1/16 Chuckanut Formation, fed funding, clean energy backlog, climate-pollution fund, Centralia coal plant, wastewater testing, Way of Whales, democracy watch, week in review.

 

Chuckanut Formation [Dan Coe]

Chuckanut Formation
The Chuckanut Formation is made of many alternating layers of siltstone, sandstone, and conglomerate. These sediments started to pile up near Bellingham around 40 to 50 million years ago. Rivers carried sand and mud on a long journey down from the Rocky Mountains and along rushing streams to a broad river plain not far from Washington’s ancient seashore. Subduction along the North American plate margin later folded the rocks, like the bunched up wrinkles in a rug shoved across the living room floor. The Chuckanut Formation is renowned for its large fossil palm fronds and abundant plant debris. The ancient riverine muck also hosts the footprints of large vertebrates. (WDNR) 

Today's top story in Salish Current:  Council member proposes Nooksack adjudication settlement

Congress rejects Trump cuts, funds major WA projects
Congress passed a bipartisan funding package Thursday for energy and water projects, scientific research, weather programs and more, rejecting most of President Donald Trump’s deepest requested cuts and securing billions of dollars for Washington state. The three-bill package includes $5 billion specific to Washington state, including $3.2 billion for Hanford, a Central Washington nuclear cleanup site, and $190 million for construction at Howard A. Hanson Dam, a project supporting fish passage and flood risk reduction along the Green River near Seattle that the Trump administration shirked in its funding proposals. Anumita Kaur reports. (Settle Times) 

Report finds $149 billion backlog of clean energy projects in WA
The report, cheekily named “Build SHIIT Now,” says more than 250 projects, 580,000 jobs, and 24 gigawatts are at risk in Washington state due to bureaucratic delays. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)  

Future of Washington state’s climate-pollution fund up in the air
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson'd proposed budget would redirect $569 million from the state’s quarterly auctions of pollution permits away from the environmental spending those funds have been dedicated to since the auctions began in 2023. That half-billion-plus dollars would be used to shield state refunds of sales taxes for lower-income taxpayers from the budget axe. John Ryan reports. (KUOW) 

Fight over Centralia coal plant heats up as WA challenges feds 
The Washington state attorney general’s office and environmental advocates filed separate administrative appeals Wednesday, challenging a U.S. Department of Energy emergency order that required the state’s last coal plant to continue being available for operations. Amanda Zhou reports. (Seattle Time) 

CDC studies show value of nationwide wastewater disease surveillance, as potential funding cut looms
The findings add to evidence that wastewater testing is a valuable weapon in tracking disease, including COVID-19, polio, mpox and bird flu. But the national wastewater surveillance system, run by CDC since 2020, is newly at risk, under a Trump administration budget plan would slash its funding from about $125 million a year to about $25 million. Devi Shastri reports. (Associated Press) 

Way of Whales 2026
Join in for speakers all things cetacean and salmon at Orca Network's Ways of Whales 2026 celebration Jan, 24, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Coupeville High School or online. Registration. 

Democracy Watch

• Confusion erupts in mental health and substance abuse programs as HHS cuts, then reinstates grants (AP)
• Defense Department says military newspaper Stars and Stripes must eliminate ‘woke distractions’(AP)

Salish Sea News Week in Review 1/16/26: Prohibition, fish sounds, offshore wind farms, green jet fuel, tire chemical, mortality cost, energy grants block, RCMP sued, hot year. 

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-  215 AM PST Fri Jan 16 2026    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON    
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt, easing to 10 to 15 kt late. Seas 3  to 5 ft. Wave Detail: E 3 ft at 4 seconds and W 3 ft at 12  seconds.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: E  3 ft at 4 seconds and W 3 ft at 11 seconds.  
SAT  E wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: E 2 ft at  4 seconds and W 3 ft at 12 seconds. 
SAT NIGHT  E wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: E  2 ft at 3 seconds and W 3 ft at 14 seconds.  
SUN  E wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: E 2 ft at  4 seconds and W 3 ft at 14 seconds.

---


"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)salish-current.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