1/17 White Rock, Trans-Mtn pipe, WA greenhouse gas, Microsoft climate, Green Apple plant, smoke health, Skagit sockeye, BC plastics

White rock at White Rock

White Rock, British Columbia
The City of White Rock, British Colombia is named after a single, giant boulder that was left behind on the shores of Semiahmoo Bay thousands of years ago. This 486-ton granite stone was likely delivered to the shore by a breakaway piece of glacier that must have beached on the coast and melted to reveal the hitchhiking rock. Not naturally white, historically the boulder was often covered in terrific amounts of seabird excrement which made the stone stand out so much from the surrounding landscape that sailors could use it as a beacon. In the modern era the city of White Rock regularly paints the stone white lest their namesake lose its meaning. The regularly painted surface no longer signals ships, but now serves as a beacon to local graffiti artists.  (Atlas Obscuria)

Supreme Court dismisses B.C.'s bid to save bill blocking Trans Mountain project
The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed B.C.'s appeal of a lower court decision that quashed provincial legislation designed to block the Trans Mountain expansion project. In a unanimous decision, Chief Justice Richard Wagner said the court will let the B.C. Court of Appeal decision stand. The decision clears yet another legal hurdle for the long-delayed pipeline project. A separate Federal Court of Appeals case on the project, which considers Indigenous issues, is still pending. The decision, issued from the bench on the same day legal counsel delivered oral arguments, is a blow to B.C. Premier John Horgan, who has sought to stop construction of the expansion. If built, the pipeline will carry nearly a million barrels of oil from Alberta's oilpatch to the B.C. coast each day for export to Asian markets. John Paul Tasker reports. (CBC) B.C. NDP out of tools to stop Trans Mountain pipeline expansion  Nick Eagland reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: Disappointed, humiliated: B.C. reacts to Trans Mountain court decision  (CBC)

State Supreme Court limits Gov. Inslee's rule cutting greenhouse-gas emissions
The Washington State Supreme Court has invalidated key portions of a rule imposed by the administration of Gov. Jay Inslee capping greenhouse-gas emissions by fuel distributors, natural-gas companies and other industries. In a 5-4 ruling Thursday, the court upheld a 2017 lower-court decision that the state Department of Ecology had exceeded its legal authority in trying to apply clean-air standards to “indirect emitters” that don’t directly burn fossil fuels. “The issue is not whether man-made climate change is real — it is,” wrote Chief Justice Debra Stephens in the majority opinion. However, Stephens wrote, the department’s efforts to enforce the state Clean Air Act went beyond what had been authorized by the law. Jim Brunner and Joseph O'Sullivan report. (Seattle Times)

Microsoft makes big push to tackle climate change, vowing to be carbon neutral by 2030
In the latest move by Big Tech to address climate change, Microsoft has promised to be “carbon negative” within the decade and to use its technology, money and influence to drive down carbon emissions across the economy. Microsoft’s initiative, rolled out Thursday morning, commits the Redmond firm to removing more carbon from the environment than its own operations and its supply chain emit each year by 2030. By 2050, Microsoft says it will have eliminated as much carbon as the company has generated since its founding 45 years ago. Microsoft says it also will push suppliers, customers and policymakers into more carbon-cutting actions and will invest $1 billion over the next four years to speed the development of technology that can actually remove carbon from the atmosphere — “technology that doesn’t fully exist today,” president Brad Smith said Thursday during the company’s  presentation on its Redmond campus. Paul Roberts reports. (Seattle Times)

Here’s the next step for the proposed renewable diesel plant near Ferndale
The state and Whatcom County are asking the public to say what should be included in an environmental review of a proposed plant near Ferndale that could produce up to 250 million gallons of renewable fuel a year, according to its application. The primary fuel would be renewable diesel, with some renewable naphtha and renewable propane and possibly renewable jet fuel, according to the application. The plant would be built on about 40 acres of land at the Phillips 66 refinery property at 3901 Unick Road. It would process fats and grease as well as cooking and vegetable oils into renewable fuels. The existing ship, rail and truck infrastructure at Phillips 66 would be used to receive feedstocks — the waste fats, oils and greases — for the process and ship out the finished product, although there are proposed changes to that infrastructure. In November 2018, Phillips 66 and Renewable Energy Group Inc. announced plans to build a renewable diesel plant. They formed Green Apple Renewable Fuels to do so. Kim Relyea reports. (Bellingham Herald)

Washingtonians are more likely to die on smoky days, new UW research shows
....A new study into wildfire smoke’s impacts on mortality, conducted by researchers from the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Health, shows that smoke has measurable lethal impacts on the state’s collective health.The study was published in the journal Environmental Health. Data is slim when it comes to wildfire smoke’s health impacts, despite increasing concern that smoke carries particulates and health-damaging chemicals hundreds of miles from fires, affecting breathing and ultimately our longevity. Hannah Weinberger reports. (Crosscut) See also: Oregon DEQ Data Shows Pollution From Woodstoves Is On A Wildfire’s Scale  Oregon Department of Environmental Quality data released Wednesday  shows 12.8 million pounds of particulate pollution matter are released into Oregon’s air by woodstoves and chimneys each year. Monica Samayoa reports. (OPB) And also: Air Pollution, Evolution, and the Fate of Billions of Humans  Carl Zimmer reports. (NY Times)

Changes may be in store for local sockeye fishery
As annual regional fisheries negotiations get underway for 2020, changes may be proposed for how sockeye salmon are managed in the Skagit River and Baker Lake. The changes would deal with how fish are shared between tribal and recreational fishermen. “Particularly in the last three years there has been a pretty good harvest inequity between the state and the tribes,” state Department of Fish & Wildlife Salmon Policy Analyst Aaron Dufault told the Fish & Wildlife Commission during a Dec. 14 meeting. “We’ve had some really rough years where the recreational harvest is about half of what the treaty harvest is.” Dufault told the Skagit Valley Herald that in years in which fewer fish than expected return to the river system, tribes often harvest thousands more than recreational fishermen. Although some years the opposite occurs, the numbers over the long term are in the tribes’ favor. From 2010 to 2019, tribes caught 20,961 more sockeye, according to Fish & Wildlife records. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

B.C. preps packaging changes that could include ban on plastic bags
The B.C. government is preparing to introduce new bans on single-use plastic products, like grocery bags, as well as boosted options for recycling. The changes will be introduced within weeks and are intended to create a provincewide plan following the differing actions of major cities like Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria, according to a statement by the Ministry of Environment. Rob Shaw reports. (Vancouver Sun)


Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  252 AM PST Fri Jan 17 2020   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY  AFTERNOON   
TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. SW swell 4  ft at 8 seconds. A chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  E wind 20 to 30 kt rising to 30 to 35 kt after  midnight. Combined seas 5 to 7 ft with a dominant period of  8 seconds. Rain likely in the evening then rain after midnight. 
SAT  SE wind 20 to 30 kt becoming S 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. SW swell 9 ft at 9 seconds  building to 11 ft at 11 seconds in the afternoon. Rain. 
SAT NIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. SW swell  13 ft at 12 seconds building to 15 ft at 14 seconds after  midnight. 
SUN  E wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 14 ft at  14 seconds subsiding to 12 ft at 13 seconds in the afternoon.



--
"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

1/16 Snowy owl, air contaminants, oil record, hot year, bird die-off, BC LNG, Trans-Mtn hearing, Enviro Lobby Day, Sweden-WA climate

Snowy owl [All About Birds]

Snowy owl Bubo scandiacus
The snowy owl is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to Arctic regions in North America and Eurasia. Males are almost all white, while females have more flecks of black plumage. Juvenile snowy owls have black feathers until they turn white. (Wikipedia)

Air contaminants, such as mercury and PCBs, undermine the health of Puget Sound
High levels of mercury and other toxic chemicals are showing up in seemingly remote and pristine parts of the Puget Sound watershed, the result of atmospheric deposition. Scientists talk about a “dome” of pollution hanging over urban areas, leading to a never-ending cycle of persistent compounds working their way through the air, onto the land and into the water. Chris Dunagan reports. (Salish Sea Currents)

U.S. Crude Oil Production to Reach Record High in 2020
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released its January 2020 Short-Term Energy Outlook, with  Administrator Dr. Linda Capuano saying that both global oil supply and consumption are expected to grow in 2020, with supply from non-OPEC producers, particularly the U.S., Norway, Brazil, and Canada, more than offsetting declining production from OPEC. The EIA forecasts that U.S. crude oil production will reach new records in 2020 and 2021. Driven primarily by higher production in the Permian region of Texas and New Mexico, the outlook forecasts an average of 13.3 million barrels per day of U.S. crude oil production in 2020 and 13.7 million barrels per day in 2021. (Marine Executive)

2019 Was the Second-Hottest Year Ever, Closing Out the Warmest Decade
The past decade was the hottest on record, government researchers announced on Wednesday, the latest sign of global warming’s grip on the planet. And 2019 was the second-warmest year ever, they said, just shy of the record set in 2016.  Henry Fountain and Nadja Popovich report. (NY Times)

Study: Marine Heatwave Likely The Cause Of Massive Die-off Of North Coast Seabirds
A new study suggests a marine heatwave may have caused about 1 million north Pacific seabirds to die. A cooperative effort between federal agencies and university researchers revealed that nearly 62,000 dead or dying seabirds washed ashore onto Alaska and West Coast beaches between the summer of 2015 and spring of 2016. But carcass recovery suggests this was a fraction of the roughly 1 million birds that died during this time period. Monica Samayoa reports. (OPB)

‘They are erasing our history’: Indigenous sites buried under Coastal GasLink pipeline infrastructure
As the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en fight to stop the controversial $6.6 billion natural gas pipeline, the very landscape and cultural artifacts they aim to protect are being logged and bulldozed away. Amber Bracken reports. (The Narwhal)

Supreme Court to hear B.C. case attempting to halt Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
Canada's high court will hear arguments Thursday on whether British Columbia can stop Alberta from shipping heavy oil through the Trans Mountain pipeline without a permit. B.C.'s NDP government brought the case in 2018 as it worked to fulfil an election promise to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. The province argues it should be able to limit the contents of the pipeline, because it would bear the brunt of environmental harm from any spill. (Canadian Press)

Environmental Lobby Day, January 30, Olympia
Join the Environmental Priorities Coalition and hundreds of activists to push for key environmental legislation in Olympia. You will team up with other activists to speak up for the environment and gain the skills to be a persuasive constituent. You'll have the opportunity to attend issue briefings, learn how to lobby, hear from environmental champions, attend breakout sessions, and meet face-to-face with your elected officials to advance the Environmental Priorities Coalition's 2020 priorities: Clean Fuels Now, Healthy Habitat Healthy Orcas, Climate Pollution Limits, and Reduce Plastic Pollution. Lobby Day begins at 8:30 AM at Temple Beth Hatfiloh 201 8th Ave SE Olympia. Register here.

Sweden knows: Phase out fossil fuels and economy can still flourish
Sweden and Washington state are in agreement that we are facing a global climate crisis that requires aggressive policies, bold legislation and accelerated actions. With the U.S. withdrawal from the most important international agreement on climate change, the Paris Agreement, it has become even more crucial for Sweden to continue working with stakeholders and entities within the U.S. that remain committed to ambitious climate action, such as Washington state. Karin Olofsdotter writes. (Seattle Times)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  243 AM PST Thu Jan 16 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  SW wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. SW swell 16 ft at 12 seconds  subsiding to 9 ft at 10 seconds in the afternoon. Showers likely. 
TONIGHT  NW wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SE 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. SW swell 7 ft at 9 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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter. 

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

1/15 Snow geese, Big Bar landslide, LNG-by-rail, GasLink LNG, BlackRock on climate, WCC NEH grant

Snow geese [Jack Dykinga/NPL/Minden Pictures]

Lack of Snow Is, Ironically, Helping Snow Geese
Snow geese are aptly named: they have brilliant-white plumage, fly in blizzard-like flocks, and breed at the top of the world. Recently, though, they’re finding less actual snow when they get there. Global warming means winter snow in the Arctic is melting earlier and earlier. But snow geese on Alaska’s northern coast don’t seem to mind—in fact, the lack of snow may be contributing to a population boom. Elizabeth Preston reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Kiewit awarded $17.6M contract to clean up Big Bar landslide threatening salmon runs with extinction
Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan says construction will begin soon to help salmon pass through a section of British Columbia's Fraser River that was largely closed by a landslide. The federal contract posted online Monday awards $17.6 million to Peter Kiewit Sons ULC for work on the landslide near Big Bar while there is a low water flow on the river. The slide sparked a coordinated emergency response from multiple levels of government and local First Nations after it was discovered in June northwest of Kamloops. The federal government said in procurement documents in November that the work had to happen during the first available period of low water flows between December and March, although the contract was not awarded until Dec. 31. (Canadian Press)

Oregon's US Senators Join Call To Reject LNG-By-Rail Rules
Both of Oregon’s U.S. senators expressed concern on Tuesday over the Trump administration’s proposed rule to transport liquefied natural gas by rail lines. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley released a joint statement criticizing the proposal to permit the transport of flammable materials through densely populated areas. The two Democrats said such a change will pose serious threats to public safety to Oregonians and others nationwide. Monica Samayoa reports. (OPB)

Conference on UNDRIP has no easy answers for Coastal GasLink dispute
A business conference in Vancouver discussing implications of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples had no easy resolutions to the dispute of Wet’suwet’en hereditary leaders objecting to the Coastal GasLink pipeline crossing their territory. Work halted in the region after a group of hereditary chiefs issued a symbolic eviction notice to contractors building the 670-kilometre pipeline, though the project has signed deals with the elected governments of all 20 First Nation communities on its route. One lesson in the case, said legal expert Sandy Carpenter, is that the UN declaration “gives, potentially, more strength to hereditary leadership, and there are going to be, and are with Coastal GasLink, situations where there are disputes within a Nation about who can speak for the Nation.” Derrick Penner reports. (Vancouver Sun) See also: RCMP set up checkpoint restricting access in Wet'suwet'en territory amid clash over pipeline The RCMP have blocked access to a First Nation's territory in northern B.C., heightening tensions as government officials and hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en continue to clash over the Coastal GasLink pipeline. Chantelle Bellrichard reports. (CBC) And also: Pipeline at centre of B.C. conflict is creating jobs for First Nations  (Canadian Press)

World's Largest Asset Manager Puts Climate At The Center Of Its Investment Strategy
BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, says that it will now make climate change central to its investment considerations. And not just for environmental reasons — but because it believes that climate change is reshaping the world’s financial system. That was the message in BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink’s annual letter to CEOs published on Tuesday....BlackRock manages approximately $7 trillion on behalf of investors. Its shift could signify a watershed moment for corporate action on climate, particularly among U.S. firms. BlackRock says it will require additional reporting from the companies it invests in, including disclosure of climate-related risks and plans for operating under the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius. Laurel Wamsley reports. (NPR)

National Endowment for the Humanities Announces New Grants
This round of funding totals $30.9 million and will support 188 projects across the country....Funding will also go toward developing a curriculum at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Wash., that creates new courses on the history, cultures and science of the Salish Sea. Devi Lockwood reports. (NY Times)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  255 AM PST Wed Jan 15 2020   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING   
TODAY  E wind 20 to 25 kt rising to 35 to 45 kt in the  afternoon. Combined seas 8 to 10 ft with a dominant period of  12 seconds. A chance of rain in the morning then rain likely in  the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  E wind 30 to 40 kt becoming SE 25 to 30 kt after  midnight. Combined seas 9 to 11 ft with a dominant period of  10 seconds building to 16 to 17 ft with a dominant period of  12 seconds after midnight. Rain likely in the evening then rain  after midnight.



--
"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

1/14 Snowshoe hare, Shell Anacortes refinery, BC LNG, WA lege, green agenda, Trump's fossil fuel generals, Jordan Cove LNG, hot oceans, Storming the Sound, small orcas, Great Bear estuary

Snowshoe hare [D.Gordon E. Robinson]

Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus
Snowshoe hares live in the coniferous and boreal forests of the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, New England, Alaska, Minnesota, Michigan, and Montana. Within the United States, most of these coniferous forests are found on mountaintops, such as the Rockies, or near the Canadian border...During the winter, snowshoe hares are white, which helps them blend in with the snow...The hind legs of a snowshoe hare are noticeably larger, and have more fur and larger toes than those of other rabbits or hares. These adaptations provide additional surface area and support for walking on snow. The hind legs are what give the hare its common name. (National Wildlife Federation)

Exclusive: Royal Dutch Shell seeking buyer for Anacortes, Washington refinery - sources
Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) is looking to sell its oil refinery in Anacortes, Washington, according to three people familiar with the matter. If completed, this and other asset sales currently underway would reduce Shell’s North American refining operations to large plants on the U.S. Gulf Coast, said the people, speaking on condition of anonymity as the talks are private. Oil and gas major Shell has publicly committed to selling more than $5 billion of assets per year in 2019 and 2020. The Netherlands-based company is trying to use its global scale to build a power business as the world moves toward cleaner energy. Jessica Resnick-Ault and Laura Sanicola report. (Reuters)

Horgan says 'rule of law applies,' LNG pipeline will proceed despite protests
Premier John Horgan says a natural gas pipeline across northern British Columbia will be built despite ongoing protests and an eviction notice from some hereditary Indigenous leaders. The premier says the courts have ruled in favour of the project and the rule of law will apply to ensure work continues on the Coastal GasLink pipeline across northern B.C. to a coastal an export terminal. The 670-kilometre pipeline is part of a $40 billion liquefied natural gas project. Horgan says the project has received approval from 20 Indigenous nations along the pipeline route and its completion is of vital economic and social importance to the region. (Canadian Press)

Legislature opens on historic note amid plenty of protests
With some members wearing white to mark the centennial of American women getting the right to vote and various groups demanding action on $30 car tabs, support for farmers or protection of Puget Sound, the 2020 session of the Legislature opened on a historic note. Tacoma attorney Laurie Jinkins, a five-term legislator, was sworn in as the first woman and first lesbian to be elected as speaker of the House of Representatives. “Another barrier is broken, but it won’t be the last,” she told House members after she was elected unopposed. After meeting with legislators in most districts around the state in recent months, Jinkins said it’s clear homelessness and the lack of housing are issues in every community. Jim Camden reports. (Spokesman Review)

Inslee, environmentalists want aggressive action on climate, including a clean fuel standard
With auto emissions of planet-warming gases rising faster in Washington than almost anywhere on the West Coast — including car-centric Los Angeles — Gov. Jay Inslee and conservation groups plan a major push in the Legislature this session to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And while they’re still calling last year’s climate legislation victories momentous, Inslee and the greens say the 2020 session, which began Monday, will be a chance to complete 2019’s unfinished business. Katherine Long reports. (Investigate West)

Who Controls Trump’s Environmental Policy?
Among 20 of the most powerful people in government environment jobs, most have ties to the fossil fuel industry or have fought against the regulations they now are supposed to enforce. Lisa Friedman and Claire O'Neill report. (NY Times)

Federal Scientists Say Jordan Cove Won't Jeopardize Species
The proposed Jordan Cove liquified natural gas project will not jeopardize protected species. That’s according to a report by scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service. The study looked at the potential impact of the construction and operation of the proposed export terminal at Coos Bay, as well as the 234 mile-long pipeline that would bring the gas from a connection near Malin, southeast of Klamath Falls. The agency’s Michael Milstein says the so-called “biological opinion” — or “bi-op” — is part of the federal permitting process meant to protect endangered or threatened species. Liam Moriarty reports. (Jefferson Public Radio)

2019 Was a Record Year for Ocean Temperatures, Data Show
Last year was the warmest year on record for the world’s oceans, part of a long-term warming trend, according to a study released Monday. “If you look at the ocean heat content, 2019 is by far the hottest, 2018 is second, 2017 is third, 2015 is fourth, and then 2016 is fifth,” said Kevin E. Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and an author on the study. The study, published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, follows an announcement last week by European scientists that Earth’s surface temperatures in 2019 were the second-hottest on record. Kendra Pierre-Louis reports. (NY Times)

Storming the Sound, January 30, Maple Hall, LaConner
Storming the Sound is a conference for environmental educators in the north Puget Sound region, including the counties of Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Island, Jefferson and San Juan. Every January teachers, environmental organizations and students gather in La Conner to share their interest and expertise in environmental education. Registration is $10.

Malnourished Millennial Killer Whales Grew Up Smaller
More than 20 years ago, the population of chinook salmon near British Columbia’s Vancouver Island plummeted. The decline hit salmon-eating killer whales hard and the populations of both northern and southern resident killer whales fell in suit. But for these salmon-eating specialists, death wasn’t the only consequence. A new study reveals the dramatic drop in chinook salmon numbers has had a long-term effect on the northern resident killer whales that survived the famine. In particular, killer whales that were in their prime growth periods in the 1990s—from birth until 15 years old for females, and into their 20s for males—have grown up to be significantly smaller than older whales. Jasspreet Sahib reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Great Bear Rainforest estuary bought to maintain wildlife habitat
B.C. has a new conservation area near Bella Coola in the Great Bear Rainforest after a descendant of the settlers who had owned the land for decades sold it to a land trust. The area is near the mouth of the Bella Coola River and close to the town on B.C.’s Central Coast. The estuary covers 70 hectares, about 20 per cent of the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park. It has been renamed the tidal flats conservation area, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) was scheduled to announce Tuesday. The trust will protect the area’s intertidal marshes, mudflats and tidal channels, and continue to provide a home for animals and birds as diverse as grizzly bears, salmon and the threatened marbled murrelet. Susan Lazaruk reports. (CBC)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  628 AM PST Tue Jan 14 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT 
GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON   
TODAY  NE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming SE 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 7 ft at 14 seconds  building to 10 ft at 13 seconds in the afternoon. A slight chance  of snow in the morning then a chance of snow in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming E 20 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 10 ft at 13 seconds. Rain  likely in the evening then rain after midnight.



--
"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

1/13 Ptarmigan, green lege priorities, Oly port settlement, BC pipe indigenous rights, free parks, Snohomish rail tracks, hazards plan, dams v salmon, Aussie coal

Ptarmigan in winter [Paul Bannick/BirdNote]

Ptarmigan in Winter
Both the Willow Ptarmigan and these White-tailed Ptarmigan, feathered mostly brown in summer, are utterly transfigured by an autumn molt. As snow begins to mantle their world, both species, now all white, blend in superbly. But the ptarmigan pulls another trick. It adds dense white feathering on both the tops and bottoms of its feet. And its claws grow longer. The bird grows snowshoes! (BirdNote)

Environmental groups identify top legislative priorities as Legislature convenes in Olympia
As the new session gets underway in Olympia today, environmental groups have released their legislative priorities. Items topping their list this year are renewed attempts to pass a clean fuels standard to reduce carbon pollution from transportation, as well as a statewide ban on thin, single-use plastic bags.  A new priority this year has to do with restoring salmon habitat around Puget Sound, which is important for endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Nick Abraham with the Environmental Priorities Coalition says it aims to revise the current policy, in which development projects must show "no net loss" of salmon habitat. It would instead require an increase. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Port settles lawsuit with environmental group for $1.3M
The Port of Olympia agreed this week to pay roughly $1.3 million and take corrective steps to settle a federal lawsuit that alleged violations of the Clean Water Act at the port’s marine terminal. Waste Action Project of Covington announced that it intended to sue the port in April 2017, then followed through on that lawsuit two months later. Waste Action Project alleged that the port was violating the Clean Water Act by discharging polluted stormwater into Budd Inlet. “We’re not going to stand here and watch it happen,” Waste Action Project Executive Director Greg Wingard said at the time. “The port can step up and take care of it or we’ll step up and fix it in federal court.” That “fix” happened this week. The port commission — Joe Downing, Bill McGregor and E.J. Zita — met in executive session on Tuesday to discuss the litigation, then emerged and voted unanimously to approve the proposed settlement. Rolf Boone reports. (Olympian)

B.C. human rights commissioner asks Canadian government to halt pipeline project
British Columbia’s human rights commissioner has called on Canada to stop building a contentious natural gas pipeline until the affected Indigenous groups consent to the construction. Kasari Govender said she believes Canada is shirking its obligations as a signatory to the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. “I join (the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination) in urging Canada to immediately cease the forced eviction of Wet’suwet’en and Secwepemc peoples, to prohibit the use of lethal weapons, and to guarantee no force will be used against them,” she wrote on Twitter. “This is a matter of fundamental human rights.” (Canadian Press)

Who Doesn't Like Free? Legislature Ponders Washington State Park Entry Fees
Remember back when it didn’t cost anything to visit a state park for the day? A senior Republican in the Washington Legislature says the state’s budget surplus should make it possible for park access to be free again. Eastern Washington Sen. Mark Schoesler has drafted a bill to eliminate state park access and parking fees, effective this summer. The Senate minority leader said now is a good time to go back to free day use because the state can afford it....Schoesler needs support from the Democratic majority in the Washington Legislature to advance his idea. It’s uncertain if he will get it. Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Changes coming for coastal train tracks that endanger salmon
Much like its human residents, Snohomish County’s chinook salmon are trying to navigate the 73 miles of BNSF railway tracks trimming Puget Sound to access the water. For young fish, a natural nursery habitat at the spot where streams meet the sound is often blocked by pipes that route waterflow under the tracks. A collection of state and federal agencies just wrapped up a year-long effort to prioritize nearly 200 streams and determine where projects to increase fish access would have the most bang for their buck. Of the 74 stream crossing sites in Snohomish County, six are considered a high priority. They include spots at Meadowdale Park, Japanese Gulch and Boeing Creek. Julia-Grace Sanders reports. (Everett Herald)

County seeks input on hazard mitigation plan
After months of reviewing risks faced by communities throughout Skagit County from natural hazards including from volcanoes in the North Cascades and tsunamis from the Pacific Ocean, the county Department of Emergency Management has released a draft plan for keeping communities safe. The draft 2020 Skagit County Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan is open for public comment by email or mail through Jan. 20. Emergency Management leads the development of a local natural hazard mitigation plan in coordination with cities, towns and local districts including those for schools and fire responders. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Dams Vs. Salmon: Workshops Aim To Get Past 'My Study Can Beat Up Your Study' On Snake River
Salmon need our help, but solutions aren’t going to come easy. That was the common thought from speakers Tuesday night in Clarkston, Washington. The panel kicked off the first of three workshops to discuss issues that bog down the fate of four lower Snake River dams in Washington. More than 300 people showed up to hear speakers talk about why it’s important to either keep or alter the dams. The panel stems from a Washington state study that will guide the state’s position on dam removal. Courtney Flatt reports. (NW Public Broadcasting)

Siemens resists climate protests over Australia coal project
German engineering giant Siemens says that despite protests by climate activists it will fulfil a deal to help develop a huge coal mine in Australia. The controversial open-cast mine in Queensland, owned by India's Adani group, is to go operational next year. Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser said "we should have been wiser about this project", but "we need to be a supplier who sticks to its commitments". Extinction Rebellion activists have protested outside Siemens HQ in Munich. (BBC)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  403 AM PST Mon Jan 13 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON   
TODAY  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 17 ft  at 13 seconds subsiding to 9 ft at 12 seconds. A chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  E wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 7 ft  at 15 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

1/10 Whudge, 'Doughnut Hole,' Trump's NEPA, ghost crab traps, OceanGate

Whudge
A different term for Puget Sound, used by a number of Native Americans and environmental groups, is Whulge (or Whulj), an anglicization of the Lushootseed name x̌ʷə́lč, which means "sea, salt water, ocean, or sound". (Wikipedia)

‘The border is this imaginary line’: why Americans are fighting mining in B.C.’s ‘Doughnut Hole’
Logging permits in the Skagit River headwaters will no longer be issued by the B.C. government but mining exploration is causing friction with Americans downstream. We travelled the river to meet the people fighting an Imperial Metals permit. Christopher Pollon reports. (The Narwhal)

How Trump’s Environmental Policy Rollback Affects The Northwest
A new Trump administration plan to scale back a bedrock environmental law could affect all kinds of projects in the Northwest, including timber sales, hydroelectric dams, and large energy developments like the controversial Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas project with its 235-mile Pacific Connector pipeline. Cassandra Profita reports. (OPB)

How to Exorcise the Ghosts of Crab Traps Past
In New Jersey, crabbers and scientists have found a local solution for a worldwide ghost gear problem. Dani Leviss reports. (Hakai Magazine)

OceanGate raises $18M to build a bigger submersible fleet and set up Titanic trips
OceanGate says it has raised $18.1 million in new investment, laying the financial groundwork for an expansion of its fleet of deep-sea submersibles and setting the stage for dives to the 108-year-old Titanic shipwreck in 2021...This is shaping up as a rebuilding year for the nearly 11-year-old venture, based in Everett, Wash. The main task on the agenda is to build two new submersibles capable of diving as deep as 6,000 meters (3.7 miles), which is more than a mile deeper than the part of the North Atlantic ocean floor where the Titanic is resting. Alan Boyle reports. (GeekWire)


Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  853 PM PST Thu Jan 9 2020   
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING   
FRI  SE wind 30 to 40 kt becoming SW 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Combined seas 6 to 8 ft with a dominant period of  10 seconds building to 10 to 11 ft with a dominant period of  9 seconds in the afternoon. Rain. 
FRI NIGHT  S wind 5 to 15 kt becoming NE to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell 10 ft at 10 seconds  building to 12 ft at 12 seconds after midnight. Rain. 
SAT  NW wind 25 to 35 kt becoming W 20 to 30 kt in the  afternoon. Combined seas 17 to 18 ft with a dominant period of  15 seconds building to 20 to 21 ft with a dominant period of  15 seconds in the afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell  15 ft at 14 seconds.
 SUN  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming W 15 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 11 ft at 13 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

1/9 Jay, Trump's NEPA, Seattle fossil fuels, homelessness, BC pipe, goldfinches, Lanai electricity, Democracy Rebellion

Steller's jay [Jeff Maw]

Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri
Scientists have described 16 subspecies of the Steller’s Jay in North and Central America, showing varying combinations of black and blue on the crest, head, and body. The Queen Charlotte Islands off British Columbia are home to the largest and darkest race. In mainland North America, you can notice differences between darker Pacific forms, with blue streaks over the eye, and lighter Rocky Mountain forms with white streaks and a partial white eye ring. Steller's Jays are the provincial birds of British Columbia. (All About Birds)

White House wants to change environmental rules to speed up highway projects, pipelines and more
The White House is moving to exempt projects without significant federal funding from environmental reviews that have been required for 50 years, a major shift that would make it easier to build mines, expand airports and lay pipelines, among other things, according to three people familiar with the proposal...The proposed changes would narrow the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to assess the impact of a major project before a spade of dirt is turned and to include the public in the process. Environmental groups, tribal activists and others have used the law to delay or block a slew of infrastructure, mining, logging and drilling projects since it was signed by President Richard Nixon in 1970. Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis report. (Washington Post)

Seattle will get city-owned buildings off fossil fuels, Mayor Durkan says
Seattle will no longer use fossil fuels like natural gas to heat, cool and cook in new and substantially altered city-owned buildings and will come up with a plan by 2021 to transition all city-owned buildings to clean electric systems over time, Mayor Jenny Durkan said Wednesday, including those directives in a “Green New Deal” executive order... Neither the new KeyArena now under construction at Seattle Center nor the massive Seattle Aquarium expansion pavilion planned for construction starting next year will be covered by the city’s new fossil-fuel ban, however, Durkan said. That’s because the projects are underway, she said. Both city-owned structures will use a lot of energy. Daniel Beekman reports. (Seattle Times)

Across the entire state, WA voters rank homelessness as the No. 1 issue lawmakers must address
In new Crosscut/Elway Poll, 31% of respondents named homelessness as the state's top issue, a 10-point increase from 2019. Melissa Santos reports. (Crosscut) See also: KNKX, Seattle Times partner to produce in-depth podcast series on homelessness  Kari Blog reports. (KNKX)

Coastal GasLink gives pipeline opponents 72-hour notice to clear way to work site
Coastal GasLink has posted an injunction order giving opponents to its pipeline project 72 hours to clear the way to its work site in northern B.C. The order, stamped Tuesday by the B.C. Supreme Court registry, addresses members of the Wet'suwet'en Nation and supporters who say the project has no authority without consent from the five hereditary clan chiefs. It comes one year after RCMP enforcement of a similar injunction along the same road to the work site sparked global rallies in support of Indigenous rights and raised questions about land claims. (Canadian Press)

Goldfinches
A reader writes in response to yesterday's goldfinch profile: "[J]ust recently I discovered the Lesser goldfinch.  I was on the Oregon DFW website reading about American goldfinches because I was so happy they are back this year after taking a break from us for a few years and it said that the Lesser goldfinches flock with them.  Sure enough when I started looking, the group outside the kitchen window was a mixture of the two.  It had never occurred to me to look more carefully at the individuals."

Pulama Lana‘i looking to buy Lanai island’s electric utility
Pulama Lana’i and Hawaiian Electric have begun “exploratory discussions” about the possibility of the Lanai company “owning the grid.” he utility said Monday that it was approached by Pulama Lana’i, the company owned by tech billionaire Larry Ellison that owns about 98 percent of the island, about acquiring the assets of the utility after the release of request for proposals last month for 9.5 megawatts of solar power paired with energy storage for the island...Pulama Lana’i said Monday that “our journey toward 100 percent sustainability now leads us to investigate the potential benefits of owning the grid.” ... Pulama Lana’i said that its “initial transition phase” calls for creating microgrids with the Four Seasons Resort Lana’i at Manele and the Four Seasons Resort Lana’i at Ko’ele, a Sensei Retreat. Lee Imada reports. (Maui News)

TONIGHT--2020 MUST WATCH: The Democracy Rebellion
It’s the missing story of American politics. Not Washington, but grassroots America. Not stale gridlock, but fresh reforms. Not negative ads and billionaire donors, but positive change and citizen activists pressing for gerrymander reform, voting rights for former felons, exposing dark money, and winning surprising victories to give voters more voice and make elections fairer in states as disparate as Florida and California, North Carolina and South Dakota, Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, Missouri, Utah and more. Veteran Frontline Correspondent Hedrick Smith, one of PBS’s most trusted voices over three decades, takes viewers into half a dozen states with citizen activist leaders. Watch January 9 at 8 PM on KBTC-28 or January 11 at 11 PM on KCTS-9. For a sneak peek, click here.

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  255 AM PST Thu Jan 9 2020   
TODAY  NW wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 2 ft or less. W swell  7 ft at 10 seconds. A chance of showers in the morning. 
TONIGHT  SW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming S 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft after  midnight. W swell 6 ft at 11 seconds. A chance of showers in the  evening then rain after midnight.



--
"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