Salish Sea Communications

Friday, February 2, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review February 2, 2024

Aloha Groundhog Friday!
The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through much of the Eastern United States, across Canada and into Alaska. Groundhog Day is an annual event when groundhogs are brought outside and are observed to see if they see their shadow or not. If they see their shadow, it is said that there will be six more weeks of winter. If they do not, it means the weather will be mild in the upcoming weeks, and spring will come early.

Plastic bag bans have already prevented billions of bags from being used, report finds
Over the past several years, U.S. cities and states have passed hundreds of policies restricting the sale and distribution of single-use plastic bags. A new report says these laws have largely succeeded in their goal of reducing plastic bag use.

Endangered baby orca J60 missing, presumed dead
On Saturday, a three-person team from the Center for Whale Research spotted most of J Pod in Washington’s San Juan Channel between San Juan Island and Shaw Island. They documented the orcas from their research boat, with telephoto lenses and a federally permitted drone, for nearly two hours and observed every member of J Pod -- except J60.

Trans Mountain expansion hits 'technical issues,' possibly delaying completion
The Crown corporation building the massive project, which had previously stated it expected to have the pipeline in-service near the end of the first quarter, said Monday it has once again run into construction challenges in B.C. and pushed that date back.

BC population to hit 7.9 million by 2046, as growth rate soars: report
The new B.C. government report based on publicly available data predicts a 44-per-cent population increase compared to the 2023 population of 5.5 million.

The door to B.C.’s liquefied natural gas export sector is about to open. Here’s what you need to know
As LNG Canada completes construction and prepares to bring operations online, the export facility could 'open a gateway' for other projects to proceed. But B.C.’s gas export sector faces stricter emissions policies, unpredictable market shifts and climate disasters as it tries to maintain its place in an uncertain future.

Reviving the Samish Tribe’s kelp
Researchers are documenting the decline of once-plentiful kelp beds in an effort to reverse the trend.

Lawsuits fly, as regulators come to grips with a toxic tire chemical
A lawsuit filed against 13 of the largest tire manufacturers in this country seeks to ban the chemical 6PPD from its universal use in tires, or else force tire companies to pay for stormwater-mitigation measures that can remove the chemical or otherwise protect salmon.

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, January 26, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 26 2024

Aloha Lego Friday!
Lego bricks and other items are manufactured by the Lego Group, which is based in Billund, Denmark. It was in this city in 1932 that a carpenter by the name of Ole Kirk Christiansen began making wooden toys. Two years later, his company began being called "Lego," which came from leg godt, the Danish phrase meaning "play well." The company started making plastic toys in 1947, and interlocking bricks in 1949. Called "Automatic Binding Bricks," they were based on Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks. On January 28, 1958, Christiansen's son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, submitted an application for a patent for a "Toy Building Brick."

Fixing the cormorant disaster on the Columbia: ‘How could this have come out any worse?’
A colony of seabirds was shooed away from the mouth of the Columbia River, only to relocate to a bridge. That's when the problems really began.

A new study finds a critical vitamin for salmon in rivers
From dams to drought, salmon face a lot of threats in the West. Add thiamine deficiency to the list. Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is critical for salmon health. Juvenile fish can die without enough of the nutrient.

Learning to Plan for the Next 500 Years
A first-of-its-kind program at Vancouver Island University trains students to steward Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.

Proposal would require oil handlers, transporters to prove ability to pay for spills
The Washington Department of Ecology is proposing rules regarding financial responsibility requirements for oil handling facilities and vessels ranging from $500,000 to $1 billion based on vessel type and size; financial responsibility for oil handling facilities – including refineries, terminals, and pipelines – would range from $5 million to $300 million.

Ports take steps to reduce emissions with $12M infrastructure grant
Seattle and Tacoma now have a $12-million-dollar federal infrastructure grant to focus on short-haul trucking whose emissions pollute nearby neighborhoods, warm the climate and pollute the immediate environment of the drivers while they’re on the job.

New fossils suggest kelp forests have swayed in the seas for at least 32 million years
A study published in PNAS presents new evidence that the first kelps were much older than we once suspected, dating back 32 million years — well before the arrival of many of their present-day animal inhabitants.

Green hydrogen plans take shape for former Alcoa site at Cherry Point
The closed Alcoa aluminum smelter near Ferndale could be redeveloped as a green hydrogen factory if the prospective new owner can navigate a series of hurdles.

If you like to watch: Divers capture dramatic battle between seal and octopus
Maxime Veilleux and Matteo Endrizzi were finishing their sunset dive off Nanoose Bay on Sunday and heading to the shore when something unusual caught their eyes.

How an Indigenous rights battle in WA changed tribal law, from fishing to culverts
Fifty years ago, a landmark federal court case brought against Washington state reaffirmed the treaty rights of Native Americans to fish in traditional waters and shorelines. From culvert rehab to dam removal, 1974's "Boldt Decision" has expanded far beyond fishing to legally empower tribes' ability to protect natural resources.

Friday, January 19, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 19 2024

Dolly Parton (1977) [RCA Records]

Aloha Dolly Parton Birthday Friday!
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She has received 11 Grammy Awards out of 50 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award; ten Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year and is one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including Entertainer of the Year; four People's Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. She is also in a select group to have received at least one nomination from the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and Emmy Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2005, she received the National Medal of Arts and in 2022, she was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a nomination she had initially declined but ultimately accepted, and was subsequently inducted.

How the Boldt decision 50 years ago remade Pacific Northwest fishing
The Boldt decision of 1974 was the result of sacrifices made by Native fishers and their families who were jailed and beaten while defending their rights to fish.

BP bought a sacred place. Now Lummi Nation is preparing again to fend off development
Tribal leaders opposed the $50 million sale, which came as a surprise to them. They want the assurance that Xwe’chi’eXen (pronounced wuh-chee-uh-kin), which for thousands of years has supported fishing, ceremony and social gatherings, would be protected in perpetuity.

‘No excuse’: feds withheld key information when a Coastal GasLink site flooded
Documents reveal Fisheries and Oceans Canada was aware of numerous issues at a pipeline construction site on Wet’suwet’en territory but did not disclose information to concerned organizations or the media.

Voters to decide on repeal of Washington cap-and-trade program
The fate of Washington’s primary program to combat climate change will be in the hands of voters to uphold or reject this November. Initiative 2117, certified for the ballot on Tuesday, would erase the two-year-old Climate Commitment Act.

This humble fish may help the Supreme Court weaken the ‘administrative state’
In a pair of cases involving herring fishermen, conservative justices could toss out the precedent known as Chevron, which gives power to federal government agencies.

This Canadian pipeline giant wants an exemption from climate rules
Internal government memos show TC Energy lobbied for carveouts exempting methane and LNG plants from one of Canada’s key climate policies targeting the oil and gas industry.

No turning back: The largest dam removal in U.S. history begins
The largest dam removal in U.S. history entered a critical phase this week, with the lowering of dammed reservoirs on the Klamath River. On Thursday, the gate on a 16-foot-wide bypass tunnel at the base of Iron Gate dam, the lowest of those slated to be removed, was opened from a crack to 36 inches.

Island mill fined $25K for dumping highly toxic waste into ocean
Paper Excellence's Crofton mill has been slapped with a $25,500 penalty for releasing more than one million litres of toxic waste into the Salish Sea.

RCMP officers mocked people being arrested at Wet'suwet'en blockade as 'orcs' and 'ogre'
RCMP officers referred to First Nations pipeline opponents as "orcs" and "ogre" during a police raid at a blockade of Coastal GasLink pipeline construction in November 2021, according to audio recordings played in court Wednesday.

Friday, January 12, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review January 12 2024

Aloha Led Zepplin Friday!
Led Zeppelin, the debut studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, was released on January 12, 1969, in the USA. Led Zeppelin's front cover, which was chosen by Jimmy Page, features a black-and-white image of the German zeppelin Hindenburg photographed by Sam Shere on May 6, 1937, when the airship burst into flames while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey. The image refers to the origin of the band's name itself: When Page, Beck and The Who's Keith Moon and John Entwistle were discussing the idea of forming a group, Moon joked, "It would probably go over like a lead balloon", and Entwistle reportedly replied, "a lead zeppelin!"

Winter drought holds potential for dire 2024 B.C. fire season
Fire ecologist Lori Daniels admits 'coexistent' seems counterintuitive but is necessary with climate change edging toward a hotter, drier future.

Trial of prominent Wet'suwet'en leader and land defenders begins
Three accused are charged with criminal contempt over Coastal GasLink pipeline blockades.

Supreme Court denies Alaska’s bid to revive the copper and gold Pebble Mine proposal blocked by EPA
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Alaska’s bid to revive a proposed copper and gold mine that was blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency.

2023 was the hottest year on record — by a long shot
According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), 2023 was 1.48 C warmer than the pre-industrial average from 1850-1900, beating out 2016's record of 1.25 C.

When you drink bottled water, you're drinking lots and lots of plastic particles
New study finds most of the plastic comes from bottle itself, filtration.

Scientists worldwide are immersed in studies of a deadly tire chemical
A tire-related chemical found to kill coho salmon and other fish has come under intense worldwide investigation ever since Puget Sound researchers isolated the singular compound three years ago from among thousands of pollutants residing in stormwater.

Friday, January 5, 2024

Salish Sea News Week in Review| January 5 2024

Aloha National Bird Friday
National Bird Day was created by Born Free USA (which was the Animal Protection Institute until 2007) and The Avian Welfare Coalition, to reduce the suffering of wild and captive birds. The day is meant to raise awareness of the destructive bird trade and cruel breeding mills, and to work for the improvement of conditions for birds already in captivity.

Baby orca update: It’s a boy!
Oca surveyor Dave Ellifrit at the Center for Whale Research confirmed that the whale, less than a week old, is male.

Despite opposition and environmental violations, major B.C. pipeline project nearly complete
A controversial pipeline meant to transport natural gas across northern British Columbia has passed a major milestone as TC Energy announced it has finished installing pipe on its Coastal GasLink pipeline project.

Those breathing poorer air in WA live sicker, die younger, report says
Residents in parts of Washington disproportionately impacted by poor air quality are, on average, sicker and die younger compared with the rest of the state, a new report https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/UIPages/documents/2302115.pdf from the Washington Department of Ecology found.

Avian influenza death of Alaska polar bear is a global first and a sign of the virus’ persistence
The highly pathogenic influenza that has already killed vast numbers of birds and numerous mammals continues to circulate in the world’s wild populations.

State Department of Labor and Industries tightens oil refinery safety regulations
The state Department of Labor and Industries announced last week that it would adopt regulations that strengthen process safety management in the five Washington refineries.

'Prolific' killer whale matriarch Wake presumed dead after nearly a year without a sighting
Decades-old orca T46 was last spotted near Alert Bay, B.C., in February 2023.

Victoria’s Christmas Bird Count: Delight and decline
The birders counted more than 85,000 individuals of 143 species.

Conservation group buys out hunting rights in B.C.'s Great Bear Rainforest to protect wildlife
The Raincoast Conservation Foundation, based in Sidney, B.C., said Thursday that it raised $1.92 million over two years to buy the rights from hunters that cover roughly a quarter, or 18,000 square kilometres, of the Great Bear Rainforest on the province's north and central coast.

Friday, December 29, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review December 29 2023

A newborn orca surfaces next to orca J40 in central Puget Sound
on Dec. 26, 2023 [Maya Sears, under NMFS Permit 27052]

For the New Year! Newborn orca spotted near Seattle off Bainbridge Island
Beachgoers and whale researchers were excited to spot a newborn calf swimming with the Northwest’s endangered orcas on Tuesday near Seattle. On Wednesday, the Center for Whale Research confirmed that the baby orca is the newest member of J pod, one of the Northwest’s three family groups of the endangered killer whales known as the southern residents.

Endangered Species Act’s 50th anniversary: What 6 NW animals can tell us
The ESA turns 50 this month, and if beating extinction is the measure, the law has been a success. Of the more than 1,600 U.S. species listed for protection since the act’s inception, 99% have been rescued from the oblivion of extinction.

Two accidents in one year show risks of oil industry to tribal nations, environment
All of Washington state’s oil refineries are near or on tribal reservations.

Baby boom of 59 pups helps endangered B.C. marmot toward recovery
Thanks to the new pups, there's been a 50 per cent increase in the total population since the end of last year, when there were 204 marmots.

Lummi Nation opposes BP's oil plans for Cherry Point
The Lummi Nation is voicing its opposition to British Petroleum's goal of expanding oil operations at Cherry Point, near Ferndale, Washington, north of Bellingham. The Lummi call this area "Xwe’chi’eXen," consider it a cultural and archaeological site where many of its ancestors lay, and also argues that BP's industrial operations would interfere with its fishing rights.

Friday, December 22, 2023

Salish Sea News Week in Review December 22 2023

Aloha Winter Solstice Friday!
The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. In reality, the Oak King has defeated the Holly King, bringing light, renewal and growth.

Washington lags behind in water-pollution oversight
The GAO report found that the Washington State Department of Ecology, the agency responsible for submitting the lists, has been missing deadlines for a decade.

Trans Mountain warns regulator of potential ‘catastrophic’ two-year pipeline delay
The company building the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is warning the project’s completion could be delayed by two years if the Canada Energy Regulator does not allow a previously rejected request for a pipeline variance. Regulator denied Trans Mountain variance request due to pipeline safety concerns
The Canada Energy Regulator is citing safety concerns with the quality of materials Trans Mountain has procured to construct the variance, adding it doesn't believe the company has demonstrated it can guarantee an appropriate level of safety and pipeline integrity if it goes ahead with the change.

WA’s new wildfire smoke exposure rules for workers start Jan. 15
The Washington Department of Labor & Industries announced it will enforce new permanent wildfire smoke protections for outdoor workers starting Jan. 15, after two years of operating under emergency measures.

Debate intensifies over conservation of PNW’s old-growth forests
The fight over the future of the last old and mature forests in America intensified Tuesday when the Biden administration called for preservation of old-growth trees. The administration, after creating an inventory of the nation’s old growth, wants to amend 128 forest land-management plans to conserve and steward 25 million acres of old-growth forests and 68 million acres of mature forest across the national forest system.

Canada lays out plan to phase out sales of gas-powered cars, trucks by 2035
New regulations being published this week by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will effectively end sales of new passenger vehicles powered only by gasoline or diesel in 2035.

Analysis of Northwest, other salmon hatcheries finds nearly all hurt wild salmon populations
More than 200 studies across 40 years revealed large-scale salmon hatchery programs weaken wild salmon diversity and lead to wild population declines.

State finalizes new protections for Cascade River
The state Department of Ecology announced Monday that it will officially add protections to three rivers and one lake, classifying them as Outstanding Resource Waters. The four bodies of water include the upper watershed of the Cascade River in Skagit County, as well as the upper watershed of the Green River in Skamania County, the Napeequa River in Chelan County and Soap Lake in Grant County.

Toxic chemicals found in oil spills and wildfire smoke detected in killer whales
Toxic chemicals produced from oil emissions and wildfire smoke have been found in muscle and liver samples from Southern Resident killer whales and Bigg's killer whales. A study https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-45306-w published today in Scientific Reports is the first to find polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in orcas off the coast of British Columbia, as well as in utero transfer of the chemicals from mother to fetus.

In a major shift, Northwest tribes — not US officials — will control salmon recovery funds
The deal not only offers $1 billion in new funding for Columbia River salmon restoration, but for the first time it also grants states and tribes control — not the Bonneville Power Administration, which sells hydropower from Northwest dams — over how that money gets spent.

Two PNW tribal nations sue oil companies over costs of climate change
Major oil companies for decades deliberately sought to downplay and discredit scientific warnings about the central role of fossil fuels in causing climate change, alleges two lawsuits filed this week by the Makah and Shoalwater Bay tribes.