8/23 Skokomish R, Longview coal, BC pipe, Keystone, geoduck, spraying, Forest Service rule change, salmon rebound, Dead Boats Society

[PHOTO: Mark Filteau/Flickr]

Skokomish River
The Skokomish River is a river in Mason County, Washington. It is the largest river flowing into Hood Canal. From its source at the confluence of the North and South Forks the main stem Skokomish River is approximately 9 miles long. The name of the area's resident Indian tribe is based on two of their dialect words -- s'kaw, meaning 'fresh water,' and mish, meaning 'people.' (Wikipedia, Washington State Place Names)

Appeals court deals blow to big coal export terminal proposed for Longview, Washington
Would-be builders of a massive coal export terminal, to be located along the Columbia River at Longview, suffered a severe setback Tuesday in court. The Washington State Court of Appeals ruled that the Department of Natural Resources had a valid reason when it refused to lease state-owned aquatic lands to Millennium Bulk Terminals. The DNR had noted the bankruptcy of Arch Coal, one of Millennium's owners, and the developer's initial failure to disclose that it wanted to build the largest coal terminal on the West Coast. The terminal would receive as many as 16 coal trains a day from the Powder River and Unita Basins in Wyoming, for shipment to Asian markets. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.com)

Trans Mountain pipeline construction set to restart within a month
Construction on the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline project is set to restart within a month. In a statement released Wednesday, the company said it had directed its main contractors to begin the hiring and mobilization process necessary to restart the expansion project. The “Notice to Proceed” directive gives contractors 30 days to get equipment and supplies in place, hire crews and develop detailed construction plans. A total of 4,200 workers are expected to be working on the pipeline by the end of 2019...Construction is to resume immediately at the Burnaby Terminal tank farm and at the Westridge Marine Terminal on Burrard Inlet, both sites of high-profile protests in the past. Work is also expected to begin throughout August and September, with construction set to resume in the area between Edmonton and Edson and around the Greater Edmonton area. Stephanie Ip reports. (Vancouver Sun)   

Keystone XL Pipeline Plan Is Approved by Nebraska Supreme Court
Nebraska’s highest court approved the Keystone XL oil pipeline’s planned path through that state on Friday, resolving a permitting battle that has stretched on for more than a decade as the project became a proxy for a national debate between environmentalists and the energy industry. Keystone XL, which would carry crude oil from Canada to southern Nebraska, has been the subject of political maneuvering and litigation since it was proposed in 2008. The project, which was rejected by the Obama administration, was revived under President Trump. Mitch Smith reports. (NY Times)

The demand for luxury shellfish is polluting the ocean with plastic
The federal government has given the West Coast shellfish industry a green light to expand farming practices of the lucrative geoduck to meet demand from Hong Kong and the rest of China. Leah Bendell reports. (The Narwhal)

State: No expectation of pollution at spraying
A spokesperson for the state Department of Agriculture said the agency expects reports to find no runoff into the watershed or water supply following rain showers in areas where herbicides were sprayed from a helicopter earlier this week.... Environmentalists have adamantly expressed their concerns at several public meetings this month about the chemicals, not only for the potential to harm pollinators and wildlife but for human health if they get into the water supply. Brian McLean reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Environmental Scrutiny Could Be Reduced For Projects On Public Forests
The U.S. Forest Service is proposing to reduce the public’s role in shaping the way it applies federal environmental laws to projects on public lands. The agency says the changes would help land managers “make timelier decisions based on high quality, science-based analysis.” Environmental groups are calling the proposed changes a giveaway to the timber industry that will allow projects on national forests to be approved with far less involvement from the public. Jes Burns reports. (OPB)

King salmon rebounds in California
Trolling off the California coast, Sarah Bates leans over the side of her boat and pulls out a long, silvery fish prized by anglers and seafood lovers: a wild-caught chinook. Reeling in a fish “feels good every time,” but this year has been surprisingly good, said Bates, a commercial troller based in San Francisco. Bates and other California fishermen are reporting one of the best salmon fishing seasons in years, thanks to heavy rain and snow that ended the state’s historic drought. Terence Chea reports. (Associated Press)

Dead Boats Society moving towards 100 wreckages removed from the Salish Sea
The Dead Boat Society was back at it this week hauling derelict and abandoned boats from the Salish Sea. Combining money and resources from a long list of partners, the crew pulled out one boat from Bedwell Harbour at Pender Island, five from Port Browning, two from Montague Harbour at Galiano Island and a dock full of marine debris from Hawkins Island (an uninhabited island between Prevost and Mayne islands that hosted an oyster farm). John Roe helped found the Dead Boat Society three years ago. He credits MP Sheila Malcolmson for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, who tabled the bill with the federal Liberal government. The society has accessed grant money and have removed 60 abandoned boats submerged and beached in the Capital Regional District.  Travis Paterson reports. (Victoria News)


Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  247 AM PDT Fri Aug 23 2019   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 3 ft at 9 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming SW after midnight. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 3 ft at 8 seconds building to 5 ft at  11 seconds after midnight. A slight chance of showers. 
SAT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft  at 10 seconds. A chance of rain in the morning then a slight  chance of showers in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt becoming to 10 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 6 ft at 12 seconds. 
SUN  Light wind becoming W 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 7 ft at 11 seconds.



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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato (@) salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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