4/12 Coal vote, Grays Harbor oil , coal study, dead salmon, salmon season, landslides, Victoria sewage

Rethink Canada (NPR)

New blog: “Check out the editorial voice Peter Jackson and his editorial writers at The Herald are establishing. Over the last three weeks, they've opined on coal exports, the San Juan Island National Monument, food fish safety and coal trains. Earlier this month, the subject was saving Puget Sound and praise for Governor Jay Inslee's proposed natural resources budget...” A Fresh Breeze From The Herald Wafts Over The Partnership

Robert Krulwich wonders: Journalism may not be the right word for this. It's a kind of reporting. What you see here is true, and carefully edited. Is This Science Journalism? Nah. Then What Is It?

Metro Vancouver voted narrowly in favour Thursday of opposing coal shipments along the Fraser River, following a lengthy debate over the economics of coal projects versus the environmental and health risks associated with coal dust. Directors on the region’s environment and parks committee voted 6-5 in favour of a motion to send a “public statement” to Port Metro Vancouver by opposing coal shipments along the Fraser River estuary, other than at the existing Robert’s Bank terminal in Delta. Metro Vancouver comes out in opposition to coal shipments along Fraser River

The Port of Grays Harbor has announced an agreement to lease property for a crude oil unloading and storage facility. The oil would arrive by train and then be loaded on to barges bound for refineries on the West Coast. The port on the southwest Washington coast has been looking for other options since a proposal to build a coal export terminal there fell through last year. Oil seems to be the next hot commodity. There are billions of barrels of petroleum in the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota. Some of it is already traveling through the Northwest by train to refineries in Anacortes, Tacoma and Cherry Point, north of Bellingham. Ashley Ahearn reports. No Coal For Grays Harbor But Maybe Oil

A House Democratic budget proposal to spend $150,000 to study the larger economic impact of coal-export facilities on Washington state was dying just one day after majority Democrats introduced their proposed $34.5 billion operating budget plan on Wednesday. Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, had asked to include the money in the budget, saying it “recognizes the need for Washington to thoroughly evaluate the economic impacts of coal exports in our state.” But Thursday evening the money was on its way to being removed at Carlyle’s request. Brad Shannon reports. Coal-export impact study loses steam  

Piles of dead year-old chinook salmon, numbering at least in the hundreds, were found along the Elwha River's lower banks and mouth after hatchery smolts were released last week. State Fish and Wildlife Department officials will consider alternatives for future releases of fish, said Mike Gross, Fish and Wildlife fish biologist for Clallam County and West Jefferson County, who called the release “a mistake.” Sediment from the river clogged the gills of most he examined, said Mike McHenry, a fish biologist and habitat manager for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, who saw the dead fish at the river's mouth and on sandbars Monday and Tuesday. Jeremy Schwartz reports. Dead salmon found along silt-choked Elwha River after hatchery release

Now that we’ve gotten all the obvious salmon fishing seasons finalized lets dissect what kind of summer and fall opportunities there are besides the expected gargantuan 6.2-million plus pink salmon return. Mark Yuasa reports. More details come to light on upcoming salmon fishing seasons  

One of the busiest stretches of railway in Washington State runs along the shores of Puget Sound between Seattle and Everett. It’s also one of the most high-risk corridors for landslides. Every day about 40 trains full of freight or passengers travel these tracks, en route from Seattle and points south toward Canada. Gus Melonas is spokesman for BNSF Railway. He says this has been a bad year for slides. Ashley Ahearn reports. What Climate Change Could Mean for Northwest Landslides  

Capital Regional District directors have approved borrowing up to $100 million toward a sewage-treatment building project. Approval came this week despite the objection of a handful of directors. CRC corporate services general manager Diana Lokken said the bylaw simply provides the authority for borrowing — making available the cash flow as needed for sewage treatment costs that are in the CRD budget for the next year. Bill Cleverley reports. CRD approves borrowing of up to $100 million for sewage treatment

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI APR 12 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PDT TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING W 20 TO 30 KT BY MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SAT
W WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 9 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
 SHOWERS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
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