7/12 Oil trains, Parks Canada, oil spill data, urban wildlife, river otters, Feiro Marine Life, BC LNG

Elwha nearshore, 7/11/16 (Tom Roorda & CWI)

Inslee wants increased inspections on oil transport rail lines
Gov. Jay Inslee wants federal regulators to issue an emergency order requiring safety inspectors to physically walk the rail lines in the hours before Bakken crude oil is transported. In a letter to the railroad administration’s chief, Inslee called current federal inspection standards “insufficient to protect our communities from the imminent threat of fires, spills, and collisions that result from oil train derailments,” The Columbian reported Sunday Inslee wants the tracks to be inspected every day, at a minimum, and inspected at least 24-hours prior to oil transportation. (Associated Press)

Parks Canada should focus on environment, not development, says report
Parks Canada is breaking its own legislation and endangering the very ecosystems it is supposed to protect, according to a report from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society…. The report warned that if Parks Canada continues on this path, wildlife and wilderness will be "whittled away" and we will fail "on our commitment to pass along our national parks unimpaired to future generations." Susan Lunn reports. (CBC)

Summary of West Coast Oil Spill Data, 2015
The Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force’s Summary of West Coast Oil Spill Data, 2015 is now available. This report contains data on crude and non-crude oil spills in 2015 from Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, and reports on spills 42 gallons (1 barrel) or larger. The report also captures trends in oil spills across the West Coast from 2002 to 2015. From Sarah Brace. (Pacific States British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force)

Birds, beavers, bats and rats: Seattle’s urban wildlife thrives
The geography of the Northwest brings a diversity of wildlife — and related headaches. Birds get in the path of jetliners. Crows frequently knock out power. And rats occasionally crawl up toilets. Evan Bush reports. (Seattle Times)

Researchers ask the public to report river otter sightings
They are charming and carnivorous, and can let humans know about environmental decline. "Like other animals that feed on the top of the food chain, river otters tell us a lot about what's happening," said Joe Gaydos, chief scientist for the SeaDoc Society. "They inhabit marine water and fresh water and go on land so they integrate information from all three places." Citizens are being asked to take part in a state-wide project to track the trends of river otters. Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, as part of their Living Northwest conservation program, has invited the public to participate in the Otter Spotter program…. If you observe a river otter, report your sightings at http://www.zoo.org/conservation/otterspotter#.V31-tZMrL8s to submit the online form. Sightings anywhere in the region will provide valuable data. Try to record the time of day, number of otters present, location of the sighting and behavior of the animals. And photos are welcome. Colleen Armstrong reports. (San Juan Journal)

Longtime volunteer encourages visitors for Wednesday’s open house at Feiro Marine Life Center
Shirley Anderson, a longtime naturalist with Feiro Marine Life Center, marvels at the success the facility has seen throughout the years and encourages the public to stop by during a free open house celebrating 35 years from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday…. Feiro cofounded the Marine Life Center with Will Wirt on Nov. 21, 1981, and since then people have been able to easily see examples of the sea creatures living in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Jesse Majors reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

LNG Canada delays final decision on Kitimat project, no new timeline set
Instability in global energy markets has caused international partners in a proposed liquefied natural gas project in Kitimat, B.C., to delay their final decision on the venture. LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz said in a conference call Monday that a drop in natural gas prices around the world, particularly in Asia, has made the project too expensive for now…. The LNG Canada project would export up to 24 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year and cost up to US$40 billion to build. Royal Dutch Shell (TSX:SHC) owns a 50 per cent stake in the project along with partners Korea Gas Corp., Mitsubishi Corp., and PetroChina Co. Ltd. (Canadian Press)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  254 AM PDT TUE JUL 12 2016  

TODAY  LIGHT WIND...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND  WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF  SHOWERS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. W  SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING...THEN  A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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