5/11 Owl, Everett restoration, TM pipe, oil gas discrimination, summer water, public meetings and public records, miners sued

Barred owl [Gene Helfman]

Local Aviflauna
Gene Helfman on Lopez writes: "The robins were all screaming warning calls yesterday. It was easy to find them as they were busy mobbing the resident Barred Owl that frequents the Head. The owl was perched on a branch basically right outside our front door while several robins and hummingbirds kept screaming and dive bombing it. This went on for easily an hour before the owl flew off. We heard an owl calling later that evening, not too far away."


*EDITOR'S NOTE: Access updates on the COVID-19 virus at national and regional print publications like the CBC, the Seattle Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.



Port of Everett work forges ahead at Kimberly-Clark site
The Port of Everett is forging on with a major restoration of the former Kimberly-Clark mill site, even as the port faces empty commercial space and canceled events elsewhere. Coronavirus closures have impacted the port’s operations, which could result in delays for other capital projects...The exact monetary drop won’t be known for months, maybe longer. But port leaders suspended hiring in February for the rest of the year — freezing some positions into 2021 — and offered commercial tenants rent relief to shore up losses. Ben Watanabe reports. (Everett Herald)

Construction of expanded Trans Mountain pipeline to begin soon in B.C.
Construction will soon ramp up on the expansion of the Trans Mountain oil export pipeline, including the installation of pipe in British Columbia where opposition to the project has been loudest. The multi-billion dollar project is owned by the federal government and will transport oil from Edmonton to the Vancouver area. A lack of new export pipelines has been a problem for the oilpatch for several years and is a reason for limits on Alberta's oil output. For a sector in the midst of historically low oil prices and layoffs, progress on pipeline projects like Trans Mountain provides some much needed optimism. Kyle Bakx reports. (CBC)

The Energy 202: GOP lawmakers accuse Wall Street of 'discriminating' against fossil fuels during coronavirus pandemic
Republican members of Congress are coming to the defense of oil, gas and coal companies they say face “discriminatory” lending practices from Wall Street banks that have caved to pressure from environmentalists. They are worried that oil and gas companies, suffering from the economic shockwaves of the coronavirus pandemic, are not getting their fair share of $2 trillion in stimulus funding because many of the big banks playing a part in distributing the funds have policies against lending to certain fossil fuel projects. In a letter sent late last week to President Trump, three dozen lawmakers urged the administration to take action against big banks that have decided to limit such lending. Dino Grandoni writes. (Washington Post)

Summer water supply in good shape — for now
With a boost in mountain snowfall in January and little early melt through March, snowpack that supplies cold water to the Skagit River as it melts through the summer is currently well stocked...Those cool, dry conditions in March actually led to below normal flows on the Skagit and Samish rivers, according to the state Department of Ecology. But that changed as North Cascades snow began to melt in April. Streamflow in the Skagit River increased from 71% of normal in March to 92% of normal in April, according to monthly Washington Water Supply Outlook reports. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Legislature extends suspension of some state transparency laws during pandemic
Public government meetings in Kitsap will continue to be held online for the foreseeable future after legislative leaders extended an order from Gov. Jay Inslee restricting parts of the state Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) through the end of May. As the coronavirus outbreak in Washington intensified during the second half of March, Inslee’s office issued an order prohibiting public agencies from holding in-person meetings. The order also suspended a section of the Public Records Act (PRA) that compels agencies to respond to public records requests within five days. Christian Vosler and Chris Henry report. (Kitsap Sun)

Washington AG sues mining companies, claims they took gold, polluted local waters
Mining companies got the gold, but gave northeast Washington's scenic Kettle River country the shaft, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Spokane by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The AG's office is suing two gold mining companies, Crown Resources and Kinross Gold, for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act by discharging illegal levels of pollutants into creeks flowing into the Kettle River in Okanogan County. The companies are owners of the Buckhorn Mountain Mine, long opposed by environmental groups, with support for the project playing a role in the 2000 defeat of Republican U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton. The mine also served as a major employer in rural, resource-dependent Ferry and Okanogan Counties. Ferry County has a population under 8,000. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  256 AM PDT Mon May 11 2020   
TODAY  NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 2 ft at 9 seconds. A  chance of showers and a slight chance of tstms in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  NW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming NE 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 3 ft at 8 seconds.  Showers in the evening. A slight chance of tstms. Showers likely  after midnight.




--
"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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told