11/30 Vic sewer, climate summit, orcas, BNSF spill, BC LNG, karst, fishers, water trade, pay-to-read

Mr. Floatie is engaged (KCTS9)

Victoria's Royal Flush: Lack of Sewage Treatment Still Creating a Cross-Border Stink
After three decades of promises, Victoria, British Columbia, is still pumping raw sewage into shared waters and is nowhere near a treatment solution. In November, heavy rains hit Vancouver Island, and the beaches in and around Victoria, British Columbia, became health hazards. Storm water and sewage overflowed, which happens in Seattle, too. But in Victoria, it’s a more urgent situation because the metropolitan area of 340,000 citizens doesn’t treat its sewage. This is not the vision that people have of Victoria, the elegant and proper capital of British Columbia. “Most people, when they visit Victoria and they are told we don’t have sewage treatment, are shocked,” says Jim McIssac, who heads up the T Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation. Jenny Cunningham reports. (KCTS)

Bill Gates to commit billions for clean energy
Bill Gates will announce the creation of a multibillion-dollar clean-energy fund Monday at the opening of a Paris summit intended to forge a global accord to cut planet-warming emissions, according to people with knowledge of the plans. The fund, which one of the sources described as the largest such effort in history, is meant to pay for research and development of new clean-energy technologies. It will include contributions from other billionaires and philanthropies, and a commitment by the United States to double its budget for clean-energy research and development, according to the sources, who asked not to be identified. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times) See also: Gov. Inslee takes climate-change campaign to Paris conference  Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times) And: Olympia mayor headed to Paris for climate summit  (Olympian)

Vancouver's Climate March takes over downtown with thousands
British Columbians turned out in the thousands to walk in Vancouver's Global Climate March. The grassroots movement was led by various environmental groups and First Nations. (CBC) See also: Gregor Robertson talks climate change strategy with Justin Trudeau in Paris  (CBC)

Killer whale salmon catches all in the family, B.C. study finds
A single salmon may represent a mere morsel to a killer whale, but it is still worth sharing with the family, according to a federal Fisheries study of B.C.’s northern resident orcas. “We watched these animals take salmon, break them apart and then share them with one another,” said Brianna Wright, a federal fisheries technician with the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo. “That increases your overall fitness because your DNA is shared with everyone and is being passed on. You’re helping your relatives to reproduce and survive.” Speaking at a weekend marine mammal symposium at the University of B.C., Wright noted that neither sex of the killer whales leaves the matriarchical line into which they are born. “It’s highly unusual,” she said. “They’re one of the most … stay-with-family groups of animals that exist.” Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Deal cuts BNSF’s potential hazardous spill fines by 90 percent
Burlington Northern Santa Fe would be fined $71,700 for failing to timely report several hazardous materials spills, including two in Everett, under a settlement reached with Utilities and Transportation Commission staff. Under the proposed deal, commissioners would suspend $40,000 of the penalty as long as the company commits no new violations of the statewide accident reporting rules in the next year. A final order accepting the agreement and imposing the penalty could be issued by the commission before the end of the year. The proposed penalty would be a fraction of the $700,000 in potential fines the company originally faced following an investigation of 14 spills which occurred between Nov. 1, 2014 and Feb. 24, 2015. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

Malahat First Nation's new leadership mulls LNG plant
It is still unclear what a new Malahat First Nation chief and council will mean for a contentious floating liquefied natural gas plant proposed for its land on Saanich Inlet. A few weeks after electing Caroline Harry as chief, the First Nation isn’t saying much about any new direction or concern it has about the project that was undertaken in partnership with Steelhead LNG by the previous leadership. Malahat chief executive officer Lawrence Lewis said the new chief and council are being briefed. Andrew Duffy reports. (Times Colonist) See also: B.C. LNG sector opposes fast increase in carbon tax Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Inside a fragile landscape
A network of magnificent canyons of marble and limestone known as karst dot B.C.’s coastline — and advocates worry logging is putting them in danger. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Endangered fisher to be reintroduced into Cascade Mountains
A weasel-like predator that disappeared from Washington state decades ago will soon be reintroduced to the Cascade Mountains. State and federal wildlife officials are preparing to re-establish fishers into Mount Rainier and North Cascades national parks and surrounding areas as part of an effort to restore the state-listed endangered animals to their previous range. The dark brown forest-dwelling mammals historically were found throughout much of the forested areas of the state. Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Cantwell measure allows more irrigation in return for fish, land protections
Getting U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell’s bill through committee was definitely a milestone — but whether it marked progress forward toward a more rational and cooperative future or back toward a discredited past will get you an argument. Either way, S. 1694, the Yakima Basin Water Enhancement Project Phase III Act of 2015, sponsored by Cantwell and co-sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray, has been passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, a significant step toward enactment. Daniel Jack Chasan reports. (Crosscut)

Can we be persuaded to pay for online news?
Got any idea of how to make money from news in the online era? Well prepare for the media giants to beat a path to your door, as they struggle with plunging print advertising revenues and an audience that seems to think news should be free. Rory Cellan-Jones reports. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST MON NOV 30 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT
TODAY
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 15 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG IN THE MORNING. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT EASING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 14 SECONDS BUILDING TO SW 11 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY.
--
"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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11/25 Septic sins, freed orca, vessel adrift, BC pipe, oil train DEIS, coal trains, KPLU, Kply, pocket gophers

(BirdNote)

National Symbol - Turkey vs. Eagle
When the eagle was considered for national emblem in 1782, wise Benjamin Franklin championed the turkey. He said: "The Bald Eagle is too lazy to fish for himself; when the Osprey has taken a fish ... the eagle pursues him and takes it away from him. ... Besides he is a rank coward ..." frightened by a kingbird. But the Wild Turkey, Franklin wrote, is "a bird of courage [that] would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards, who should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat on." (BirdNote)

Septic sins catching up with counties
In June, Island County Public Health tacked up a notice at Maple Grove Boat Launch. In careful and official words, it said that wastewater from homes in the area was likely entering the water. Tests showed high levels of fecal coliform. People should stay out of the water. And, while no data showed that shellfish were contaminated, shellfish are filter-feeders, so it was best to play it safe and not eat them…. And while Maple Grove is one example, it’s by no means the only problem. Jeremiah O'Hagan reports. (Stanwood/Camano News)

Orca spotted free of rope tangle near D'Arcy Island
An orca spotted three weeks ago entangled in a rope and float appears to be free, the Pacific Whale Watch Association says. T77A, as the 19-year-old killer whale is known, was photographed off the Thetis Island-Chemainus ferry in Stuart Channel on Nov. 4, prompting a search by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. After a three-week search that the whale watch association was actively involved in, the orca was found Monday afternoon near D’Arcy Island. Michael Reid reports. (Times Colonist)

Large cargo vessel adrift off Haida Gwaii
A large cargo vessel is adrift about 90 kilometres west of Haida Gwaii. The U.S.-flagged M/V North Star – a vehicle carrier, according to ship tracking websites – was en route from Anchorage to Tacoma when it lost propulsion, said Karen Calla, a communications director with the federal department. Canadian Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel Gordon Reid was dispatched from Prince Rupert to support the ship if its crew failed to fix the problem. The ship is expected to reach the North Star early morning Wednesday. Matt Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Burnaby’s battle with Kinder Morgan heads to appeal court
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan says the city will appeal Monday’s B.C. Supreme Court ruling involving Kinder Morgan and the National Energy Board, noting the matter may eventually wind up in the Supreme Court of Canada. “We authorized the appeal (Monday) night at our in camera meeting after hearing from our staff,” said Corrigan. “We will be having further conversations with our lawyer as to the right way to proceed.” Brian Morton reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Plan would boost oil-train traffic
A major oil terminal proposed for Vancouver would bring an additional 28 oil trains per week across Washington and spawn a new era of oil tanker traffic down the Columbia River, a draft state study says. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Analysis forecasts derailment every other year if oil train terminal is built  Curtis Tate reports. (McClatchy) Read: Tesoro Savage Vancouver Energy Project Draft EIS

Study: Coal Trains Pollute More Than Diesel Trains Into The Columbia Gorge
A study from the University of Washington shows coal trains are releasing more pollution into the Columbia River Gorge than freight trains. The trains emitted about twice the particulates as diesel freight trains, according to the study. The study also found that coal trains with uncovered cars were major polluters of the Gorge. They polluted at six times the rate of diesel trains. Eric Tegethoff reports. (EarthFix)

KPLU Listeners Express Anger Over Station's Surprise Sale To KUOW
More than 200 people showed up at a meeting of KPLU’s Community Advisory Council on Monday to express frustration over the recently announced sale of the public radio station to the University of Washington, and its licensee KUOW. The meeting gave the public its first chance to offer feedback on a sale negotiated without much attention ahead of its announcement on November 12. And there wasn't a lot of gray area there. People came to talk about why they support the station's mix of jazz and news, and to vent their frustrations over its sudden sale. Zachariah Hughes reports. (KPLU) See also: Public station, private owners: KPLU sold amid university’s financial struggles  David Kroman reports. (Crosscut)

Rain delays KPly site cleanup in Port Angeles; work might resume in July
Mud. Awww, crud. Heavy rains have turned earth to muck and interrupted cleanup of the Port of Port Angeles' former KPly mill site barely three weeks before contractors hoped to finish the 19-acre tract at 439 Marine Drive. Chris Hartman, director of engineering, told port commissioners Tuesday the work might resume in July after soaked soils dry out enough for contractors to backfill and compact them. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Lawsuit filed against Thurston County over pocket gopher process
Olympia Master Builders, the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce, and Hinkle Homes filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in Lewis County Superior Court over Thurston County’s interim permitting process put in place to protect the Mazama pocket gopher, according to a news release. In April 2014, four subspecies of the pocket gopher — known as the Olympia, Roy Prairie, Tenino and Yelm pocket gophers — were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In June, the county began using a review process for building permit applications that was recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in response to the gopher listing. Lisa Pemberton reports. (Olympian)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 258 AM PST WED NOV 25 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 12 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.

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10/27 BC sea lice, Bowman Bay, fracking, Mukilteo terminal, F for FOIA

(PHOTO: Larry Hubbell)

If you like to watch: Trick or Treat
Larry Hubbell photographs and blogs: "This week I was attracted by the loudest cacophony of crow calls I have ever heard. It was not the usual sound of a dozen of crows harassing a perched predator. Nor was it the peaceful sound of crows gathering to roost for the night. The pine trees in the Arboretum were full of forty or fifty crows, calling chaotically. The noise was almost deafening…." (Union Bay Watch) [Thanks to Dan Pederson for the link.]

If you like to watch: Transient orca punts a seal 80 feet into the air near Victoria, BC!  (Roll.Focus. Productions)

B.C. salmon farmers to publish monthly sea lice numbers
B.C. salmon farmers will publish sea lice counts and treatment information monthly for every farm on the coast, according to the industry’s 2015 sustainability report released Monday. Sea lice are natural parasites of salmon that can be passed between fish in net-pen farms and wild stocks and make the fish more susceptible to infection and disease, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Juvenile wild salmon that acquire sea lice while migrating from fresh water to their ocean habitat may suffer increased mortality, studies show. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Beach at Bowman Bay to close for restoration
The beach at Bowman Bay in Deception Pass State Park will be closed to the public Tuesday for a three-week shoreline restoration project. The beach area was developed into a fish hatchery in the 1940s and then crushed and buried on site in the 1970s, Deception Pass State Park Manager Jack Hartt said. The Northwest Straits Foundation is leading a project to restore 540 linear feet and about an acre of shoreline on the beach, according to a state parks news release. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Fracking, landslide blamed for contamination of Northern B.C. creek
A relentless landslide that's contaminated a source of drinking water near a community in northeastern B.C. has residents blaming oil and gas exploration's effects underground for causing the slide that's contaminating the creek with silt and heavy metals. Farmers and ranchers near Hudson's Hope say they've lost their sole water source and blame landslides on changes to underground aquifers and land stability because of nearby fracking and the effect of two nearby hydro dams, but officials say there is no proof of this. Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC)

Feds kick in $10M for new Mukilteo ferry terminal
The state learned Monday it will be getting a $10 million federal grant that should be the final piece of funding required for the new Mukilteo ferry terminal. “These funds cement our ability to get a good project for the community,” said state Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood. He, other lawmakers representing Snohomish and Island counties and state transportation officials have been trying for years to secure money to pay for the $129 million project that will put a new passenger terminal on the former tank farm site, one-third of a mile east of the existing facility.
Lawmakers earmarked chunks of dollars in the past two transportation budgets and then allocated $68.6 million in proceeds from the gas tax increase approved this summer. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

B.C. government gets an F in freedom of information audit
An organization representing Canada's newspapers says the B.C. government is failing to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests in a timely manner.  "They're basically operating outside of both the spirit and the letter of the law," said Fred Vallance-Jones a project leader with Newspapers Canada's audit. The audit was taken before the office of the B.C. privacy commissioner released its own report into the provincial government's practice of deleting emails. The report states: "British Columbia, with its 30-business-day legal standard, received an F for speed of responses and a B for completeness of disclosure." (CBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE OCT 27 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 15 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AFTER
 MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 16 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 8 FT AT 16 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT.
--
"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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7/28 Marbled murrelet, drought, aquifer, BC LNG, science reporting, whale deaths, Nisqually

Marbled murrelet (Rich MacIntosh/USFWS/Seattle Times)

Little seabird’s advocates hope protection plan is near
In 1992, a small, speedy seabird called the marbled murrelet was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Its home — the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest — had dwindled, leaving it few places to nest. Twenty-three years later, the population of the bird has continued to decline. By some counts, its numbers are 50 percent lower than they were a decade ago. Now its advocates have joined together in a new campaign to save the bird, which can fly at up to 100 mph, swims underwater and has a roundish body. Maria Mudd-Ruth, whose 2005 book about the species was reissued in 2013, described it as a “brown potato with a beak.” The Murrelet Survival Project, which started last August, is pressuring the state and federal governments to come up with a long-term conservation plan, aimed at increasing the murrelet’s nesting habitat. Miguel Otarola reports. (Seattle Times)

Water Shortage Response Plans Ask For Conservation, Don't Mandate It
Seattle, Tacoma and Everett have activated their water shortage response plans. The hot, dry weather has increased demand for water just as river levels are at historic lows. Seattle Public Utilities, Tacoma Public Utilities and the city of Everett issued a joint  release announcing the implementation of the first stage of the response plans. In the first stage, no one will be forced to stop watering their lawn…. If water supplies go too low, Seattle, Tacoma and Everett, which supplies water for most of Snohomish County, would move to stage two, which would mean asking customers to voluntarily cut back. Under stage 3, mandatory restrictions would kick in. Paula Wissel reports. (KPLU) See also: Drought prompts water-use advisories in Everett, Seattle and Tacoma  Chris Winters reports. (Everett Herald) See also: Tacoma Water joins Seattle, Everett in water shortage plan  Kate Martin reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Massive underground aquifer helping to keep Vancouver green
As Vancouver increasingly relies on an underground aquifer to water its street trees and the Langara golf course in the midst of this summer’s punishing drought, one hydrology expert is cautioning that we don’t know enough about how readily it can be replenished. For more than 25 years, Vancouver’s parks department has used the city’s largest aquifer to irrigate its Langara golf course, taking pressure off the region’s treated drinking water supplies. Now, as the Lower Mainland experiences a drought that shows no signs of ending, Vancouver is considering gently expanding its use of the vast underground Oakridge aquifer for non-potable water needs. Jeff Lee reports. (Vancouver Sun)

B.C. LNG job numbers overstated, report claims
The B.C. Liberal government’s claim that liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports will create 100,000 jobs is a vastly exaggerated forecast, says a report by a think tank that has touched off a controversy about how much of an employment boon the sector will actually create. “We find that this claim is not credible and that potential employment impacts have been grossly overstated,” said the study by the left-leaning Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

A few random thoughts about reporting and environmental science
Christopher Dunagan, who retired from daily reporting at the Kitsap Sun and now blogs, wrote of his 35 years of reporting: … "I grew up believing that science was a particular set of facts that explained the workings of nature. For the longest time, I failed to see that the most important thing about science was formulating the right questions about things we don’t know. Science teachers should, of course, convey what is known, but I believe they should also lead their students to the edge of the unknown, revealing some of the questions that scientists are attempting to answer right now. That is what much of my reporting on Puget Sound has been about. We’ve known for years that the health of the waterway is in decline. It has been rewarding to help people understand why things have been going wrong and what can be done to reverse the downward trends. While there is much work to do, we’re at a point where we can expect Puget Sound residents to limit their damage to the ecosystem and become part of the restoration effort." (Watching Our Water Ways)

Scientist: Whale deaths off Alaska island remains mystery
Researchers may never solve the recent deaths of 18 endangered whales whose carcasses were found floating near Alaska's Kodiak Island, a scientist working on the case said Monday. Samples taken from one of the 10 fin whales were at least a week old, which could throw off test results, said Kate Wynne, a marine mammal specialist for the University of Alaska Sea Grant Program. The carcasses of eight humpback whales also were found. The carcasses of the marine mammals were discovered between Memorial Day weekend and early July. Most of the animals were too decomposed for sampling. Rachel D'Oro reports. (Associated Press)

Explore the Nisqually wildlife refuge during walks, programs
The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is a great destination when you want to get outdoors and only have a few hours to spend. There are several miles of trails for hiking, a multitude of places to watch resident and migrant birds and spots to look for other wildlife. Along with its natural attractions, the refuge also is offering a number of programs in the coming weeks…. The refuge is located just off Interstate 5, at Exit 114. For more information, call the refuge at 360-753-9467 or go to fws.gov/refuge/nisqually. (Olympian)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE JUL 28 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT...BECOMING 2 FT OR LESS IN THE AFTERNOON. W
 SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 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.

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6/9 Budget, Shell drill, warm 'blob,' fish barriers, Vic sewer, BC logging, Laura James, Port Susan, oil train, BC LNG, houseboats

Northern Lights from Mukilteo (Liem Bahneman/KOMO)

If you like to watch: Northern Lights come out to play over Western Washington
They're tough to get in the summertime here due to our shorter periods of darkness, but the Northern Lights managed an appearance (Sunday) night! Liem Bahneman captured this time lapse video from the Mukilteo pier. These photos are using time-exposure, but he said they were visible to the naked eye for a solid three hours. Scott Sisek reports. (KOMO)

Senate budget negotiator: No deal on spending level yet
A Senate budget negotiator disputed statements made last week that indicated lawmakers had reached a tentative deal on the size of Washington state's next two-year budget, saying Monday that the announcement was "premature." Talking with reporters before a Monday afternoon meeting with Gov. Jay Inslee, Republican Sen. John Braun of Centralia, said that talks with House Democrats are still ongoing, and that progress was made over the weekend, but that there's still no agreement on the overall spending level of the budget, tentative or otherwise. Rachel La Corte reports. (Associated Press)

Phones, emails deluged in protest of Shell’s oil-fleet lease
Opponents of Shell Oil’s lease of a Port of Seattle terminal to stage the company’s Arctic drilling fleet have employed a new tactic in their battle against the oil giant: deluging phone lines and email accounts of firms supporting the company’s stay in Seattle. Lewis Kamb reports. Seattle Times)

Ocean 'blob' of warm water bringing poor food for B.C. wild salmon
A University of Victoria oceanographer studying the so-called "warm blob" of water off the B.C. coast has observed unusual, "squishy" visitors from the south — and that could be bad news for young salmon. John Dower, who just returned from a research cruise north of Vancouver Island, said he saw remarkably high amounts of tiny animals called zooplankton in the "blob," a huge mass of ocean water about 2 degrees warmer than normal. And the varieties he saw are normally found off northern California — not Canada. (CBC)

Statewide effort takes aim at removing barriers that block fish
A little-known state board has begun sizing up a daunting task: removing the many barriers that block fish across the state's waterways. That's no small undertaking. The Fish Passage Barrier Removal Board cites about 14,000 such impediments in Washington alone. And that's just the known barriers — the estimated total is closer to 35,000 or 40,000, according to officials involved in the effort. Many are culverts built decades ago. Eric Florip reports. (Columbian)

Environment beats cost controls in sewage-treatment survey
Protecting the environment trumps cost in planning sewage treatment for Saanich, Oak Bay and Victoria, according to an Ipsos Reid survey. When respondents were asked the most important criteria for developing sewage treatment, the single-biggest priority at 31 per cent was: “removal of harmful materials from entering water and/or land.” That was followed by minimizing cost to the taxpayer (19 per cent), safety to residents (15 per cent) and no odour (nine per cent). Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Protests will follow if old-growth logging proceeds on Vancouver Island: group
A British Columbia forest company’s plan to log centuries-old cedar trees in southern Vancouver Island’s Walbran Valley cuts into the heart of one of Canada’s most ecologically sensitive forests, says an environmental group. Wilderness Committee spokesman Torrance Coste said that forest company Teal Jones is courting conflict with environmental groups in its bid to harvest almost 500 hectares of old-growth forest in eight separate land parcels. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

Laura James wins Emmy Award for 'Solving the mystery of the dying starfish'
West Seattle filmmaker/diver/environmentalist Laura James has won a 2015 Emmy® Award in Environmental Feature/Segment in the Northwest Region of the US. The award was presented on June 6 for her underwater video work on Solving the Mystery of Dying Starfish produced by KCTS9's Katie Campbell and edited by Michael Werner. Laura is a Seattle based videographer. This is Laura’s second Emmy®. She won her first Emmy® in 2014 in the Health/Science Feature/Segment category in the Northwest Region for Sea Otters vs. Climate Change produced by Michael Werner for Quest PBS. (West Seattle Herald)

Port Susan estuary takes a hit from warming, low Stillaguamish River flow
The early summer, with its unusually hot days and low snowpack, offers a window into the future for local scientists. Researchers have turned their attention to Port Susan and the mouth of the Stillaguamish River. Important tidal ecosystems there have been dwindling over the past two decades, and a team is studying how tide marshes and estuaries can adapt to a warming climate. Other researches are investigating how changing river flows affect the way sediment is spread, and how that could harm fish and increase flood risks. Kari Bray reports. (Everett Herald)

Discovery Bay beaches in Jefferson closed to shellfish harvest due to biotoxins; Dabob Bay reopens, but with vibrio warning in place
Discovery Bay area beaches have been closed to recreational shellfish harvesting due elevated levels of marine biotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. Recent shellfish samples from the area showed an increase in biotoxins, prompting the state Department of Health closure, according to a Jefferson County Water Quality Program news release Monday. (Peninsula Daily News)

Ecology joins county in EIS for Shell oil-by-rail project
The state Department of Ecology and Skagit County will together review the Shell Puget Sound Refinery’s proposed rail unloading facility under the state Environmental Policy Act…. Skagit County asked the state agency to serve as a co-lead in the preparation of an environmental impact statement, or EIS, for the proposal to build a crude-by-rail facility at the Shell refinery in Anacortes, according to an Ecology news release. In a letter to the Skagit County Board of Commissioners, Ecology Director Maia Bellon said the agency agreed it was a matter of interest both locally and regionally. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Exxon Mobil selects on-shore LNG system for Prince Rupert site
Exxon Mobil Corp. has selected on-shore terminal plans in its quest to export liquefied natural gas from a site near Prince Rupert, B.C., positioning the project as a serious contender. While Pacific NorthWest LNG leads B.C.’s LNG race, Irving, Tex.-based Exxon Mobil and its Canadian affiliate Imperial Oil Ltd. hope to finish engineering studies in 2017 for their joint venture called WCC LNG Project Ltd. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

Everett company accused of muddying water, endangering fish
A global building-materials company faces $21,000 in state fines over allegations that concrete and muddy water flowed from a local facility into city storm drains. The violation involves a sand, gravel and concrete-mixing operation at 6300 Glenwood Ave. that belongs to CEMEX Construction Materials Pacific. The drains there let out into Pigeon Creek Number Two, a tributary of Pigeon Creek. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

Living out 'Sleepless in Seattle'-type dreams just got a little more difficult
People living on Seattle's waterfront can sleep a little easier at night. The city's Shoreline Master Program lets all current houseboats meeting the city's requirements stay where they float. The updated shoreline program, which was approved June 1, has been in development about eight years. The Lake Union Liveaboard Association has fought for at least five years to keep houseboats from being booted from the city. Kipp Robertson reports. (MyNorthwest.Com)

Now, your tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE JUN 9 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. NW SWELL 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. NW 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.

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3/4/ Black birding, WA oil, Shell appeal, Van Is coal, snowpack, Growlers, murrelets, orcas, Yakima spill, cit sci, Adele Ferguson, shipyard merger

If you like to watch: Rules for the Black Birdwatcher, with J. Drew Lanham  (BirdNote)

Leaking cars, vapor pressure, vessel traffic among concerns in Ecology’s final oil transportation study
The state Department of Ecology has turned in its final oil transportation study to the Legislature with updated recommendations and some new information. Really quickly, the final report has a few new sections that weren’t included in the draft version published in December 2014. Among other things, those include information about investigations of leaking rail cars that traveled through the state, changes in North Dakota intended to make Bakken safer to move, and the potential impacts of increased vessel traffic discussed at a Salish Sea Workshop held in Whatcom County in January. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Shell to appeal mandate for full study of rail project  
The Shell Puget Sound Refinery plans to challenge a hearing examiner’s decision to require a full environmental impact statement for the refinery’s proposed rail offloading facility and is seeking the Skagit County commissioners’ guidance on just how that should happen. A notice of appeal filed with county commissioners seeks clarification of where Shell should go next — back to the county or to some other venue. Shannen Kuest reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Coal company withdraws proposal for contentious mine on Vancouver Island
A controversial proposal to mine more than 16 million tons of coal in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island has been withdrawn in the face of growing criticism about the negative impacts it could have on rich shellfish and salmon grounds. Stephen Ellis, president of Compliance Coal Corporation, said his company has backed out of the B.C. environmental assessment process for the proposed Raven coal mine not because it’s environmentally risky, but because there is so much public misunderstanding about the project. And he made clear the company hasn’t given up on the proposal yet. Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

Snowpack in state and North Cascades well below normal
Washington state’s snowpack is 29 percent of normal, further deepening concerns of drought this summer. Measurements compiled for the first part of March also showed that the snowpack for the North Cascades region is about 40 percent of normal as a mild, warm winter continued its hold. Very little snow fell in February and what did fall was on mountain peaks, according to Scott Pattee, water supply specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Mount Vernon. Kie Relyea reports. (Belingham Herald)

Whidbey anti-jet group appeals to Navy brass
A Central Whidbey citizen group is amping up the scope of its fight against the Navy’s increasing presence in Puget Sound. Representatives of Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, or COER, say they mailed a letter in February to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus addressing what they describe as the dangers of the Navy’s new EA-18G Growler. The group also threatens additional action, if necessary. Janis Reid reports. (Whidbey News-Times)

Federal court upholds protection for threatened marbled murrelets by rejecting timber industry lawsuit
A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit by the timber industry seeking to strip Endangered Species Act protection from a threatened seabird that nests in old-growth forests. Environmentalists said the ruling Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., should mark the end of a 15-year legal battle over logging trees used by marbled murrelets along the coasts of Oregon, Washington and northern California. Jeff Barnard reports. (Associated Press)

Data deficiency? Buying time?
The critical habitat afforded to the endangered Southern Resident killer whales could expand to include 700 miles of coastline, but it won’t happen anytime soon. National Marine Fisheries Service, the agency that will oversee the decision, says it will need until 2017 to gather scientific evidence and make an informed ruling. Local orca advocates say the expansion is long overdue and the delay effectively allows military to obtain permits for continued testing and training off the Washington coast. Emily Greenberg reports. (San Juan Journal)

Washington state spill covers 50 birds in used motor oil
Environmental officials say spilled oil has covered 50 birds after as much as 1,500 gallons of used motor oil leaked into irrigation canals and a river in an agricultural area of south-central Washington. Ecology Department spokeswoman Joye Redfield-Wilder says a subcontractor was hired Tuesday to try to save the birds. (Associated Press)

Citizen science proves a draw for new program manager at Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Programs in which volunteers participate in science research attracted the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s new program manager to the nonprofit organization. “One of the things that drew me to the marine science center is its reputation for citizen science, and I think that’s been kept secret,” said Susan Bullerdick, who started her new position last Sunday…. Bullerdick, 52, commutes from Whidbey Island. She plans to relocate to Port Townsend.  She worked for the Seattle Aquarium for 10 years. For seven of those years, she served as the operations manager for Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE), a collaboration among the Seattle Aquarium, the Ocean Inquiry Project and the University of Washington Oceanography department and College of Education. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Longtime Sun reporter, pioneer of journalism Adele Ferguson dies
Adele Ferguson answered the phone so gruffly and loud that a young state Senate staff member hung up in fear. That staffer was in powerful company, because legislators had the same fear and respect for Ferguson throughout her career. Ferguson, a pioneer in Olympia political journalism history, died Monday at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton after a short illness. She was 90, something a newspaper could never get away with revealing if she were still here. Steve Gardner reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Seattle and Portland shipyards merge to create $650 million whale
Two of the Northwest's largest shipyards are merging, creating a combined entity that will generate $650 million in revenue this year. Portland-based Vigor Industrial LLC is acquiring Seattle-based Kvichak Marine Industries, in an exchange of stock and cash. Vigor CEO Frank Foti declined to disclose the particulars of the transaction between the two privately held companies. Steve Wilhelm reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 250 AM PST WED MAR 4 2015
TODAY
LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 2 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 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.

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12/18 Carbon cap, Vancouver soil, tropical species, Sequim water, Saanich sewer, Black Press, sage grouse

Southern Resident Killer Whale Salmon Initiative
Want to make a difference in restoring the health of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales? Over 2,624 people have signed an online petition asking Washington Governor Jay Inslee to support removing the four lower Snake River dams to save the Southern Resident killer Whales from being dammed to extinction. No dams, more fish, healthy whales. Sign on!


Inslee Reveals Plan For Curbing Washington’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee rolled out an aggressive plan Wednesday to cap carbon emissions and fight climate change. The centerpiece of the governor’s strategy would set a statewide limit for greenhouse gas emissions. Big emitters would pay for credits to cover their emissions if they exceed that cap. In later years, these carbon polluters would have the ability to trade those credits on a regional carbon market, potentially joining California, British Columbia and Oregon. Inslee said the plan will generate up to $1 billion for the state, which would pay for transportation, education and community aid. Inslee is expecting his plan to be met with opposition. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix) See also: Whatcom senator stands in the way of Gov. Inslee’s cap-and-trade climate proposal  Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Vancouver’s native soil ‘too contaminated to grow in,’ SoleFood founder warns
The native soil in Vancouver’s community gardens may be no worse than soils used in rural areas for commercial agriculture, but SoleFood founder Michael Ableman still wouldn’t grow food in it. People’s “romantic perception” that rural areas are somehow pristine environments where all is clean and pure is misplaced. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Turn of the Tides Festival celebrates marine life, winter solstice
The South Sound Estuary Association will hold its second annual Turn of the Tides Festival, a celebration of the winter solstice, Saturday. The free event will include marine life displays, environment education, arts and crafts, chowder and hot chocolate…. The event will run from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the South Sound Estuarium, 309 State Ave. NE, Olympia. For more information, go to sseacenter.org. (Olympian)

Scientists Report Rare Sightings Of Tropical Species Off West Coast
Scientists surveying whales and dolphins on the West Coast have discovered unusual species of birds and marine mammals far north of their normal ranges. Experts say fish and wildlife are being drawn northward by unusually warm ocean water. Every few years, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration take a head count of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the ocean off California, Oregon and Washington. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

County leads effort for cleaner water
Bringing an 18-month project to a close, those involved with creating a Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) Plan for the Sequim Bay-Dungeness Watershed Clean Water District have completed the draft plan and soon will begin a pilot project near Dungeness Bay. The PIC plan provides the skeleton for how water pollution problems will be identified and corrected with the intention to improve local water quality and health of Sequim and Dungeness bays. Alana Linderoth reports. (Sequim Gazette)

Saanich sewer and water fees going up
Saanich councillors have approved an increase of 11.9 per cent in the sewer charge, which translates into the average homeowner’s bill increasing to $405 from $362. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Black Press purchases Island newspapers in deal with Glacier Media
Glacier Media Inc. has sold its Vancouver Island Newspaper Group to Victoria-based Black Press. Black Press takes operational control of that group on March 2. That includes Cowichan Valley Citizen, Nanaimo Daily News and Alberni Valley Times. The sale does not include the Times Colonist. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

Protections blocked, but sage grouse work goes on
U.S. wildlife officials will decide next year whether a wide-ranging Western bird species needs protections even though Congress has blocked such protections from taking effect, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Wednesday. They could determine the greater sage grouse is heading toward possible extinction, but they would be unable to intervene under the Endangered Species Act. The bird's fate instead remains largely in the hands of the 11 individual states where they are found. President Barack Obama signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill late Tuesday with a provision that barred money from being spent on rules to protect the chicken-sized bird and three related types of grouse. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PST THU DEC 18 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM PST THIS MORNING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT...RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. NW SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 11 SECONDS. RAIN.
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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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11/25 Stormy weather, Burnaby protest, geoducks, Growlers, tank trucks, Polley mine, John Dodge, Burke Museum

(PHOTO: Kent Landerholm/BirdNote)

The Thanksgiving Wishbone – and Dinosaurs
The anatomical structure we call the wishbone was long thought unique to birds. But fossil discoveries of recent decades have shown that some dinosaurs, including the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, and the Velociraptors of ”Jurassic Park,” also had wishbones. And there is now wide consensus among experts that this group of dinosaurs includes the direct ancestors of modern birds. Not only did they have wishbones but, like birds, they likely incubated their eggs, had hollow bones, and were clad in feathers! Bob Sundstrom explains. (BirdNote)

Heavy Precipitation, Flooding, and a Cascade Meltdown
Yes, a typical Thanksgiving in the Northwest. Cliff Mass forecasts.  Heavy rainfall warning issued for Fraser Valley Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

74-year-old protester arrested over Kinder Morgan pipeline
In 74 years, the biggest black mark Della Glendenning had against her was a library fine. But on Monday, she was arrested and jailed after she deliberately stepped over police lines on Burnaby Mountain to protest Kinder Morgan's exploratory drilling on site. Glendenning, supported by about two dozen protesters who marched with her to the drilling site on Centennial Way, was the 76th protester to be taken into custody since the protests began on Burnaby Mountain last Thursday. Most have been arrested under civil contempt charges for violation of a court injunction that allows Kinder Morgan to drill under the mountain. Kelly Sinoski and Mike Hager report. (Vancouver Sun) See also: Protesters rally against Trans Mountain pipeline, but drilling continues  Ian Bailey reports. (Globe and Mail)

Tsartlip members cite environment in opposing Trans Mountain pipeline
Members of the Tsartlip First Nation in Central Saanich voiced their opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion at National Energy Board hearings in Victoria Monday, saying the project would increase tanker traffic along the West Coast, threatening sensitive marine life on which First Nations people rely. Katie Derosa reports. (Times Colonist)

Geoduck farm proposed for Dungeness Bay
The largest producer of farmed shellfish in the United States, Taylor Shellfish Farms, recently began the permitting process to establish a 30-acre geoduck farm in Dungeness Bay. Although the world renown shellfish farm includes 11,000 acres of tidelands along the Washington coast and British Columbia, with numerous farms around the Puget Sound, the proposed geoduck farm would be the first shellfish farm operated by the company in Clallam County. Alana Linderoth reports. (Sequim Gazette)

From Macklemore To Chief Seattle’s Descendent, Many Are Eager For Duwamish River Cleanup
The EPA will soon announce a final plan for spending hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up Seattle’s polluted Duwamish River. How clean is clean? That question is at the crux of the debate over spending and strategy. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Navy to hold a public meeting on Lopez to discuss Growlers
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen last week announced that the Navy will hold a public meeting on Dec. 3 on Lopez Island to listen to citizens’ comments about EA-18G Growler operations at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. This announcement about a date and time for the meeting follows Larsen’s previous announcement about the Navy’s decision to hold an additional public meeting. The Navy had indicated it likely would hold the meeting on Friday Harbor, but selected Lopez Island instead. The meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 3, 3–6 p.m. at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. (San Juan Journal)

Tesoro builds fuel rack to fill tanker trucks
A $23 million construction project will soon give the Tesoro Refinery in Anacortes the capability to fill fuel tanker trucks. The truck rack south of the refinery’s main gate on March’s Point Road is under construction and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2015. Tesoro currently sends finished unleaded gasoline and diesel via pipeline to a nearby Shell rack…. The new facility is expected to increase fuel sales by loading fuel faster than Tesoro does now; 600 gallons a minute.... Mark Stayton reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Mount Polley mine spill cleanup requires pressing action, says B.C. environment ministry
Four months after a torrent of mine water and waste gushed into two south-central B.C. lakes, the province says the mine's owner is only at the forefront of a clean-up that is expected to take years. The B.C. environment ministry released its first progress report Monday into the Mount Polley tailings pond breach, identifying a number of pressing actions that are required to restore the water and land. Returning the outdoor surroundings to their original state will take years, not months, said Environment Minister Mary Polak as she laid out the long-term goal the government has set for Imperial Metals Corp. (CBC)

Reflecting on a long career in journalism
I always get a little anxious when I’m on the answering end of an interview. Journalists are trained to ask the questions, not be the one pressed for answers. But there I was Monday, serving as the guest speaker at the Olympia Rotary Club luncheon, asked to reflect on my 38-year career in journalism. Has it really been that long? John Dodge reflects. (Olympian)

Burke Museum’s New Map Shows Seattle’s Original Shoreline
If you walk through Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood with Peter Lape, he can show you the things that used to be. Standing at the corner of First Avenue and Washington Street on a recent day, he gestured downhill. "About half a block down is probably where that shoreline was ... when non-Native settlers moved here," Lape said. Ed Ronco reports. (KPLU)

Peru investigates deaths of 500 sea lions on north coast
Peru is investigating the deaths of some 500 sea lions found on a beach on its northern coastline. The local governor has accused fishermen of poisoning the mammals, which usually come close to the shore looking for food. But Peruvian environmental police are looking into other possible causes for the deaths, including disease and the accidental ingestion of plastic. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 212 AM PST TUE NOV 25 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PST THIS MORNING
TODAY
NW WIND 10 KT...BECOMING E 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. NW SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS SUBSIDING TO 7
 FT. RAIN.
TONIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. NW SWELL 6 FT AT 13 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 8 FT AT
 12 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN.
--
"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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7/1 Coal, oil, trains, derelict gear, intertidal survey, bottle water ban, Cascadia fault zone, The Oregonian

NW Fishing: Rainbow Trout (Whitney Stensrud, SeaTimes)

New blog: It’s the first of July and in years past the wild rabbits have been eaten by the coyotes that howl in the woods at night. This year the coyotes have been silent and the rabbits are still around, living in the bushes and behind the woodpile, emerging in the morning and the evening to eat the yard’s clover and the planted beds’ succulent shoots.  Adventures in Bunnyland  

What makes the Pacific Northwest a fishing nirvana is the wide variety of colorful fish. Mark Yuasa and Whitney Stensrud report.  Water colors: Fishing the spectrum in the Pacific Northwest

A coal export terminal proposed for Cherry Point could increase the railroad traffic from its current level of up to 18 trains a day to more than 30. Hal Bernton reports. Coal train plans likely to choke city streets   And: Based on observations of coal trains already passing through Seattle, Parametrix researchers forecast that each coal train bound for Cherry Point would take from four to six minutes to traverse a road crossing. Coal trains would add to Seattle traffic waits

As the No. 2 exporter of coal in North America, Port Metro Vancouver has found itself, suddenly, on the hot seat. It’s being blamed for contributing to global warming on an international scale and for increasing coal dust and noise pollution locally.  Vancouver coal ports in the spotlight  

BP Cherry Point refinery is building a huge rail loop south of Grandview Road to handle crude oil shipments from North Dakota, and the Phillips 66 Ferndale refinery hopes to start building its own crude oil rail terminal later this year. In regulatory filings with Whatcom County, the oil companies say the projects will help them diversify their sources of supply. Phillips notes that Alaskan oil production is declining, and there are no pipelines capable of bringing large volumes of North American crude to this area. John Stark reports. Whatcom refineries gear up for crude oil via rail

Before dawn each day, rush hour begins on the rail equivalent of Interstate 5 in Western Washington. During that roughly four-hour period and a similar period in the afternoon, freight train traffic from the Port of Tacoma and the Tacoma Tideflats is prohibited from entering BNSF’s mainline track headed northward toward Seattle. John Gille reports. Passenger trains putting a squeeze on freight through the Tideflats

Grasping almost blindly on the floor of Dungeness Bay, a diver grabs hold of a rusted hunk of steel and wire, attaches it to a cable and swims back up to the surface to dump a dozen dead crabs onto the deck of a boat.  Then he goes back down.  Divers Joe Chang and Ken Woodside alternated those trips dozens of times this month as they combed the bay's floor to remove derelict crab pots for the Northwest Straits Foundation. Joe Smillie reports. Cleaning up the bay: Divers dig deep for derelict crab pots  

On a stretch of beach at Boulevard Park exposed by low tide, Bob Lemon uses forceps to gingerly pick at a piece of bright greenery draped over a rock while Bellingham Bay waves lap against the shore. The intertidal zone expert studies the sea lettuce for a bit before turning his attention to barnacles that April Markiewicz and Gaythia Weis are trying to identify. The three Bellingham residents were among the trained volunteers who surveyed intertidal life on two stretches of beach at one of the city's most popular parks June 22 and 23. Kie Relyea reports.   Surveys underway to track plants, animals at Whatcom County shorelines

Western Washington University is poised to become the largest public university in the country to ban sales of bottled water. The school joins Evergreen State College and Seattle University in making the move. For many young environmentalists, saying no to bottled water and yes to public taps is an easy choice and a cause they can get passionate about. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. WWU to become largest public college in U.S. to ban bottled water

This week, a research ship is retrieving dozens of seismometers that have spent the last year on the ocean floor off the Northwest coast. Earthquake scientists hope the data they're about to get will shed more light on the structure of the offshore Cascadia fault zone. That plate boundary will be the source of the Big One whenever it rips. Ship-to-shore video shows how researchers are using a remotely guided submarine to pluck armored seismometers off the Pacific Ocean floor. Tom Banse reports. Research cruise investigates 'lock zone' of dangerous offshore fault

The death of The Oregonian as you know it came at 9:58 am on June 20. That’s when reporters, editors, photographers and designers who put out the 163-year-old daily newspaper were told to “please proceed” to a large basement conference room.  Such meetings at the newspaper—especially on short notice—are unusual at The Oregonian’s headquarters at 1320 SW Broadway. But the staff knew what it was about. For months, there had been speculation The Oregonian’s owners, the Newhouse family, intended to cut back the publication schedule of the newspaper, rely more on its website to deliver news, and make deep cuts in staff. Aaron Mesh reports. Black and White and Red All Over  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 248 AM PDT MON JUL 1 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 2 FT AT 15 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.

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6/24 Smith Is, oil trains, BC pipe, coal export, L-pod, roof runoff, toxics bill, seaweed harvest, mud safari

Big Moon (Stephan Michaels)

New blog: “It’s a morning ritual: get up and let the dog out the front door and walk to the spot in the lawn where the morning Bellingham Herald’s been tossed in its bright red plastic wrapper. Sure, sometimes like this Monday morning, the paper’s about as thin as its plastic covering but having the morning paper in hand is a nice, familiar ritual...” Who Reads Newspapers Anyway?

Biologists see Snohomish County's Smith Island project as their best chance to revive threatened chinook salmon in the Puget Sound basin. Others consider it a threat to their livelihood. The project is a massive undertaking to breach an old 1930s dike along Union Slough north of Everett and build new dikes farther from the water. By flooding more than 300 acres, the county hopes to bring back some of the salmon habitat converted to farmland after settlers arrived here in the 1800s. Noah Haglund reports. Biologists want island for salmon habitat; farmers worry about livelihoods  

Each week, more and more mile-and-a-half long tanker trains filled with oil travel into the Pacific Northwest. The sweet crude — sucked from deep under North Dakota — brings opportunity for business and jobs in the Lower Columbia region and stirs fears the river will become a fossil fuel highway. Meanwhile, analysts warn the historically volatile market for oil makes building new oil terminals in the Pacific Northwest a risky investment.  Roger Werth  reports. Oil superhighway? Trains full of fracked N. Dakota oil are heading our way  

Kinder Morgan’s proposed $5.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline twinning project through Langley and Surrey will divert from its existing route to avoid built-up areas, but puts the pipeline closer to the Fraser River. The Calgary-based company released its proposed route plans for Surrey on Friday and the Langley route earlier this week, showing the first major diversion from the existing pipeline, which began operation in 1954. The rest of the proposed pipeline, through the Fraser Valley and Interior, largely follows the existing route. Gordon Hoekstra reports. Proposed route would bring Kinder Morgan pipeline closer to Fraser River

If coal export terminals proposed for the Pacific Northwest are never built, the number of trains rumbling through Washington state filled with coal would still increase. Coal is already shipped from British Columbia, and terminals there are expanding.  Based on projected numbers, however, those increases would not come close to equaling the combined capacity of the terminals proposed for Cherry Point near Bellingham and two others in the Northwest. Bill Sheets reports. Even without terminals, coal trains will increase   See also: Coal Industry Pins Hopes on Exports as U.S. Market Shrinks

Two female killer whales from the endangered southern residents have been confirmed dead by the Center for Whale Research. The deaths of 52-year-old L2, who had not been seen since last December, and 57-year-old L26, who had not been seen since March, when she was in poor condition, brings the number of whales in the three pods to 82 animals, the lowest in more than a decade. It is gloomy news, especially as no calves have yet been born this year, said Ken Balcomb, the executive director of the centre in Friday Harbor, Wash. Judith Lavoie reports. Local orca numbers lowest in 10 years  

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is looking for a few good roofs for a stormwater runoff study. The center, working with scientists at the University of Washington Center for Urban Waters, is leading a study of toxic chemicals of roof runoff. Center personnel are seeking roofs from houses that have been built or re-roofed with composite (three-tab) roofing material within the past three years and which have metal rain gutters. Marine science center seeks roofs for runoff study

A bill shepherded into law by Whatcom County's two state senators has local officials optimistic that the cleanup of Bellingham's derelict industrial waterfront may happen sooner rather than later. Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, who sponsored the bill, sees it as a victory for Republicans in an arena where they don't usually fare well - the environment. The legislation reforms how Model Toxics Control Act money is spent on toxic cleanups, with the intent of broadening the scope of eligible projects and putting the money to use more quickly. Although the bill was championed at times by Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, he and environmentalists came away partly dissatisfied. Ranker said on Friday, June 21, that the legislation was just introduced in the House to correct some defects in the bill.... Ericksen indicated that the "trailer" bill to adjust the toxics legislation likely won't get a hearing in the Senate. Besides, Democrats' concerns are overstated, he said..... Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville and Port of Bellingham Executive Director Rob Fix said the bill should make it easier to address contamination on the city's waterfront. The port and the city are partners in plans to redevelop 237 acres, much of it the site of a former Georgia Pacific mill. Ralph Schwartz reports. Hard-won toxic-cleanup bill wins praise in Bellingham

Should the government allow mass harvest of seaweed on the British Columbia coast? Certainly there seems to be an overabundance of it on most beaches, where it often collects in long, thick mats known as wracks. A commercial seaweed harvest has been proposed for B.C. – a new “fishery” that would target an untapped resource potentially worth millions of dollars – but a study led by a group of retired fisheries scientists has raised concerns about its environmental impact. Mark Hume reports. Cashing in on seaweed isn’t so green, study says

The tiny sea creatures didn’t know what they were in for. More than a dozen children donned rubber boots and headed for the mud flats Friday morning to search for beach animals and learn what they were. Children ranging in age from 5 to 10 years old— known that morning as junior ecologists — joined their parents and a guide for their “Mud Flat Safari” as part of the Art for Learning Watershed Science program at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve . Daniel DeMay reports. Watershed science workshops kick off

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 24 2013
TODAY
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 14 SECONDS. AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING. SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
E WIND 10 KT RISING TO 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 16 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY.
--
"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. 


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