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. 


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.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

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