FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
September 10 - 16, 2015
HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
NWFR names new chief, page 3
Health and wellness special section, pages 8-9
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
New teachers at Blaine school district, page 10
End of the season
Company revives plans for natural gas pipeline through Custer By Steve Guntli Whatcom County may house a liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline for a Canadian energy company. On September 1, Steelhead LNG, an energy company based in Vancouver, B.C. announced they would partner with Williams, a U.S. pipeline manufacturer, for the Island Gas Connector pipeline. When completed, the pipe would funnel natural gas from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, by way of Whatcom County. The pipeline would travel through Whatcom County from Sumas to Cherry Point. From there, the pipe would traverse 47 miles underwater to a proposed LNG facility in Mill Bay, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The pipeline would then connect with another proposed facility on the west coast of the island. Williams has owned and operated the Northwest Pipeline, which runs through Whatcom County, since 1956. The new pipeline would be open access, meaning other companies could enter into agreements with Williams to use the pipes. The project is in the early planning stages, so the size of the pipe, amount of LNG it can transfer and the total cost of the project have not been finalized. This is not the first time Williams has proposed a pipeline through the region. In 1999, the company submitted plans for a pipeline running almost the same route. Called the Georgia Strait Crossing, the project upset Custer residents, who claimed Williams employees had
s Chief warrant officers Chris Schilling, r., and Bill Hockensmith of the U.S. Coast Guard inspect the Plover ferry in dry dock at Walsh Marine in Blaine. The Plover ended its regular season this past Labor Day.
Photo by Steve Guntli
Whatcom County ranks eighth in state for pot sales By Steve Guntli A new study places Whatcom County eighth in the state for recreational marijuana sales. Last week, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy released the study, “I-502 Evaluation Plan and Pre-
(See Pipeline, page 3)
liminary Report on Implementation.” Initiative 502, the bill that legalized marijuana for recreational use, requires the institute to issue a study about the impact legal pot has had on public safety and the economy. Institute representatives stress that it is too soon to fully evaluate the impact le-
Canada lifts import ban on poultry from Washington state Canadian health officials have relaxed their ban on poultry for four U.S. states that have been cleared from any signs of bird flu. On September 1, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced birds from Washington, California, Oregon and Idaho were free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and were once again safe to import. Poultry from Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota and
North and South Dakota are still at risk. The CFIA instituted the ban in late 2014, after thousands of birds in British Columbia had to be destroyed following an outbreak. As a result of the restriction, items such as raw poultry or other byproducts like eggs or pet food will not be allowed into Canada if they were processed, sourced or packaged in any of the eight restricted states. CFIA has also placed a ban on live
Saturday, September 12 • 10 to 4 4th Annual
Performing Artists Visual Artists
birds or hatching eggs, feathers, poultry manure and laboratory material containing poultry byproducts. Commercial imports are restricted from certain quarantined zones throughout Canada until further notice. Pet birds must be cleared through the U.S. Department of Agriculture before crossing the border. For more information, visit inspection.gc.ca.
Sunday, September 13 • Noon to 4 Pioneer Pavilion Community Center • 2007 Cherry St. • Ferndale Sat.
HMP Trio (Music) Kuva Rhythm Project (marimba) Nathan Matson (drumming circle) Welcome Marionettes (“Popeye’s Picnic”) Chicas Reinas Dancing Group
Sun.
Ceili Club (dancers & music) Kuungana Marimba Band Kathy Hardy (Celtic harp)
Jim Agnello, driftwood • Brandy Moon Bailey, fused glass & sun catchers • Kristin Bandarra, bottle lights • Sylvia Hayden, fiber • Beverly Sturek, jewelry Wendy and Megan Bloom, paper sculptures • Beth Heffernan, paper quilts • Patricia Hawkins Hiss, jewelry • Michelle Jefferson, mixed media & prints Carol Sheppard, photography & wire jewelry • Sandra Sisson, oil on canvas • Christina Verkist, drawings & paintings
Art in the Park is made possible by a generous donation from the Washington State Arts Commission as part of the National Endowment for the Arts ‘Art Works’ program, and lodging tax revenue from the City of Ferndale.
galized pot has had on the state, but this study lays important groundwork going forward. The institute will release another study in 2017. (See Pot, page 2)
Online
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Inside
Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Coming Up . . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14