6/12 Springer, Vic sewer, shellfish closure, CO2 cuts, California trains, Enerson & Stark

Springer and calf (Cetacean Research/DFO)

Springer, Orphaned Orca, Reappears Off B.C. Coast With Family
An orphaned killer whale who made headlines around the world when she was reunited with her pod off the coast of British Columbia has re-appeared — with her own thriving calf in tow. Whale researchers spotted Springer this week in the Inside Passage off B.C.'s North Coast. "They appear to be healthy and robust ... normal in every way," Lance Barrett-Lennard from Vancouver Aquarium's Marine Mammal Research Program, wrote in an email from the field. "Great stuff." (Canadian Press)

In Washington state, Victoria sewage hits the fan
Washington Governor Jay Inslee and King County Executive Dow Constantine sent a strongly worded letter to Canadian authorities over a yet to be stemmed flow of raw sewage into Puget Sound waters. “As the Governor of the state of Washington and the Executive of King County, we are very concerned by the lack of progress in treating wastewater and protecting the health and habitat of  Puget Sound,”  they said in the letter sent to British Columbia Premier Christy Clark. The letter comes in response to an announcement last week that a deal for a new sewage treatment plant to be built to serve the rapidly growing Victoria area had fallen apart. That announcement comes 20 years after Canadian officials first announced plans to build a facility. Gary Chittim reports. (KING) See also: Washington governor urges action on capital region sewage plan  Lindsay Kines and Bill Cleverley report. (Times Colonist)

Northern Whatcom County beaches closed to recreational shellfish harvest
The state Department of Health has closed beaches in northern Whatcom County to recreational shellfish harvesting because tests showed unsafe levels of the biotoxin that causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. The closure, which was announced Wednesday, June 11, is from Point Whitehorn north to the Canadian border. Kie Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Under New EPA Rules, Washington To Face Deepest Mandatory Cuts In CO2 Emissions
Under the new rules released by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, each state has a specific percentage by which it has to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. The average of all the individual state-level cuts will be CO2 emissions from power plants 30 percent below 2005 levels.... “It’s a goal that we can, should and will meet, in part because we’ve already taken early action in our state,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee told EarthFix. Inslee’s confidence comes, in part, from the fact that his state has already finalized plans to phase out Washington’s only remaining coal fired power plant by 2025. Ashley Ahearn reports. (EarthFix)

Oil by rail — how to keep California safe
California needs more inspectors, more hazmat teams and more information from railway companies to protect against accidents involving trains carrying crude oil, according to a state report issued Tuesday. The report, from the state’s Interagency Rail Safety Working Group, follows a surge in the amount of oil imported into California by train, with shipments rising more than 500 percent in 2013. And while the state has experienced nothing like last year’s deadly explosion of an oil train in Quebec, which killed 47 people, California has seen an increasing number of oil spills from trains. According to the report, the state recorded 182 such spills in 2013, most of them minor, compared to 98 in 2010. David Baker reports. (SF Chronicle)

And, as the river runs to the sea: Jean Enersen ending 42 years as KING 5 news anchor and John Stark to retire as Bellingham Herald reporter


Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 230 AM PDT THU JUN 12 2014
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE
 AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
 SHOWERS.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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2/7 Everett Herald, Budd Inlet, Peter Ross, pipelines, Great Bear Rainforest, rockfish, marine sanctuary, weather, solar

Sound and Vision (Eric Becker/Laura James)

If you like to watch: Eric Becker's film, Sound and Vision: A Film About the Salish Sea and the People that Protect It, is shown this Thursday at the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2333 San Juan Avenue, Port Townsend. Admission free, donations welcome. Call 360-344-4112.

Buy ‘em, Dano: The Everett Daily Herald is being sold to Canada's Black Press, which operates as Sound Publishing Inc. in Washington. The Washington Post Co., which has owned the newspaper for 35 years, made the announcement Wednesday. Gloria Fletcher, president of Sound Publishing, told Herald employees the transaction is expected to close in early March. Julie Muhlstein and Eric Stevick report. Daily Herald Co. being sold to Sound Publishing    See also:  Washington Post sells The Herald of Everett   And also: NW media mogul buys Everett paper and enters coastal oil debate 

A vestige of West Bay’s working waterfront began to disappear this week, one creosote-soaked piling at a time. By mid-March some 400 derelict pilings and 7,000 square-feet of abandoned docks and piers that represented the last reminders of a lower Budd Inlet shoreline once lined with lumber and plywood mills will be removed and shipped to the Roosevelt Landfill in Klickitat County. It marks the latest step in a slow but steady transformation of West Bay Drive in Olympia from an industrial corridor to a collection of parks, office buildings and shoreline property undergoing hazardous waste cleanup and redevelopment. John Dodge reports. Budd Inlet relieved of creosote pilings  

If you like to watch: Presentations from Orca Network’s Way of Whales workshop feature Dr. Peter Ross on "Of whales and men: Ocean pollution in the 21st Century" - Dr. Peter Ross, Part 1,  and Part 2.  Links to other presentations are found at Orca Network Ways of Whales Workshop presentations – 2013

Read ‘em, Dano: The battle over a big coal export terminal, proposed for Cherry Point north of Bellingham, has become a burning issue across Washington. Agencies drawing up an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal disclosed Wednesday that they have received a total of 124,000 comments from citizens on what the scope of that environmental study should be. “Everyone says they want citizens to be engaged, but when 124,000 citizens speak out loudly, the political subculture gets nervous,” said State Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, who leads a group of legislators who want environmental, economic and transportation impacts across the state to be assessed. Joel Connelly reports. A very big deal: 124,000 comments on coal port  

Oil and gas pipelines could be made safer if pipeline operators had clear guidelines for how quickly they must respond to accidents, but federal regulators don't have the data they need to establish those rules, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office, an independent arm of Congress. The first few minutes and hours after a pipeline accident are considered crucial for effective cleanup and damage prevention. But the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which regulates the nation's 400,000-mile network of large volume transmission pipelines, requires only that operators respond in a "prompt and effective” manner.  Lisa Song reports. Safety compromised by missing rules on oil and gas pipelines, GAO says

An environmental coalition will Thursday attempt to push protection of the Great Bear Rainforest onto the already crowded election agenda, issuing open letters to B.C.’s main political leaders, calling for more immediate action. “The people of British Columbia want the Great Bear Rainforest agreements completed,” said letters sent by the coalition to Premier Christy Clark and New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix. Jonathan Fowlie reports. Environmentalists look to insert Great Bear Rainforest into B.C. election agenda  

Real Fish, Rock Fish: In 2011, SeaDoc, NOAA, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hosted a joint Workshop to highlight what we know about rockfish recovery in the Salish Sea and identify where more science could help us improve our efforts. The proceedings from this workshop are now available. It's 124 pages of state-of-the-art science on the status, history and future of rockfish in the Salish Sea. From SeaDoc Society: US / Canadian Rockfish Symposium Proceedings  

Works in warm waters: A new NOAA research report finds that both fish populations and commercial and recreational anglers have benefited from "no-take" protections in the Tortugas Ecological Reserve in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The report, "An Integrated Biogeographic Assessment of Reef Fish Populations and Fisheries in Dry Tortugas: Effects of No-take Reserves," is the first to evaluate how the 151-square nautical mile Tortugas Ecological Reserve affects the living marine resources of the region and the people whose livelihoods are connected to them. Tortugas Marine Reserve Yields More, Larger Fish

If you like to talk about it: FEBRUARY IN Seattle: It's dank. It's dark. It's windy. You're unhappy. Two words: Boo and hoo. Take a number, Sparky. Line starts over there, next to the Dri-Z-Air dehumidifier products at McClendon Hardware. Ron Judd talks. Washington weather is wacky, diverse

If you like to listen: One of the grayest corners of mainland USA, is slowly going solar, one community at a time. Solarize Washington, a program of Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (Northwest SEED), couples non-profit know how with grassroots energy. First a community finds interested homeowners, then Solarize Washington hosts a workshop complete with group discounts and know-how from solar installers. Martha Baskin reports. Solar Comes to Washington With Grassroots and Non-Profit Efforts  

President Obama on Wednesday nominated Sally Jewell, the chief executive of Recreational Equipment Inc., to lead the Interior Department, with a vow that she will balance the agency’s sometimes conflicting mandates to promote resource development and preserve the nation’s natural heritage. If confirmed, Ms. Jewell, a former oil company engineer and longtime advocate for conservation and outdoor recreation, will take over a department that has been embroiled in controversy over the regulation of oil and gas on public lands and in the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic Ocean. She also will be the steward of hundreds of millions of acres of public lands, from the Everglades of Florida to the Cascades of Washington State. Ms. Jewell, 56, who also had a 19-year career as a commercial banker, took over as chief executive of REI in 2005. John Broder reports. Obama’s Choice to Lead Interior Dept. Has Oil Sector and Conservation Credentials  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 612 AM PST THU FEB 7 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO NOON PST TODAY
TODAY
SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT...EASING TO S 10 TO 20 KT. COMBINED SEAS 9 TO 12 FT WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 13 SECONDS. SHOWERS IN
 THE MORNING...THEN SCATTERED SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 12 SECONDS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE EVENING.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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1/10 Kimberly-Clark, orca harasser, BC CG, Victoria sewage, bag ban, Navy jets, eating seafood

Solo (Laurie MacBride)

Laurie MacBride in Eye on Environment writes: "Over the holidays I read a very good book by Amanda Lang, The Power of Why. It’s about the importance of curiosity, and how we can unleash and use its power to bring more creativity, innovation and positive change to our lives. It turns out that asking the right questions can result in a greater sense of fulfillment and happiness, whether it’s in our workplaces, organizations, homes or relationships. Solo, our year and a half-old resident black-tailed deer, clearly doesn’t need to read the book: he already has a firm grasp on the power of why..." Solo and the Power of Why

Cliff Mass writes: "We are now about to enter the most sustained period of colder air of the winter so far.  Temperatures aloft have progressively cooled today, with  freezing levels at around 1600 ft and thus snow levels around 600 ft.  But in heavy precipitation, melting and evaporation can cool the atmosphere further, driving the snow level to the surface...” Convergence Zone Snow and Colder Air Ahead    And from Chris Dunagan at Watching Our Water Ways: Washington is unique for 2012 weather conditions

The area around the former Kimberly-Clark mill will be zoned for water-dependent industrial development, the City Council decided Wednesday night. The 6-1 vote was cheered loudly by packed audience, many of whom had testified in favor of preserving Everett's working waterfront.  Noah Haglund reports. Everett council sets aside mill site for industrial uses

A Campbell River man convicted of harassing killer whales near Quadra Island in 2010 has been handed an unusual sentence. Carl Eric Peterson has been fined $7,500 dollars — but he's also been ordered to write an article for the local newspaper warning others not to harass whales. Crown lawyer Larry Reynolds says it's the first time the Species at Risk Act was used to prosecute a case involving marine mammals. Whale harasser fined, ordered to write newspaper article

The federal government has renewed its commitment to close the Coast Guard rescue station in Kitsilano, promising the creation of a new inshore rescue-boat station, but failing to quell the furor over the move that has caused rare unity across the political spectrum in British Columbia. Parliamentary fisheries secretary Randy Kamp, acting for Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield, on Wednesday said a seven-metre rigid-hull inflatable boat will be posted at the Royal Canadian Navy Facility HMCS Discovery – a naval reserve station – on Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver. Ian Bailey reports. Ottawa plan to proceed with closing of Kitsilano rescue station raises furor

A slim majority of local politicians voted Wednesday to back down in their fight with the B.C. government over control of the sewage treatment megaproject. The Capital Regional District sewage committee voted eight to seven to agree to provincial demands that it not have approval power over certain documents developed by a new independent commission of experts. Community Development Minister Bill Bennett had sent a letter to the CRD, demanding that experts be in charge of the project, rather than politicians. Rob Shaw reports.  Greater Victoria politicians yield to province on control of sewage project

Did you use a reusable grocery bag this week? The Anacortes Bring Your Own Bag Coalition hopes your answer is yes. And to encourage more people to do so, the group is proposing a city ordinance that would prohibit plastic grocery bags and impose a 5-cent fee on each paper bag. Produce, meat and bulk food plastic bags would still be available. Kimberly Jacobson reports. Support grows for ban on plastic bags

Elizabeth Brown blogs on Carl Safina's page: "When you buy seafood, do you actually get what you order?  This is the question scientists from the conservation group, Oceana, have been asking. Over the past couple of years they have been investigating seafood fraud – or the mislabeling of seafood species – in major cities around the US. They have found that a high percentage (up to 55 percent) of seafood in Boston, Miami, and Los Angeles, is often sold as something it is not..." Fish for Dinner – What’s Really On Your Plate?

The U.S. Navy has started flight operations at the Outlying Field in Coupeville on Tuesday, January 8 for aircraft squadrons stationed at NAS Whidbey Island. Field carrier landing operations are scheduled to occur in the afternoon to early evening hours Tuesday through Thursday, and during the afternoon on Friday. Flight operations are subject to change due to weather, operational and/or training requirements. Although some Central Whidbey neighbors complain about the noise, the Navy describes its Outlying Field as “a critical national security asset that provides essential training for Navy pilots based at NAS Whidbey Island to conduct safe and effective aircraft carrier flight operations.”  Contested Navy flights resume around Central Whidbey

How hip: Sound Publishing, which buys up all the nice “community papers” in and around Puget Sound has purchased the Seattle Weekly, which this week featured Date Girl’s advice column dealing with Baby Boner-Killer  . Said Sound Publishing President Gloria Fletcher, "The Weekly fits quite well into Sound Publishing's culture." You betcha.  Poulsbo-based publishing company buys Seattle Weekly

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PST THU JAN 10 2013
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
N WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 11 FT AT 13 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE MORNING.

TONIGHT
N WIND 5 TO 15 KT BECOMING E. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

3/30 Ocean acid, Happy Pasture, BC reviews, reg reform, Fort Worden, Padden News, Vashon NYT, java blend, Lummi barges, ribbon seal, PT biomass, maritime heritage, Sound Publishing

Happy Pasture Photo Winner (Wayne Chaudiere)

A state panel of 25 scientists, shellfish growers and political leaders will hold its first meeting in Seattle today to address the problem of ocean acidification. The panel -- headed by Bill Ruckelshaus and Jay Manning-- will examine the latest studies and make recommendations to the governor by Oct. 1.  Expert panel to address ocean acidification  

North Sound Baykeeper announces the winner of the Happy Pasture Photo Contest: Photo Contest Winners – Stan and Betty Honrud and Whatcom Conservation District

The B.C. government won a long-standing fight with Ottawa over environmental reviews in the federal budget tabled Thursday, paving the way for faster decisions on major projects including the controversial Enbridge Gateway pipeline proposal. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced a “one-project, one-review” approach that will limit the decision-making process on major economic projects to 24 months. B.C. Liberals hail budget’s streamlined environmental review process  

Washington industries located along the Puget Sound and other important waters dodged an expensive regulatory bullet on Thursday when Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law a new approach to protecting sensitive waters against bacteria in industrial storm-water runoff. The law, sponsored by state Rep. Larry Springer (D-Kirkland), replaces unworkable numeric limits on bacteria levels in industrial storm-water runoff with a new narrative standard that focuses on ensuring best management practices to protect sensitive waters.  Rep. Springer’s regulatory reform signed into law to protect Washington industries  

The State Parks and Recreation Commission on Thursday said that Fort Worden will remain a state park, and that it supports the idea of a public development authority managing a lifelong learning center there. A resolution approved unanimously by the seven-member commission also said that, before the commission takes final action on the governance of the learning center, there will be “ample opportunity for the public, stakeholders and the Legislature to learn about and express their views to the commission.” Fort Worden to remain a state park

Our Man on the Peninsula has some harsh realities to share regarding the process of establishing a private/public partnership at Fort Worden Park: The Environment and Fort Worden…inaction reigns in election years

More to share: Dave Green's latest Lake Padden News blog: Housing Market at Lake Padden

Unbeknownst to the rest of us, the Washington State Department of Transportation has invented a time machine. Sure, it looks like a ferry, running the route between Seattle and Vashon Island dozens of times a day. But how else to explain what you find when you arrive on Vashon? A Trip Across Water, and Time, From Seattle

Listen up: If a new blend of coffee takes off, local java lovers will be able to play a key role in protecting Puget Sound from its biggest environmental threat. Martha Baskin reports. New Hot Java Blend, “12,000 Rain Gardens” Hopes to Protect Puget Sound

The bulk of two sunken barges was removed by divers and construction workers this week off the shore of Lummi Island, but the removal work has caused small, periodic oil spills and occasionally left a fresh sheen on the water's surface. About three-quarters of the smaller, 120-foot barge remains submerged in two pieces. They will remain there at least until June 15 because of a scheduled fish closure to protect migrating juvenile salmon. Sunken barges being removed from off Lummi Island

An Arctic ribbon seal that was spotted Thursday in Aberdeen is apparently the same one seen early this year in Seattle and Everett. Arctic ribbon seal visits Aberdeen  

A Thurston County Superior Court judge has upheld a permit for the Port Townsend Paper Corp.’s $55 million biomass energy project. Five environmental organizations — Port Townsend AirWatchers, No Biomass Burn, the Olympic Environmental Council, the Western Temperate Rainforest Network and the Olympic Forest Coalition — appealed the permit to the court after losing an appeal to the state Pollution Control Hearings Board last May. Judge upholds Port Townsend biomass permit  

The Northwest is rich with maritime heritage sites, but trying to find information about them in one place can be a challenge. The Northwest Maritime Heritage site serves as a maritime history web search tool that allows users to find out where historic vessels are homeported, where the region’s maritime museums are and where its lighthouses are located. Three Sheets launches new maritime heritage site

Gloria Fletcher has been named president of Sound Publishing, according to Black Press of Victoria, B.C., Sound Publishing’s parent company, and company owner David Black. Based in Poulsbo and Bellevue, Sound Publishing, Inc., owns and operates 38 community newspapers and 14 Little Nickel publications in the greater Puget Sound area. In fall of 2011, Sound Publishing added the Peninsula Daily News (Port Angeles), Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum to their community newspaper holdings. Collectively, Sound Publishing has circulation of 773,126. Fletcher takes on role of Sound Publishing president  

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 900 AM PDT FRI MAR 30 2012
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TODAY
W SWELL 12 FT 14 SECONDS. SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SHOWERS LIKELY.
TONIGHT
W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS. W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING NE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
SAT
W SWELL 10 FT AT 12 SECONDS. E WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. RAIN LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT
NW WIND 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING W 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 8 FT.
SUN
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING S 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT IN THE
 AFTERNOON. W SWELL 8 FT.

--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.  

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

About Salish Sea News & Weather

I'm a news junkie and over the last few years I've aggregated Puget Sound news and tug weather clips as communications director at People For Puget Sound.

Way back in the dark ages, I started out writing news and editorials when I worked at community weeklies. Then I clipped news items with scissors when working in communications for the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, Seattle City Light and Hawaiian Electric Company.

News gathering and reporting have changed considerably over the years but I still can't think of any better way to start the day than scanning the news to get a feel for what's happened in my neighborhood and my world before setting out.

September 1 launches a daily news and weather clipping service with about the same editorial focus as the previous clipping service: a focus on marine and estuarine news in and around the Salish Sea -- the marine waters of Puget Sound, Hood Canal, the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Haro, Rosario and Georgia, and their drainages.

The daily 'weather' item is the weather report from the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca where all vessels entering and exiting the Salish Sea pass. Of course, when the weather around the sound and straits really gets interesting, we'll talk about that, too.

I'll try to keep the partisan politics to a minimum except when it threatens to screw up our lands and waters. I'll stay with local stories as much as possible. The stories from afar will be chosen with some relevance to our interests in the Salish Sea.

Keep in mind that there is no machine doing these selections, just another interested reader-- so I welcome your submittals of news you find interesting or important. Fact-checks, good grammar notes and constructive opinions are likewise welcome.

"Salish Sea News & Weather" is posted via email to a subscriber list at no charge each morning before being put up on the web.

"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service at no charge. To subscribe, send your name and email to: msato@rockisland.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

-Mike Sato
Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate