hearing slammed by critics  Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Screening of 'Return of the River' planned Thursday in Port Angeles; admission free for Elwha documentary showing
After four years of filming, editing, testing and re-editing, a documentary of the restoration of the Elwha River is ready for prime time — but not before a test screening in front of the Port Angeles public. “Return of the River” will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday at Peninsula College's Little Theater, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd. Arwyn Rice reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Kitsap Water Trail earns national designation
The Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails is one the newest National Water Trails. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis Tuesday named it and the Black Canyon Water Trail in Nevada and Arizona into the National Water Trails system....
The two new trails join a system of 14 locally managed water trails throughout the country. Federal, state and local partners have worked together on these trails to increase access to water-based outdoor recreation, encourage community stewardship and promote local tourism.

Oceanographers Discover the Headwaters of Puget Sound
Scientists may have discovered the source of the Pacific Northwest’s legendary rich waters, in a submarine canyon in the deep ocean. University of Washington oceanographers published their findings in March: a surging flow of nutrient-rich warm water from the deep ocean canyon between the U.S. and Canada is swept into the Puget Sound at 20-30 times the rate at which river water comes into Puget Sound from the land. Katie Jennings reports. (QUEST/KQED)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUN 25 2014
TODAY
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

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"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

6/24 EPA rule, Oso slide, BC pollution, oil train info, ship bell, Wild Olympics

Supreme Court upholds rules curbing greenhouse gases from power plants
The Supreme Court in a split decision Monday upheld most of the Obama administration’s environmental rules designed to limit greenhouse gases from power plants. The outcome is likely to be welcomed by environmentalists because it confirms the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to restrict greenhouse gases. The justices handed down two separate rulings in a dispute over permits for new or modified power plants and factories. In a 7-2 vote, the justices agreed the Environmental Protection Agency could force major polluters to use new and better technology to limit their emissions of carbon dioxide.... But in a separate 5-4 vote, the court struck down an EPA regulation that could have extended the required greenhouse gas permits to millions of other facilities. Scalia said EPA had stretched the law to cover new facilities that were not major polluters. While most of the court’s opinion dealt with the rejected permitting rules, the court said EPA had won more than it had lost. David Savage reports. (LA Times)

County Council to take up land use in slide areas
Homebuilders and conservationists are honing arguments to sway the Snohomish County Council's policy decisions about building near landslide zones. They'll get to put their powers of persuasion to the test during a hearing scheduled Wednesday. That's when county lawmakers plan to take up proposed land-use changes reacting to the catastrophic Oso mudslide. They could vote to pass some into law, after two months of back-and-forth. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald) See also: Mudslide geological data to be released soon  Chris Winters reports. (Everett Herald)

Polluters now face fines of up to $75,000
Polluters could face stiff new fines of up to $75,000 under administrative penalties announced by the government on Monday. The new penalties fill “a gap” between warnings, violation tickets and criminal prosecutions for such offences as dumping waste, the government said in a statement. Those violations include releasing too much of a regulated substance into the environment, and not following other regulatory rules under the Environmental Management Act and Integrated Pest Management Act. Fines would fall into categories of $2,000, $10,000, $40,000 and $75,000 depending on the offence, the Ministry of Environment said in a statement. (Vancouver Sun)

BNSF Won’t Seek Injunction To Stop Release Of Oil Train Info In Washington
BNSF Railway says it’s not going to court before Monday’s deadline to block Washington state from releasing oil train notification information under its public records law. “BNSF does not intend to file an injunction regarding prospective handling of the information provided,” spokeswoman Courtney Wallace wrote in an email Monday. “The determination about how such information is controlled or communicated is ultimately a decision for the federal government and subsequently the Washington State Emergency Response Commission.” Tony Schick reports. (EarthFix) See also: Wash. state senators say public has right to know about oil trains

Original Adventuress bell to be reunited with schooner in Port Townsend
A belle of the seas is getting her bell back. Lost for 99 years, the schooner Adventuress’ original ship’s bell arrived in Washington state Sunday after being retrieved from a Belmont, Calif., family by cinematographer John Leben and Catherine Collins, executive director of Sound Experience, the Port Townsend-based nonprofit that owns and operates the vessel for youth education programs. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Wild Olympics legislation an investment in environmental, economic future, proponent tells Jefferson County chamber
The Wild Olympics bill represents an investment in the future that makes good economic and environmental sense, a speaker told the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday. “Business owners willingly tell you what they do, but they won’t always tell you why,” said Roy Nott, president of Surfactor Americas LLC in Centralia, a manufacturer of surfaces for the woodworking industry. “In this case, my ‘why’ has to do with my 6-year-old granddaughter Mariam and her peers and their future.” Nott addressed about 45 people at the chamber’s weekly meeting at the Port Townsend Elks Club. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE JUN 24 2014
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY...
 MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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"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

5/28 BC pipe, oil trains, Vic sewage, good coal, beluga breeding, Hoh mercury, landslide buyout

(PHOTO: Bill Evans @BillEvansPhoto)

If you like to watch: Bill Evans @BillEvansPhoto does very nice work. "Morning Run on @wsferries from #LopezIsland #Travel" See Bill Evans Photography.

Kinder Morgan blueprint for Trans Mountain pipeline allows for another 240,000 barrels a day
Kinder Morgan Canada Inc. is designing its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion with room to significantly boost capacity even as the company seeks approval to nearly triple oil deliveries on the existing system. The expansion scenario, which would add 240,000 barrels a day to the existing proposal, is buried near the end of a response the company filed with regulators this month as part of an ongoing review of a $5.4-billion plan to increase capacity of the Edmonton-to-Vancouver oil pipeline to 890,000 barrels a day, from 300,000 barrels today. Jeff Lewis reports. (Financial Times)

Sharp Rise in West Coast Oil Trains, Fears Abound
Residents along the scenic Columbia River are hoping to persuade regulators to reject plans for what would be the Pacific Northwest's largest crude oil train terminal — the proposed destination for at least four trains a day, each more than a mile long. The increasing numbers of trains, each carrying tens of thousands of barrels of potentially volatile crude from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota, have raised concerns around the country after nine accidents in the past year, including one last month in Virginia.... The fight over the terminal underscores a new reality on the West Coast: The region is receiving unprecedented amounts of crude oil by rail shipments, mostly from the oil boom in North Dakota, Montana and parts of Canada. More than a dozen oil-by-rail refining facilities and terminals have been built in California, Oregon and Washington in the past three years. As a result, long oil trains are already rolling through rural and urban areas alike — including along the iconic Columbia. Another two dozen new projects or expansions are planned or in the works in those three states. Gosia Wozniacka reports. (Associated Press)

New blog: Commencement 2014: Thinking About What Sally Jewell Didn’t Say At Whitman College
First, a loud shout out to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell for a fine commencement address at Whitman College’s commencement this past Sunday. She talked salmon and she talked about and quoted Billy Frank, Jr., who is on his way to an iconic, mythic stature. I just hope the graduates really listened and heard Billy’s words....

Victoria sewage plant won't get provincial push
B.C.'s Environment Minister Mary Polak says she will not intervene in the fight over where to put Victoria's new sewage treatment plant. "After giving the request due consideration, the province will not attempt to override the zoning decisions of the duly elected Esquimalt council, said Polak in a statement issued on Tuesday morning. The Capital Regional District asked Polak to step in last month, after the Township of Esquimalt refused to rezone land at McLoughlin Point, which the CRD purchased last year at a cost of $4.6 million. The move, which effectively blocks plans to build on the site, leaves the CRD without a location for the plant, after eight years of planning. The CRD has been ordered by the provincial government to have a plant up and running by 2016. The federal government has set its own deadline of 2020. Mike Laanela reports.  (CBC) See also: CRD drops plan to build sewage plant in Esquimalt, next step unclear  Bill Cleverley and Lindsay Kines report. (Times Colonist) And watch: Dumping Raw Sewage is Not Okay

Coal industry highlights economic contributions to B.C.
The Coal Alliance is combating growing public opposition to expanded coal shipments through the Lower Mainland with claims its area terminals directly pump tens of millions of dollars into cities throughout B.C. annually. B.C.’s coal industry ­— including the Lower Mainland’s three main shipping terminals, its mines and transportation sector — collectively spent more than $584 million buying goods and services in B.C. since 2009, according to the Alliance. Matthew Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Vancouver Aquarium's beluga breeding 'indefensible' says Jane Goodall
Renowned conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall has entered the growing controversy over the Vancouver Aquarium's beluga  program, penning a letter to the park board saying that on-site cetacean breeding is "no longer defensible by science." In her letter, Goodall says the high mortality rates of such programs and the complex social and sensory lives of the animals are reasons to end the program. (CBC)

Seattle Fishermen Mark 100 Years Of Toil (And Fabulous Fall Paydays)
You know it's the start of the fishing season at Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle when a familiar smell is in the air: coconut-scented sunscreen. The Alaska salmon fishing season is about to start its 100th year in operation out of Fishermen’s Terminal in the Interbay area of Seattle. The terminal was an early creation of the Port of Seattle, which recognized the need to create a snug harbor for the city’s growing fishing fleet. Today, many of the vessels operating there start by heading to Alaska, and by early fall they are fishing salmon in Puget Sound. Carolyn Adolph reports. (KUOW)

High levels of mercury found in fish at Olympic National Park's Hoh Lake
High levels of mercury have been found in fish from a lake in Olympic National Park and in remote areas of other Western national parks, proving that even the most isolated lakes and streams in the U.S. aren't immune to mercury pollution. The finding was included in a recently published study by the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service. (Peninsula Daily News)

One County’s Controversial Move To Protect Homeowners From Landslide Risk
Canyon Creek comes plunging fast and steep down the Cascade Mountains near Mount Baker.It rushes past the community of Glacier Springs before meeting the Nooksack River 25 miles east of Bellingham. When landslides upstream induce big floods, the river has been known to take some homes with it. Since the March 22 Oso landslide killed 42 people, county governments in the Northwest have been thinking more about how to plan for and mitigate the risk of landslides. There may be some lessons to be learned from Whatcom County, which bought out 31 property owners in the Glacier Springs flood zone. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 246 AM PDT WED MAY 28 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

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