MUSIC IN THE PARK Orcas Island native Henri Bredouw to perform Page 11
BOOKS AND MORE Annual Orcas Library Fair is this weekend Page 9
SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’
PEOPLE | Find out what your neighbors are up to [2] NEWS | Recreational shellfish harvesting is closed [3] COMMUNITY | Update from the education foundation [5]
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
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WEDNESDAY, August 7, 2013 VOL. 46, NO. 32 75¢
Not getting
enough sleep?
An Islands’ Sounder health report by CALI BAGBY Staff report
You lie in bed in the darkness. It could be that the entire island is asleep and you are the only one for miles with your eyes wide open and mind running at full speed. Crippling questions enter your head like will I ever get back to sleep? If this scenario rings true, don’t panic, you are not alone and the Sounder may have good news for you. Roughly 41 million people in the United States — nearly a third of all working adults — get six hours or fewer of sleep a night, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “I sleep maybe six hours a night, but it’s not solid,” said one Orcas Islander, who prefers to remain anonymous. “I worry … about things like finances for sending my kids to college.” She said she will get up in the night and read or knit. She added, “My brain doesn’t slow down. I don’t get tired during the day, I just go.” Bouts of insomnia may be more normal than we think. According to research by historian Roger Ekirch of Virginia Tech, sleeping through the night is not a trait shared by men and women of the past. In 2001, Ekirch published a book with more than 500 cases pointing towards segmented sleeping patterns, meaning that humans used to sleep in two segments through the evening. The first sleep began about two hours after dusk, followed by a waking period of one or two hours of leisurely activity and then a second sleep. It took all the way until the 1920s for this practice to cease and for the eight-hour night’s rest to come into popular practice. It seems that with the introduction of street lamps and then the light bulb, people no longer needed to be in bed by dusk and therefore the two sleep periods eventually disappeared.
SEE SLEEP, PAGE 6
‘Broad’ environmental review planned for proposed coal facility by SCOTT RASMUSSEN Journal editor
State and federal regulators announced today that the environmental impacts of what would be the largest coal export facility on the West Coast will undergo a large-scale review that extends well beyond the site of the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point. In a joint press release issued Wednesday, July 31, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington state Department of Ecology and Whatcom County said that the scope of the GPT environmental impact state will include “direct effects at the site and evaluate a broad range of indirect and cumulative impacts likely to occur within and beyond Washington.” The three agencies are producing the EIS for the controversial GPT project, which, at full capacity, could process and export up to 48 million tons of coal bound for Asian markets a year. In addition to a detailed study of increased rail-cargo near Bellingham and Ferndale, as well as in other areas of the state, the EIS will include an assessment of environmental risks from an increase in shipping traffic in the state’s inland waters and through the San Juans. An additional 18 deep-draft “Capesize” cargo ships are expected to arrive or depart from the terminal each week, according to Ecology. A “draft” of the final EIS is expected to be completed in two years. The decision to broaden the scope of the project’s environmental impacts drew praise from local environmental advocates. “We are pleased to see that the Gateway Pacific Scoping Report included issues that are critical to islanders including marine traffic, human health, green house gasses, and the cumulative impacts of regional coal exports,” said Stephanie Buffum, executive director of Friends of the San
Juans. “We appreciate the leader- the extent of the EIS is unprecship of Department of Ecology edented and that it could discourand the governor for looking at age companies from investing in the long-term health and environ- future projects that bring ecomental impacts associated with nomic benefits to the state and its this project.” citizens. State Sen. Kevin “This expanded “By the time this study review casts doubt Ranker, D-Orcas Island, applauded is concluded we should on Washington state’s ability to the scope of the have a much greater invest in any major EIS as well. understanding of the ... port infrastructure “This is exactly impacts of all aspects projects,” said John the decision we McLauriin, presihave been seeking of this terminal.” dent of the Pacific for several years — Senator Kevin Ranker Merchant Shipping now since we wrote Association. “Trade the first comment letter on this subject,” Ranker is a driver for our economy, and said. “There are significant ques- for our ports and waterfronts and tions regarding this project and by now is not the time to underthe time this study is concluded mine our opportunities to expand we should have a much greater trade.” More than 125,000 comments understanding of the long- and short-term impacts of all aspects were submitted during a series of EIS “scoping” meetings held of this terminal.” If approved, the $650 million throughout the state by the three Gateway Terminal would be the regulatory agencies, including one largest bulk export facility on the on San Juan Island that was standWest Coast, perhaps in the nation. ing-room only in November. At full capacity, it would be capable of exporting up to 54 million metric tons of coal and other commodities a year from the plant that Display advertising: Pacific International Terminals, a Friday at noon subsidiary of SSA Marine, which Classified advertising: operates an export terminal at the Port of Seattle, and others worldMonday at noon wide, is seeking to build at Cherry Legal advertising: Point, just north of Bellingham. Thursday at noon While the Corps of Engineers must follow the National Press releases, Letters: Environmental Policy Act in Friday at 3 p.m. conducting its part of the joint environmental review, Whatcom County and Ecology are guided Office: 376-4500 by the State Environmental Policy Act. Ecology and Whatcom deterFax: 376-4501 mined that under SEPA the EIS should include an examination Advertising: advertising@ of impacts on “earth, air, water, islandssounder.com plants and animals, energy and Classified: 1-800-388-2527, natural resources, environmental classifieds@ health, land and shoreline use, soundpublishing.com transportation, and public services and utilities.” Editor: editor@ Supporters of the project claim
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