Olympic Peninsula Environmental News

Congratulations to the Hood Canal Coalition!

(SEATTLE WA)  The regional conservation group People For Puget Sound today awarded the Warren G. Magnuson 2010 Puget Sound Legacy Award to Congressman Norm Dicks, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge manager Jean Takekawa, and John Fabian and the Hood Canal Coalition.

The annual award, presented today at People For Puget Sound’s “New Day for Puget Sound” breakfast at the W Hotel in Seattle, recognizes individuals, groups and businesses whose work on behalf of Puget Sound make it a better place for its marine life.

The Puget Sound Legacy Award is given in the name of Washington Senator Warren G. Magnuson who, among his legislative accomplishments, passed legislation protecting marine mammals and prohibiting supertankers from entering Puget Sound.

Rep. Norm Dicks (http://pugetsound.org/events/spring-breakfast-2010/norm/) was recognized for his outstanding leadership in securing Federal support for Puget Sound Recovery.

Jean Takekawa (http://pugetsound.org/events/spring-breakfast-2010/jean/) was recognized for her leadership in bringing about the large-scale restoration of the Nisqually Delta.

John Fabian and the Hood Canal Coalition (http://pugetsound.org/events/spring-breakfast-2010/hood-canal-coalition-nomination-letter/) were recognized for leadership and courage in the defense of Hood Canal’s shorelines.
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PHOTO CAPTION: left to right: Congressman Norm Dicks, People For Puget Sound Executive Director Kathy Fletcher, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Manager Jean Takekawa, John Fabian- Hood Canal Coalition  (Photo courtesy People For Puget Sound)

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District Court 1 Superior Court  last week affirmed that, unlike the Growth Management Act, that the Shoreline Master Program is not subject to the  regulations which prohibits local governments from imposing direct or indirect taxes, fees, or charges on development. The folks appealing this, usually considered the “anti SMP” point of view, were challenging whether by adopting locally crafted SMPs, that this put these regs in conflict with that rule.

The reasoning from the court appears to be that because the state has such a deep role in demanding that SMPs be done, and Ecology approves them, with modifications, that the regs are not local, but actually state regulations. This makes sense. Why? Well, they point out a very interesting point of view from our state constitution, that is worth remembering by those who have been opposing the work done here on the SMP. I quote:

Article XVII, section 1 of the Washington Constitution declares that shorelines were originally owned by the State, and therefore
subject to State regulation. Even after sale or lease of shorelines, the State continues to hold remaining sovereign interests of the
public. Indeed, the SMA was expressly based on the proposition that shorelines are of “statewide significance.” Local governments
do not possess any inherent constitutional police power over state shoreline use.

In other words, the shorelines of this county belong to all of us citizens of Washington state, even though we don’t directly ‘own’ them! The state, which means all of us through our representatives in all levels of state government, as well as those of us who participate in this rule making,  have ultimate responsibility in protecting the shores.. The work we did was to help the state do it’s job by drafting locally relevant rules.

Bottom line, this isn’t about socialism, as so many who showed up at the Fort last month tried to shout out, but it’s about democracy, and the notion that our state founders, a very unconventional group that didn’t like the notion of a state income tax but liked taxing all business regardless if they made money or not, also decided that even while allowing state shorelines to be sold to the public, would make sure that the ultimate authority of the regulation of the shorelines would stay in the grasp of all of it’s citizens.

All of us that own shoreline and those who don’t, should thank the court for it’s finding.

If I misread this ruling, I welcome comments.

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A good idea for protecting the river and salmon. Buying out real estate owners is a worthwhile idea if we are going to protect streams.

5/11 Kitsap Sun

By Christopher Dunagan
BRINNON —
Dosewallips State Park could be expanded by 1,300 acres, adding protection for prime habitat along the south side of the Dosewallips River, according to a plan gaining widespread support, officials say.

The plan, still in its early stages, depends on the success of several state grants as well as complex real-estate negotiations, according to Lisa Lantz, regional resource steward for the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission.

The top priority is to acquire property within 1,500 feet of the south bank of the Dosewallips River to preserve habitat, Lantz said. Three grants, totaling about $2 million, have been requested from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Recreation and Conservation Office and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. If approved, they should provide enough money to acquire most — if not all — of the river corridor, according to Richard Brocksmith of the Hood Canal Coordinating Council.
More at
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/may/11/acquisition-of-1300-acres-would-expand-state/

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Mike Sato of People For Puget Sound has some  excellent thoughts about the costs of pollution.

http://pugetsound.org/blog/050310mhs

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5/4 Globe & Mail

Mark Hume
A coalition of Canadian and U.S. environmental groups have asked an international body to investigate allegations the federal government is allowing a Metro Vancouver sewage plant to regularly discharge toxic waste into Georgia Strait.

In a submission, nine groups ask the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America to document “the failure of the Canadian government to adequately enforce its environmental laws.”

Douglas Chapman, a spokesman for Fraser Riverkeeper, the lead environmental group in the action, said he hopes the CEC will investigate why the federal government took over and stayed a private prosecution of Metro Vancouver in 2006.

More at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/environmentalists-want-investigation-of-toxic-waste-in-georgia-strait/article1557001/

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Just an FYI for folks…. the leading environmental group working on Sound wide issues adds some high powered board members.

Rick Davis of Bellevue and David McCaughey of Bainbridge Island joined the board of the citizens’ environmental group People For Puget Sound in April.

Rick Davis, a Washington native, has been a financial executive at Weyerhaeuser, Cascade Natural Gas, and other area companies. He is an avid water sportsman and enjoys a family-owned cabin on Case Inlet.

“I’ve been close to the Sound my entire life,” said Davis. “People For Puget Sound shares my values. After a year volunteering on remediation projects and assisting staff with lobbying campaigns and building relations with the business community, I welcomed the opportunity to contribute at the board level. My personal goal is to help the organization become even more effective and influential in its mission to restore and protect our Sound.”

David McCaughey is regional accounts manager for the pharmaceutical firm sanofi-aventis. An avid boater, David is a volunteer and lead partner with the Seattle chapter of Social Venture Partners.

“I’ve come to know Puget Sound as a recreational boater exploring its incredibly rich and diverse water ways and I’ve come to know People For Puget Sound through my volunteer work with Social Venture Partners,” said McCaughey. “I’ve joined the board hoping to contribute to this effort to save the Sound and to preserve its character for years to come.”

People For Puget Sound was launched as a membership organization in 1991 to protect and restore the land and waters of Puget Sound through education and action. It currently has over 14,000 supporter households and an annual operating budget of over $2 million.

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Thomas Friedman has a very good article today on getting Congress to take bold action on the proposed energy bill. This bill could help us make a firm step towards getting off petroleum and it’s horrific consequences for the environment (see Gulf of Mexico currently,Valdez Alaska twenty years ago, and on and on).

A little known fact that is worth considering is that 40% of America’s fish catch comes from the Gulf of Mexico. As we watch huge volumes of oil wash up on the shores, with no end in sight, a reasonable person would ask, “How can we stop this from happening again?”

Call your local US Congressman and women and tell them to get the energy bill done, with alternative energy first and foremost. We need to get off oil now.

Locally, here’s what needs to get done to protect us and our unique waters:

• let’s get on the stick and call your state representative and senator and ask them to get the oil industry to stop fooling around and come to an agreement to fund the rescue tug at Neah Bay. 
• Freighters need local pilots. There are more possible problems with freighters than oil tankers in our waters.
• Fully fund the oil spill prevention program.
• Pass and fund the stormwater runoff program. Stormwater is our most polluting problem for the Sound. We need to take long range actions to reverse this. We can’t solve it overnight.
• Do you drive a pickup truck everywhere? Then look in the mirror. You can do better. Drive a car with even 5 MPG better mileage next time you don’t need to haul something. It’s a small but real thing you can do.

For the full article by Thomas Friedman, see the NY Times web site.

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Excellent overview of the issues with stormwater. If you don’t know why folks are so concerned about cleaning it up, especially if you live in a county that is about to work on it’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP), then read this.

Saving the Sound from Stormwater 

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If anyone needed a reason, it’s clear that the work that environmentalists are doing to protect the Straits and Sound is urgent and cannot be taken for granted. The fiasco of the Gulf oil spill was a disaster waiting to happen for over 50 years. So now, here we are, with the entire shoreline of the southern US likely to become a dead zone. Millions of years of ecological development is being  destroyed. Wasn’t the Exxon Valdez enough? It’s all too painful to watch, frankly.

So what’s your excuse for not joining the many groups out there working to stop oil spills from tankers and freighters by demanding escort tugs for all ships?  And putting additional protection into place?

Join People For Puget Sound if you want to join the group that has the largest reach, or join your local watershed protection group, or Marine Resource Committee if you want to work locally.

Just do it. Time is running out, as the folks on the Gulf, who have tolerated this drilling and now are being wiped out by it have found out. It’s up to all of us.

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Our friend the Salmon has a message for us… time to clean up our act…

Salmon Says, “Fight Pollution!” from People For Puget Sound on Vimeo.

Salmon Says, “Fight Pollution!” from People For Puget Sound on Vimeo.

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Sunday, April 18 — Visit Ken and Sue Sweeney’s beautiful Serenity Farm, 10 a.m.-noon, 1005 Gellor Rd. (turn left off Blue Mountain Rd.)

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Saturday, April 17 — Bike tour of 5 properties North Olympic Land Trust protects, departing at 9 a.m. from Robin Hill Park’s Pinnell Road parking lot and returning about 2 p.m.

In Sequim, come to the Boys and Girls Club for a demonstration on proper irragation techniques from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Also, In a cooperative effort with Olympic Theater Arts at 414 N. Sequim Avenue, there will be free public showings of two environmentally oriented films.  Showings at 10 and 11 a.m. and 1 and 2 p.m.  And, at the Community Organic Garden of Sequim, a project of Friends of the Fields, participants can learn about the joys and heartache of composting from Jack Caldicott, master composter.

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Friday, April 16 — Film night at Peninsula College’s Little Theater: Socializing, snacks and book sales/signing (From the Air, Olympic Peninsula by Dave Woodcock, aerial photographer and Tim McNulty, writer), 6 p.m.; local arial images by aerial photographers Woodcock and Russ Mellon, 6-6:30; feature film Home  with aerial photos from many parts of Earth and narration by Glenn Close; discussion moderated by Greg Good with panelists McNulty, Mellon and Woodcock.

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Huge news. Our representative with the most clout, Lynn Kessler of Hoquim, is choosing not to run next year. Who can replace her and win? Michelle Sandoval maybe?

Kessler served as chairwoman of the Energy & Utilities committee, minority whip and minority floor leader before becoming majority leader.

Here’s her local paper’s take..

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/04/13/local_news/doc4bc4b0a608c8d048871199.txt

We will miss her. She has done a great job as a moderate democratic voice balancing economic growth with environmental needs over the last 18 years, and in my dealings with her, she was always interested and had solid concerns that she knew she would be asked about.  Good luck, Lynn.

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Aground on the Great Barrier Reef

The Shen Neng has been refloated off the reef, and is being towed to safe anchorage. It appears that a major giant spill has been averted but oil is on the beach in nearby NW Island, which is a spawning ground for turtles and other marine species. Baby turtles are hatching this week. Oil on this island is considered a disaster, as it is the most significant bird hatchery on the reef.

for more see

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/14/2872001.htm?section=justin

Older posts:

Oil pumping continues to offload the Shen Neng 1 with the hope of refloating the boat later in the week. If weather cooperates, the major spill may be averted.

http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story/2010/04/12/oil-pumping-continues-from-stricken-carrier/

Pumping of fuel oil from the Shen Neng 1 continued overnight, following the
successful commencement of the delicate oil transfer operation on Friday
morning.

Under the guidance of salvage experts, the oil transfer began at 10:56am
Friday morning and has continued to plan, Maritime Safety Queensland
General Manager Patrick Quirk said today.

“With weather conditions on our side, pumping has progressed through the
night however we expect variations in pumping rates as we continue,” Mr
Quirk said.

“If current conditions hold, we anticipate finishing the operation by Monday,
however safety, not speed, is our focus.”

UK Guardian update: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/11/arrests-ship-great-barrier-reef

Australian authorities arrest members of another ship that was found cutting through the Great Barrier Reef, just days after the grounding of the ship documented below. It appears that the government has decided to become hard core about stopping the practice.

NY Times update: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/world/asia/08reef.html

Short story, one fuel tank puntured but it appears that there has been little leakage, yet. Work proceeds to get the fuel off the ship. Refloating the ship will be unlikely. Envionmental anger is mounting in Australia for major changes to protection of the Reef from shipping.

From BBC correspondent Nick Bryant’s blog, discusses the lack of shipping control along the Great Barrier Reef, something that we have implemented here for decades. Additionally, no local pilots are used there, and there is a huge economic incentive to ‘cut the line’ and run closer to the reef to save money. See Nick’s blog here…http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/nickbryant/2010/04/monitoring_the_sea_lanes_on_th.html

As if we don’t need another reminder of how fragile the whole shipping situation is, this COSCO ship (we get lots of them here) has run aground at full speed on the Great Barrier Reef. You don’t need me to tell you what kind of disaster this could be if they can”t get this oil and coal off this thing. The latest is that officials are saying they may be able to get this ship off the Reef without huge spill, though the current spill is 3km long  x 100m  wide already.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100405/ts_nm/us_australia_ship

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. — Iron Mountain Quarry has sued Jefferson County for denying it a permit to develop a gravel mining operation near Port Ludlow.

The Peninsula Daily News reports that the county wants the company to do a full review of the project’s impact on traffic, habitat and noise.

County development director Al Scalf says the company hasn’t proven that the operation won’t negatively affect the environment.

The company says the county’s decision not to grant a stormwater permit is “arbitrary and capricious.”

Iron Mountain attorney Keith Moxon says the company has provided all the information required.

A hearing is set for April 30 in Jefferson County Superior Court.

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Apparently the oil barge that was having problems with it’s locking pins has abandoned efforts to cross the Columbia Bar, and has gone in for repairs in  Port Angeles under tug escort to get repairs. Given the crisis of the coal ship leaking bunker fuel and coal onto the Great Barrier Reef, it is a good idea to remember that caution on these things is critical. Thanks to the Coast Guard, and the WA. State DOE for their support in this.

The Update:

http://www.koinlocal6.com/mostpopular/story/Oil-Laden-Barge-Leaves-Oregon-Coastal-Waters/dlMXiuvun0S-n-Oeksh76g.cspx

ASTORIA, Ore. – The Coast Guard is keeping a watchful eye on the ATB Corpus Christi and the barge Petrochem Supplier as the vessels wait out severe weather near the coast of Astoria, Saturday.

The Coast Guard was notified by the crew of the Corpus Christi, Friday, that the vessel was experiencing problems with the mechanical locking pins that connect the tug to their barge. The vessel was transiting the Oregon coast en route from Anacortes, Wash., to Long Beach, Calif.

The Corpus Christi is mechanically connected to the barge Petrochem Supplier, which is carrying a cargo of approximately 150,000 barrels of Vacuum Gas Oil (VGO.)

The Coast Guard is requiring the vessel to maintain station 20 miles from the Oregon coast until conditions permit safe transit on the Columbia River Bar.

The vessel owners have coordinated with Washington State Department of Ecology to have the 7200 hp Tug Hunter rendezvous with the Corpus Christi and remain on scene to escort the vessel across the bar.  At no time was there a loss of propulsion.  Neither the Corpus Christi or the Petrochem Supplier were ever in danger and there has been no pollution.

Even if the locking pins were to fail completely, the Corpus Christi is fully capable of taking the barge in tow using an emergency tow cable.  Having a second tug on scene allows the Corpus Christi to retain positive control of the barge.

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Department of Ecology News Release – March 26, 2010

10-055

Coast Guard, Ecology responding to vessel that lost power near Grays Harbor

OLYMPIA – Spill responders and vessel inspectors from the U.S. Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) are closely monitoring the Crystal Ocean, a 570-foot cargo vessel that lost propulsion this morning, three miles off the mouth of Grays Harbor in the Pacific Ocean.

At this point, there’s no report of oil or other pollutants being released.

The vessel was in-bound to the Port of Grays Harbor when the mechanical failure occurred. The vessel is currently at anchor approximately three miles southwest of Ocean Shores. As a precaution, a tug was dispatched from Grays Harbor and is currently alongside the Crystal Ocean.

The vessel is estimated to be carrying about 140,000 gallons of bunker fuel and 23,000 gallons of diesel fuel in its tanks to run its engines.

The Crystal Ocean has reportedly regained full operational capability. However, federal and state authorities are waiting for tests to be completed, including more information about why the failure occurred, before the vessel will be allowed to proceed to the port during daylight hours with tug assistance.

The Coast Guard and Ecology are prepared to immediately respond if it is determined the vessel poses any pollution or maritime safety threats.

FOLLOW UP

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/03/27/local_news/doc4badaf24c9cd2309930340.txt

It seems that the vessel was able to anchor 3 miles offshore, and was able to regain power, according to a conversation with the DOE. Tugs were on hand standing by for the duration, but ultimately it all worked out for the best.

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