11/15 Tug raising, Tacoma LNG, DAPL hold, rogue chemicals, Vic sewer, lost containers

Tug raising (Ian McAllister/Pacific Wild/CBC)

Tug that spilled 110K litres of fuel lifted from sea floor near Bella Bella
The sunken tug that contaminated the waters of British Columbia's Central Coast with more than 100,000 litres of fuel was raised from the sea floor Monday. The Nathan E. Stewart ran aground and sank 32 days ago west of Bella Bella, highlighting concerns about oil spill response capacity at a time when hotly-debated proposed pipelines may increase tanker traffic on the West Coast. In the afternoon, the tug was lifted to deck level next to a barge, allowing it to drain out, and was placed on a barge in the evening. Lisa Johnson and Justin McElroy report. (CBC)

Puget Sound Energy plan to build LNG plant at Port of Tacoma has few regulatory hurdles left
Puget Sound Energy is still at work on the public-relations campaign for its Port of Tacoma liquefied natural gas plant, but much of the behind-the-scenes work to get the project into construction appears complete. The October decision by the state Utilities and Transportation Commission to allow the financial mechanism to build and run the plant was the last remaining significant regulatory hurdle for the $310 million project, unless the Puyallup Tribe’s court challenge upends its shoreline development permit. Now the agency is sending informational mailers and preparing to host a forum Monday to explain what it intends to build. Derrick Nunnally reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Dakota Access Pipeline put on hold as government studies tribe's concerns
In a victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the U.S. Army Corps announced Monday that it won’t grant an easement to allow completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline while it looks further into concerns raised by the tribe. The Corps announced it would set a timeline with the tribe for further consideration of its concerns, including the risk of spills into the Missouri River, the drinking- water source for the tribe and more than 17 million people downstream. Energy Transfer Partners of Dallas, Texas, has completed the more than 1,100-mile oil pipeline through four states but for the last stage: drilling under the river to finish the pipeline. For that, it needs the easement to cross Corps land. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Northwest Communities Joining National Day Of Protests Against Dakota Access Pipeline  Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Concerns rise over rogue chemicals in the environment
Drugs like Prozac and cocaine have been showing up in the region’s salmon. But these are just some of the potentially thousands of different man-made chemicals that may escape into the Salish Sea every day, from pharmaceuticals to industrial compounds. Now the race is on to identify which ones pose the greatest dangers. Chris Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

Canada finally acts on raw sewage pumping into our waters
Seattle Times editorial board says: "Say goodbye to Mr. Floatie. Canadian leaders are making welcome progress on a sewage-treatment plant for the Victoria, B.C., area. Overcoming political differences, our friends north of the U.S. border are finally addressing the problem of the raw sewage they discharge into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. New local and federal leaders reached an agreement in September to build a sewage-treatment plant for Victoria, B.C., and surrounding communities. This is a welcome change after decades of squabbling over a project critically needed to protect water quality. (Seattle Times)

Empty containers lost at sea near Island after Hanjin ship hits rough weather
Rough weather sent 35 empty shipping containers on the Hanjin Seattle tumbling into the ocean off the west coast of southern Vancouver Island. The containers hit the sea shortly after 1 p.m. on Nov. 3, Rachelle Smith, spokeswoman for the Canadian Coast Guard, said Monday. Mariners received a warning from the Coast Guard that the containers might be a danger to navigation. The notice went out after the Hanjin Seattle said the containers were adrift nearly eight nautical miles west of Pachena Point, south of Barkley Sound. The depth of the sea at that point is 100 metres. Carla Wilson reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  252 AM PST TUE NOV 15 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE  TONIGHT  
TODAY  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 15 SECONDS...BUILDING TO  11 FT AT 15 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON. SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF  TSTMS.
TONIGHT  W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING S TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 11 FT AT 14 SECONDS. SHOWERS  LIKELY IN THE EVENING...THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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