4/16 Vole, orca habitat, WA climate laws, Roberts Bank Terminal 2, protesters freed, pinto abalone, water plant cleanup, David Bernhardt, alpine microplastics

Vole

Vole
Voles are small rodents that are relatives of the mouse, but with a stouter body, a shorter, hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars (high-crowned and with angular cusps instead of low-crowned and with rounded cusps). There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America and Australia. Vole species form the subfamily Arvicolinae with the lemmings and the muskrats. (Wlkipedia)


Northwest orcas to get expanded habitat protection, feds say
The federal government says that by October it will propose expanded habitat protections off Washington, Oregon and California for Pacific Northwest orcas. The announcement comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, which sued in 2018 to make officials move more quickly to protect the endangered orcas. The whales spend their summers in the waters between Washington state and Canada, but about two-thirds of the year they migrate and forage for salmon off the West Coast. The conservation group said the National Marine Fisheries Service had been dragging its feet in designating "critical habitat" for the whales in those foraging and migration areas. Under the Endangered Species Act, federal agencies must ensure that activities they pay for, permit or carry out do not harm such habitat. (Associated Press) See also: Few fish mean no summer chinook season on the Columbia River. Fall fishing forecast in flux  (Tri-City Herald)

Legislature is delivering on climate protection just in time for Inslee’s presidential bid
Democratic lawmakers are finding success in moving a raft of clean-energy bills through the Washington Legislature this session, benefiting from the seats they picked up in 2018 and using a new strategy to attract support by moderates in their own party. The sweeping bills would make Washington the fourth state to require a phaseout of fossil-fueled electricity; mandate energy overhauls for larger, old buildings; and join California, Oregon and British Columbia in reducing the climate-harming effects of car and truck fuels. The fate of three lesser bills to protect the climate is less certain, as lawmakers hurtle toward their scheduled April 28 adjournment. Those would promote the use of electric vehicles, crack down on climate-harming refrigeration gasses and require more energy-efficient electrical appliances. Rachel Nielsen reports. (Investigate West)

It’s not just pipelines: Sea ports could see marine traffic reviews after Ottawa’s directive on $2B Vancouver terminal
In an echo of the criticisms that stalled the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, opponents of a $2-billion container terminal near Vancouver are calling on the federal government to delay hearings on the project, arguing regulators have failed to account for the environmental effects of increased tanker traffic that would result from the development. Several First Nation communities and one private-sector firm are calling on regulators to delay hearings scheduled to begin May 14 after Environment Minister Catherine McKenna issued a directive last month that ordered officials to include marine shipping activity in their review of Roberts Bank Terminal 2, a roughly $2-billion project planned for construction on a sprawling man-made island off the coast of Vancouver. The proposal is led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, and is currently under environmental review by a federal panel. The directive by McKenna could raise concerns that the broader environmental considerations applied to Trans Mountain may also be extended to projects such as sea ports and rail lines, in turn diminishing Canada’s ability to build major infrastructure projects. Jesse Snyder reports (Vancouver Sun)

Charges dropped against 14 protesters blocking B.C. pipeline project
All contempt charges have been dropped against 14 people who were arrested at a blockade in northern British Columbia in January for barring access to a pipeline company. "I felt like there was a little bit of justice today," said Molly Wickham, one of the 14, outside the Prince George, B.C., courthouse Monday. "Relief, huge, huge relief."  "They have wisely decided not to proceed," said lawyer Martin Peters, who was acting for Wickham and several others. "I'm delighted … they saw the wisdom of stepping aside."... The arrest of Wickham and 13 others by heavily armed RCMP officers sparked protests in cities across Canada and made international headlines. Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC)

WDFW seeks final public input on listing pinto abalone as endangered 
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife  is seeking public comment on its final report and recommendation to list the pinto abalone as endangered in Washington state. The pinto abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana), a native mollusk historically prized as food and for its beautiful shell, has experienced a drastic reduction in population in recent decades. From 1992-2017, the population fell by an estimated 97 percent, putting the species at risk of local extinction.... The public is now invited to comment on the final status report for the Pinto Abalone in Washington, which can be found on the WDFW website at https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02031 (Chinook Observer)

Ecology taking comment on cleanup of former Anacortes water plant
The public can comment through May 14 on documents related to the cleanup of the former Anacortes water treatment plant. Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, were found in building materials and soil during a demolition assessment of the plant in 2015, according to the state Department of Ecology. No chemicals were found in drinking water based on routine sampling records, documents state. The old plant, which was decommissioned in 2013, is next to the current Anacortes water treatment plant on the Skagit River in Mount Vernon..... Documents, a comment form and more information can be found at bit.ly/Ecology-AnacortesFWTP Jacqueline Allison reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Interior Dept. Opens Ethics Investigation of Its New Chief, David Bernhardt
The Interior Department’s internal watchdog has opened an investigation into ethics complaints against the agency’s newly installed secretary, David Bernhardt. Mr. Bernhardt, a former lobbyist for the oil and agribusiness industries, was confirmed by the Senate last week to head the agency, which oversees the nation’s 500 million acres of public land and vast coastal waters. He has played a central role in writing policies designed to advance President Trump’s policy of “energy dominance” and expanding fossil fuel exploration. He has been dogged by allegations of ethics violations since joining the Trump administration as the Interior Department’s deputy secretary in 2017. Eight senators, all Democrats, and four government ethics watchdog groups have requested that the Interior Department’s inspector general open formal investigations into various aspects of Mr. Bernhardt’s conduct. Among the chief complaints have been allegations, revealed by three separate New York Times investigations, that Mr. Bernhardt used his position to advance a policy pushed by his former lobbying client; that he continued working as a lobbyist after filing legal paperwork declaring that he had ceased lobbying; and that he intervened to block the release of a scientific report showing the harmful effects of a chemical pesticide on certain endangered species. Coral Davenport reports. (NY Times)

Microplastic Found Even In The Air In France's Pyrenees Mountains
Surprisingly high amounts of microplastic are raining down on a remote and seemingly pristine part of France’s Pyrenees mountains, according to scientists who say such particles could potentially be floating everywhere. Microplastic — fragments smaller than a fifth of an inch that have broken down from larger pieces of plastic — has been found in rivers, lakes, the oceans and in agricultural soil. But very few studies of wind-borne microplastic have ever been done. This one found that the air over these mountains has about as much floating plastic pollution as the air over Paris or Dongguan, a large industrial city in China. Christopher Joyce reports. (NPR)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  242 AM PDT Tue Apr 16 2019   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. Wind waves  1 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 12 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming S 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 16 seconds. A  chance of showers.



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