April 7 - 13, 2016
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ISSUE
Grant may postpone Intalco closure, page 2
SSA Marine suspends GPT environmental impact study SSA Marine, the sponsor behind the Gateway Pacific Terminal (GPT) coal port, is suspending the environmental impact study for the project. On April 1, the company decided to halt the review on the GPT so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) can make a decision on a request from the Lummi Nation to block the permit for the project. The Lummi claim the GPT will infringe on federally protected treaties that establish the tribe’s fishing rights in the waters off Cherry Point. The USACE has yet to announce when they will make a decision on the Lummi’s claim. The Lummi lodged their complaint with the USACE in January 2015, when the Lummi Indian Business Council submitted a 97-page document asking the USACE to reject SSA Marine’s permit application. The tribe claims the terminal would intrude on federally protected fishing grounds defined by a treaty as the tribe’s “usual and accustomed” fishing areas. The Point Elliott Treaty, signed in 1855, guaranteed the Lummi fishing rights to the waters between the Fraser River and Seattle, except for Hood Canal and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Lummi’s claim has legal precedent. In 1996, the court upheld a 1992 decision to block a 1.4-acre salmon farm on Rosario Strait. The court based their decision around the “usual and accustomed” fishing grounds established in the Point Elliott Treaty. The USACE has been conducting the environmental impact study on the proposed terminal since 2012. The study would determine the extent of the impact the terminal would have on the environment and ensure the project adhered to state environmental and emission standards. After several delays, the study was to be completed by October 2016. The terminal has been controversial since the project was first announced in the early 2000s. If built, the terminal would export nearly 50 million tons of coal to Pacific markets, primarily China. The project would cost an estimated $700 million. Opponents are concerned about the impact the terminal will have on traffic, health, safety and environmental impact both here and abroad. Supporters say the terminal would create jobs and be a boon for the local economy.
Dakota Creek Winery closing, page 3
Health and Wellness special section, pages 8-10
Photo finish in Birch Bay
s Wendelin Jordan of Vancouver celebrates as he crosses the finish line after running a 15k at the Birch Bay Road Race on April 2. Nearly 500 people came out to participate in the race, which included 5k, 15k and 30k courses. See more photos online at thenorthernlight.com.
Photo by Nicole Vettese
Blaine man sentenced for fatal hit and run crash By Steve Guntli A Blaine man will serve four years in prison for a fatal hit-and-run near the border crossing in January 2015. Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Charles Snyder handed down the sentence on March 30. Andrey Kirichkov, 27, will serve 48 months in prison for hit and run in a fatality accident. Kirichkov, a permanent U.S. resident who has lived here since he was 2 years old, also faces the possibility of deportation, as he is not officially a citizen. Kirichkov was driving a green 1993 Ford Ranger on January 22, 2015 at approximately 5:30 p.m. A man on a bicycle, later identified as Douglas Oliver Benton, 53, attempted to diagonally cross the busy intersection at H Street and SR-543, from the southeast corner to the northwest.
A witness, who was waiting at the stoplight in the passenger side of a southbound vehicle on SR-543, told police Benton was wearing dark clothing, no helmet and did not have proper lighting on his bike. The witness said she was able to see him thanks to two white plastic buckets Benton was carrying on his bike handles. Kirichkov drove through the intersection at a high speed and struck Benton with his truck. Witnesses say he then fled the scene, continuing north towards the border crossing and heading west on D Street. Benton died at the scene from severe chest trauma. Benton had lived in Blaine for 31 years, and worked as a commercial fisherman. He had lost his driver’s license about 10 years prior to his death Police began a street-by-street search for Kirichkov’s vehicle based on witness description. About three hours after the accident, Kirichkov returned to the scene and turned
Ferndale Cherry Blossom Festival
Saturday, April 16 9:30am - 5pm
Grand Opening Ceremony begins @ Hanadori Trail at 9:30am then proceeds to Pioneer Pavilion, 2007 Cherry St., in Ferndale
Celebration of Japanese music, dance & art. FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. cityofferndale.org/cherryblossomfest
himself in. He told officers he knew he hit someone, but needed to return to his family’s home on E Street to care for his mother, who had recently suffered a stroke. He was (See Court, page 2)
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