Friday, April 18, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 18 2025


Aloha Piñatas Friday
Piñatas are thought to have originated in China. There they were used in New Year celebrations. They were formed into buffaloes, cows, and oxen, filled with seeds, covered with colored paper, and decorated with ribbons. After being hit with sticks until they opened, their remnants were burned, and the ashes were saved and used to bring good luck throughout the upcoming year.


Trump’s NOAA firings raise doubts for PNW fisheries
These scientists inform and set salmon fisheries quotas and identify priority salmon habitat recovery work. They were hired to forecast climate impacts, like low-oxygen conditions and marine heat, on fisheries and provide data to reduce the risk of whale entanglements, among other things.

Protecting B.C. old-growth forests could yield $10.9B in benefits, report finds
That number could quadruple to $43.1 billion over the next century if 100% of old growth trees were protected in the Okanagan and Prince George timber supply areas.

Inside the fight to save California’s dying sea lions from toxic algae: ‘We’re like 911 operators’
An animal’s chance of survival after domoic acid poisoning is 50-50, and this year an outbreak has sickened hundreds.

Trump proposed cutting the Northwest’s national forests. So what happens next?
President Donald Trump’s executive order last month laid the groundwork for wholesale changes in national forest management. Here at home, that means timber managers are under a directive to help contribute to a 25% increase in logging volume over the next several years.

NOAA scientists are cleaning bathrooms in Seattle
Federal scientists responsible for monitoring the health of West Coast fisheries are cleaning office bathrooms and reconsidering critical experiments after the Department of Commerce failed to renew their lab’s contracts for hazardous waste disposal, janitorial services, IT and building maintenance.

State recommends keeping pinto abalone on endangered species list
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday that it recommends keeping the state’s only native abalone on its endangered species list.

Proposed rule change on endangered species triggers alarm for environmentalists
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service said in a proposed rule issued Wednesday that habitat modification should not be considered harm because it is not the same as intentionally targeting a species, called “take.” 

New study shows increased pathogens near B.C. open-net salmon farms
A new study led by the Pacific Salmon Foundation and four northern Vancouver Island First Nations suggests that water collected near active open-net salmon farms contains four times more pathogens harmful to wild salmon than samples collected near inactive salmon farms.

Trump Lifts Commercial Fishing Ban On Key Protected Area In Central Pacific
President Donald Trump has opened one the largest protected swaths of the Central Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing, lifting a ban that sought to help conserve the region’s imperiled fish, shark, sea turtles, marine mammals and other species. Papahānaumokuākea, the protected area around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, could be next.


These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to msato(at)salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Friday, April 11, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 11 2025



Aloha International Louie Louie Day
Louie Louie Day celebrates "Louie Louie," one of the most recorded songs in rock and roll history. It takes place on the birthday of Richard Berry, the writer of the song, who was born on this date in 1935. Many other important events surrounding the song took place in April as well, making it fitting the song is celebrated when it is.


More details surface in Trump administration plan to cut national forests
A Trump administration memorandum issued Thursday declared a state of emergency in domestic timber supply and national forest health, directing the Forest Service to suspend normal environmental reviews and increase logging on more than 100 million acres of national forest, including in the Pacific Northwest.

Trump administration funding freeze of $27B clean-energy program strands local projects
A multibillion-dollar Environmental Protection Agency program designed to spur investment in energy-efficiency improvements nationwide is tied up in a legal battle that threatens to upend planned projects across the United States focused on affordable housing, the adoption of electric vehicles and more.

Researchers look to larvae for answers about Washington’s most lucrative fishery
One of Washington’s most lucrative commercial fisheries is also one about which the least is known. Unlike numerous salmon runs in the state, data about Dungeness crabs is scarce – leaving managers with little to go on when projecting future harvest levels.

17 government inspectors, 170 companies and more than 9,000 potential infractions: inside B.C.’s oversight of the oil and gas sector
Notes made by regulator officers during thousands of inspections that were marked in compliance with provincial rules offer a glimpse behind the scenes of government oversight of the fossil fuel industry — and the companies doing business in B.C.

Trump signs orders targeting revival of ‘beautiful, clean coal’
President Donald Trump signed four executive orders Tuesday aiming to invigorate the U.S. coal industry. Trump said the orders would revitalize an industry pushed to the brink by Democratic policies that encourage renewable energy.

Another baby orca spotted with Northwest's endangered J Pod
A Center for Whale Research crew spotted the baby, still ruddy from the womb, from a boat near Victoria, British Columbia, on Sunday. It is the fourth calf born to the southern resident orcas since December. Two of the four have died already.

EPA withholds $85 million meant to fund environmental justice projects in Oregon
Ten Oregon projects are among more than 470 across the country stuck in limbo, with recipients denied access to millions in funding.

Has a Tacoma wastewater plant threatened this endangered species?
Two environmental groups say they plan to sue Tacoma  for allegedly discharging toxic materials from the city’s Central Wastewater Treatment Plant that are poisoning Puget Sound chinook salmon — a federally protected species.

After halting federal attempts to combat global warming, President Trump is now targeting efforts by states to reduce greenhouse gases, setting up a legal clash.


These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to msato(at)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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Friday, April 4, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review April 4 2025

 


Aloha MLK, Jr. Memorial Day
On this day in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr., a leader of the American civil rights movement who was in Memphis, Tennessee, to support a strike by the city's sanitation workers, was assassinated by James Earl Ray.

Budget woes, federal cuts puts WA plans at risk as wildfire season nears
In Washington, a $12 billion budget shortfall prompted majority Democrats in the Legislature last week to propose slicing spending on wildfire prevention and fighting by one-third to two-thirds.  

New $5B plan to fund culvert removals unveiled by WA senators
Washington state senators revealed a proposal Monday to raise billions of dollars to pay for the court-ordered removal of culverts blocking the migration of salmon and other fish. The plan included in the Senate’s capital budget would bond up to $5 billion over the next 15 years and repay the debt with revenue from an existing tax on electrical utilities. housing-school-environment-0

Lower Mainland flood prevention work must wait, province admits
Three years after one of the costliest disasters in Canadian history, the provincial government now says it doesn’t have the money to fully fund critical flood-prevention work in the Lower Mainland.

Lee Zeldin, E.P.A. Head, Shuts National Environmental Museum
The exhibits were dedicated to the agency’s history. Mr. Zeldin said closing the collection would save $600,000 annually.

What cutting the consumer carbon tax means for Canada's emissions
The federal government has ended its carbon pricing for consumers, and that's expected to lead to savings at the gas pump. But what did the carbon tax and rebate actually do for the climate? And now that it's gone, what impact will that have on emissions?

B.C. quietly allowed an oil and gas giant to sidestep rules for more than 4,300 pipelines
B.C.’s energy regulator has the power to grant exemptions — without notifying the public. Experts are raising the alarm about the process, saying the regulator is playing soft with fossil fuel companies that break rules.

Canada and B.C. finalize agreement to fund Metro Vancouver Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant
The governments of Canada and British Columbia have finalized an agreement for the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, providing CAD 250 million (about USD 173 million) in federal funding over five years for the first phase of the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade.

These sea stars were nearly wiped out — but B.C. researchers say fiords provided refuge
Researchers say sea star wasting disease, whose exact cause is unknown, may be affected by water temperatures.


These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to msato(at)salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Friday, March 28, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review March 28 2025


Aloha Piano Day!
There are 88 keys on a piano, hence Piano Day takes place on the 88th day of the year. Created by Nils Frahm, a German pianist and composer, and celebrated by piano lovers of all ages and abilities, Piano Day celebrates pianos and everything in their orbit: composers, performers, listeners, builders, tuners, and movers.

Judge overturns Washington natural gas measure approved by voters
Opponents argued Initiative 2066 was unconstitutional because it dealt with multiple unrelated subjects. Supporters say they’ll appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

Can the rush for clean energy overcome a legacy of pollution?
The technologies needed to usher the world into a new energy paradigm require minerals: Copper. Lithium. Cobalt. Nickel. Manganese. Graphite. Mining these materials is an inherently dirty and extractive process. It comes at a steep cost, disproportionately paid by communities that have dealt with legacies of contamination. 

‘Absolute self-destruction’: David Suzuki has bad news about the environment
In 1962, a young Canadian geneticist started reading “Silent Spring,” Rachel Carson’s damning treatise about the dangers of using pesticides to control insects...Six decades later, Suzuki stands at the precipice of an ecological catastrophe clanging alarm bells as Carson once did.

US Supreme Court declines to revive landmark climate suit brought by young Oregonians
The decision ends a decade-long fight led by 11 young Oregonians and 10 of their peers across the nation against the U.S. government over climate inaction.

‘Metals are the new oil’: B.C. fast-tracks critical minerals projects to counter tariffs
Premier David Eby says the province has ‘unlimited’ potential when it comes to critical minerals. Used to make everything from weapons to renewables, critics question whether B.C.'s rush to mine copper, lithium and more could impact the environment and Indigenous Rights.

Comment period open on Growler operations
The U.S. Navy is accepting public comments regarding a draft of its amended analysis to the final environmental impact statement for EA-18G Growler aircraft operations at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island through April 28. The amended analysis was mandated by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Abundance of pink salmon may be harming orcas
Pink salmon now comprise nearly 80% of all adult salmon in the North Pacific. This record abundance is coming at a cost to other salmon species such as threatened Chinook, and a new study shows that the ecological toll may extend all the way to endangered southern resident killer whales.

B.C. scrapping consumer carbon tax altogether on April 1, government says
The B.C. government has announced it will completely scrap the provincial consumer-facing carbon tax on April 1 and is urging gas companies to remove tax from pricing.

Documents suggest B.C.'s hydrogen plans under threat as uncertainty halts 'large-scale' projects
Documents released through a freedom of information request reveal that B.C.'s former energy minister was told last September that at least seven "large-scale hydrogen projects" were being cancelled or paused because of issues including electricity supply, high cost and transportation.

Trump tariffs, ‘attacks’ over water complicate Columbia River Treaty negotiations
Attacks by President Donald Trump on Canada’s water and sovereignty, and a full-on trade war, have not only upended relations between the countries but have also threatened negotiations over a crucial treaty that governs use of the Columbia River.

The Fraser Valley's supersized goose problem
As communities spend money to addle goose eggs, they're paying the price for a previous breeding experiment gone wrong.


These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to msato(at)salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Friday, March 21, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review March 21 2025

 

Aloha World Poetry Day
World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO in 1999, "with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard."

After Cuts, Former NOAA Chief Scientist Says U.S. Science Risks Becoming a “Backwater Enterprise”
With its first wave of firings, the new Trump administration has decimated NOAA.

Here’s where Canada’s new prime minister stands on the future of oil and gas
Prime Minister Mark Carney has been a key international deal maker on climate action.

U.S. pauses Columbia River water-sharing negotiations with Canada amid Trump threats
The nations were trying to finalize updates to the 61-year-old Columbia River Treaty governing shared, cross-border water and hydropower management.

Half of 2021 landslides in B.C. linked logging, wildfires: study
Study finds nearly half of 1,300 landslides that occurred during B.C.'s November 2021 atmospheric river event started in areas burned by wildfire or disturbed by logging.

B.C. spent $3.5B to reduce carbon emissions over 7 years. That plan has failed
CleanBC sought to cut greenhouse gases, but emissions are the same as they were in 2007. The province says emissions targets are no longer ‘workable’ — advocates say B.C.’s push for LNG projects is part of the problem.

Makah Tribe applies for permit to resume its traditional whale hunt
The Makah Tribe has applied for a permit to resume its traditional whale hunt this July.

Plastic Meals Leave Seabirds with Brain Damage
Sable shearwater chicks are developing Alzheimer’s-like symptoms and other hidden health impacts.

Northwest research reveals some whales avoid detection from predators by keeping their songs reeaaal low
New research from University of Washington marine scientist Trevor Branch has revealed a defense mechanism some baleen whales appear to use to protect themselves against attack. They’ve evolved to become baritones — essentially the Paul Robesons of the whale world — they sing really, really low.

These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to msato(at)salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told

 

Friday, March 14, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review March 14 2025

 


Aloha Pi Day
Pi Day celebrates the pi symbol (π) and its importance to mathematics. The symbol is a Greek letter, and it is used in mathematics to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The first digits of this ratio are 3.14159, and the number continues infinitely without pattern. It has been calculated to over one trillion digits after the decimal point. Most calculations only need the first few digits. Even the spherical volume of the whole universe can be calculated by using just 39 digits after the decimal point. The symbol "π" was first used in 1706 by William Jones. It gained in popularity after being used by Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737. The first large and official celebration of the day took place at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988.
Is this fish really disappearing from the Georgia Strait?
First Nations say herring are disappearing. Fisheries and Oceans Canada says they’re stable. So what’s really going on?

B.C. researcher mapping Vancouver Island spawning grounds from space
Swaths of Salish Sea turned teal by herring milt informs federal fisheries, First Nations.

Sixty years later: More than 100,000 tires from failed reef plan are coming out of Puget Sound
A plan to create artificial reefs in Puget Sound using automotive tires was created by Washington's Department of Natural Resources with the intention of attracting native reef fish in order to bolster recreational fishing opportunities across the state. However, the tire reef plan fell flat.

E.P.A. Plans to Close All Environmental Justice Offices
An internal memo directs the closure of offices designed to ease the heavy pollution faced by poor and minority communities. Lisa Friedman reports. (NY Times) 

Trump administration to roll back many EPA regulations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will seek to undo more than 30 regulations, including some aimed at lowering carbon emissions and curbing pollution, as well as redefining what waters and wetlands the federal government can regulate.

U.S. pauses Columbia River Treaty talks as trade tensions grow, B.C. minister says
B.C.'s Energy Ministry says the United States has paused negotiations with Canada on the wide-reaching Columbia River Treaty that regulates everything from flood control and power generation to water supply and salmon restoration in the region.

China tariffs hit B.C. seafood sector struggling with U.S. tariffs
B.C. Seafood exporters had been bracing for China's retaliatory tariffs in Canada's trade dispute over Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum but the decision lands as another major hit.



These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to msato(at)salishseacom.com .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Friday, March 7, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review March 7 2025


Aloha flapjack Friday
A flapjack (also known as a cereal bar, oat bar or oat slice) is a baked bar, cooked in a flat oven tin and cut into squares or rectangles, made from rolled oats, fat (typically butter), brown sugar and usually golden syrup. The North American granola bar is similar to a flapjack. The Oxford English Dictionary records the word "flapjack" being used as early as the beginning of the 16th century, although at this time it seems to have been a flat tart.


4.5 magnitude earthquake wakes up residents around western Washington
An earthquake struck in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands early Monday morning. The 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit at 5:02 a.m. just off Deer Beach on Orcas Island, according to the United States Geologic Survey.

Trump Moves to Increase Logging in National Forests

The president wants to circumvent environmental regulations to expand timber production, something sought by homebuilders and the construction industry.

How Trump’s firing of Forest Service staff affects recreation in WA
The Trump administration’s February dismissal of 125 U.S. Forest Service personnel in Washington, coupled with a Biden administration decision not to hire seasonal employees, amounts to a double whammy for the Evergreen State’s trails.

U.S. tariffs on Canada set to take effect today. How will they affect B.C.?
The B.C. government has estimated that tariffs could lead to a cumulative loss of $69 billion in economic activity in the province between 2025 and 2028. It has also estimated that tariffs would result in 124,000 job losses by 2028, an annual decline in corporate profits of between $3.6 billion and $6.1 billion and a reduction in annual government revenue between $1.6 billion and $2.5 billion.

Documents reveal over 1,000 potential infractions left unchecked by B.C.’s energy regulator
Hidden records reveal a widespread pattern of lax enforcement of laws and regulations intended to protect the environment and communities. 

Supreme Court strikes down EPA rules on discharge of water pollution
The justices ruled that the agency cannot impose generic prohibitions against violating water quality standards.
Climate, energy upheavals roil Northwest power market
Heat domes. Cold snaps. Winter storms — even as far away as Texas. Extreme weather events are roiling power markets and spiking power prices for energy providers and their customers.

Tariffs latest blow to newspaper industry; AI fears confirmed
Canada supplies most of the newsprint used in America and there’s no easy way for the U.S. to quickly replace its production. Hundreds of newspapers could close if the newsprint tariff continues for long.


These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to msato(at)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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