1/12 BC pipe OK, DAPL, Granny, Vic sewer, saving Blanchard Mtn, BC ferry, coal port, Gorge rail

Moon rainbow (Greg Johnson/KOMO)

WOW! Nighttime camera captures rare rainbow caused by the moon
Greg Johnson at SkunkBayWeather.com runs his HD time lapse cameras from his waterfront porch in Hansville all night and captured something that many of us will never see: a nighttime rainbow! With the brilliant full moon Monday morning, there was enough light to scatter in the drizzle that was falling to make an honest rainbow -- at 1:10 in the morning! Scott Sistek reports. (KOMO)

Trans Mountain pipeline expansion granted environmental certificate by B.C. government
The B.C. government has given the green light to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, after reaching an "unprecedented" agreement with Kinder Morgan for up to $1 billion in investment over 20 years…. B.C. was required to provide its own environmental assessment — separate from the National Energy Board's — after a court ruling stated it could not assign the matter on projects of this magnitude. That assessment came with 37 new conditions, above and beyond the 157 conditions required by the National Energy Board. (CBC) See also: B.C. backs oil pipeline that will put tankers in Salish Sea  Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Patchwork of Dakota Access protests across US encouraged
The front lines of the battle against the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline are shifting away from the dwindling encampment in North Dakota, with main opposing groups asking for activism to be spread around the U.S., a call heeded when a banner was unfurled during an NFL game on New Year's Day. The message also has evolved from a struggle against a single four-state pipeline to an effort to advance the rights of Native Americans, the leader of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe says. Blake Nicholson reports. (Associated Press)

Granny, the orca, was seen in poor condition before her death
About a month before the Center for Whale Research last observed Granny, the killer whale, the elder orca was pictured in aerial photos by researchers from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center. The last aerial photos of Granny showed her to be in “poor body condition,” according to a report from marine mammal researcher John Durban on NOAA’s website. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Community meeting to discuss impact of sewage construction on Victoria's James Bay
Residents of a historic Victoria neighbourhood have a chance to learn about how sewage construction will affect their community at a public meeting [Wednesday night]…. The Capital Regional District is hosting the meeting, but officials have not shared the sewage design plans ahead of the event. Jean Paetkau reports. (CBC)

Race is on to protect entire 1,600-acre core of Blanchard Mountain from logging
The race is on to secure $7.7 million needed to protect all 1,600 forested acres on Blanchard Mountain in Skagit County from being logged. Gov. Jay Inslee set aside $1.5 million toward that total in his proposed budget, but supporters of full funding said this legislative session is the last chance to secure money for a 10-year agreement. If the money isn’t allocated, logging likely will begin this year on some part of the 1,600-acre core. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

BC Ferries' new Salish Orca arrives on West Coast
The first of three new vessels in the BC Ferries fleet has arrived in B.C. waters following a two-month long journey from Poland. The Salish Orca logged about 10,000 nautical miles and travelled through the Panama Canal on its way from the shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, where it was built. The journey took nearly two months. The Salish Class ships will be the first in the fleet powered by a dual system that can operate on liquid natural gas or diesel. Both fuels were tested during the journey, said BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall. Megan Thomas reports. (CBC)

Did DNR kill the coal project?
Has a state agency killed the proposed Millennium coal dock in Longview by denying the company a sublease needed to build two new docks on state aquatic lands in the Columbia River? Incredibly, seven years after Millennium first proposed the project, its legal standing to build the docks is still under question and perhaps subject to legal interpretation. And, in an ironic twist for a project that has been so furiously debated on its environmental issues, the state is citing financial concerns for blocking the mega-terminal. For their part, Millennium officials don’t think their $680 million project is dead. Marissa Luck reports. (Longview Daily News)

Union Pacific Sues For Exemption To Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area Rules
Union Pacific Railroad is suing Oregon’s Wasco County and Columbia River Gorge commissioners in an effort to push through a proposed track expansion. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the company asked a federal court to preempt a Wasco County ordinance that is blocking the company from expanding its track through the Columbia River Gorge. The railroad says the 5-mile track expansion would remove a chokepoint for freight trains near Mosier. A second track would allow trains moving in opposite directions to pass one another without stopping…. The railroad argues the court should preempt the county’s National Scenic Area Land Use and Development Ordinance because it “imposes an impermissible burden on interstate commerce.” Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB/EarthFix)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  232 AM PST THU JAN 12 2017  

TODAY  E WIND 5 TO 15 KT IN THE MORNING...BECOMING LIGHT. WIND  WAVES 1 TO 2 FT IN THE MORNING. SW SWELL 5 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
TONIGHT  SW WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 4  FT AT 11 SECONDS.

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