7/7 Bumblebee, WA drought, EPA suspensions, green bank fund clawback, democracy watch

 

Bumblebee [Dave Pehling, WSU]

Bumble bee
Bumble bees, with their robust bodies, colorful bands of “fur” and audible “buzz” while in flight are the most well recognized of the native bees in Washington State. Equipped with pollen- collecting hairy bodies and “pollen baskets” on their hind legs for transport, plus the ability to “buzz pollinate” flowers when necessary. In western Washington some of the most common species may include the black-tailed bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus), the fuzzy-horned bumble bee (B. mixtus), and the Vosnesensky, or yellow-face bumble bee (B.vosnesenskii). (WSU Extension)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Western alums create investigative reporting fund, as transparency barriers grow

WA’s drought deepens and the summer forecast offers no respite
This is summer and it’s supposed to be hot and dry. But this year we’re much drier than normal and, fresh off major droughts in 2024 and 2023, the effects of these lingering dry spells is compounding. You’re not in danger of losing food, water or electricity, officials say. But the people who work behind the scenes to keep things running have been taking notice of these worsening droughts, and they’re concerned. Conrad Swanson reports. (Seattle Times)

E.P.A. Suspends 144 Employees After They Signed a Letter Criticizing Trump
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday placed 144 employees on administrative leave and opened an investigation into their decision to sign a letter  accusing the Trump administration of politicizing the agency. Maxine Joselow reports. (NY Times)

EPA says Trump’s big bill should help in its fight to take back billions in green bank funds
The sprawling tax and policy bill that passed Congress repeals a multibillion-dollar green bank for financing climate-friendly projects, and the Trump administration should be allowed to freeze its funding and cancel related contracts with nonprofits, federal officials said in a court filing. Michael Phillis reports. (NY Times)

Democracy Watch

• How the megabill allows Trump to expand mass deportations, curb immigrant benefits (Washington State Standard)
  
• Idaho banned abortion. Three years later, minors and seniors struggle to get routine care (Washington State Standard)
  
• Trump and GOP target ballots arriving after Election Day that delay counts and feed conspiracy fears (AP)
  

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  259 AM PDT Mon Jul 7 2025    
TODAY  W wind around 5 kt, rising to 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to  4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 8 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 15 kt, easing to 5 to 10 kt after  midnight. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 6 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email msato(at)salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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7/3 Yellow flag iris, BC climate plan, residential solar, climate reports, endangered badgers, turf chemicals, democracy watch, week in review

Yellow Flag Iris

Yellow Flag Iris Iris pseudacorus
Yellow flag iris is a perennial, aquatic, herbaceous plant which grows 2 to 3 feet tall along shores in shallow water. Rhizomes spread and form large clumps. Yellow flag grows in temperate wetlands along the margins of lakes and slow-moving rivers.  It is most commonly found in very shallow water or mud.  It tolerates drying and anoxic sediment and is also tolerant of some salinity, and high soil acidity.(Washington Noxious Weed Control Board)

Today's top story in Salish Current: State to buy new hybrid ferries from Florida shipyard / Whatcom drought: What should we do?

BC Seeks Comments on Its Faltering CleanBC Climate Plan
The government has admitted problems. Now you can offer ideas for change. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)

In a big bill that hurts clean energy, residential solar likely to get hit fast
The bill now in the House takes an ax to clean energy incentives, including killing a 30% tax credit for rooftop residential solar by the end of the year that the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act had extended into the next decade. Trump has called the clean energy tax credits in the climate law part of a “green new scam” that improperly shifts taxpayer subsidies to help the “globalist climate agenda” and energy sources like wind and solar. (Associated Press)

Websites hosting major US climate reports taken down
Websites that displayed legally mandated U.S. national climate assessments seem to have disappeared, making it harder for state and local governments and the public to learn what to expect in their backyards from a warming world. Seth Borenstein reports. (Associated Press)

Campaign launches to protect endangered badgers being killed on roads in B.C.'s Interior
Project aims to build infrastructure to provide safe passage for badgers, which are often hit by cars. Courtney Dickson reports. (CBC)

Washington program looking at regulation for harmful chemicals in turf, other products
A program from The Washington State Department of Ecology now wants to eliminate concerns and ensure all problematic chemicals are removed from artificial turf. Last month, the Department of Ecology listed artificial turf as one of nine priority products it plans to review through the second iteration of its Safer Products for Washington Program. Conor Wilson reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Democracy Watch

• House Republicans expected to pass Trump's massive tax and policy bill by July 4 (NPR)
  
• Feds look at new way to get food stamp data from Washington and other states (Washington State Standard)
  
• Federal judge strikes down Trump's order suspending asylum access at the southern border (NPR)
  

Salish Sea News Week in Review 7/3/25: Fireworks, 'declaration of dissent,' fabricated 'national emergency,' lab-grown salmon, orca feeding humans, Indigenous tourism, CA enviro rollback, Soundkeeper victory.

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your weekend tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  236 AM PDT Thu Jul 3 2025    
TODAY  W wind 5 to 10 kt, rising to 10 to 15 kt late. Seas  around 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 7 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind 5 to 10 kt, easing to around 5 kt after  midnight. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 2 ft at 5 seconds.  
FRI  W wind around 5 kt, rising to 5 to 10 kt in the afternoon.  Seas around 3 ft in the morning, then around 2 ft or less. Wave  Detail: W 2 ft at 5 seconds.  
FRI NIGHT  W wind 10 to 15 kt, easing to 5 to 10 kt after  midnight. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 7 seconds.  
SAT  W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at  7 seconds.  
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W  3 ft at 6 seconds.  
SUN  W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft  at 9 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email msato(at)salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



savesalishsea@bluesky.social

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate



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7/2 Gorse, Soundkeeper win, floodplain management, democracy watch

Gorse

 
Gorse Ulex europaeus
Gorse is a perennial, evergreen shrub able to grow over 10 feet tall. It is shrubby with stout and upright spreading branches with angular stems and a terminal thorn. The plant habit is dense, sometimes 30 feet in diameter, with a center of dead foliage. Gorse forms vigorous stands that grow outward and crowd out all other vegetation causing a considerable loss of grassland habitat. Because it forms a center of dry dead vegetation and has a high oil content, it is a serious fire hazard. (Washington Noxious Weed Control Board)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Lynden asylum seekers reunite with baby

Legal Victory: U.S. Supreme Court declines review of Port of Tacoma v. Puget Soundkeeper
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Puget Soundkeeper in rejecting an appeal by the Port of Tacoma and their tenant, the multinational shipping corporation SSA Terminals. The Port and SSA asked the U.S. Supreme Court to find that citizen groups such as Puget Soundkeeper could not enforce the federal Clean Water Act as to the stormwater pollution discharged into Commencement Bay from their 12-acre over-water wharf in Tacoma. The order ensures a 2024 decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Puget Soundkeeper will stand and that the polluters will be held accountable for their ongoing violations impacting Puget Sound water quality. (Soundkeeper news release)

Snohomish County receives $10 million grant for floodplain management
The state Department of Ecology funding will go toward 13 projects across the county working to restore habitat and support climate resiliency. Eliza Aronson reports. (Everett Herald)

Democracy Watch

• Republicans rewrote the US Senate megabill in its last moments (Washington State Standard)
  
• Poorest Americans Would Be Hurt By Trump’s Big Bill (NY Times)
  
• Senate GOP cuts renewable energy tax credits in big budget bill (AP)
  
• Trump administration tells states it’s freezing $6.8 billion for K-12 school programs (Washington State Standard)
  
• Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Who Threatened Police Joins Justice Dept. (NY Times)
  

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  252 AM PDT Wed Jul 2 2025    
TODAY  W wind 5 to 10 kt, rising to 10 to 15 kt this afternoon.  Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 7 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 15 kt, easing to 5 to 10 kt after  midnight. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 3 ft at 6 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email msato(at)salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



savesalishsea@bluesky.social

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate



Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told


7/1 Salmonberry, food from orcas, California enviro rollback, OR wave energy, NOAA weather, Indigenous tourism, BC LNG, democracy watch

Salmonberry [Native Plants of the PNW]

 

Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis
Salmonberry is found from southern Alaska to the northern California coast; mostly on the western slope of the Cascades-but it can be found in areas of eastern B.C. and northern Idaho. Salmonberries, being one of the earliest berries to ripen, were one of the most important foods for natives.  The berries are too watery to dry, so were usually eaten fresh in oolichan grease or with salmon or salmon eggs. (Native Plants of the PNW)

Today's top story in Salish Current: ‘Not the Whole Picture’: artists explore identity, loss and queer history

These orcas have been trying to feed people, new research shows
Wild orcas on more than 30 occasions in four oceans have attempted to share their prey with people, potentially to develop relationships with humans, researchers have found. In each of the instances recorded over two decades, orcas approached a person within a length of the orca’s body, and dropped freshly-hunted prey in front of the human, then waited for a response, according to a paper reporting the behavior published Monday in the Journal of Comparative Psychology.  Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

California Democrats Agree to Roll Back Landmark Environmental Law
California leaders on Monday rolled back a landmark law that was a national symbol of environmental protection before it came to be vilified as a primary reason for the state’s severe housing shortage and homelessness crisis. Laurel Rosenhall, Soumya Karlamangla and Adam Nagourney report. (NY Times)

Oregon wave energy startup shutting down after losing federal funds
A West Linn startup that was among the first in line to test its technology at Oregon’s new wave energy testing facility is shutting down operations after losing federal grant funding. AquaHarmonics, a small business with three permanent staff and several subcontractors, began issuing layoffs Monday. Jes Burns reports. (OPB)

NOAA delays the cutoff of key satellite data for hurricane forecasting
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday it is delaying by one month the planned cutoff of satellite data that helps forecasters track hurricanes.  Alexa St. john reports. (Associated Press)

'Terrible setback': Indigenous tourism industry says it's suffering as U.S. bookings decline
Almost 70% of Indigenous tourism businesses in Canada are reporting a drop in U.S. bookings. Yasmine Ghania and Lauren Vanderdeen report. (CBC)

Tanker bound for Asia after loading Canada's first cargoes of liquefied natural gas in B.C
GasLog Glasgow ship is bound for South Korean port as Canada, B.C. looks to diversify LNG exports. Lauren Krugel reports. (Canadian Press)

Democracy Watch

• Elon Musk Promises a New Political Party if Republicans Pass Trump’s Policy Bill  (NY Times)
  
• Poll: Most feel democracy is threatened and political violence is a major problem (NPR)
  
• Maryland judge gives Trump administration deadline to put birthright citizenship plans in writing (Maryland Matters)
• Trump administration sues Los Angeles, claiming the city refuses to cooperate on immigration (AP)
  
• ICE will require lawmakers to give a week’s notice before detention visits. (NY Times)
  

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.

Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  235 AM PDT Tue Jul 1 2025    
TODAY  W wind 5 to 10 kt, rising to 15 to 20 kt late. Seas 3 to  4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 8 seconds.  
TONIGHT  W wind 15 to 20 kt, easing to 10 to 15 kt after  midnight. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 8 seconds.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email msato(at)salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



savesalishsea@bluesky.social

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate



Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told