7/29 King crab, Navy testing, Trump's climate, Pebble Mine, Biden's energy, grizzlies, bees, gypsy moth, WSF

Puget Sound king crab [Dave Cowles]

Puget Sound king crab Lopholithodes mandtii
The Puget Sound king crab is found from Sitka, Alaska, to Monterey, California. It inhabits rocky subtitle locations with strong current, to 137 m deep. This large and solid crab, described by Lamb and Hanby as an 'underwater mini army tank,' can have a carapace measuring more than 30 cm across. (Biodiversity of the Central Coast)

Washington state officials slam Navy's changes to military testing program that would harm more orcas
A Navy military testing program that appeared headed to routine approval has hit a wall of opposition from Washington’s governor, attorney general and state agencies because of potential harm to endangered orcas in Washington waters. The program is being assessed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has determined impacts from the Navy’s proposed testing to be “negligible” and is drafting a final rule for implementation of the program. The Navy is working with its regulators to make changes in the program — though what those may be is far from clear. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

E.P.A. Inspector General to Investigate Trump’s Biggest Climate Rollback
The Environmental Protection Agency’s internal watchdog said Monday it had opened an investigation into the agency’s weakening of Obama-era regulations that would have limited automobile emissions by significantly raising fuel economy standards. The inspector general demanded that top E.P.A. officials turn over briefing materials and other documents pertaining to the regulation, which was finalized in late March as the Trump administration’s single largest rollback of federal climate change rules. Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman report. (NY Times)

Fight over Pebble Mine isn't over yet
Opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska say the fight to stop it is far from over. Leaders from the United Tribes of Bristol Bay are preparing a challenge after the Army Corps of Engineers released its final environmental impact statement (EIS) on Friday. The mine would extract gold, copper and other minerals from deposits near Alaska’s Bristol Bay, which is also home to the world’s most productive sockeye salmon fishery. It supports Alaska Native tribes, as well as commercial fishermen from around the world; hundreds head there from Washington every summer. A coalition of Coast Salish tribes also signed a Bristol Bay Proclamation in January, demanding support for “people of the salmon” and a halt to the permitting process for the Pebble Partnership’s plans. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Oil and Gas Groups See ‘Some Common Ground’ in Biden Energy Plan
Joseph R. Biden Jr. won over environmentalists and liberals when he announced a $2 trillion plan to promote electric vehicles, energy efficiency and other policies intended to address climate change. But the plan released on July 14 has also earned a measure of support from an unexpected source: the oil and gas industry that is closely aligned with the Trump administration and is a big source of campaign contributions to the president. Clifford Krauss and Ivan Penn report. (NY Times)

More Bad News For North Cascades Grizzlies
Good news if you’re a grizzly bear living in or near Yellowstone National Park: The 9th Circuit has mostly upheld a district court ruling that vacates the delisting of grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, making them once again a threatened species, and preventing nearby states from issuing licenses to grizzly bear trophy hunters. Bad news if you’re a grizzly bear contemplating a move to the North Cascades: The Interior Department has gone back on its 2018 decision to move ahead with a process that would have brought new bears into the national park to jump-start recovery of grizzlies there.  Dan Chasan reports. (Post Alley)

Lack of bees, pollination limiting crop yields across U.S., B.C., study finds
A lack of wild bees and managed honeybees is limiting pollination and yields for certain crops on farms in British Columbia and across the United States, a collective of researchers has found. Their study published Tuesday in the Royal Society's journal Biological Sciences used data from more than 130 farms to assess the pollination of crop flowers and yield for apples, highbush blueberries, sweet and tart cherries, almonds, pumpkins and watermelon. Of those crops, the study found five frequently showed evidence of pollinator limitation, suggesting that the protection of wild bees and greater investment in honeybee colonies is likely to boost yields. Brenna Owen reports. (CBC)

UBC researchers develop rapid test to detect invasive gypsy moth
Gypsy moths are an invasive species that can wreak havoc on B.C.'s forests, but a new rapid test developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia can detect the presence of the moths within hours and without a lab. The gypsy moth, which can damage more than 500 species of trees, shrubs and plants, can kill young trees in only a couple of years by stripping their leaves clean. However, the moths can be difficult to detect just by looking at spots and bumps on a tree. (CBC)

Washington State Ferries to receive $5M federal grant for vessel upgrades
Washington State Ferries will receive a $5 million federal grant to upgrade two Issaquah-class passenger ferries, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced Monday. The funds will help the Washington State Department of Transportation's ferries division purchase new reduction gear components to maintain its ferries. The parts have reached or exceeded their 20-year lifespan, and if they failed it would cost the agency 15 months of lost service, or nearly $3 million per failure, according to the news release. Paxtyn Merten reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  521 AM PDT Wed Jul 29 2020   
 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 4 ft at 10 seconds. 
 W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  3 ft at 9 seconds.

--
"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