6/12 Sea Aquarium, Shell $, Hood Canal, more coal, BC LNG, Vic sewer, saving steelhead, EPA rule, parking lot

Seattle Aquarium

Seattle Aquarium aims to make splash with huge expansion
The Seattle Aquarium is planning a grand expansion that will add at least 40 percent more exhibit space and cost at least $90 million to build. The expanded aquarium will be equipped to attract nearly twice as many visitors as today along the future park-like post-viaduct waterfront. Steve Goldsmith reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Port commissioner getting donations from executives involved in Shell deal
As Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryant raises money for his gubernatorial campaign, he’s getting help from executives in companies involved in the deal to bring Shell Oil drilling equipment to a Seattle port terminal. Bryant, a Republican who declared his run last month to challenge Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, has received $2,500 in campaign donations from Paul Stevens, CEO of Foss Maritime, according to campaign filings. Records also show that Mark Tabbutt, listed as the chairman of Saltchuk Resources, the maritime conglomerate that owns Foss, has given $1,500. Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)

New website reveals strategies for improving Hood Canal ecosystem
If you want to know how the Hood Canal Coordinating Council is working to protect and restore Hood Canal, take a look at a new website created by the council. It is called OurHoodCanal.org. The website is an attractive and functional companion to the “Hood Canal Integrated Watershed Plan” (PDF 325 kb), a five-year strategic plan focused on programs that can be accomplished by the coordinating council and its members. Hood Canal Coordinating Council is made up of county commissioners from Kitsap, Mason and Jefferson counties, along with leaders from the Skokomish and Port Gamble S’Klallam tribes. Christopher Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Coal is coming: Wyoming company aims to ship 24M tons of coal through Washington ports
If the terminals in Longview and Bellingham are approved, more than 20 million tons of coal a year could move through them. That's just from one company. Washington state is well positioned to become the next major hub for oil and gas refinement and exporting because of its proximity to Asia. Now, the coal industry wants in on the action. Wyoming-based Cloud Peak Energy Resources LLC (NYSE: CLD), a major player in U.S. coal mining, wants to see the contentious proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal in Bellingham and Millennium Bulk Terminal in Longview, Wash. developed. Then, it wants to use the terminals to ship huge quantities of coal to Asia. Sarah Aitchison reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Petronas-led group gives conditional okay for B.C. LNG project
A Malaysian-led consortium has given conditional approval to press ahead with plans to export B.C. liquefied natural gas. State-owned Petronas and its Asian partners said Thursday that the Pacific NorthWest LNG joint venture will proceed, subject to the completion this fall of a federal environmental assessment of the terminal to be built near Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia…. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) launched its review of Pacific NorthWest LNG in April, 2013, but has halted the process several times since then because the regulator sought more information from the proponent. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

Eight sites favoured for Victoria’s sewage plant
Eight sites, including Clover Point and the University of Victoria, are considered to have a high level of public support for at least a secondary sewage-treatment plant, according to results of a public consultation. Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay are in the midst of deciding where to build a sewage-treatment plant with the hope of narrowing down sites by the end of this month…. The eight top-ranked sites are: four spots in the Rock Bay area, including a public works yard, sites owned by B.C. Hydro and Transport Canada, and privately owned land; coast guard land beside Ogden Point; Clover Point; the University of Victoria; and the Saanich public works yard. Cindy E. Harnett reports. (Times Colonist)

Steeled courage from state lawmakers needed for steelhead habitat
A last legislative push is needed to save Nisqually River’s storied steelhead run. If you want to know why Puget Sound salmon are disappearing, you need to head upstream. In the case of the Nisqually River’s vanishing wild steelhead, 40 miles upstream. It’s here, high on the western flank of Mount Rainier, you’ll find Busy Wild Creek, the upper reach for spawning steelhead. Mark Higgins writes. (Seattle Times) See also: Fate of Pierce County’s steelhead in the balance  Matt Driscoll writes. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Clean Water Rule Celebrated As Advocates Launch Renewed Campaign To Keep It Intact
The wetlands and tributaries which supply major waterways also must be protected, the federal Environmental Protection Agency ruled last month when it expanded the Clean Water Act to regulate upstream pollution.  This expansion the landmark 1972 environmental law -- which has joint backing from the Army Corps of Engineers -- was celebrated in Seattle Thursday by a handful of  environmental advocacy groups including WASHPIRG  and Environment Washington.  They joined EPA Region 10 Administrator Dennis McLerran  at the Fremont Brewing Company to talk about the importance of clean water for businesses such as micro-breweries and agriculture. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

County shows off its low-impact development parking lot
When Skagit County Public Works employee Randy Nelson released 2,200 gallons of water from the holding tank of a water truck Thursday, some onlookers had the urge to flee to keep from getting their feet wet. But they didn’t have to. The water disappeared in seconds into the surface of a parking lot outside the Skagit County government offices, leaving only a ring of alder seeds as proof it was spilled. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT FRI JUN 12 2015
TODAY
NW WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 9 FT AT 14 SECONDS...
 SUBSIDING TO 6 FT AT 14 SECONDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 12 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 10 SECONDS.

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"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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6/11 Herring, Great Bear, Vic sewer, coal pollution, Wild Oly, Van beaver, D crab, Shelter Bay, fading green

Little Uncle’s Herring Week Special (SeattleMet)

Welcome to Seattle Herring Week—No, Seriously
In a follow-up to distiller Lexi of Old Ballard Liquor Co.'s search for herring…. "Seattle Herring Week, wherein a handful of restaurants around town will have fresh herring dishes on their menus through June 14, or until they run out of herring. The Facebook page has updates, but this is an eclectic group, and it’s not limited to Ballard. The list includes Anchovies and Olives, Schooner Exact, Chippy’s, Palace Kitchen, the Walrus and the Carpenter, Sushi Kappo Tamura, Little Uncle, Pair, and grocer Scandinavian Specialties (plus Sogno di Vino and Marina Market in Poulsbo). " Allecia Vermillion reports. (SeattleMet)

Proposed deal to preserve large swaths of B.C.'s Great Bear Rainforest
The last land parcels of the Great Bear Rainforest have been identified, clearing the way for an extraordinary pact between the forest industry, First Nations, the province and a coalition of environmental organizations to be finalized by September. The new land-use agreement, if approved following a summer-long public consultation period, would ensure the preservation of 70 per cent of the old-growth forests in a huge section of the province’s north and central coast. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Sewage project stalled, yet boss tops Capital Regional District pay list
Albert Sweetnam, head of the stalled Seaterra sewage-treatment program, is at the top of the Capital Regional District’s salary list for 2014. Sweetnam, hired on a five-year contract in 2013, was paid $297,466 in salary and expenses last year — more than even CRD chief administrative officer Bob Lapham, whose salary and expenses totalled $238,036, according to the CRD’s latest statement of financial information. Last year, when the CRD was moving ahead with its $788-million sewage-treatment program with plans to build a treatment plant at McLoughlin Point, Sweetnam was managing a staff of 20-plus consulting engineers. But no more. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

US plans to focus on environment in Columbia River talks
After a long delay, the Obama administration has signaled that it’s ready to launch talks with Canada to renew the 51-year-old Columbia River Treaty, a controversial pact that created dams for electricity and flood control in the Pacific Northwest. But there will be one big change from the negotiations that created the original 1964 treaty: This time, the United States plans a major push on environmental issues. Rob Hotakainen reports. (McClatchy)

US Supreme Court won't consider Seward coal pollution appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court will not review a federal appeals court decision that said coal falling into Resurrection Bay from the Alaska Railroad's loading system in Seward violates the federal Clean Water Act. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in September reversed a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Tim Burgess, who ruled that incidental coal falling from the Seward Coal Loading Facility was allowed under the railroad's permit to discharge storm water. The judges said coal was not a list of substances that could be discharged with storm water. The district court will decide whether the railroad committed specific violations of the federal Clean Water Act, whether there will be penalties, and whether the parties will be directed to pay attorney fees, Alaska Railroad corporate communications officer Stephanie Wheeler said. Dan Joling reports. (Alaska Dispatch News)

Court Sends Coal Pollution Rules Back To EPA
A federal appeals court has struck down pollution rules intended to reduce haze from coal that is burned in Montana to provide electricity for people in the Pacific Northwest. Haze reduces visibility and is caused by tiny particles of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. The Clean Air Act requires companies to use the best available technology on older coal plants to reduce the pollutants, which can cause health problems such as respiratory illness. But a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the rule from the Environmental Protection Agency would arbitrarily require PPL Montana to install pollution controls costing tens of millions of dollars without assurance of improvements in visibility. Tuesday's ruling applies to the 2,100-megawatt Colstrip plant and a second plant in Billings that recently shut down partly because of the projected cost of complying with separate mercury pollution rules. Matthew Brown reports. (Associated Press)

The Wild Olympics: The next step in a half-century of preserving wild Washington?
The Olympic Peninsula is a hot destination these days for those who appreciate recreation, natural beauty and wild spaces. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, and Rep. Derek Kilmer picked the first day of Washington’s warm spell last week to reintroduce legislation that would preserve more wild places and rivers on the peninsula. Product of what Murray called “years of negotiation and compromise,” the legislation would protect as wilderness 126,554 acres of federal, national forest land surrounding Olympic National Park, and put 19 rivers and major tributaries into the nation’s Wild and Scenic River System. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Very Canadian: Beaver joining Vancouver cyclists and joggers for evening waddle caught on video
People on Vancouver's busy False Creek seawall got a rare, up-close look at a Canadian icon on Tuesday, when a beaver chose to take an evening stroll next to runners and cyclists. "Joggers stopped, cyclists dismounted and a group of us formed a barrier alongside him to protect him as he strolled along," said runner Rita Gunkel in an email to CBC. Gunkel spotted the beaver waddling along the seawall and took a video. (CBC)

Dungeness crab season in Hood Canal opening more than two weeks earlier than expected
Sport anglers can get a head start on the Dungeness crab fishery in Hood Canal that begins more than two weeks sooner than expected. Fishing in the “Hood” will begin Monday – the original opening date was July 2 — after test fisheries found crabs have reached ideal hard-shell condition and populations in some areas appear to be healthy. Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

Shelter Bay residents to decide if they want new lease with Swinomish
Shelter Bay residents who own homes on reservation land are expected to decide next month if they want to pursue an agreement with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community that would extend a master lease with the tribe until 2089 but also would dramatically increase homeowners’ rents.
The Shelter Bay Community’s board of directors has scheduled an advisory vote on the matter for July 15. If residents vote to pursue a new lease, the board will begin working out details with the tribe, then homeowners will have a chance to vote once more, said Community Manager David Franklin. Evan Marczynski and Shannen Kuest report. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Concerns Arise That The Green Is Fading At Seattle's Port
As the Port of Seattle joins with Tacoma to compete against other ports in British Columbia and California, concerns have arisen that it might be losing sight of some of key environmental goals, such as creating sustainable jobs. The concerns come as Seattle moves forward with a controversial deal to temporarily host Royal Dutch Shell’s oil drilling fleet at terminal 5 in West Seattle. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT THU JUN 11 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 5 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.

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6/10 Spotted owls, BC drought, adopted orcas, Shell drill, BC LNG, BP Cherry Pt., Gary Greene

Spotted Owls (JaredHobbs/EarthFix)

Spotted owl numbers not only down but also at faster rate
Scientists report that after two decades of attempts to save the species, northern spotted owl numbers in the Northwest are still on the decline — and at a faster rate. The threatened bird nests in old trees and is at the heart of a decades-long struggle over the fate of the region's old-growth forests. Scientists at a conference Tuesday in Vancouver, Washington, reported that owl numbers are now dropping at an annual rate of 3.8 percent, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Glen Sachet. Five years ago, the rate was 2.8 percent. Tim Fought reports. (Associated Press) See also: Where Things Stand For Northwest Forests Under The Clinton Plan  Jes Burns reports. (EarthFix)

Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii on alert for drought conditions
Water experts are warning of drought-like conditions in Metro Vancouver this summer, and parts of the province are already on high alert.  With record-low snow packs, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources says Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii can expect serious water shortages unless significant rainfall comes by the end of June. B.C.'s water stewardship manager Valerie Cameron says those areas have been designated as very dry, or level three on the province's drought levels gauge system. That is just one level shy of the worst drought conditions and it is the earliest the province has designated the regions to level three conditions this early in the year. (CBC) See also: Island residents warned of serious water shortages  Dan Fumano reports. (The Province)

New allies in killer whale recovery? Orcas adopted by Obama girls
Gary Weiss has witnessed first-hand how having friends in high places can help further an important cause. And, that’s a big reason why the photographs of a certain two Southern resident killer whales are likely tacked up on a wall somewhere in the White House by now, or perhaps on the refrigerator. The daughters of the First Family of the United States, Malia and Sasha Obama, recently became united with two members of J-pod through the Friday Harbor Whale Museum’s Orca Adoption Program. Dr. Weiss presented a pair of adoption certificates and accompanying memorabilia to the president as gifts for his daughters girls at a May 27 roundtable discussion in Washington D.C. Scott Rasmussen reports. (San Juan Journal)

Six 'grannies' detained in Seattle during Shell rig protest
Six older women were detained by Seattle police on Tuesday during a protest to block access to a Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig that activists believe may depart this week to resume fossil fuel exploration in the Arctic, authorities said. The six, members of an activist group known as the Seattle Raging Grannies, were questioned and released by police after blocking railroad tracks near the Port of Seattle, police spokesman Patrick Michaud said. bout two dozen other protesters had left the port but were expected back on Wednesday, he said. Victoria Cavaliere reports. (Reuters)

Beyond “kayak-tivism”: Three ways to actually halt offshore drilling in Alaska 
Drew Atkins proposed: "1. Making Arctic safety a cause; 2. Going after Shell’s core business; 3. Forcing Hillary Clinton to oppose it." (Crosscut)

Federal review of leading LNG project in northwest B.C. halted again
A federal review of Pacific NorthWest LNG has been halted a third time as the company has been told to provide more information on its effects on a sensitive salmon-rearing habitat. The consortium, led by Malaysian state-controlled Petronas, was asked in February to provide three-dimensional modelling data demonstrating the effects of sediment and changed water currents from the project on Flora Bank. The bank in the Skeena River estuary contains eelgrass beds critical for juvenile-salmon rearing. Gord Hoekstra reports. (Vancouver Sun)

BP Cherry Point oil train facility gets extra track
By the end of June, crews at BP Cherry Point refinery are expected to complete an additional rail loop at the crude oil train unloading facility off Grandview Road. The third loop allows for more room to store empty crude oil tank cars until they can be taken away by BNSF Railway, BP spokesman Scott Dean said in an email. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Hidden world beneath the sea
Marine geologist Gary Greene will treat islanders to an absorbing visual tour of the hidden subsea world around the San Juan Archipelago, showing the strikingly beautiful sonar images he has been recording for the past 20 years. This Orcas Currents lecture is on Thursday, June 11 and is cosponsored by Coates Vineyards and the Northwest Straits Foundation. It begins at 5:30 p.m. in Orcas Center, with a reception to follow sponsored by the Orcas Food Coop. Admission is free. (Islands Sounder)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUN 10 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 8 SECONDS.

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"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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6/9 Budget, Shell drill, warm 'blob,' fish barriers, Vic sewer, BC logging, Laura James, Port Susan, oil train, BC LNG, houseboats

Northern Lights from Mukilteo (Liem Bahneman/KOMO)

If you like to watch: Northern Lights come out to play over Western Washington
They're tough to get in the summertime here due to our shorter periods of darkness, but the Northern Lights managed an appearance (Sunday) night! Liem Bahneman captured this time lapse video from the Mukilteo pier. These photos are using time-exposure, but he said they were visible to the naked eye for a solid three hours. Scott Sisek reports. (KOMO)

Senate budget negotiator: No deal on spending level yet
A Senate budget negotiator disputed statements made last week that indicated lawmakers had reached a tentative deal on the size of Washington state's next two-year budget, saying Monday that the announcement was "premature." Talking with reporters before a Monday afternoon meeting with Gov. Jay Inslee, Republican Sen. John Braun of Centralia, said that talks with House Democrats are still ongoing, and that progress was made over the weekend, but that there's still no agreement on the overall spending level of the budget, tentative or otherwise. Rachel La Corte reports. (Associated Press)

Phones, emails deluged in protest of Shell’s oil-fleet lease
Opponents of Shell Oil’s lease of a Port of Seattle terminal to stage the company’s Arctic drilling fleet have employed a new tactic in their battle against the oil giant: deluging phone lines and email accounts of firms supporting the company’s stay in Seattle. Lewis Kamb reports. Seattle Times)

Ocean 'blob' of warm water bringing poor food for B.C. wild salmon
A University of Victoria oceanographer studying the so-called "warm blob" of water off the B.C. coast has observed unusual, "squishy" visitors from the south — and that could be bad news for young salmon. John Dower, who just returned from a research cruise north of Vancouver Island, said he saw remarkably high amounts of tiny animals called zooplankton in the "blob," a huge mass of ocean water about 2 degrees warmer than normal. And the varieties he saw are normally found off northern California — not Canada. (CBC)

Statewide effort takes aim at removing barriers that block fish
A little-known state board has begun sizing up a daunting task: removing the many barriers that block fish across the state's waterways. That's no small undertaking. The Fish Passage Barrier Removal Board cites about 14,000 such impediments in Washington alone. And that's just the known barriers — the estimated total is closer to 35,000 or 40,000, according to officials involved in the effort. Many are culverts built decades ago. Eric Florip reports. (Columbian)

Environment beats cost controls in sewage-treatment survey
Protecting the environment trumps cost in planning sewage treatment for Saanich, Oak Bay and Victoria, according to an Ipsos Reid survey. When respondents were asked the most important criteria for developing sewage treatment, the single-biggest priority at 31 per cent was: “removal of harmful materials from entering water and/or land.” That was followed by minimizing cost to the taxpayer (19 per cent), safety to residents (15 per cent) and no odour (nine per cent). Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

Protests will follow if old-growth logging proceeds on Vancouver Island: group
A British Columbia forest company’s plan to log centuries-old cedar trees in southern Vancouver Island’s Walbran Valley cuts into the heart of one of Canada’s most ecologically sensitive forests, says an environmental group. Wilderness Committee spokesman Torrance Coste said that forest company Teal Jones is courting conflict with environmental groups in its bid to harvest almost 500 hectares of old-growth forest in eight separate land parcels. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

Laura James wins Emmy Award for 'Solving the mystery of the dying starfish'
West Seattle filmmaker/diver/environmentalist Laura James has won a 2015 Emmy® Award in Environmental Feature/Segment in the Northwest Region of the US. The award was presented on June 6 for her underwater video work on Solving the Mystery of Dying Starfish produced by KCTS9's Katie Campbell and edited by Michael Werner. Laura is a Seattle based videographer. This is Laura’s second Emmy®. She won her first Emmy® in 2014 in the Health/Science Feature/Segment category in the Northwest Region for Sea Otters vs. Climate Change produced by Michael Werner for Quest PBS. (West Seattle Herald)

Port Susan estuary takes a hit from warming, low Stillaguamish River flow
The early summer, with its unusually hot days and low snowpack, offers a window into the future for local scientists. Researchers have turned their attention to Port Susan and the mouth of the Stillaguamish River. Important tidal ecosystems there have been dwindling over the past two decades, and a team is studying how tide marshes and estuaries can adapt to a warming climate. Other researches are investigating how changing river flows affect the way sediment is spread, and how that could harm fish and increase flood risks. Kari Bray reports. (Everett Herald)

Discovery Bay beaches in Jefferson closed to shellfish harvest due to biotoxins; Dabob Bay reopens, but with vibrio warning in place
Discovery Bay area beaches have been closed to recreational shellfish harvesting due elevated levels of marine biotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. Recent shellfish samples from the area showed an increase in biotoxins, prompting the state Department of Health closure, according to a Jefferson County Water Quality Program news release Monday. (Peninsula Daily News)

Ecology joins county in EIS for Shell oil-by-rail project
The state Department of Ecology and Skagit County will together review the Shell Puget Sound Refinery’s proposed rail unloading facility under the state Environmental Policy Act…. Skagit County asked the state agency to serve as a co-lead in the preparation of an environmental impact statement, or EIS, for the proposal to build a crude-by-rail facility at the Shell refinery in Anacortes, according to an Ecology news release. In a letter to the Skagit County Board of Commissioners, Ecology Director Maia Bellon said the agency agreed it was a matter of interest both locally and regionally. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Exxon Mobil selects on-shore LNG system for Prince Rupert site
Exxon Mobil Corp. has selected on-shore terminal plans in its quest to export liquefied natural gas from a site near Prince Rupert, B.C., positioning the project as a serious contender. While Pacific NorthWest LNG leads B.C.’s LNG race, Irving, Tex.-based Exxon Mobil and its Canadian affiliate Imperial Oil Ltd. hope to finish engineering studies in 2017 for their joint venture called WCC LNG Project Ltd. Brent Jang reports. (Globe and Mail)

Everett company accused of muddying water, endangering fish
A global building-materials company faces $21,000 in state fines over allegations that concrete and muddy water flowed from a local facility into city storm drains. The violation involves a sand, gravel and concrete-mixing operation at 6300 Glenwood Ave. that belongs to CEMEX Construction Materials Pacific. The drains there let out into Pigeon Creek Number Two, a tributary of Pigeon Creek. Noah Haglund reports. (Everett Herald)

Living out 'Sleepless in Seattle'-type dreams just got a little more difficult
People living on Seattle's waterfront can sleep a little easier at night. The city's Shoreline Master Program lets all current houseboats meeting the city's requirements stay where they float. The updated shoreline program, which was approved June 1, has been in development about eight years. The Lake Union Liveaboard Association has fought for at least five years to keep houseboats from being booted from the city. Kipp Robertson reports. (MyNorthwest.Com)

Now, your tug weather--
 WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT TUE JUN 9 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT...BECOMING NW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 1 TO 3 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. NW SWELL 7 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. NW SWELL 6 FT
 AT 9 SECONDS.

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"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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6/8 Oceans Day, WA budget, ship misses, oil spill, Longview, fuel trains, port alliance, glass-sponge reefs, herring, clean streets, Navy pier, Skagit dike, Olympic Park, drought

World Oceans Day is June 8th
This year’s theme is healthy oceans, healthy planet and people all over our blue planet are organizing celebrations throughout the week, from June 6th all the way to June 14th. Jump in.

Budget writers in Olympia have tentative spending agreement
State budget writers have tentatively agreed on a spending level for the state’s 2015-17 operating budget, according to the director of the state Office of Financial Management. Lawmakers are in the second special legislative session after months of a stalemate over how to fund government. If there’s no new budget by the July 1 start of the state’s new fiscal year, parts of the government will shut down. Joseph O'Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times) Meanwhile: Lawmakers claim $120 daily payments during special sessions Jerry Cornfield reports. (Everett Herald)

A year of close calls for ships on B.C. coast
Commercial ocean-going ships reported being involved in at least 14 official occurrences on the B.C. coast last year, including collisions, groundings, mechanical breakdowns at sea and close calls with other vessels, federal transportation safety board reports show. While not all involved accidents, some had the potential to be extremely serious, including the Japanese-owned 200-metre bulk carrier Ultra Saskatoon on July 2 reporting a “close-quarters situation” with the Hong Kong-owned 217-metre bulk carrier Great Loyalty near Race Rocks marine reserve off Victoria. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

In plain sight: How the Marathassa oil spill took hours to find
The sloop Odin set out from False Creek late on the sunny afternoon of April 8 for a pleasure sail, with the two-man crew, Rob O’Dea and Arnt Arntzen, using a steady northwest wind to tack their way around the transport freighters that use English Bay as a parking lot.  Around 4:45 p.m., the pair aboard Mr. Arntzen’s 21-foot sailboat spotted a large slick on the water, accompanied by the smell of fresh asphalt. It took them just 15 minutes of sailing to track the source to the bulk grain carrier MV Marathassa, which was at anchor in the bay after putting in to the Port of Vancouver to begin loading its cargo. By then, the slick was half a kilometre long and 250 meters wide, by Mr. O’Dea’s estimation. Beneath the blue sheen, he could see the water was thick with globules of oil. Mr. O’Dea called 911 at 5:05 p.m. from his cell phone, and a Canadian Coast Guard official called him back three minutes later to assure him they were already aware of the spill and had dispatched a pollution response team. That would have been reassuring, except there was no Coast Guard or any other emergency response vessel in sight. In fact, the clean-up crew would not be authorized to respond until three hours later. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Mike Lowry’s visit to planned coal port upsets environmentalists
On the battlefield of one of the biggest environmental clashes to erupt in the Pacific Northwest in decades, an old soldier for liberal causes and steeped in “green” cred has re-emerged — but this time, he’s fighting for the other side. Or at least that’s how some environmental groups perceive Mike Lowry’s recent visit to the site of a proposed coal-export terminal on the Columbia River, where the former Washington governor and congressman spoke favorably about the controversial project. Lowry’s tour on May 28 of the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals (MBT) coal-export facilities site in Longview — during which he met with company brass, local elected officials and labor representatives who back the project — quickly generated a story in the hometown newspaper. Lewis Kamb reports. (Seattle Times)

The Clean Energy Governor And The Columbia River Oil Refinery
A new oil refinery is the last thing you might expect Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s administration to be courting. After all, Inslee has developed a national reputation as a champion of curbing the use of fossil fuels. And yet, Inslee’s administration has worked for months to facilitate such a project along the Columbia River. A Texas-based energy company wants to site a combined crude oil and biofuel refinery in Longview, Washington. The company’s goal is to capitalize on low carbon fuel standards championed by West Coast political leaders, including Inslee. Conrad Wilson and Tony Schick report. (KUOW)

Coastal Salish Nation steps up opposition to fossil fuel trains
The Coast Salish Nation issued a statement this week that it plans to work collectively against the transport of crude oil by rail and sea through tribal territories. The Coast Salish Nation includes the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and represents the ancestral territory of British Columbia First Nations and Western Washington tribes. The group met on Swimomish land in May and voted unanimously to try to stop all crude oil shipments through tribal territory. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Tacoma, Seattle ports approve Northwest Seaport Alliance plan
Two ports that for decades competed fiercely for Puget Sound shipping business toasted a friendly new alliance Friday that will join terminal operations and marketing activities under a single management. Those Champagne toasts came after the governing commissions of the ports of Tacoma and Seattle voted unanimously to seek the blessing of the Federal Maritime Commission for the newly named Northwest Seaport Alliance that will link the two ports’ shipping terminals to form the nation’s third-largest container port. John Gille reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

Bellingham port environmental director retires after 20 years
When Mike Stoner first toured the Port of Bellingham’s properties 20 years ago, he started to make a mental list of contaminated sites that needed work…. Two decades and countless hours of investigating, building partnerships, and environmental planning later, one of the largest cleanup projects on that list is about to break ground and Stoner is set to retire. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Ottawa announces fishing closures to protect glass-sponge reefs in Strait of Georgia
Glass sponges are fragile, long-lived lifeforms that can be damaged by prawn traps…. The federal fisheries department announced Friday commercial and recreational fishing closures to protect nine glass-sponge reefs in the Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound. The closures prohibit all "bottom-contact" fisheries, including prawn and crab traps, shrimp trawl, groundfish trawl, and hook-and-line, within a buffer zone of 150 metres around the nine reefs. Larry Pynn reports. (Vancouver Sun)

First Nation Heiltsuk calls for extension of herring fishery closure
The Heiltsuk First Nation is calling for a coast-wide closure of the 2016 herring fishery, after it successfully shut down the 2015 fishery on the central coast earlier this spring. On Tuesday, the Bella Bella-based First Nation will issue a declaration that the herring and herring roe fisheries will remain closed until herring stocks have recovered. The Heiltsuk are in talks with the Haida and Nuu-chah-nulth to support a closure for the entire coast. Randy Shore reports. (Vancouver Sun)

State public lands commissioner calls for more study on Navy electronic warfare range plan
The Navy should rethink its proposed expansion of activities in its electronic warfare range in light of potential impacts on the threatened marbled murrelet and a deluge of comments against the plan, said Peter Goldmark, state commissioner of public lands. Goldmark, who manages the state Department of Natural Resources, said last week that the Navy's 2010 environmental impact statement on the effects of jet noise on the seabird listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act did not go far enough. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Cleaner streets for cleaner Puget Sound planned
Copper, zinc, phosphorous and other pollutants build up on Seattle’s streets before rain washes them into storm drains and waterways that lead to Puget Sound. During heavy rains, the sewer system fills up and the problem can worsen. As a solution, the city plans to double the coverage of its street-cleaning program, hoping to scour at least 40 additional tons of pollutants from roadways each year before they can reach the Sound. The $800,000 street-cleaning expansion — meant to help satisfy a consent agreement with state and federal authorities to rein in combined sewage overflows — also is the frugal way to go, officials said. Miguel Otarola reports. (Seattle Times)

Navy offers new option for proposed Port Angeles submarine escort pier
The Navy has announced the location of a fourth alternative site for a proposed pier at Ediz Hook, where a plethora of activity already is taking place. The new location was offered to mollify concerns expressed by the Puget Sound Pilots and others about the $16.7 million proposal, which would provide a dock for up to seven Navy submarine escort vessels. But the route of the vessels as they proceed to the newest-option pier also places them within 100 feet of Seattle-based Icicle Seafoods Inc.’s Atlantic-salmon fish farm. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Fir Island Farms Reserve closed to public for dike setback
Public access is now closed to the Fir Island Farms Reserve, where heavy machinery will begin moving dirt and materials next week for the start of a two-year tidal marsh restoration project, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday. The project, which is being done on Fish and Wildlife land on Fir Island, will set back the existing mile-long dike about 5,500 feet to reopen 131 acres of tidal marsh in the Skagit River Delta to fish and wildlife. Kimberley Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Whatcom charter review board targets environmental groups
Conservatives on the county Charter Review Commission and their allies have a strategy for fixing what they say is wrong with Whatcom County. In addition to recommending more local representation on the council through district-only voting, a task they finished in February, they seek to de-fund “special interest groups” that support environmental causes. At the May 18 charter review meeting, Michelle Luke, who was endorsed by Republicans during her unsuccessful campaign for council in 2013, said district-only voting was needed to correct the excessive protections placed on rural land by conservation nonprofits…. Commissioners on May 18 didn’t mention by name any of the nonprofits they were targeting, but it appeared they were referring to conservation advocacy groups such as Futurewise and RE Sources for Sustainable Communities. Ralph Schwartz reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Olympic National Park's newest attraction is made out of an old dam
The west rim of the Glines Canyon overlook is finished and ready for visitors, just in time for summer. Perched on what was once the spillway of the 210-foot-tall Glines Canyon Dam, the overlook offers expansive views of a wide valley that previously held the Lake Mills reservoir. The Elwha River, released by breaching of the dam that was finished in August, now flows freely through the deep canyon just below the viewpoint. (Peninsula Daily News)

Drought Conditions Reach Unexpected Corners Of Northwest
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows almost all of eastern Oregon and parts of eastern Washington are now in severe drought. But the dry conditions are also reaching into corners of the Northwest that usually remain relatively lush. An example is the south fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. The river feels different and is slower than normal. Jessica Robinson reports. (EarthFix)

Will fake killer whale fool sea lions in Astoria — and what if it does?
Chris Dunagan writes: "I was eager to find out if a 32-foot fiberglass replica of a killer whale could scare off a huge number of sea lions crowded together on the docks in Astoria, Ore. I kept telling my wife Sue, “It’s not going to work” — and I had not the slightest idea that the motorized orca might capsize during its attempt to frighten the persistent sea lions…." (Watching Our Water Ways)

Calls mount for B.C. to take stronger action against invasive mussels
With the start of summer boating season in British Columbia’s freshwater lakes, the annual game of chance begins: The provincial government is gambling that it can prevent any boats contaminated with invasive mussels from launching within its borders. B.C. introduced its new mobile decontamination units on May 29, to check boats coming from other parts of North America for signs of quagga and zebra mussels. The rapidly reproducing invaders can hitchhike on boats, marine trailers and fishing gear. Once they have a foothold they choke out native species, clog infrastructure such as water intakes, and leave beaches littered with piercing shells. Justine Hunter reports. (Globe and Mail)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT MON JUN 8 2015
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS. PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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"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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6/5 Hot times, Wild Olympics, BC LNG, BC pipe, CG fines, orca track, fake killer, sick water, fracking

Feeling like summer!
One word — sunscreen!  Keep it handy today and this weekend.  Also, drink lots of water.  And enjoy what will be the warmest weekend of the year so far. High pressure aloft will dominate today and through the weekend for sunny skies and warm temps.  We’ll top out close to 80 today and get into the mid 80s over the weekend.  Some of our foothills communities and perhaps Olympia southward it could nudge 90. M.J. McDermott forecasts (KCPQ) See also: Heat wave coming to Vancouver Saturday and Sunday will be the hottest days of this spell  (CBC) And if you really care: When forecasts disagree who do you trust?  Cliff Mass explains. (Weather Blog)

Murray, Kilmer reintroduce Wild Olympics wilderness bill; familiar opponents begin to take aim at legislation
Wild Olympics legislation is headed for its fourth go-around — and fourth sequence of opposition from North Olympic Peninsula timber interests. The federal Wild Olympic and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2015 was introduced in the House on Thursday by U.S. Rep Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, and in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle. Like its 2014 predecessor, the proposed bill would protect 125,554 acres of Olympic National Forest and 464 miles of 19 rivers and major tributaries on the North Olympic Peninsula. Paul Gottlieb reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

B.C. LNG facilities may not be built until after 2020, report says
The provincial government and the gas industry are continuing to send a positive message about LNG development in British Columbia, but critics are saying a new report has exposed a harsh reality. B.C. may not see any LNG facilities built until after 2020, according to the International Energy Agency, which reported Thursday that the world market is flooded with liquefied natural gas. Mark Hume reports. (Globe and Mail)

Kinder Morgan pledges to protect against oil spills
Kinder Morgan is pledging to protect against any threat of oil spills caused by its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, as opposition to the project mounts in British Columbia. The energy-shipping giant showed off its marine and storage terminals in Burnaby, B.C., on Thursday, detailing new safety measures it is promising to introduce if the $5.4-billion expansion is approved. Senior director of marine development Michael Davies said Western Canada Marine Response Corp., the agency responsible for spill cleanup, will invest $100-million in new equipment. Laura Kane reports. (Globe and Mail)

Oil, gas, coal industries want Washington, British Columbia as permanent home ports
Shell’s exploration fleet is due to depart Seattle soon for the Arctic, but other energy industries are planning their own home ports up and down the West Coast, from the Columbia River to the Salish Sea to British Columbia’s North Coast. The public’s attention will wane at its peril.  Public understanding of the gains and pains of Big Oil and Big Coal’s plans for the Northwest is strongly advised. The waters of Puget Sound, Georgia Strait and the Inland Passage are fast becoming a chosen path for shipment of coal, liquid natural gas, and — if many in Congress have their way — oil to China and other fast-developing Asian markets. Joel Connelly reports. (SeattlePI.Com)

Coast Guard could fine Bellingham Shell protesters
The Coast Guard is seeking fines against four protestors who approached or attached themselves to Shell’s Arctic Challenger in Bellingham Bay. Two of the protestors, Chiara D’Angelo and Matthew Fuller, clipped onto the oil spill response vessel’s anchor chain at various times between May 22 and 24. D’Angelo stayed on the chain for three nights, while Fuller joined her for part of one night. Both were eventually assisted down from the chain by the Coast Guard. During the three-day protest, geared against Shell’s plans to drill for oil in the Arctic, Cody Erdman and Paul Adler also drove boats or rafts into the 100-yard safety zone the Coast Guard had set up around the ship. Erdman also was on the anchor chain at one point, said Lt. Dana Warr, a Coast Guard spokesman. Samantha Wohlfeil reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Orcas back at Columbia River as 2015 tracking comes to an end
Orcas made it back to the vicinity of the Long Beach Peninsula in time for the Memorial Day weekend as this year’s satellite-tracking program came to an end…. Orca L84, an adult male member of the L pod of Southern Resident Killer Whales usually identified with Puget Sound, along with other family members, made a rapid swim from the west coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island to the Columbia River plume between May 11 and May 17, NOAA Fisheries West Coast-Science & Management reported. (Daily Astorian)

Fake orca runs into trouble before it can scare sea lions
An effort to use a fake orca to scare off hundreds of sea lions crowding docks off the Oregon coast has ended, at least temporarily, with the fiberglass creature belly-up after it was swamped by a passing ship. Still, Port of Astoria Executive Director Jim Knight says the sea lions briefly "got deathly silent" Thursday evening when the orca sailed into view. That was just before it started listing and tipped over. He says there's "a chance" they'll try the orca again Friday. Earlier Thursday, officials had to find a replacement motor for the 32-foot killer whale replica that belongs to a whale watching business. It was brought overland from Bellingham, Washington. (Associated Press)

Health officials warn swimmers of bacteria in Thea Foss Waterway
Health officials are warning swimmers to avoid the Thea Foss Waterway for the time being. Wading or swimming near the dock at Johnnys or the Esplanade downtown is inadvisable, because high levels of bacteria in the water could increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said in a notice Thursday. Alexis Krell reports. (Tacoma News Tribune)

EPA Finds No Widespread Drinking Water Pollution From Fracking
The Environmental Protection Agency says it finds no evidence that hydraulic fracturing — better known as fracking — has led to widespread pollution of drinking water. The oil industry and its backers welcome the long-awaited study while environmental groups criticize it. Jeff Brady reports. (NPR)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 248 AM PDT FRI JUN 5 2015
TODAY
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 4 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
SAT
W WIND 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SAT NIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING SW TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 10 SECONDS.
SUN
W WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 6 FT AT 9 SECONDS.

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"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.

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6/4 House move, pit-to-pier, Navy orcas, oil future, Shell drill, bad pipe, Ocean Modeling, whale hunt

House move (KOMO)

If you like to watch: Mansion on the move: $3.5M house barged to Bainbridge
Matt and Mary Rain are making a monstrous move -- a 500-ton move, to be exact. The Bainbridge Island couple bought a 1923 Madison Park Mansion that they call their "rescue home" and they barged it to Bainbridge…. Crews from Nickels Brother Industrial Movers spent the past two and half months preparing the house for the giant trek across Lake Washington, through the Ballard Locks and across the Puget Sound. They tunneled under concrete and put three layers of criss cross steel and more than a dozen dollies under the home to lift it onto a barge…. The house, valued at $3.5 million with its granite kitchen floors and counter tops, will cost the new owners a minimum of $750,000 to buy and move. They wanted a home made a recycled materials like their last dream house. Elisa Jaffe reports. (KOMO)

Pit-to-pier claims against state dismissed; Developer plans to appeal superior court decision
A Kitsap County judge has dismissed with prejudice all claims made against the state by the developer of the controversial pit-to-pier project along Hood Canal. That developer – Hood Canal Sand and Gravel – is not giving up its fight to nullify an easement granted by the state Department of Natural Resources to the U.S. Navy for tidelands along the Hood Canal shoreline, which has effectively blocked its plan to build a pier for loading gravel onto barges for shipment to local and international markets. “We're going to be appealing the decision,” said Dan Baskins, project manager for developer Hood Canal Sand and Gravel's Thorndyke Resource Operation Complex, also known as T-ROC. Nicholas Johnson reports. (Port Townsend Leader)

Navy halts live-fire exercise to avoid harming whales
The Canadian navy halted a live-fire explosives exercise near Nanoose Bay on Wednesday after a whale-watching crew warned that a pod of orcas was arriving in the area. J-pod, which includes three calves less than a year old, was heading south of Qualicum and into the path of the active military exercise in the Strait of Georgia off Nanoose Bay, said Dan Kukat, owner of SpringTide Whale Watching…. A similar incident happened in July 2014, when the Canadian Forces suspended an explosives exercise near Bentinck Island after a whale-watching company alerted them to approaching orcas. Bentinck Island, near Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, is used by the military as a demolition range and test site for explosives. Katie Derosa reports. (Times Colonist)

Sorry environmentalists, the Pacific Northwest is likely the next big hub for oil and gas
The Pacific Northwest has traditionally prided itself on environmental leadership and clean energy, but radical changes in the oil and gas industry could mean the region will become the next major hub for oil and gas production. That's primarily because of our proximity to Asia. With its growing population and increasing demand for fossil fuels, the Pacific Northwest coast is the easiest way to get coal, oil and gas from North America to Asia. Sarah Aitchison reports. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Shell Oil’s Arctic rig permit hearing set for July 23
A hearing has been set for July 23 for the Port of Seattle and Foss Maritime’s appeal to the City of Seattle’s interpretation that the port needs a new permit to host Shell’s Oil’s rig Polar Pioneer. Representatives from all parties attended a prehearing conference Wednesday with deputy hearing examiner Anne Watanabe to discuss the timeline and to estimate how much time the parties will need for witness testimony. Coral Garnick reports. (Seattle Times)

Pipeline that spilled oil on California coast badly corroded
A pipeline rupture that spilled an estimated 101,000 gallons of crude oil near Santa Barbara last month occurred along a badly corroded section that had worn away to a fraction of an inch in thickness, federal regulators disclosed Wednesday. The preliminary findings released by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration point to a possible cause of the May 19 spill that blackened popular beaches and created a 9-mile slick in the Pacific Ocean. Michael R. Blood and Brian Melley report. (Associated Press)

Ocean Modeling Forum to bring human element to herring fishery, others
Similar to how hurricane forecasters combine all projected paths of the storm to predict landfall, a new group aims to take the most useful science and perspectives to gauge how the world’s oceans should be best managed. The Ocean Modeling Forum, a collaboration between the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries, is trying something very rare — bringing together multiple science models and people who care about a particular ocean resource or fishery to decide what’s most important for its vitality and the communities it serves. Michelle Ma reports. (UW Today)

Public comment period for Makah whaling request is extended to July 31
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service has extended to July 31 the period for public comment on the Makah tribe's request to resume whaling. The opportunity to comment on the draft environmental impact statement had been scheduled to close June 11. Anti-whaling activists — who included Chuck and Margaret Owens of Joyce and D.J. Schubert of the Animal Welfare Institute of Washington, D.C. — had urged at an April 29 public meeting in Port Angeles that they be given more time to file objections to the tribe's request for a waiver from the Marine Mammal Protection Act. James Casey reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 243 AM PDT THU JUN 4 2015
TODAY
W WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 17 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 4 FT AT 16 SECONDS.

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"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