11/8 Ocean protection, tar sands, pipeline protest, no-discharge zone, Goldstream trash

Justin Trudeau announces $1.5B ocean protection plan
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the government's $1.5-billion ocean protection plan in Vancouver today for responses to tanker and fuel spills in the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Trudeau said the funding over five years will include creating a marine safety system, restoring marine ecosystems and research into oil spill cleanup methods. He called it "the most significant investment ever made to protect our oceans and coastlines." The announcement, made with Transport Minister Marc Garneau, comes after the minister spent Sunday touring a site on B.C.'s Central Coast where the tugboat Nathan E. Stewart ran aground and sank more than three weeks ago, releasing thousands of litres of diesel and lubricants into the water. (CBC) See also: Justin Trudeau assures better ship tracking for indigenous groups  Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

The tar sands’ threat to our waters
A tanker spill of diluted bitumen from Canada’s oils sands could trigger an ecological catastrophe for the Salish Sea. The oil would impact crab, rockfish and other bottom dwellers — as well as salmon and orca whales. Michael Riordan opines. (Seattle Times)

Charges dropped against two of three arrested for pipeline break-in
Charges have been dropped against two of the three people allegedly involved in a break-in Oct. 11 at the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline facility near Burlington. Burglary, criminal sabotage, assembly to commit criminal sabotage and trespassing charges against Carl Davis, 61, and Lindsey Goodwin-Grayzel, 45, were dropped Friday, Skagit County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Sloan Johnson said. Charges against 59-year-old Kenneth Ward remain, Johnson said. Kera Wanielista reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

EPA Moving Ahead With No-Discharge Zone For Puget Sound
The Environmental Protection Agency has given a preliminary green light to ban all vessels from dumping sewage in Puget Sound. It’s the latest step in a long effort by the state and environmental groups. Washington’s Department of Ecology has been working for several years to get a federal ban on sewage dumping for Puget Sound and issued a formal petition requesting it this summer. The EPA has established more than 90 of these so-called “no discharge” zones in 26 states, but this would be the first in the Northwest. Currently, the law allows dumping of untreated waste three miles off shore. Partially treated waste can be dumped anywhere in Puget Sound. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Truckloads of trash could imperil Goldstream salmon
Just above the Goldstream River, where thousands of visitors gather to watch the salmon run, the forest is scattered with truckloads of garbage. Illegal dumping off Finlayson Arm Road is not just unsightly, but has some worried about the health of the ecosystem and potential impact on salmon…. The list of dumped items includes but is not limited to: one couch, 11Ú2 cars, asphalt shingles, oil cannisters, fertilizer, animal carcasses and hides, electronics, a power drill and household waste. Many show signs of age — the couch is covered in moss — and many are buried, at least in part, by fallen leaves. Most are difficult to see from the side of the road, as the land drops off on a steep decline to the river. The most concentrated waste is just past the boundary of Goldstream Provincial Park, on land is shared by the Malahat, Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tseycum and Tsawout First Nations. Interview requests were made to each of the nations, but no one could be reached for comment. Amy Smart reports. (Times Colonist)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  257 AM PST TUE NOV 8 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON  
TODAY  E WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SW SWELL 13 FT  AT 13 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT  SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AFTER  MIDNIGHT. W SWELL 16 FT AT 15 SECONDS...SUBSIDING TO 14 FT AT 16  SECONDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN IN THE EVENING...THEN RAIN LIKELY  AFTER MIDNIGHT.

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