1/17 Salazar, Idle No More, Navy sonar, BC oil spills, clean water, toxic algae, bird killers

New blog: “I’m heartened that President Obama has maintained the urgency of dealing with the public health issue of gun violence...” Thank you, Mr. President. Now, Dear Congress:

Ken Salazar, the blunt-spoken lawyer and rancher who took over the scandal-ridden Interior Department at the outset of the Obama administration, said Wednesday that he would step down in March to return to his home in Colorado. Mr. Salazar’s exit, along with the announced resignation of Lisa P. Jackson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the anticipated departure of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will leave vacant the critical cabinet posts dealing with climate change and energy, which are among the most pressing challenges facing the nation. John Broder reports. Interior Secretary to Step Down in March  See also: Departing Interior Secretary Leaves Big Northwest Footprint

Traffic ground to a standstill for about an hour Wednesday morning as more than 300 Idle No More protesters, many beating drums and waving placards, streamed onto the Patricia Bay Highway. About 2,000 vehicles were diverted but two dozen were caught in the middle of the blockade. Although Central Saanich police fielded calls from upset drivers, there were no serious confrontations. Judith Lavoie reports. Blockade on Pat Bay: Beating drums replace the whir of highway traffic  

Canadian environmental groups have received legal standing in a U.S. suit that seeks to halt Navy sonar exercises that would threaten at-risk whales on the West Coast. Margot Venton, a lawyer with Ecojustice, said Wednesday it is important for the U.S. courts to appreciate that ocean noise is an emerging issue in Canada, including for endangered southern resident killer whales in the shared waters of the Salish Sea. Concerns over underwater noise are broad, she noted, and include not just sonar but continued expansion of Port Metro Vancouver and increased shipping through critical habitat of the killer whales. Larry Pynn reports. Navy sonar: Canadian environmental groups get legal standing in U.S. court case

A marine consultant involved in B.C. oil-spill issues for a quarter century says the risks of a tanker oil spill associated with Enbridge Northern Gateway are simply too great for the project to proceed. Gerald Graham of Victoria-based Worldocean Consulting Ltd. said that calculations based on Enbridge’s own research show there is a 8.7-to-14.1-per-cent chance of at least one tanker spill greater than 31,500 barrels over a 50-year period, depending on whether the pipeline has a 525,000 or 850,000 barrel per day capacity. Tankers too risky on B.C.’s north coast, oil-spill consultant says

As the federal government considers a law to impose standards for drinking water and sewage treatment on first nations across Canada, Metro-area bands — including one that’s been on a boil-water advisory for more than seven years — are taking matters into their own hands. The Semiahmoo reserve has been on a permanent boil-water advisory since 2005 and on-again, off-again advisories since 1996, said band councillor Joanne Charles. That was the year the federal government identified that the water main supplying the reserve, installed in the early 1970s, needed to be replaced, she said. The boil-water advisory remains in place because the aging pipe threatens water quality on the reserve. Tara Carman reports. Warnings prompt Metro Vancouver-area bands to improve water quality on First Nations reserves  

While it's not exactly swimming weather, Clallam County environmental health officials are cautioning West End residents to keep themselves and their pets out of Lake Pleasant until tests can be done on what is thought to be blue-green algae. The county sent a sample of scummy water that was provided by an area resident to the state Department of Ecology for analysis at a King County lab. Blue-green algae can sometimes produce potentially lethal toxins that often result in summertime closures of Anderson Lake — and occasional warnings in other lakes — in East Jefferson County. Rob Ollikainen reports.  Toxins feared in Lake Pleasant; blue-green scum tested  

The sad fact is that fuel-guzzling nature lovers — not just birders but divers rushing to see the great reefs before they bleach and mountaineers scrambling to beat the melting glaciers — are the new buffalo hunters and cod catchers. In the act of pursuing the natural treasures we cherish, we contribute to their destruction. Eric Scigliano laments. Birding in the time of climate change

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 857 AM PST THU JAN 17 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM PST THIS EVENING
TODAY
E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. AREAS OF FREEZING FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
NW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 13 SECONDS. AREAS OF FREEZING FOG.

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