1/6 Coal terminal review, Kalakala, rail bridge, Chilcotin Princess, artificial reef, Vic sewage, Willow Cr., orca zone

Northwestern Washington Tribe Calls On Feds To Halt Coal Terminal Permit Review
The Lummi Nation issued a letter Monday to the U.S. government seeking to end the project’s permitting process for a coal-shipping project encircled by their Puget Sound fishing grounds. In the letter, the Lummi tribal council calls on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to halt the review of a permit for the Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point near Bellingham, Washington. At full capacity, it could one day be the largest coal export terminal in North America. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix) See also: Lummi Nation asks Army Corps to reject Cherry Point coal terminal  (Bellingham Herald)

Kalakala ferry to be scrapped later this month
After changes in ownership and various attempts to save Washington Ferry System's historic ferry, the Kalakala will reach its final destination. The News Tribune reports current ferry owner Karl Anderson plans to bring the old ferry to Tacoma, where it will be cut apart for scrap later this month month. The 276-foot ferry currently sits on the western shore of the Hylebos Waterway. (KING)

If BNSF reopens shoreline, it can replace bridge, Everett says
A plan by BNSF Railway to replace an aging bridge on the main line has been given a tentative nod by the city of Everett. There's one condition: The railroad must restore pedestrian access to the waterfront on Port Gardner. Chris Winter reports. (Everett Herald)

If you like to watch: Inside an Unfolding Toxic 'Marine Disaster' on BC's Coast
The continuing deterioration of a derelict ship moored to an unsecured toxic waste site on the B.C. central coast is a marine ''disaster'' in the making, say groups long pressing for it to be cleaned up. The failure to act, they say, proves the inability of government to keep the Pacific Coast safe from pollution. New video acquired by The Tyee, shot by Pacific Wild Executive Director Ian McAllister and April Bencze on Dec. 10, shows a timelapse of the 570-tonne Chilcotin Princess loosely moored to the dock of the former BC Packers salmon cannery at Namu and crashing against crumbling foreshore buildings known to hold barrels of oil and other waste. Christopher Pollon reports. (The Tyee)

Artificial reef from HMCS Annapolis to be sunk in Howe Sound
After years of anticipation — and plenty of controversy — a group of diving enthusiasts is preparing to sink a 366-foot warship in Howe Sound to create an artificial reef. HMCS Annapolis will be towed to Halkett Bay off Gambier Island on January 13, and is expected to be sunk on the morning of January 17. The society planned to sink the ship in 2012, but the vessel required more inspections, and the society required federal permits. Executive Director of the Georgia Strait Alliance Christianne Wilhelmson said the environmental issues with the ship haven't fully been resolved, and raised concerns about the impact of toxic chemicals found on the ship. (CBC)

Diluted sewage overflows onto Greater Victoria shorelines
Heavy rainfall is causing the overflow of stormwater and sewage along Greater Victoria shorelines. The sewage, in the form of wastewater, has been significantly diluted by stormwater and is flowing into the ocean at a number of outfalls. Affected areas range from Finnerty Point in the Queenswood area of Saanich to Clover Point, and from McLoughlin Point to Saxe Point. Jeff Bell reports. (Times Colonist)

Edmonds receives $157K grant for Willow Creek daylighting project
The City of Edmonds announced Monday it has received a $157,331 grant from the State of Washington Recreation and Conservation office’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board to continue work on the Willow Creek “daylighting” project. According to the city, the grant is part of $18 million given to organizations around the state for projects that restore and protect salmon habitat. The city will use this grant along with city funds to prepare a preliminary design and permit applications for a daylighted channel from Edmonds Marsh, under BNSF railroad tracks, and across Marina Beach to Puget Sound. (My Edmonds News)

Do local orcas need a room of their own?
The orca iconography in Puget Sound tourist gift shops borders on sappy, but for those lucky enough to have seen an orca in the flesh, the love of these whales is not so hard to understand. Yet the whale tourism industry may also come with a darker side: Are we literally loving the Southern Resident killer whales to death? The Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance — a non-profit dedicated to reducing the mortality rates of Puget Sound’s endangered local killer whales — thinks we are, through the demand to see orcas via boat-based whale watching tours. So the organization is pushing for the establishment of a whale protection zone on the west side of San Juan Island, where the orcas frequently hunt and rest. Samantha Larson reports. (Crosscut)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 PM PST MON JAN 5 2015
TUE
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
TUE NIGHT
SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 7 FT AT 13 SECONDS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told