4/20 Black-tailed deer, airport pollution, BC LNG, forest protections, climate change, WA shipbuilding, Site C debris, WA shellfish closures, dino Buster

Columbian black-tailed deer
[Tony Sirgedas/WDFW]

Columbian black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
Columbian black-tailed deer are our most common deer subspecies. They occur from the crest of the Cascades west to the ocean, preferring brushy, logged lands and coniferous forests. Many of the physical characteristics of black-tailed deer are similar to those of the larger mule deer. The tail is broader and the backside of the tail is covered with dark brown hair that grades to black near the tip. When alarmed or fleeing from danger, the tail may be raised, displaying the broad, white underside.  (WDFW)

Sea-Tac, Alaska and Delta accused of harming health of 300K residents
A potential class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Alaska Air Group and Delta Air Lines are polluting King County towns within a 5-mile radius of the airport. Consequences, the lawsuit alleges, include shorter life expectancy compared with other King County cities; premature births; over 100 excess deaths per year on average; and more deaths caused by cancer, heart disease and chronic lower respiratory disease...The pollution begins to accumulate where planes fly below 3,000 feet, emitting gases and heavy metals such as carbon monoxide and lead. There isn’t enough time for the wind to disperse the pollutants, according to the suit.  Renata Geraldo reports. (Seattle Times)

Coastal GasLink, LNG Canada get $24-million break despite B.C.’s plans to shift away from subsidies
Coastal GasLink will pay almost $16 million less for its contentious pipeline over the next 25 years after the new BC Energy Regulator slashed a major charge for the project, The Narwhal has learned. In one of its first orders of business, the regulator, which recently replaced the BC Oil and Gas Commission, additionally granted LNG Canada — the consortium of fossil fuel companies behind the LNG export facility in Kitimat, B.C. — a financial break that adds up to savings of $8 million over the project’s anticipated 40-year lifespan. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

US plans new forest protections, issues old-growth inventory
The Biden administration has identified more than 175,000 square miles (453,000 square kilometers) of old growth and mature forests on U.S. government land and plans to craft a new rule to better protect the nation’s woodlands from fires, insects and other side effects of climate change, officials said Thursday. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

Legislation will require climate change planning for Skagit County
A bill mandating climate change planning for certain counties, including Skagit County, passed through the state Legislature this week and awaits Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature. Under the state’s Growth Management Act, 28 of the 39 counties in the state complete comprehensive plans that must consider issues such as housing and natural resources. House Bill 1181 adds climate change and resiliency to the list of issues that must be addressed within comprehensive plans and shoreline management plans in Skagit and 27 other counties. Emma Fletcher-Frazer reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Washington can now look to out-of-state shipbuilders for its next ferries
Washington state has charted a bipartisan course to overhaul its ferry procurement plans. Officials will now broaden their scope when seeking builders for the state's new ships...On Tuesday, the Washington Legislature gave final approval to HB 1846. It passed 94-3 and is now headed to the governor's desk for a signature. (KUOW/NW News Network)

Why Site C wants to leave construction debris at the bottom of the Peace River
When B.C. Hydro's Site C dam floods an 80 kilometre-long swathe of the Peace River valley to generate electricity, the company says it wants to leave behind 45 pieces of structural construction debris on the riverbed because, it says, it is better for fish. Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC)

Fecal pollution restricts harvest in 3 WA shellfish growing areas
The Washington State Department of Health this week announced harvest restrictions in three of Washington’s 115 shellfish growing areas due to high bacteria levels. In March, 16,000 acres of Puget Sound shellfish beds were closed to harvest because of fecal pollution, such as water runoff from agricultural activities, pet waste, boater waste discharge and on-site sewage systems, according to the DOH. Vonnai Phair reports. (Seattle Times)

Exhibit features dinosaur unique to B.C.
The size of a sheep with a long lizard tail and big skull with a short, sharp beak, Buster is the star of the Royal B.C. Museum’s newest exhibit, Dinosaurs of B.C. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

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Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  233 AM PDT Thu Apr 20 2023   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM PDT EARLY THIS  MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING   
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 20 to 30 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 5 ft at 10 seconds. Rain  in the morning then a chance of rain in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell  4 ft at 9 seconds building to 6 ft at 9 seconds after midnight. A  chance of showers.

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