6/25 Crab grass, PCB, Roundup, arsenic, Fishtrap Cr, Norbeck Cr, toilet paper, cougars, salmon cannon, Intalco, wildfire smoke

Crab grass

Crab grass Digitaria sanguinalis
Introduced European weed that has become established although not abundantly locally. Digitaria from the Latin digitus ('finger'), because of the long finger-like arrangement of the inflorescence. The name 'crab grass' might allude to the long, creeping stems that freely root at the nodes, which bear some resemblance to crabs.

Monsanto to pay $95 million over PCB pollution in Washington state 
The agrochemical giant Monsanto has agreed to pay Washington state $95 million to settle a lawsuit that blamed it for pervasive pollution from PCBs — toxic industrial chemicals that have accumulated in plants, fish and people around the globe for decades.Gene Johnson reports. (Associated Press)

Roundup Maker to Pay $10 Billion to Settle Cancer Suits
When Bayer, the giant German chemical and pharmaceutical maker, acquired Monsanto two years ago, the company knew it was also buying the world’s best-known weedkiller. What it didn’t anticipate was a legal firestorm over claims that the herbicide, Roundup, caused cancer. Now Bayer is moving to put those troubles behind it, agreeing to pay more than $10 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims while continuing to sell the product without adding warning labels about its safety. Patricia Cohen reports. (NY Times)

Is pollution at old mill site reaching the Snohomish River?
Over 20 years after an initial cleanup of the former site of a Weyerhaeuser mill along the Snohomish River, the state isn't sure arsenic on the 9-acre lot is contained. Julia-grace Sanders reports. (Everett Herald/paywall)

EPA fines company in Lynden $41,500 for releasing pollutants into Fishtrap Creek
A cold storage and food warehouse in Lynden has agreed to pay $41,500 for violating the federal Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency announced this week. Americold Logistics, 406 2nd St., was fined for violations that included discharging pollutants into Fishtrap Creek, which flows into the Nooksack River, the EPA said. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Regulators fine Everett manufacturer $327,000 for oil spills 
Two oil spills in July 2018 polluted a stormwater pond and tainted wildlife near Narbeck Creek. Janice Podsada reports. (Everett Herald/paywall)

Toilet paper wars: Contested report claims TP production devastating Canadian forests
U.S. group says toilet paper companies are fueling boreal deforestation. The forest industry disagrees. The toilet paper crisis of 2020 will probably be remembered as a strange and humorous aside to the COVID-19 pandemic. But a new report from the U.S.-based Natural Resources Defence Council says there's a different but more worrisome toilet paper crisis now looming in Canada, and it's driving global climate change. The Issue with Tissue 2.0: How the tree-to-toilet pipeline fuels our climate crisis, claims that a million acres of Canadian boreal forest is being clear cut every year, with a significant portion of the virgin wood fibre going to large American toilet paper producers. Karin Larsen reports. (CBC)

Native and WA scientists join forces to secure cougars' future
As the I-5 corridor grows, both groups are working to safeguard big cats making the trek to the Olympic Peninsula. Rico Moore reports. (High Country News/Crosscut)

'Salmon cannon' up and running at B.C. landslide, but fish slow to arrive
A pump system dubbed the salmon cannon is up and running along a remote stretch of British Columbia's Fraser River in order to help fish move past a massive landslide. But Gwil Roberts, who's the director of the response to the slide for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said very few fish have arrived because of abnormally high snowpacks around the Fraser and its tributaries. Brenna Owen reports. (CBD)

Helter Smelter
...Before the pandemic, Intalco was making roughly $230 million annually. It has already lost $24 million this year. As a result, Intalco’s first wave of layoffs started on June 4. More than half of the 720 workers will be unemployed by June 21, said Glenn Farmer, the business representative for the International Association of Machinists in Ferndale. The second wave will likely take place by the end of July or early August, leaving only 25 workers to keep the equipment in working order, he said. Layoffs will continue with a target of 14 workers in about 12 months. Jacob Pederson reports. (The Planet)

Harmful effects of wildfire smoke are immediate and could make COVID-19 symptoms worse, UBC study warns
A study by University of British Columbia researchers underscores the immediate, harmful health effects of wildfire smoke and says there are concerning implications during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, published in the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives, explores a link between high levels of fine particulates in wildfire smoke and increased ambulance dispatches. (Canadian Press)




Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  254 AM PDT Thu Jun 25 2020   
TODAY  Light wind becoming NW 5 to 15 kt in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds. Patchy fog in the  morning. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 6 ft at 8 seconds.




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