10/13 Oil trains, oil cost, quakes, Samish watershed, Cadboro sewage, e-warfare, dam snafu, Hood Canal bridge, breeding ban

BP Cherry Point will allow only newer-model train cars at its crude oil terminal
BP Cherry Point has announced its rail terminal will no longer accept or unload any Bakken region crude oil from pre-2011 standard tank cars. By the first week in October, the facility had stopped using older DOT-111 cars for crude, BP spokesman Bill Kidd said. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Oil price at $85 costing provinces and economy billions
The sudden new reality of oil at $85 US a barrel is a jarring wake-up for the three oil-rich provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. Oil prices touched new lows Friday, down almost $1 to $84.90 a barrel. That's the lowest price seen since April 2013. The price for the main North American oil benchmark, known as West Texas Intermediate, is now down more than 20 per cent from recent highs — which means oil has met the technical definition of a price correction. Peter Evans reports. (CBC)

Pacific Northwest rocked by two earthquakes
A pair of strong late night earthquakes hit the Pacific Northwest Thanksgiving Weekend. The first quake registered a magnitude of 3.5 and was centred about 15 kilometres to the northeast of Olympia, Washington, roughly 60 kilometres below the surface. The shaking began at around 11:25 p.m. The second earthquake, centred due west of Nanaimo about 180 kilometres off shore was far more powerful, registering a magnitude of four. It came about four hours after the first quake at about 3 a.m. Matt Robinson reports. (Vancouver Sun)

Officials tour Samish watershed, note progress and next steps
Skagit County’s rich soils, expansive pastures and marine shorelines support a variety of agricultural industries, from dairies, beef and shellfish to berries, potatoes and corn. In the Samish Watershed, shellfish harvest in the bay hinges on clean water in the river, which has been contaminated for years by upstream livestock manure and sewage from failing septic systems, particularly during heavy rain. Although a soggy spring resulted in high measurements of fecal coliform in Samish Bay this year, county officials and community members say that does not indicate failure on behalf of the Clean Samish Initiative. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Cadboro Bay Beach closed after sewage overflows in rain
The Capital Regional District issued the advisory and erected warning signs after discharges lasting about 30 minutes at a pair of outfalls. About 2,600 cubic metres of sewage was spilled. The public is advised to avoid contact with the water. (Times Colonist)

Navy to face public next week on proposed West End electronic warfare program; deadline extended for public comment
The deadline has been extended to Oct. 31 for public comment on the U.S. Navy's environmental assessment for an electronic warfare training proposal. The development comes as the U.S. Forest Service considers issuing a special-use permit for the Navy to use its roads during the exercises. Michael J. Foster reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

If you like to listen: Legos Wash Ashore The Cornish Coast After 17 Years In The Atlantic
Marcie Sillman speaks with retired oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, publisher of the newsletter Beachcombers' Alert!, about the afterlife of nearly 5 million maritime-themed Lego pieces. (KUOW)

Cause of Capitol Lake dam malfunction identified and fixed
A degraded electrical connection on the Capitol Lake dam in Olympia is the reason the barrier malfunctioned a week ago, causing an accidental draw down of the man-made waterway. Department of Enterprise Services spokesman Jim Erskine said Friday the electrical connection had been fixed and "the dam is fully operational. No further repairs are needed.’’ Brad Shannon reports. (Olympian)

Climate change forcing fish stocks north: study
A study has produced the strongest evidence yet that climate change is forcing hundreds of valuable fish species toward the poles. The paper, published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science on Friday, concludes that Canadian and Arctic waters may end up with more species and greater abundance. But fisheries in the tropics, where people depend more heavily on seafood, may become hollowed out. (Canadian Press)

Hood Canal bridge may be death trap for steelhead
While 16,000 cars a day travel swiftly across the Hood Canal bridge, young steelhead trout swimming in the waters below seem to encounter a deadly barrier when they arrive at the floating structure. New research suggests that in some years more than a third of the migrating steelhead never make it past the bridge and into the more expansive waters of Admiralty Inlet. Chris Dunagan reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Vancouver Park Board defends breeding ban at city aquarium
The Vancouver Park Board acted reasonably and within its authority when it banned the breeding of captive cetaceans at the city aquarium, it says in court documents. In its response to a lawsuit filed by the aquarium in B.C. Supreme Court, the board says it made a reasonable decision with a valid municipal purpose. It calls the aquarium’s suit premature, because the resolution and clauses that were passed have not been finalized. Sunny Dhillon reports. (Globe and Mail)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 250 AM PDT MON OCT 13 2014
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 8 FT AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN LIKELY IN THE MORNING... THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 9 FT AT
 12 SECONDS. RAIN.
--
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