8/4 Obama clean power, BC climate, Inslee carbon cap, BC crops in drought, Pt Townsend water

Purple martin (Mike Hamilton/BirdNote)

How Birds Stay Cool
On a hot summer’s day, watch a bird such as a crow — or this Purple Martin — very carefully. You’ll never see them sweat, because birds don’t have sweat glands. So how do they keep cool? One way is panting. As the bird breathes rapidly, heat is carried out of its body through the lungs and air sacs. Bare skin on the legs, face, and beak also help with cooling. So do puffing out feathers, fluttering wings, or splashing in a puddle or birdbath. And soaring birds like hawks can simply ride the updrafts far above ground to cooler air. (BirdNote)

Washington officials cheer Obama plan to reduce carbon pollution: House Speaker Boehner calls it “nuts”  
Washington state officials cheered on Monday as President Obama unveiled the most aggressive greenhouse gas reduction plan in American history.  Allies of Big Oil and Big Coal in the Rust Belt were groaning…. The Obama plan could have immediate impacts in the Northwest, starting with aging, dirty coal plants located about 100 miles southeast of Billings in Montana. Puget Sound Energy should be required to show why it should continue to get electricity from the 1975-vintage Colstrip 1 and 2 power plants, conservation groups told the state Utilities and Transportation Commission on Friday.  They suggested in a brief that Washington and Montana get ready to pull the plug on the old power plants “in the not-too-distant future.” Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com) See also: State already in step with Obama clean-power plan  Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times)

Climate change is a growing concern in B.C., says scientist
Climate change is a growing concern in British Columbia as drought and wildfires continue to parch much of the province. It was the hottest June on record for many places around the world, including here in B.C. where at least 64 temperature records were shattered during an intense heat wave. Climate scientists say we may have to get used to it. (CBC)

Inslee’s carbon cap won’t happen soon
It may take Gov. Jay Inslee longer to circumvent lawmakers and impose a cap on carbon emissions than he’s expecting. The governor directed the Department of Ecology last week to begin developing a hard limit on emissions using his rule-making power under existing state laws. He pledged the process would be open with plenty of opportunity for interested parties to weigh in — and he expected to be finished in about a year. But the man leading the effort says it could take twice as long because of the complexity and controversy enveloping the issue. Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

B.C., Alberta farmers fear for crops amid crippling drought
Small-scale growers in British Columbia are scrambling to meet market needs because of a months-long drought that is causing gaps in the growing season. A lasting drought in B.C.’s Lower Mainland and Alberta is leading crops to shoot up weeks before their due dates at rates faster than they can be consumed. And organic farms, of which produce is purchased by half of the province’s consumers and of which land makes up 16.3 per cent of its farms, are feeling the heat. Verity Stevenson reports. (Globe and Mail)

Port Townsend City Council puts water restrictions into effect
The Port Townsend City Council on Monday night unanimously approved Stage 1 water restrictions that include requiring outdoor watering on alternate days. Restrictions came into effect immediately. Stage 1 of the three-stage water conservation plan aims to reach targets of a 10 percent reduction in water use within the city and a 15 percent cutback in consumption for the Port Townsend Paper Corp. Charlie Bermant reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE AUG 4 2015
TODAY
SW WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 7 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 7 SECONDS.

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