6/13 Kalama gas, Bears Ears, net rule nixed, BC pipe $, squirrel, Tesoro, oil cleanup, HI seabirds

"Riley" [PHOTO: Laurie MacBride]

The Life of Riley
Laurie MacBride in Eye On Environment writes: 'On those all too-rare occasions when she was able to kick back and do nothing other than enjoy the day, my mother always had one thing to say: “Well, ain’t this the life of Riley!” I’m reminded of this on sunny days in June, when I run across Red-legged frogs lounging in our pond – as if they have no worries or cares in the world (not even any concern that they’re a species at risk)….'

Climate Activists in Pacific Northwest Fight Construction of World's Largest Methanol Refinery
Climate activists in the Pacific Northwest have rallied against a tsunami of fossil export proposals over the last five years:  coal, oil and the latest, petrochemical projects. The fight against a proposal to build the world's largest methanol refinery on the banks of the Columbia River using fracked gas may be their biggest fight to date. Martha Baskin reports. (Green Currents)

Interior Head Suggests Reducing Bears Ears National Monument
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Monday recommended that the new Bears Ears National Monument in Utah be reduced in size and said Congress should step in to designate how selected areas of the 1.3 million-acre site are managed. Zinke made the recommendation as part of an interim report to President Donald Trump on the scenic swath of southern Utah with red rock plateaus, cliffs and canyons on land considered sacred to tribes. (Associated Press)

US cancels new protection for endangered West Coast whales 
The Trump administration on Monday threw out a new rule intended to limit the numbers of endangered whales and sea turtles getting caught in fishing nets off the West Coast, saying existing protections were already working…. The rule would have applied to fewer than 20 fishing vessels that use mile-long fishing nets to catch swordfish off California and Oregon. The change would have shut down the drift gillnet fishing for swordfish for up to two seasons if too many of nine groups of whales, sea turtles or dolphins were getting caught in the nets. The Pacific Fishery Management Council, which includes representatives of the fishing industry as well as state and tribal governments and federal regulators, had proposed the rule in 2015. Ellen Knickmeyer reports. (Associated Press)

Coalition urges banks to deny financing for Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain
A coalition of interest groups is calling on Canada's six biggest banks and others to back away from providing funding for Kinder Morgan Canada's controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. The coalition of 20 Indigenous and environmental groups says in an open letter that it will use its influence to urge local and foreign governments to divest from banks that ignore its opposition to the pipeline. It names a total of 28 banks as potential targets for its campaign, including 14 that underwrote the recent initial public offering for Calgary-based Kinder Morgan Canada. (Canadian Press)

New species of flying squirrel discovered in Pacific Northwest
The northern flying squirrel can be found throughout British Columbia — but a new study has found that those living on the coast are a completely different species from those found inland for about a million years. The authors of the study analyzed the DNA of flying squirrel specimens collected throughout the Pacific Northwest, previously thought to be the exclusive domain of the northern flying squirrel. But those found on the Pacific coast between southern B.C. and northern California turned out to be genetically distinct from those found further inland. Matt Meuse reports. (CBC)

L&I to contest judge's order to vacate $2.4 million fine against Tesoro
The state Department of Labor & Industries will request a full review of a judge’s order to vacate a $2.4 million fine the department issued against the Tesoro Anacortes Refinery for the 2010 explosion that killed seven workers, according to a news release. Aaron Weinerber reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Magnetic Nanoparticles Will Help Clean Oil Spills
Cleaning up oil spills is a difficult, dirty job, and even with modern techniques it's still hard to remove every last drop. Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin believe that they can fill that gap: they're using a technique that targets and sucks up leftover minuscule oil droplets using electrostatic attraction and a magnet. In the future, a similar method could be used to clean lead and other contaminants from our drinking water, they say. Lisa Cumming reports. (Motherboard)

Lights Out for Hawai‘i’s Seabirds 
Scientists hope lasers can save endangered seabirds from power line collisions. Ashley Braun reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Now, your tug weather--
 West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PDT Tue Jun 13 2017  
TODAY  W wind 10 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 5 ft  at 11 seconds. A slight chance of rain.
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 4  ft at 10 seconds. A slight chance of showers in the evening.

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