Environment
Environment

Several Northwest Cities Set Record High Temperatures Over The Weekend, With More To Come
Several Northwest cities set record high temperatures for Saturday. Spokane was not one of them. Its official high of 98 fell two degrees short. In eastern Washington, Pasco, Hanford and Yakima were among those setting records for June 26. Continue Reading Several Northwest Cities Set Record High Temperatures Over The Weekend, With More To Come

Heat Brings Concern For Northwest Salmon And Water Temps, As Memory Of 2015 Die-Off Looms
As the mercury climbs this weekend, water temperatures are also expected to increase. Warmer waters can spell bad news for salmon, especially if the temperatures stay warm for long periods of time. Continue Reading Heat Brings Concern For Northwest Salmon And Water Temps, As Memory Of 2015 Die-Off Looms

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

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

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

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

Coming Soon To An Atlas Near You: A Fifth Ocean
BY KAREN ZAMORA, JUSTINE KENIN & EMMA BOWMAN Most of us learned about the world’s oceans in elementary school. There’s the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian and the Arctic. Now,… Continue Reading Coming Soon To An Atlas Near You: A Fifth Ocean

Colville Tribes Encouraged By Young Salmon Spawning Behind Grand Coulee Dam
The Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife Department have found several chinook salmon under 1-year-old. Biologists had transported 100 fish above Grand Coulee Dam to see if the habitat made for good spawning spots. Continue Reading Colville Tribes Encouraged By Young Salmon Spawning Behind Grand Coulee Dam

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

A Group Of Gray Whales Survives Die-Off With An Annual Detour To Puget Sound
If you take a beach walk in springtime around Whidbey or Camano Island, north of Seattle, there’s a good chance you could spot a 40-foot-long gray whale, feeding in the shallows just offshore. Or you might just see a fin or part of one’s tail bobbing along the waterline. Continue Reading A Group Of Gray Whales Survives Die-Off With An Annual Detour To Puget Sound

‘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

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