12/10 Westshore coal, coal meets, Enbridge, orca 'no-go,' Gregoire assesses, Navy wharf, Sammy Salmon, gill-net ban, bio-swales, Sheila McCartan, Sound Champs

Sammy the Salmon (Dan Bates/The Herald)

New blog: “In earlier blogs, I’d alerted readers to how the Department of Ecology is proposing a makeover of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) provisions to exempt development actions requiring environmental review. Tomorrow, December 11, is the final day to comment on the rule makeover...” This is Regulatory Reform?

A large bulk carrier docking at Westshore Terminals in Roberts Bank destroyed a coal conveyor system early Friday morning, knocking out the largest of the port’s two berths and spilling an undetermined amount of coal into Georgia Strait. The mishap has put the berth out of service for an indefinite period of time, affected the port’s ability to export coal, disrupted customer deliveries and caused a yet-to-be-determined effect on the waters off the Fraser delta. The loss of the berth, which handles ships with a cargo capacity up to 260,000 tonnes, is a significant blow to Westshore, which is North America’s largest coal exporting port. Westshore has one remaining berth, which can handle ships with a capacity of 180,000 tonnes. The mishap happened at 1 a.m. when the bulk carrier Cape Apricot, with a capacity of 180,000 tonnes, slammed into a trestle, the only link between the berth and the terminal, destroying more than 100 metres of it. The ship went right through the causeway, taking a road, the coal-carrying conveyor belt, and electric and water lines with it. Gordon Hamilton and Tiffany Crawford report. Ship crashes into dock at Westshore Terminals, spilling coal into water (with video)

While proposals to turn green-leaning Washington state into a major exporter of coal to China have caused an uproar in coastal communities, the heated debate is largely absent from some other places along the industry's expected trade route to Asia. The state and federal agencies that are conducting an environmental review of five proposed coal-export terminals in the region aren't planning to give residents of one of Washington state's major population centers a chance to comment on the project publicly, even as such meetings take place in similar-sized or smaller communities elsewhere. Curtis Tate and Kristi Pihl report. Debate over coal exports leaves out some communities along route, critics charge

Interested in giving verbal comments on the coal export facility proposed for the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve when public meetings are held Tuesday in Vancouver, WA, and Thursday in Seattle? Take a number to enter random drawings for about 150 two-minute speaking slots at each event.  The drawings will occur at the start of each hour during the three-hour public meetings.  People can enter the drawings at any time before the final drawing. The drawings replace a process at five previous meetings that assigned speaking slots based on the order in which people arrived. This prompted many attendees to arrive hours before the meetings. Drawings set for spoken comments at upcoming meetings for proposed Gateway Pacific  

Cross-examination hearings for the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline resume today in Prince Rupert and while opposition to the controversial project is strong in the coastal city, some say the region needs the jobs. Unemployed welder Dakota Macdonald is eager to work on the pipeline — and says jobs are just as important as the environment. Enbridge Northern Gateway hearings return to Prince Rupert  

In 2009, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed a "no-go zone" off the west side of San Juan Island to help protect the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. After local whale-watch companies, kayakers and other voiced substantial, even heated, opposition to that "no-go" plan, the Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, abandoned it in 2011 in favor of speed limits, increased buffers and public education efforts. On Dec. 5, the Fisheries Service put the issue back on the table. Steve Wehrly reports. Fisheries wants 'No-go zone' back on the table  

"(M)y biggest disappointment is I didn't get as much done on Puget Sound as I had hoped....The cleanup (is) a big forever issue for this state. What I think happened... is we were on our way, and then we just got taken to our knees by the recession. While I kept funding it through other means, it didn't get the focus I think it needs and deserves because I was so consumed by the recession." Andrew Garber reports in a Q&A with Washington's departing governor.  Gregoire assesses her time as governor  

Who was the winner who answered correctly Mark Yuasa's Reel Time Trivia question: "This Puget Sound regional river gained fame by the likes of early 20th Century fly-anglers Zane Grey and Roderick Haig-Brown. In 2001, this "fork in the river" got one of the more healthy winter steelhead smolt plants in the local streams, and anglers were catching them late last week, and this past weekend it opened for conventional gear and bait..." Reel Time Trivia winner hails from Sammamish

A federal judge will rule within a week whether to stop construction of a second explosives handling wharf at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor. Judge Ronald Leighton heard arguments Friday from the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, which opposes nuclear weapons, and the Suquamish Tribe. They contend that continuing to build the $715 million wharf will cause irreparable harm and should be stopped until their lawsuits are decided. They claim that the environmental effects haven't been fully explained and considered, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Ed Friedrich reports. Attorneys ask judge to stop work on new Bangor pier  

Seattle Public Utilities plans an $8 million drainage-improvement project in South Park to double the size of the pipes along several blocks of 14th Avenue South and South Donovan Street. But the utility says it can't start construction until mid-2014, just months after a new South Park Bridge is scheduled to open. Lynn Thompson reports. South Park faces long sewer project after bridge construction

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Friday to ban the use of gill nets to catch fish on the main stem of the Columbia River, relegating the primary commercial-fishing tool to side channels and tributaries. Washington's fish commission was scheduled to decide soon on similar rules, eliminating the centuries-old practice from both sides of the river. Jonathan Cooper reports. Oregon approves gill-net ban on Columbia

Don't blame salmon fishermen for the plight of some endangered killer whales off the Pacific coast, says a newly released report. After three international conferences and nearly 15 months of reflection, members of a joint Canada-U.S. panel studying Southern Resident Killer Whales have concluded there's no simple, linear, cause-and-effect relationship between the number of salmon available to the orcas and the population's growth. The Independent Science Panel was struck by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2011 and was asked to answer whether fishing reduced the supply of food to the whales and if that impeded their recovery. Keven Drews reports. No cause-effect relationship between orcas' health and salmon numbers: report

Despite poor publicity after a drainage and rain garden project backfired in Ballard, a cluster rain garden project in Delridge is moving forward with the addition of new bio-swales on city parking strips. Neighbors would have liked more than the few the city and private sector found money for, but for now, one more city block is holding back hundreds of gallons of polluted run-off from the local creek and Puget Sound. Martha Baskin reports. Urban Creek Gets An Assist with New Street Upgrade, Bio-Swales and Established Rain Gardens

If John Lennon had been dreaming of saving salmon habitat when he wrote the song "Imagine," then Tom Murdoch of the Adopt A Stream Foundation could have written the lyrics for him. Murdoch, director of the nonprofit environmental group based in Everett's McCollum Park, has been dreaming of reducing polluted runoff and restoring fish runs for more than 30 years. Bill Sheets reports. Meet the man in the silver salmon suit

Sheila McCartan, visitor services manager and ranger at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, was honored recently with the 2012 Sense of Wonder Award. The Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Recognition Program recognizes outstanding contributions in interpretation and environmental education within the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. McCartan was recognized as an employee who has designed, implemented and/or shown visionary leadership in interpretive or environmental education programs, said a department news release. Nisqually refuge employee wins award for her education efforts  

Six individuals and organizations were honored this month by the Puget Sound Partnership for being "Puget Sound Champions." Those honored are city of Bremerton Public Works and Utilities/Wastewater Treatment Plant, Kitsap Golf & Country Club, City of Poulsbo Engineering Department, Kitsap Home Builders Association, Kitsap Conservation District, and Christopher Dunagan, the Kitsap Sun's environmental reporter. Kitsap 'Champions' for Puget Sound awarded

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST MON DEC 10 2012
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT...RISING TO 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 2 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 16 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. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told