6/28 WA streams, Roundup, Vancouver trash, NW quake, fed trust, tree programs, EPA bullying

Western trumpet honeysuckle

Western trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera ciliosa
Western trumpet honeysuckle (aka orange honeysuckle) is found in dry open forest, thickets and rocky ridges from southeastern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands to California. The stems were used by interior peoples of British Columbia for weaving, binding and lashing. Saanich children liked to suck the sugar-filled nectaries at the base of the flowers but the berries, which may be poisonous, were not eaten. Hummingbirds feed on the flowers. The plant is known as “ghost’s swing” or “owl’s swing” in several Coast Salish languages. (Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast)

Plans to scrap EPA rule could impact half of Washington streams
Washington environmental groups are criticizing the Trump Administration's push to rescind a federal clean water rule. The rule prevents polluters from dumping into small waterways that flow into larger lakes and rivers. The Environmental Protection Agency wants to drop it, in an effort to give more power to the states and limit regulations. It was enacted under the Obama Administration as a partial update to the Clean Water Act , which was adopted decades earlier. Paige Browning reports. (KUOW) See also: E.P.A. Moves to Rescind Contested Water Pollution Regulation  Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Weed killer ingredient going on California list as cancerous
Regulators in California took a pivotal step today toward becoming the first state to require the popular weed killer Roundup to come with a label warning that it’s known to cause cancer. Officials announced that starting July 7 the weed killer’s main ingredient, glyphosate, will appear on a list California keeps of potentially cancerous chemicals. A year later, the listing could come with warning labels on the product, officials said. However, it’s not certain whether Roundup will ultimately get a warning label. (Associated Press)

Vancouver looks to reduce the millions of weekly coffee cups in garbage
More than two million plastic bags, 2.6 million paper coffee cups, and countless foam takeout food containers are thrown out each week in Vancouver. As part of its push to become the greenest city in the world, Vancouver is looking at ways to reduce the number of single-use items that end up in landfills. In 2011, the city set a goal of reducing the amount of solid waste by 50 per cent from 2008 levels by the year 2020. The most recent data, from 2015, shows that total waste has decreased by 27 per cent, or 129,000 tonnes, since 2008. The city is also planning to become a zero-waste community by 2040. Jennifer Saltman reports. (Vancouver Sun) See  also: Vancouver's possible ban of coffee cups, foam containers unreasonable, industry says   A representative of the restaurant industry says a possible ban on disposable cups, plastic bags and take-out container waste in Vancouver is not realistic. (CBC)

Northwest earthquake risk data might be skewed by distant temblors
Can an earthquake under the Indian Ocean cause an underwater landslide off the coast of Washington? In 2012, a magnitude-8.6 Indian Ocean earthquake caused underwater landslides more than 8,000 miles away according to a study published earlier this month in the “Journal of Geophysical Research.” University of Washington oceanographer Paul Johnson was the lead author for the study. Craig Hill reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Would you trust the feds to make decisions about your land?
Ashley Ahearn for Terrestrial writes: "Why would a fourth-generation rancher who doesn't put much trust in the government choose to work with federal agencies to restore salmon runs on her property? After the occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon last year, I had questions about the relationship between private landowners and the government, particularly in the West. As I asked around, I heard about a woman named Liza Jane McAlister…." (KUOW)

Tree programs take root
A host of tree canopy initiatives have popped up in recent years in Seattle and King County. While none seek to limit tree loss to development on private property, the increase in attention is good news for trees owned by the city, many of which are nearing the end of their lifespan and will need to be replaced. These programs include: The One Million Trees Campaign, The Green Seattle Partnership, City Habitats, The Urban Bird Treaty, Trees for Neighborhoods and Tree Ambassadors. Adiel Kaplan reports. (Investigate West) See also: Red Cedar asthma: B.C.’s official tree can be source of health problems  Pamela Fayerman reports. (Vancouver Sun)

E.P.A. Official Pressured Scientist on Congressional Testimony, Emails Show 
The Environmental Protection Agency’s chief of staff pressured the top scientist on the agency’s scientific review board to alter her congressional testimony and play down the dismissal of expert advisers, his emails show. Deborah Swackhamer, an environmental chemist who leads the E.P.A.’s Board of Scientific Counselors, was to testify on May 23 before the House Science Committee on the role of states in environmental policy when Ryan Jackson, the E.P.A.’s chief of staff, asked her to stick to the agency’s “talking points” on the dismissals of several members of the scientific board. “I was stunned that he was pushing me to ‘correct’ something in my testimony,” said Dr. Swackhamer, a retired University of Minnesota professor. “I was factual, and he was not. I felt bullied.” Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times) See also: On Capitol Hill, EPA chief gets an earful about Trump’s ‘downright offensive’ budget plan  Brady Dennis reports. (Washington Post)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  235 AM PDT Wed Jun 28 2017  
TODAY  Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less in the afternoon. W  swell 5 ft at 8 seconds.
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 4 ft at 8 seconds.

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