Salish Sea Communications

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review February 17 2023

Aloha Cabbage Friday!
Cabbage is a hardy vegetable that grows especially well in fertile soils. There are various shades of green available, as well as red or purple types. Head shape varies from the standard round to flattened or pointed. Most varieties have smooth leaves, but the Savoy types have crinkly textured leaves. Cabbage is easy to grow if you select suitable varieties and practice proper culture and insect management. Always rega

The worst house guests: European green crabs are invading B.C. waters
A monumental effort is underway to contain the spiny creatures, the bodies of which are flash frozen and dumped at landfills or churned into compost. But one First Nation is arguing that, given the price of groceries, we should rethink the way we eradicate invasive, but edible, species.

‘Rights of nature’ movement gains steam in Pacific Northwest. Can it help species on the brink?
Seattle City Light wants to extend its license for three dams on the Skagit River for another three to five decades, and tribes and other environmental groups have been pushing the utility to do more for salmon.

Nuxalk Nation celebrates return of totem pole from museum
Just over three years have passed since hereditary chiefs travelled to the RBCM to seek the return of the pole, a second one and other artifacts.

News outlet, journalist suing RCMP after 2021 arrest at B.C. pipeline protest camp
A freelance photojournalist who was arrested in November 2021 at a resistance camp established by opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline west of Prince George, B.C., announced Monday that she, along with the news outlet The Narwhal, have filed a lawsuit against the RCMP in the wake of the incident.

TC Energy looking to complete Coastal GasLink pipeline by year end
Costs have more than doubled on the 670-kilometre natural gas pipeline and could increase up to a further $1.2 billion if construction is not completed this year.

B.C. expands old-growth logging deferral to 2.1 million hectares, promises greater First Nations collaboration
The British Columbia government announced new measures Wednesday it says will better protect old growth by working with First Nations while it ramps up investments to encourage innovation in an industry that has been plagued by job losses.

Denman Island protesters block ferry terminal expansion
On Monday, B.C. Ferries’ contractor from Campbell River was prevented from cutting down trees to make way for the expanded Gravelly Bay B.C. Ferries terminal.

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 mikesato772 at gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Friday, February 10, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review February 10 2023

Aloha Umbrella Friday!
Umbrellas were used in ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, India, and the Middle East, as early as the fourth century BCE. The first recorded collapsible umbrella dates to 21 CE in China. The canopies of ancient umbrellas were built with different materials than those that are used today, being made of feathers, leaves, and leather; however, their shape was reminiscent of today's umbrellas. The term more associated with the sunshade umbrella is the parasol.

Woodfibre LNG project near Squamish, B.C., seeks amendments to environmental assessment
A liquefied natural gas project that would produce around two million tonnes of the fossil fuel a year near Squamish, B.C. — about 64 kilometres north of Vancouver — for export is seeking changes from Environment and Climate Change Canada over how it is required to monitor for marine mammals affected by underwater noise, such as pile driving, during construction.

By 2050, Washington might need to buy energy from other states
If Washington reaches its goal of weaning itself from fossil fuels and continues its drive to replace gas-powered cars with electric vehicles, we will need to start importing electricity by 2050, according to calculations by the Washington Department of Commerce.

‘A century in the making’: Canada adds federal protection to Indigenous-declared marine refuge
When the Mamalilikulla First Nation unilaterally declared an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area in their traditional territory in late 2021, it was as much to protect rare corals and sponges as reestablish connection to lands and waters from which the community had been forcefully removed. Now Canada is backing the nation, adding marine protections under federal law.

'A scientific sin': 16 Canadian salmon scientists claim DFO sea lice report was manipulated
16 scientists slam a recent DFO report that found salmon farms had an "insignificant" impact on wild salmon infestations — claiming the report's authors cherry-picked data, ignored scientific consensus and failed to consult with experts outside the department.

Pink sea urchins on the move, a sign of climate change
The pretty pink urchins that live in deep water off the coast of Vancouver Island are slowly but surely moving into shallower places as food sources and oxygen levels decline due to a warming ocean.

Big Oil walks back climate pledges as earnings show 2022 was their most profitable year ever
Financial results from the biggest energy companies in the world this week show that last year was their most profitable year ever, prompting many of them to scale back previous commitments to pivot more toward renewable energy.

Alberta is on a blitz to promote B.C.’s LNG industry. Critics say it’s time to ‘keep out’
Alberta’s energy war room campaign to promote the carbon-intensive LNG industry comes as B.C. admits it will miss emissions targets, even without accounting for new LNG.

‘We should avoid monitoring’: feds quietly backed off while Coastal GasLink pipeline work killed fish
For months, Fisheries and Oceans Canada wouldn’t say anything about its role in monitoring the Coastal GasLink pipeline and protecting fish habitat. Internal documents show the agency was keeping an eye on construction — until it wasn’t.

Corps’ BP Cherry Point limit no limit at all, environmental groups say
Environmental groups are unhappy with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ January 23 modification to its 1996 permit that limits the volume of crude oil BP can handle at its Cherry Point facility. They say the ceiling would allow the oil company to double its shipping capacity.

First Nations, B.C. groups launch coalition to save Pacific salmon from extinction
First Nations Fisheries Council of B.C. is joining with the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, the Pacific Salmon Foundation, the First Nations Summit and the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance to find solutions to collapsing salmon runs.

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review February 3 2023

Happy Birthday, Elmo!
Elmo is a red Muppet monster character on the long-running PBS/HBO children's television show Sesame Street. A furry red monster who has a falsetto voice and illeism, he hosts the last full five-minute segment on Sesame Street, "Elmo's World", which is aimed at toddlers.

Pacific salmon seem to be getting smaller. Here’s what that might mean for the future.
The number of salmon returning to Bristol Bay Alaska from the Pacific Ocean last year was higher than it’s been in at least 20 years. But the fish themselves are smaller. And that seems to be true for other salmon across the region.

Port acquisition marks next step in toxic cleanup on Everett waterfront
The Port of Everett voted earlier this month to accept a donation of private land adjacent to the contaminated former Jeld-Wen site — a donation port managers say will ensure environmental fallout from the site is properly managed when cleanup efforts begin, possibly by the end of 2023.

EPA blocks Alaska Pebble Mine in salmon-rich Bristol Bay region
The Environmental Protection Agency has blocked development of the Pebble Mine project in a corner of the Bristol Bay watershed, a vast and pristine swath of southwest Alaska that sustains the greatest sockeye salmon runs on the planet.

The U.S. reinstates road and logging restrictions on the largest national forest
A federal agency said Wednesday it is reinstating restrictions on road-building and logging on the country's largest national forest in southeast Alaska, the latest move in a long-running fight over the Tongass National Forest.

San Juan Islands National Monument
The Bureau of Land Management's San Juan Islands National Monument Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Record of Decision (ROD) is available to review on their ePlanning site at https://go.usa.gov/xucJE, establishing their long-term management goals for the area.

2 provincial parks in B.C. being considered as part of treaty settlement with First Nations
Two provincial parks in the southern Vancouver Island region may be returned to local First Nations as part of the modern treaty process. The Songhees and T'Sou-ke Nations are in the final negotiation stage of the B.C. Treaty Process.

Forestry industry sustainable management claim questioned
The Competition Bureau has opened an inquiry to see if forestry industry claims of sustainable management on vast stretches of Canadian woodlands are false advertising.

The cost of a controversial B.C. pipeline keeps rising, leading to plunging share prices
North American pipeline operator TC Energy Corp on Wednesday raised its cost estimate more than expected for completing its troubled Coastal GasLink project, sending share prices sharply lower.

Friday, January 27, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 27 2023

Thomas Crapper

Aloha Thomas Crapper Friday!
Although Thomas Crapper did not invent the toilet—that is usually credited to John Harrington in 1596—he did help perfect and popularize it. We celebrate him today, on the anniversary of his death, which happened in 1910. Born in Thorne, South Yorkshire, England, in 1836, Crapper founded the Thomas Crapper & Co. Ltd. in 1866, in London. He patented and manufactured "sanitary appliances."

The “Washington Eight”: Washington Women in Congress
With her unexpected victory over MAGA Republican Joe Kent last November – in which she received no help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee – first term U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez, D-Wash. became the eighth woman serving in Washington’s 12-person congressional delegation.

Billions in federal dollars could make the Pacific Northwest a hub for renewable hydrogen
The U.S. Department of Energy is offering $8 billion in funding to create a network of six to 10 sites across the nation to develop and commercialize hydrogen made from renewable energy such as wind and solar.

New Fairhaven facility brings clean energy storage to marine vessels
Corvus Energy, a Norway-based energy storage company, celebrated the opening of its first U.S. production facility in Fairhaven Monday with informational tours, flowing champagne and a delegation of foreign dignitaries.

Depleted under Trump, a ‘traumatized’ EPA struggles with its mission
The nation’s top environmental agency is still reeling from the exodus of more than 1,200 scientists and policy experts during the Trump administration... And now this: The stressed-out, stretched-thin Environmental Protection Agency is scrambling to write about a half-dozen highly complex rules and regulations that are central to President Joe Biden’s climate goals.

Salmon farms not 'solely' to blame for growing B.C. sea lice infestations, claims DFO study
A government study claims fish farms aren't solely to blame for the growing prevalence of sea lice among wild salmon along the B.C. coast.

Air pollution is changing how our brain functions, researchers at UBC, UVic find
Researchers at the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria have found that exposure to traffic pollution is changing the way our brain works.

Federal government blocks BP Cherry Point north wing, limits crude oil volume
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will require BP to limit the volume of crude oil handled at its Cherry Point terminal to 191 million barrels per year* and prohibit handling crude oil at its north wing dock unless authorized. *Per Friends of the San Juans:"BP’s 2021 Atmospheric Crude Distillation Capacity (barrels per calendar day) is 242,000 – that’s 88,330,000 barrels/year."

‘Rarest of the rare’: B.C’s newest conservancy protects globally imperilled rainforest
The move will permanently protect at-risk species and biodiversity — including rare lichens, grizzly bear and wolverine — in an area Premier David Eby describes as ‘one of B.C.’s greatest treasures.

RIP Washington’s Hinman Glacier, gone after thousands of years
The largest glacier between the high peaks of Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak has melted away after a long battle with global warming.

Friday, January 20, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 20 2023

Aloha Penguin Friday!
The word "penguin" first appeared in print in 1500s, and was originally applied to a black and white seabird called an auk that is now extinct. Some believe the name comes from the Welsh words "pen" and "gwyn" that mean "head" and "white." There are 18 penguin species, 13 of which have declining populations. Five of these species are endangered and face extinction. There are only about 5,000 of the rarest species, the yellow-eyed penguin. Besides being eaten at the hands of natural predators such as leopard seals, sea lions, and sharks, they are threatened by introduced predators such as dogs, cats, rats, and ferrets, that eat their eggs. They face danger from oil spills and other pollution, from climate change that alters their food sources, from overfishing, and from illegal poaching and egg harvesting.

Sea lions, seals might be hampering WA salmon recovery. What can be done?
A new report commissioned by the state Legislature and completed by the Washington Academy of the Sciences says seals and sea lions are likely impeding salmon recovery, and the full impacts of predation on salmon may not be fully understood without lethal intervention.

New state study fuels renewed efforts to ban toxic chemicals from cosmetics in Washington
A new report from the Washington State Department of Ecology found formaldehyde in 26 of 30 body lotions tested in a study of products marketed to people of color. It found lead in two dark-powder foundations and one lipstick. One dark-tint foundation also contained arsenic.

Foam dock floats, laundry filters, hotel shampoo amongst newest bids to reduce plastic pollution
Everywhere they look, Pacific Northwest scientists find teeny-tiny plastic pollution. Broken down particles are in our water, falling out of the air, in salmon, shellfish and in our own bodies.

OPA 90 liability limits being adjusted for inflation
The U.S. Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that it is adjusting the limits of liability for vessels, deepwater ports and onshore facilities to reflect the increase in the Consumer Price Index since they were last adjusted in 2019.

Concerns resurface as roe herring fishery approaches in Strait of Georgia
The roe herring fishery is approaching, which concerns those who say the Strait of Georgia herring have been fished out south of Nanaimo and over-fished north of Nanaimo.

First Nation can veto proposed B.C. coal mine as part of unique deal with developer
A coal company and a British Columbia First Nation have struck a rare deal to give the community the power to veto a proposed mining project, which could set a precedent for how natural resources projects are developed in Canada.

Following local cities, Jefferson County proclaims rights for orcas
Jefferson County is the latest local government to declare inherent rights for the region’s Southern Resident orca population, making it the first county in the state to issue such a proclamation. Three Puget Sound cities issued similar declarations in December.

This is why Petrogas will pay $4 million for unpermitted emissions
In the largest penalty settlement in the Northwest Clean Air Agency’s 56-year history, Petrogas West has agreed to pay $4 million and make operational changes to the company’s Cherry Point facility in Whatcom County after the company started projects without permits.

Friday, January 13, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 13 2023

Aloha Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
“I am afraid that many among you are more concerned about making a living than making a life. You are prone to judge the success of your profession by the index of your salary and the size of the wheelbase on your automobile, rather than the quality of your service to humanity. The misuse of Capitalism can also lead to tragic exploitation.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., November 4, 1956, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama)

Most of Western Canada's glaciers will melt in 80 years, University of Northern B.C. study finds
A study by international researchers using a supercomputer at the University of Northern British Columbia has found that most of Western Canada's glaciers will disappear by the year 2100.

Earth’s Last 8 Years Were the Hottest on Record
The world remained firmly in warming’s grip last year, with extreme summer temperatures in Europe, China and elsewhere contributing to 2022 being the fifth-hottest year on record, European climate researchers said on Tuesday.

Cooke wins extension on Washington State deadline
The original 60-day order by DNR required dismantling by Jan 14. On Jan. 6 the Superior Court for Washington State granted the motion filed by the company to extend the deadline to April 14 to remove the fish from its Rich Passage and Hope Island farms.

Gas stoves may be banned in U.S. amid health concerns, links to childhood asthma
A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances.

Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, cost the U.S. $165 billion in 2022
The annual report from the nation's premier meteorological institution highlights a troubling trend: Extreme weather events, fueled by human-caused climate change, are occurring at a higher frequency with an increased cost — in dollars and lives.

Canadian military to resume weapons training in Juan de Fuca Strait
The firing range known as Whiskey Hotel is a 30-kilometre-long and 11-kilometre-wide swath of water between Sooke and Port Renfrew, about a kilometre off land, where the Canadian and U.S. navies and coast guards practise using sea surface and aerial machine-guns and other small weaponry.

There was a record number of sightings of these whales in the Salish Sea in 2022
A record number of Bigg’s killer whales and Humpback whales were spotted in the Salish Sea during 2022. There were 1,221 unique sightings of Bigg’s killer whales and 396 individual humpback whales were photographed in the Salish Sea, the largest number of humpbacks recorded in over a century.

Toilet paper toxin found in endangered killer whales, B.C. researchers say
Chemicals used in the production of toilet paper have been found in the bodies of orcas around British Columbia, according to a new study. One of the most common pollutants found in killer whales' bodies was 4-nonylphenol or 4NP, which is often found in toilet paper.

Exxon climate predictions were accurate decades ago. Still it sowed doubt
Decades of research by scientists at Exxon accurately predicted how much global warming would occur from burning fossil fuels, according to a new study in the journal Science. The findings clash with an enormously successful campaign that Exxon spearheaded and funded for more than 30 years that cast doubt on human-driven climate change and the science underpinning it.

Friday, January 6, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 6 2023

Lock 'em up Friday!
On January 6, 2021 a mob of supporters of then US President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol in Washington DC. They were attempting to halt the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden. Five people died in the riot, and many more were injured, including over 150 police officers...Have we locked all of them up? No.

Wild Olympics wilderness expansion proposal falls short in Congress
A long-standing proposal to expand wilderness areas on the Olympic Peninsula by more than 125,000 acres, and to designate 19 new federally protected Wild and Scenic Rivers on the peninsula, fell short of the finish line as the 117th Congress came to a close this month.

EPA finalizes water rule that repeals Trump-era changes
President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday finalized regulations that protect hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, repealing a Trump-era rule that federal courts had thrown out and that environmentalists said left waterways vulnerable to pollution.

B.C. Parks Foundation buys key riverfront along Fraser River
The B.C. Parks Foundation has bought key riverfront property along the Fraser River— an 80-kilometre stretch of river from Mission to Hope that sustains B.C.’s largest salmon spawning run.

B.C. timber industry in throes of change, as premier warns of 'exhausted forests'
Province aims to 'modernize' forest management amid ecological concerns, fluctuating lumber prices.

Giant freighter GSL Eleni docks in Victoria for repairs
...The 300-metre-long GSL Eleni was escorted into Victoria on Sunday after losing its steering functions off the coast of Tofino. Six tugs guided the massive ship laden with containers into Juan de Fuca Strait and the entrance of Victoria Harbour, where it was manoeuvred into Pier B.

Hurricane Force Storm with 40+ Foot Seas Off U.S. West Coast
An intense storm low over the eastern North Pacific is currently moving towards the northeast at about 20 kts and is producing winds of 50-70 knots with significant wave heights up to 12.5-13.5 meters (41-45 feet) within 120-360 nm south and west of the center. (Jan. 4)

Ship Noise Kills Crabs’ Libidos
The constant thrum of ship engines and other human noises can be a real nuisance for many sea creatures, disrupting their feeding, navigation, and communication. Now a new study shows that ship noise can also kill the mood for amorous crabs.

Washington state starts 2023 with ambitious new climate efforts
One of Washington's biggest climate programs yet launched on Jan. 1: the Clean Fuel Standard. Under Washington's Clean Fuel Standard program which launched Jan. 1, fuel suppliers must gradually provide cleaner and cleaner fuels for gas pumps across the state through 2034. Also kicking in this month is a law that caps greenhouse gas emissions from the state's largest polluters. Also: 6 new climate policies anticipated for B.C. in 2023 Will it be enough to meet the province's critical climate and biodiversity goals?

Here’s how Washington might get consumer bottle recycling, eliminate waste production
The Washington Recycle and Packaging Act, sponsored by Rep. Liz Berry and Sen. Christine Rolfes, will require producers, manufacturers and companies to fund residential recycling services for packaging and paper products across Washington and create a bottle deposit system.

Tacoutche Tesse, the Northwest’s great ghost river — Part 5: The bleeding Heart of the Fraser
Gravel beds in the Heart of the Fraser— called one of the "most productive stretches of river on the planet" for spawning fish— is threatened with large-scale wetland destruction.

Bulkheads: protecting property at what cost to the environment?
Armoring the shoreline aims to protect property from high tides and erosion— the same natural forces that nourish shorelines for forage fish spawning and juvenile salmon rearing.