5/5 Wolf, Shell refinery sold, Snake spring chinook, WA wind project, ShakeAlert, Hwy 20 opens, San Juan drift study, BC digs, Canada drinking water, plastic pellets

Gray wolf [Wikipedia]

 
Gray wolf Canis lupus
The wolf, also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, and gray wolves, as colloquially understood, comprise non-domestic/feral subspecies. (Wikipedia) The gray wolf (Canis lupus), a native Washington species, was nearly eradicated from the state in the early 1900s. Wolves are returning to Washington on their own, dispersing from populations in nearby states and provinces--wolves were never reintroduced to Washington. (WDFW)

Shell to sell Puget Sound Refinery in US to HollyFrontier
Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to divest its Puget Sound Refinery in the US to refiner HollyFrontier. HollyFrontier will purchase the refinery, the on-site cogeneration facility, as well as related logistics assets, for $350m in cash plus the value of the hydrocarbon inventory. The hydrocarbon inventory will be valued on closing of the deal. The current value is estimated to be in the range of $150m to $180m. The deal also covers the product offtake agreements in support of Shell’s existing Pacific Northwest retail marketing business. It also includes a deep-water marine dock, a light product loading rack, a rail terminal, and storage tanks. (Hydrocarbons Technology)

Key salmon populations cross alarming threshold — and more are nearing that line
Nearly half of the wild spring chinook populations in the Snake River Basin have crossed a critical threshold, signaling they are nearing extinction and without intervention may not persist, according to analysis by the Nez Perce Tribe. The river’s steelhead populations, while doing better, also face alarming threats to their existence, according to the work. Modeling conducted by fisheries scientists at the tribe, and shared with other state, federal and tribal fisheries managers in the Columbia Basin, indicates if current trends continue, 77% of Snake River spring chinook populations and 44% of steelhead populations will be in a similar position within four years.  Eric Barker reports. (Lewiston Tribune)

A proposed $1.7 billion wind and solar project generates hopes and fears in South Central Washington state
Back in March, Chris Wiley passed a long day in his tractor sowing wheat. He had the controls set to automatic steering and scanned social media. He did not like what he found. In post after post, people raged about a renewable energy project that would put wind turbines and solar development in the Horse Heaven Hills where he farms...The project unleashing such passions would be one of the region’s largest renewable energy installations of the past decade with an estimated cost of $1.7 billion. Wiley is a big supporter. Hal Bernton reports. (Seattle Times) See also: Even In The Bright Of Day, Some Central Washington Residents Have A Solar Energy 'Nightmare'  Courtney Flatt reports. (NW News Network)

Earthquake warning system goes live in Washington. What to know about ShakeAlert
People in Washington can now get an alert sent to their phone before they begin to feel an earthquake. The ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system went live in the state Tuesday. The system is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey, and can warn people before an earthquake arrives. Maddie Capron reports. (Olympian)

Highway 20 over North Cascades to open Wednesday
The gates on Highway 20 through the North Cascades will open at 1 p.m. Wednesday, the state Department of Transportation has announced. The process of clearing the 37 miles of snow-covered highway — which closes every winter due to heavy snowfall and avalanche danger — took about four weeks. Vince Richardson reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

May 13: Presentation on Vessel Drift and Response Analysis for San Juan Islands
San Juan County will hold an online public meeting May 13 with Nuka Research & Planning Group LLC and the UW Puget Sound Institute Salish Sea Modeling Center to present the Vessel Drift and Response Analysis for the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Southern Strait of Georgia. (San Juan Islander) See also: Rescue tug stationed in islands is best bet to avoid oil spills in San Juan – Gulf waters, study says  Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Salish Current)

Indigenous leaders launch $2.1 billion class-action lawsuits against Canada over lack of drinking water
The claimants argue the federal government failed to provide clean water and forced First Nations communities to live in a manner 'consistent with life in developing countries' Leyland Cecco reports. (The Guardian/The Narwhal)

Stalled project reveals archaeological conflict between First Nations and B.C. government
An expansion of a popular Hornby Island pub that stalled this spring with the discovery of Indigenous human remains is threatening to become a flashpoint for relations between the province and First Nations in B.C. when it comes to heritage conservation. What began with the issuing of a permit by the government's archaeological branch in relation to a proposal for condominiums and a new pub building dissolved into a stalemate when workers stumbled across three sets of bones — including those of an infant. Jason Proctor reports. (CBC)

So small, yet so deadly. Investors force plastic industry to reveal pollution
Investors are forcing the world’s biggest plastic manufacturers to reveal how many harmful plastic pellets they are leaking into rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. Factories, trains, ships and trucks spill about 10 trillion of the lentil-sized pellets, or nurdles, used to make all plastic products, into the environment each year — enough to make roughly 15 million plastic bottles. Once in aquatic environments, pellets become toxic, poisonous magnets for birds, fish and other animals. Pellet contamination is widespread around B.C.’s Lower Mainland, according to a 2019 study by University of Victoria researchers and the Surfrider Foundation. They’re also a major problem in the Great Lakes and other regions with high concentrations of plastic manufacturing or transportation infrastructure. Marc Fawcett-Atkinson reports. (National Observer)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  250 AM PDT Wed May 5 2021   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 5 ft at 11 seconds. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 20 kt becoming S 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 5 ft at 11 seconds.

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