Too Hot!

We can't complain too much here in Bellingham, where at 6pm today it was 86 F/30 C -- definitely warmer than we're used to in July -- because in Seattle at the same time, it was 92 F/33 C, and in Portland, a scorching 103 F/ 39 C!

That makes conditions even more challenging for the "#ShellNo" Greenpeace and local activists in Portland who are hanging off the side of the St. Johns Bridge, making it very difficult for Shell Oil's icebreaker, the Fennica, to leave Portland for the Arctic. Do look at Kendall's blip from yesterday about it, and read today's update here, particularly the last few paragraphs. The New York Times has several photos posted by the activists and two brief videos.

I'm immensely grateful for people who are willing to take such risks and endure such discomfort to bring greater awareness of the environmental risks of Arctic drilling and the imperative need to wean ourselves from our obsession with "cheap" oil.

Addendum, 10 p.m. -- See Kendall's blip for today. She describes what happened earlier this evening far more eloquently than I can.

Although the Shell ship ultimately passed under the bridge, the battle is not over.

Blip 1314