3/21 Coal, tanker safety, state budget, Vic sewage, Tethys, logging roads, Oly shores, tulip time

Gabriola Island forest (Laurie MacBride)

Thunder, rain and maybe even snowflakes — a repeat of what Snohomish County saw Wednesday night — are headed to the Puget Sound area Thursday and Friday. Coming up: Storms and possibly snow

Laurie MacBride at Eye on Environment writes: “It’s spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, a cause for celebration as those longer days return. Today is also World Forestry Day – a time to think about the importance of forests, no matter what the season or where we live....” Celebrating Forests

Last year's elections brought bad news for promoters of coal exports through Northwest ports. But a vote this November could raise prospects for at least one proposed facility, near Bellingham. Floyd McKay concludes his three-part report. Coal Wars: How voters are shaping their leaders' decisions

New blog: “Some of us must remember why George Bush and his cronies said it was important to go to war 10 years ago in Iraq. Some of us didn’t agree and thought the reasons were phony and destructive to our country. And the reasons turned out to be phony and destructive to our country....” Where Did You Stand 10 Years Ago? Where Do You Stand Today?

"So you're telling me there's a chance ..." Whether the odds of an oil tanker spill on Canada's West Coast are one in a hundred or one in a million - to borrow from the movie Dumb and Dumber - for a lot of people in British Columbia it's the chance of that "one" they can't get out of their minds. The risk of even a single oil tanker spill looms large over plans to ship millions of barrels of oilsands bitumen from Alberta through B.C. ports to the Pacific Rim. Just one day after the federal government announced plans to improve tanker safety along Canada's 243,000 kilometres of coastline, the Victoria-based Dogwood Initiative launched a new series of TV ads - in advance of B.C.'s May election - as part of its No Tankers campaign. Stephan Ewart reports. Group fires salvo against tankers

Washington's budget shortfall has grown to $1.2 billion, officials said Wednesday, as increased reliance on government services overpowered relative stability in the state's economy. The state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council cited higher-than-forecast expenses in areas like Medicaid as the cause of new budget trouble. Government revenues remained stable, something Gov. Jay Inslee's budget director cited in calling the forecast relatively good news. Forecasters say the revenues for the next budget cycle could still fluctuate dramatically in either direction. A variety of outside economic forces could help or hurt the state, including how Congress handles its recent budget cuts, Europe's economic troubles and whether the Chinese economy slows down. Mike Baker reports.  State lawmakers face $1.2 billion shortfall   And: Budget battle lines take shape in Olympia  

Esquimalt could soon be home to both the region’s sewage plant and its sludge disposal facility, under a new land deal that the town’s mayor calls a “travesty” for her community. The Capital Regional District announced Wednesday it had paid $17 million for the 1.7 hectare Wilson Foods warehouse site on Viewfield Road in Esquimalt, as a potential location for a sewage treatment biosolids facility. The deal, negotiated in-camera by regional politicians, was only made public after it was signed. Rob Shaw reports. CRD plan to build sewage sludge plant in Esquimalt irks mayor

Anacortes’ proposal to modify its urban growth area and potentially make way for a massive bottling plant in Anacortes took another step forward Wednesday morning, when the county Growth Management Act Steering Committee recommended that the Skagit County Commissioners consider the proposal. In front of a crowd of about 50 in the Burlington City Council hearing room, the committee recommended that the county commissioners officially review the proposal to include 11.2 acres of county zoned rural reserve into the city's growth area. Public comment was not taken at the meeting. The next step of the process will take place at 6 p.m. April 9, at the Skagit County Commissioners’ hearing room. Mark Stayton reports. Anacortes UGA expansion review moves forward

The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday decided in favor of the timber industry in a case that challenged the regulation of muddy water that flows off logging roads. The case was originally filed in Oregon by an environmental group. It argued roads in state forests were violating the Clean Water Act. Amelia Templeton explains.  What The Supreme Court Logging Roads Ruling Means

The Olympia City Council voted 5-2 late Tuesday night to keep its earlier recommendation of a 30-foot development setback on about the northern half of West Bay. During deliberations on the proposed Shoreline Master Program, Councilman Nathaniel Jones proposed changing development restrictions to within 50 feet from the shoreline, which is more restrictive than the council’s position stated earlier this month. He suggested that the setback could be reduced to 30 feet if developers provided certain amenities, similar to an approach the council has recommended for other parts of the shoreline. But the majority of council members suggested sticking with the 30-foot setback. Matt Batcheldor reports. Olympia council votes to keep 30-foot setback

In case you were wondering: The 2013 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival doesn’t officially begin until Monday, April 1, but related events begin this weekend, and the gala opening celebration is scheduled for Thursday, March 28. Time for tulips

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU MAR 21 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 10 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY. A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 20 TO 30 KT BECOMING NW 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
 SCATTERED SHOWERS.
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