5/18 Blackmouth salmon, Mount St. Helens, Inslee's green bills, HEAL Act, greenhouse gasses, Swift R, BC climate funds, BC mines, Big Oil vs cities

Blackmouth salmon [WDFW]

 
Blackmouth salmon
For the uninitiated, “Blackmouth” is the term used to describe immature Chinook salmon that hang around our “inside” waters rather than hot-footing it out into the open Pacific to feed for most of their lives. The name comes from the dark gum line that helps distinguish the chinook from other Pacific salmon species. And it should be pointed out that “immature” doesn’t necessarily mean small. Yes, many of the Blackmouth you’ll catch during a typical Washington winter will weigh in at three to seven or eight pounds, but 10-, 12-, 15-pound fish are common enough to keep it interesting. (Salmon University)

Mount St. Helens, which erupted 41 years ago, starts reopening after COVID closures
On the morning of May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted, blowing away the top of the mountain and triggering landslides, mud flows and floods that killed 57 people, destroyed 200 homes and flattened 230 square miles of forest. Last year, an abundance of 40th anniversary of events had been planned, but were forced online or canceled when the pandemic shut down the county and state. Gifford Pinchot National Forest spokesperson Gala Miller said the Forest Service still is waiting to see if the Johnson Ridge Observation Center will be open to the public this year. Marissa Heffernan reports. (Longview Daily News)

Inslee signs climate bills, but vetoes parts that tie them to passage of transportation package
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Monday signed into law a carbon-cap program and a clean-fuels standard, but vetoed parts of those bills requiring a new statewide transportation-funding package in order for the ambitious climate legislation to take effect. Inslee’s move essentially scrapped the “grand bargain” that was struck in the Senate to make sure those two bills passed the Legislature last month. Joseph O'Sullivan and Hal Bernton report. (Seattle Times)

Inslee signs ambitious environmental protection laws
Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed a series of bills Monday designed to strengthen the environment in Washington state. Inslee signed the Climate Commitment Act, environmental justice legislation, a clean fuels standard and bills related to reducing Washington’s single-use plastic waste and hydrofluorocarbon pollution. Nicholas K. Geranios reports. (Associated Press)

Inslee signing HEAL Act to ensure environmental justice in WA
Environmental justice will be center stage Monday morning in Seattle’s Duwamish River Valley. That's where Gov. Jay Inslee is signing the so-called “HEAL Act.” The acronym promises Healthy Environment for All. It comes in the wake of the creation of a statewide environmental disparities map that shows disproportionate pollution levels – hardest hit are low-income areas where people of color tend to live. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Nations Must Drop Fossil Fuels, Fast, World Energy Body Warns
Nations around the world would need to immediately stop approving new coal-fired power plants and new oil and gas fields and quickly phase out gasoline-powered vehicles if they want to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change, the world’s leading energy agency said Tuesday. In a sweeping new report, the International Energy Agency issued a detailed road map of what it would take for the world’s nations to slash carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050. That would very likely keep the average global temperature from increasing 1.5 Celsius above preindustrial levels — the threshold beyond which scientists say the Earth faces irreversible damage. Brad Plumer reports. (NY Times) See also: A ‘narrow’ pathway to a net zero future for greenhouse gases, IEA says  Steven Murson reports. (Washington Post)

Swift River to get less swift in effort to abate slow-moving Sumas Mountain landslide
...For decades, a slow-moving landslide on the west side of Sumas Mountain near Everson, Whatcom County, has dumped naturally occurring asbestos and metals into Swift Creek. And for decades, people have dredged the creek to limit downstream flooding...Well, this year, all that comes to a stop — or more accurately, a slow. Whatcom County will soon begin construction as part of the Swift Creek Action Plan, which will ultimately slow the Swift Creek enough so that sediment settles out of the water in the creek’s upper reaches. Yihyun Jeong reports. (Seattle Times)

B.C. government ending climate program for municipalities
The sudden cancellation of a climate action program that provided municipal governments with millions of dollars every year has local politicians scratching their heads...The program was created after B.C. implemented a carbon tax in 2010, and provides all local and regional governments grants equal to the amount of tax they paid. In exchange, cities must disclose how they used the money to further their climate goals, with the majority also reporting their greenhouse gas emissions. Justin McElroy reports. (CBC)

These 12 B.C. mines pose risks to salmon, caribou, water: report
B.C.’s mineral resources are sought after to support the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but the province’s mining rules and regulations — some of which date back to the 1800s — have left a patchwork of dangerous and polluting mines across the province, according to a new report released Monday by SkeenaWild Conservation Trust and the BC Mining Law Reform Network. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

Supreme Court Gives Big Oil a Win in Climate Fight With Cities
The Supreme Court handed a victory to fossil fuel companies on Monday in a major climate change case, but gave the industry far less than it had asked for. The decision in the case did not deal with the merits of the lawsuit, which Baltimore filed to try to compel fossil fuel companies to help pay the costs of dealing with climate change. Instead, the justices focused on narrow issues concerning the rules for appealing lower-court decisions that send cases to state courts. By a 7-1 decision, the Supreme Court on Monday sent the case back to the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to reconsider the industry’s demand that it review a lower-court decision to have the case proceed in state courts. John Schwartz reports. (NY Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  253 AM PDT Tue May 18 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PDT TODAY   
TODAY  W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 1 to 3 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 5 ft at 9 seconds. Showers likely and a slight  chance of tstms. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming NW 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft at 12 seconds.  Showers likely and a slight chance of tstms in the evening then a  slight chance of showers after midnight.

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