6/5 Crows, orcas, rail disclosure, Kinder Morgan, coal power, shoreline restoration, sea star wasting

(Associated Press/MyNorthwest.com)

Angry Birds: Crow attack season underway in Western Washington
Like a bad movie sequel, the dive-bombing crows are back and launching their annual attacks on unsuspecting people across the Puget Sound area. It happens at this time every year as young crows begin leaving their nests for the first time. The fledglings don't fly well and often end up on the ground, and crow parents are extremely protective, says University of Washington professor and crow expert Dr. John Marzluff. Josh Kerns reports. (MyNorthwest)

If you like to watch: 'Massive killer whale parade' off San Juan Island Elizabeth Wiley reports. (KING)

Railroads seek to limit disclosure on oil trains
Two railroad companies want to prevent the public from getting ahold of details about oil shipments through Washington state, a disclosure the federal government ordered be given to state emergency managers in the wake of several oil train accidents. But restricting that information violates the state’s public records law, so the state has not signed documents from the rail companies seeking confidentiality, said Mark Stewart, a spokesman for the Washington Military Department’s Emergency Management Division.... Stewart said the state Emergency Response Commission sought legal advice and determined that those agreements “require us to withhold the information in a manner that’s not consistent with the state public records act.” Phuong Le reports. (Associated Press)

Kinder Morgan could force access to Burnaby's land with National Energy Board order
Kinder Morgan is considering seeking orders from the National Energy Board to access land to test a new tunnel route under Burnaby Mountain for its Trans Mountain pipeline, a sign of how contentious the $5.4-billion project is in Burnaby. The company announced last week the tunnel is its preferred route because recent public consultations showed it was least disruptive to residents. However, Kinder Morgan Canada president Ian Anderson said Tuesday the City of Burnaby is preventing the company from going onto city lands and doing the necessary geotechnical work to determine if tunnelling is possible. Gordon Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: Poll finds rising opposition in B.C. to Kinder Morgan mega-pipeline proposal Brian Morton reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Anacortes shoreline areas target for restoration
Shoreline armoring intended to protect nearby roads and buildings changes the nearshore marine environment, damaging valuable habitat for fish spawning. The Skagit County Marine Resources Committee and Northwest Straits Foundation are working together on several restoration efforts to remedy the problem along beaches in the Anacortes area. They say the projects will benefit several fish species including feeder fish like surf smelt and sand lance, as well as salmon and other larger species that eat them. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Regulators Discuss The Future Of Coal-Fired Power In The West
The Obama administration’s new rules to cut carbon emissions fueled energy sector leaders’ conversations about the future of coal in the West during their gathering here this week. The Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners on Wednesday wrapped up its conference — a gathering of the people who decide where the region’s power comes from and how to regulate it. Now that the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing that states cut CO2 emissions from power plants by 30 percent over the next 16 years, regulators are turning their attention to coal. Does it have a future? Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Rapidly Spreading Sea Star Disease Spurs Talk Of ‘Localized Extinction’ In Oregon
A common species of sea star faces possible extinction along parts of the Oregon Coast because of a mysterious wasting syndrome that was scarcely present in the state’s marine waters two months ago. Sea star wasting syndrome has been ravaging the marine creature’s population on much of the West Coast for months — particularly in the waters of Puget Sound, British Columbia and California. The first reports of the disease among Oregon sea stars — more commonly called star fish — came out in May. Now, according to Oregon State University, an estimated 30 to 50 percent of the Oregon populations of the ochre sea star species in the intertidal zone have the disease. Devan Schwartz reports. (EarthFix)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU JUN 5 2014
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

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