Environment

Environment

The Goldendale Energy Storage Project would be built just outside Goldendale in Klickitat County. If built, it would be the largest pumped storage facility in the Northwest. The lower reservoir is proposed in the flat area below this image, by John Day Dam on the Columbia River. Courtesy of Rye Development

Washington Denies Permit For Goldendale Pumped Hydro Project, But It’s Not The End Of The Road

A large energy storage project in Washington will have to reapply for important water quality certifications. The state recently denied the certification because officials didn’t have enough information about the Goldendale Energy Storage Project. Continue Reading Washington Denies Permit For Goldendale Pumped Hydro Project, But It’s Not The End Of The Road

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Thermometer reading 130 degrees F in Death Valley National Park

The Record Temperatures Enveloping The West Are Not Your Average Heat Wave

It might be tempting to shrug at the scorching weather across large swaths of the West. This just in: It gets hot in the summer. But this record-setting heat wave’s remarkable power, size and unusually early appearance is giving meteorologists and climate experts yet more cause for concern about the routinization of extreme weather in an era of climate change. Continue Reading The Record Temperatures Enveloping The West Are Not Your Average Heat Wave

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Washington high school students won't get the chance to get job skills in outdoor litter crews this summer. But the Dept. of Ecology will hire adults for the crews. CREDIT: Washington DOE

Washington Steps Up Patrols For Litter And Debris, After The Pandemic Year Left Roadsides Trashed

We’ve all probably seen it: a vehicle driving down the highway with boxes and tools and furniture jammed into the back of bed. A chunk of something might fly out at any moment. It hasn’t been properly tied down. Washington State Patrol is conducting emphasis patrols to educate drivers on how to properly secure their loads. Continue Reading Washington Steps Up Patrols For Litter And Debris, After The Pandemic Year Left Roadsides Trashed

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing listing Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan as threatened because climate change will greatly disrupt its alpine habitat. CREDIT: Jamie Hanson/USFWS

Mt. Rainier Ptarmigans Are ‘Cute, Funny Little Birds.’ And They May Get More Federal Protection

If you’ve ever been hiking in the Cascades, high up in the alpine meadows, and were spooked by a streak of a bird, a plume of feathers that darted right in front of your face, you may have come across the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan. Continue Reading Mt. Rainier Ptarmigans Are ‘Cute, Funny Little Birds.’ And They May Get More Federal Protection

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A storage yard is seen in Montana for pipe that was to be used in the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The developer has now canceled the controversial project. Al Nash/Bureau of Land Management via AP

Developer Abandons Keystone XL Pipeline Project, Ending Decade-Long Battle

The company behind the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline said Wednesday it’s officially terminating the project. TC Energy already had suspended construction in January when President Biden revoked a key cross-border presidential permit. The announcement ends a more than decade-long battle that came to signify the debate over whether fossil fuels should be left in the ground to address climate change. Continue Reading Developer Abandons Keystone XL Pipeline Project, Ending Decade-Long Battle

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A couple embrace Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, while touring an area devastated by the Almeda Fire in Phoenix, Ore. John Locher/AP

‘Nothing Looks Good.’ Across The West, Firefighters Prepare For A Potentially Bad Fire Season

Severe drought has turned forests and grasslands into dry fuels, ready to ignite from a careless camper or a lightning strike. More people are building in areas bordering wildlands, expanding the so-called wildland-urban interface, an area where wildfires impact people the most. Invasive, highly flammable vegetation is spreading uncontrolled across the West. Continue Reading ‘Nothing Looks Good.’ Across The West, Firefighters Prepare For A Potentially Bad Fire Season

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An artist’s rendition of the NuScale nuclear power project planned for construction in Idaho. Courtesy of NuScale Power

More Nuclear Energy Could Be Coming To Central Washington, As Grant County Explores Small-Scale

Washington’s Grant County is exploring nuclear generation in an effort to generate more carbon-free electricity. The county’s Public Utility District recently signed a deal with Oregon-based NuScale Power to figure out if a partnership might work. Continue Reading More Nuclear Energy Could Be Coming To Central Washington, As Grant County Explores Small-Scale

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