Monica Samayoa, Author at Northwest Public Broadcasting

Immigrant Farmworkers Face Unique Challenges As Coronavirus Continues To Spread

By Monica Samayoa April 12, 2020

Migrant farmer Martin Zavala-Martinez prunes a pear tree at Avalon Orchards in Parkdale, Ore., Thursday, April 2, 2020. People needing H-2A work visas are facing delays at the U.S.-Mexico border due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

One of the most vulnerable groups currently working through the coronavirus pandemic is made up of immigrant farmworkers. As this population works through some of the unique challenges they face due to the coronavirus, one Tri-Cities radio station is trying to help. Read More

Tugboat Carrying Diesel Fuel Sinks In Columbia River Near Umatilla Above McNary Dam

By Monica Samayoa February 24, 2020

Google Maps - Oregon Tugboat diesel spill in Columbia River - Twitter image

Crews from multiple state agencies responded Monday to reports of a 38-foot tugboat that has sunken in the Columbia River. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the tugboat reportedly has 750 gallons of diesel on board. Read More

2.5 Million Pounds Of Radioactive Waste Illegally Dumped In Oregon Landfill Near Columbia River

By Monica Samayoa February 15, 2020

Garbage, hauled in by train from long distances, is unloaded onto trucks for transfer to the landfill in the barren, rolling hills near Arlington, Ore., Aug. 3, 2004.

The Oregon Department of Energy has issued a notice of violation to a hazardous waste facility for accepting more than 2 million pounds of radioactive materials east of the Columbia River Gorge. Continue Reading Read More

Northwest Dam Managers To Increase Columbia River Flows To Help Chum Salmon

By Monica Samayoa November 30, 2019

File photo. Wildlife officials expect returns of salmon in Washington state will be low this year. CREDIT: U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

For the increased flows to occur, water will be released more than 850 river-miles northeast of Bonneville Dam. The water is then captured and released as needed to keep the salmon redds, or nests, underwater. Continue Reading Read More

Lower Columbia River Methanol Refinery Halted By Washington Regulators For Environmental Review

By Monica Samayoa November 24, 2019

The proposed site at the Port of Kalama where NW Innovation Works is proposing a 90-acre methanol plant. CREDIT: NW INNOVATION WORKS

A $2 billion methanol project proposed for the Lower Columbia River town of Kalama, Washington, hit a new roadblock Friday, when the Washington Department of Ecology said the environmental review did not adequately assess its greenhouse gas emissions and contributions to climate change. Read More

Opponents Of Proposed Eastern Oregon-To-Idaho Transmission Line File Federal Lawsuit

By Monica Samayoa November 15, 2019

Power lines and power-generating windmills rise above the rural landscape on June 13, 2018, near Dwight, Ill. Driven by falling costs, global spending on renewable energy sources like wind and solar is now outpacing investment in electricity from fossil fuels and nuclear power. CREDIT: SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by Stop B2H Coalition and Greater Hells Canyon Council, claims the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service failed to adequately evaluate the environmental impacts of Idaho Power’s proposed transmission line. Read More

Study: Drinking Water Violations Are Higher For Communities Of Color, Including In Northwest

By Monica Samayoa September 25, 2019

Volunteer Emergency Manager Dorothea Thurby of Warm Springs takes inventory of bottled water Aug. 2, 2019. CREDIT: Emily Cureton/OPB

A new study on the nation’s Safe Drinking Water Act has found that low-income residents and communities of color are especially vulnerable to health-related problems because of unresolved drinking water violations. In the Northwest, 16 counties in Oregon and Washington were identified with the highest rate of drinking water violations Read More

Trump Administration Finalizes Plan To Repeal Obama-era Water Protections

By Monica Samayoa September 12, 2019

Sheri Tonn, with Citizens for a Healthy Bay, looks at the old Occidental Chemical Corporation site from a boat on the Hylebos Waterway. For decades the facility produced drycleaning solvents and other chemicals that have slowly leached underground. CREDIT: COURTNEY FLATT/NWPB

The move comes as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the repeal Thursday of the Waters of the United States rule — the first step in a two-step rule making process. Continue Reading Trump Read More

Immigrant Farmworkers Face Unique Challenges As Coronavirus Continues To Spread

Tugboat Carrying Diesel Fuel Sinks In Columbia River Near Umatilla Above McNary Dam

2.5 Million Pounds Of Radioactive Waste Illegally Dumped In Oregon Landfill Near Columbia River

Northwest Dam Managers To Increase Columbia River Flows To Help Chum Salmon

Lower Columbia River Methanol Refinery Halted By Washington Regulators For Environmental Review

Opponents Of Proposed Eastern Oregon-To-Idaho Transmission Line File Federal Lawsuit

Study: Drinking Water Violations Are Higher For Communities Of Color, Including In Northwest

Trump Administration Finalizes Plan To Repeal Obama-era Water Protections

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