Salish Sea Communications

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review December 31 2025

Aloha Hogmanay!
Hogmanay is the Scottish new year celebration. Coinciding with New Year's Eve, it started during ancient pagan times, and may have stemmed from Norse and Gaelic observances—its roots may be in the Winter Solstice and Yule celebrations marked by the Norse, and it may have brought in customs of Samhain, a Gaelic celebration. The origin of the holiday's name is disputed, but it possibly comes from a Gaelic, Norse, or French root. There are many similar spellings and pronunciations of it.

Growler analysis report complete
The U.S. Navy has completed and submitted its Final Amended Analysis for the EA-18G “Growler” Airfield Operations at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Group warns about flooding impacts on gray whales
The nonprofit Orca Network is noting that the early arrival of gray whales occurred just as contaminated floodwaters flowed into the Salish Sea. Floodwaters can carry pollution and debris, causing concern for the arriving whales and their food.

Probe of WA Fish and Wildlife Commission to stretch into 2026
Gov. Bob Ferguson hired an investigator in June, but they didn’t get started until the agency director requested an inquiry two months later.

Northwest just finished warmest fall on record
Across the Northwest, a record warm fall and lack of snowpack going into the winter is putting more drought pressure on Oregon, Idaho, Washington and western Montana.

9.0 quake in BC would kill thousands and cost $128 billion, report foresees
A British Columbia government report foresees more than 3,400 fatalities and more than 10,000 injuries if an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 strikes off Vancouver Island.

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)salish-current.org .Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Thursday, December 25, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review December 26 2025

Aloha Kwanzaa!
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West, East, as well as Southeast Africa.

Thousands of baby bull kelp planted on new rock reef in North Vancouver
On a rainy December day, divers braved the currents of the Burrard Inlet to plant thousands of microscopic bull kelp onto a new underwater rock reef. The reef, which spans about 1,800 square metres, at the Lynn Creek Estuary in North Vancouver, was completed earlier this month in a partnership between Neptune Terminals and the University of B.C.

US House passes bill to remove gray wolf from Endangered Species Act list
The U.S. House on Thursday passed, 211-204, a bill to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf outside Alaska.

Washington wants to get rid of 'forever chemicals' in firefighting foam. So it’s shipping the foam to an incinerator in Utah
A new program from Washington’s Department of Ecology is helping get rid of firefighting foam that could be toxic. The foam contains what are commonly called “forever chemicals."

Snohomish County Council passes 3,000-acre rezoning plan
The area south of Everett is expected to grow from over 500,000 people to almost 750,000 by 2044.

Lawmakers seek answers about BP’s Olympic Pipeline leak in Snohomish County
Washington congressional lawmakers are seeking answers from oil giant BP following the Olympic Pipeline’s 2,300-gallon leak east of Everett in November, which caused an almost 2-week shutdown of the system and forced Gov. Bob Ferguson to issue a state emergency regarding travel disruptions at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The Road To Ruin
Hidden among the flurry of policy changes by the Trump Administration, the rescission of the Roadless Rule may have far consequences for our public lands.

Friday, December 19, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review December 19 2025

Aloha Evergreen Tree

The roots of the Christmas tree tradition go back to ancient pagan holidays. Pagans decorated their homes with evergreen branches during the Winter Solstice, to remind them that spring wasn't too far away. Some pagans worshipped trees as well. In ancient Rome, temples were decorated with evergreens during Saturnalia, a December holiday. Eventually, Christians began associating Christ's birth with the winter holidays and adopted the evergreen tree, which they saw as a symbol of eternal life.

B.C.’s failure to fund flood response ‘troublesome’ as atmospheric river strikes again
Rising waters closed highways and forced evacuations, prompting fresh criticism that the province has been too slow to invest in flood defences despite repeated warnings since 2021.

Environmental groups say permitting bill passed by US House guts clean water protections
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a bill that Republicans say would reform the Clean Water Act and cut through regulatory burdens. The Act would redefine “navigable waters” – a term key to defining the waters that are protected by the Clean Water Act.

Lawsuit challenges Trump administration approval for Arctic Alaska oil exploration plan
Environmental and Native organizations on Thursday sued the Trump administration to try to overturn last month’s approval of an expansive oil-exploration program on the North Slope.

Feds defend response to flooding in B.C. after Abbotsford mayor slams inaction
The federal minister responsible for handling natural disasters defended her government in the wake of criticism about how it has responded to flooding in B.C.'s Fraser Valley.

Northwest just finished warmest fall on record, scientists report
Across the Northwest, a record warm fall and lack of snowpack going into the winter is putting more drought pressure on Oregon, Idaho, Washington and western Montana.

DOE orders WA coal plant to continue operating despite state ban
The U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order Tuesday evening directing power generation company TransAlta to continue operating a coal plant in Centralia, despite a state law that requires utilities in Washington to stop using coal for power generation beginning next year.

Major conservation of B.C. forestry land totalling 45,000 hectares announced
The Nature Conservancy of Canada says it has reached an agreement with the federal and British Columbia governments as well as other private and public sector partners to conserve 45,000 hectares, or 450 square kilometres, of timberland in the province.

Trump targets premier U.S. weather and climate research center
The Trump administration said it will be dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, one of the world’s leading Earth science research institutions. Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, called the center “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country” and said that the federal government would be “breaking up” the institution.

Friday, December 12, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review December 12 2025

Aloha Poinsettia Friday!
Poinsettia is the beautiful red flowering plant that has come to be associated with Christmas. The plant is native to Mexico, where it was used by the Aztecs; its flowers were used to produce red dye, and its sap to treat fevers. Franciscan missionaries in Mexico used it in the 17th century as part of nativity processions, the first time it became associated with Christianity. Poinsettias take their name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, a botanist and the first Minister to Mexico, who sent cuttings of the plant back to his home in Charleston, South Carolina.

Is this the end of the Tacoma aroma? City finalizes vision for the Tideflats
After eight years of work, the city of Tacoma has finalized a long-term vision for the Tideflats that includes the end of the paper mill.

Large-scale solar farm in central WA gets green light from governor
Time is running short for the Carriger Solar project to qualify for key federal tax credits. If completed, it could provide enough power for 32,500 homes.

Why was 'incredible' giant cedar cut down, despite B.C.'s big-tree protection law?
The monumental cedar stood in what was one of the few intact or nearly intact old-growth valleys left on the island.

Federal judge throws out Trump order blocking development of wind energy
A federal judge struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects, saying the effort to halt virtually all leasing of wind farms on federal lands and waters was “arbitrary and capricious” and violates U.S. law.

New orca calf spotted with K pod
A new orca calf was spotted in Puget Sound on Tuesday afternoon, which is the first calf born into the K pod in over three years, according to the Orca Conservancy.

Washington’s last coal power plant will transition to natural gas
The facility was set to close this year. A deal announced Tuesday will keep it producing electricity.

Is the Pacific Northwest ready for a wave of climate migration?
Climate migration is difficult to study, but some experts, like Abrahm Lustgarten, say a historic population shift has already begun, and Western Washington should start preparing now to become a “climate haven.”

Friday, December 5, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review December 5 2025

Aloha Prohibition Repeal Day
A national ban on alcohol in the U.S. first instituted in 1920 by the 18th amendment ended on this day in 1933 after the ratification of the 21st amendment.

BP’s Olympic Pipeline fully restarts after 2-week shutdown
BP’s Olympic Pipeline returned to full service on Saturday after a leak triggered a two-week shutdown. and leading Washington and Oregon’s governors to issue emergencies over the disruption of fuel. The company has recovered almost 2,300 gallons of oil and is continuing cleanup efforts.

Charity celebrates milestone as Vancouver Island marmots rebound to 427 in wild
The Marmot Recovery Foundation announced on its social media page that the population of the Vancouver Island species has reached a new high of 427 marmots. When its team first began releasing marmots to the wild in 2003, there were just 22 remaining.

Orcas stalk seabirds to hone hunting skills: researchers
Bigg’s orcas were observed stalking seabirds in Puget Sound last month, a behaviour that researchers believe wasn’t hunting, but a practice to help them sharpen their hunting skills — and a form of play.

Assembly of First Nations calls for withdrawal of Canada-Alberta pipeline deal
Assembly of First Nations chiefs voted unanimously on Tuesday to demand the withdrawal of a new pipeline deal between Canada and Alberta, while expressing full support for First Nations on the British Columbia coast that strongly oppose the initiative.

Trump administration rolls back fuel economy standards
The Trump administration has started the process of dramatically easing fuel economy requirements for new vehicles, part of the administration's broader pivot away from cleaner cars.

Conservation group to sue feds over lack of national wolf recovery plan
Conservation groups are gearing up to take the federal government to court to preserve the protected status of gray wolves across the country.

Tiny cup corals show accelerating ocean acidification in the Salish Sea
Ocean acidification is sometimes described as climate change’s evil twin. The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from fossil fuel emissions, causing the water to become more corrosive.

Sunday, November 30, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 30 2025

Aloha Rosa Parks Day!
Rosa Parks Day celebrates the legacy of Rosa Parks, a woman who is a symbol of equality, civil rights, and the American Civil Rights Movement, on the date in 1955 on which she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

Can a watershed have legal rights? The Snohomish River debate deepens
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Langbehn ruled Tuesday that a voter-approved initiative making the Snohomish River a “rights-bearing entity” and giving community members the right to go to court on the watershed’s behalf was invalid.

Makah Tribe’s treaty-protected whaling rights remain blocked
Despite the Makah Tribe’s success in getting a waiver to carry out their exclusive treaty right for whaling, the permitting process that had dragged on for over 20 years has now been effectively delayed another year and a half because of bogged-down federal bureaucracy.

Pipeline fined $3.8 million for 2023 gasoline spill near Conway
Washington Department of Ecology has issued a $3.8 million penalty to Olympic Pipe Line Company LLC and BP Pipelines (North America) Inc. for the release of 21,000 gallons of gasoline from the Olympic Pipeline near Conway in December 2023, sending 4,000 gallons to a nearby fish-bearing stream and resulting in a school to close temporarily.

EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of U.S. deaths
The Environmental Protection Agency will no longer defend Biden-era limits on fine-particle pollution, which causes heart and lung disease.

Legal challenge looming as Island First Nation fights for BC’s herring stocks
First Nations and conservation groups in British Columbia are rallying for an immediate ban to herring fishing, warning the fish is vanishing from the Salish Sea — but the fisheries department insists the numbers tell a different story.

Edmonds students win President’s Environmental Youth Award for their Salish Sea documentary
Four former Hazelwood Elementary fourth and fifth-grade students helped create a documentary highlighting the Edmonds Underwater Park, a marine protected area located just off the city’s shore.

Climate justice group Kicking Gas is expanding efforts to Snohomish County
The Whidbey Island-based climate justice group Kicking Gas is expanding its mission of helping households transition to electric appliances across Snohomish County, supporting the switch by covering up to 75% of installation costs.

Friday, November 21, 2025

Salish Sea News Week in Review November 21 2025

Aloha Cranberry Friday!
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs or vines up to 2 meters long and 5 to 20 centimeters in height; they have slender stems that are not thickly woody and have small evergreen leaves. In 2020, the U.S., Canada, and Chile accounted for 97% of the world production of cranberries.

WA and Alaska halibut fishing crews see troubling signs
Halibut stocks have plunged from record highs of the 1990s across a broad range of the North Pacific. Halibut now appear to be at, or near, their lowest point of the past century.

ICE looks to WA tribes to house detained immigrants
As the Trump administration searches for more space to detain immigrants, it is approaching Washington tribes to see if they will participate.

EPA moves to limit scope of clean water law to reduce amount of wetlands it covers
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday it is redefining the scope of the nation’s bedrock clean water law to significantly limit the wetlands it covers, building on a Supreme Court decision two years ago that removed federal protections for vast areas.

BC’s Flood Prevention Promises Remain Unfulfilled
Four years after flooding devastated several British Columbia communities, key government promises made in the wake of the disaster remain unfulfilled.

Jet fuel spill shuts down Northwest's main oil pipeline
Spill-response crews planned to start digging up a blueberry farm near Everett on Tuesday to find the cause of a jet-fuel spill that shut down the Pacific Northwest’s primary oil pipeline. The farm sits on the route of the Olympic Pipeline, a mostly underground, 400-mile system of pipes owned by BP.

Emergency declared as Northwest’s main oil pipeline shuts down again
The Northwest’s primary oil pipeline has shut down for the second time in a week, this time leading Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson to declare an emergency.

Bear Gulch Fire fully contained after four months and 20,000 acres burned
The Bear Gulch Fire was 100% contained as of Nov. 6, according to the official fire update webpage managed by the USDA Forest Service. Since July 6, the human-caused fire has burned 20,232 acres in Olympic National Forest.

Trump administration seeks to roll back protections for imperiled species and habitat
President Donald Trump’s administration moved Wednesday to roll back protections for imperiled species and the places they live, proposing elimination of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “blanket rule” that automatically protects animals and plants when they are classified as threatened.

Seattle-bound barge loaded with containers and vehicles sinking off B.C. coast
A barge carrying numerous cargo containers is sinking in the waters off British Columbia's central coast, and the local First Nation says there is concern about possible pollution because it's unclear what's on board.

Ocean acidification to hit Puget Sound harder, study says
The waters of Puget Sound are more susceptible to ocean acidification and sliding faster into dangerous territory for its marine wildlife than other places around the world, a new study shows.

Trump administration announces plan for new oil drilling off the coasts of California and Florida
The Trump administration announced on Thursday new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades, advancing a project that critics say could harm coastal communities and ecosystems, as President Donald Trump seeks to expand U.S. oil production.

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)salish-current.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