Environment
Environment
Lewis County Pushback Leads Washington Lawmakers To Consider Bottling Plant Restrictions
Uproar in Lewis County has pushed the Washington Legislature to the verge of closing the tap for water permits for new water bottling plants statewide. Business groups are mounting an 11th-hour push to stop what they consider to be an overreaction in Olympia that they say could cost jobs and unfairly tarnishes a healthy product.
From Allergies To Declining Business, Warming Winters Affect Everyday Life
For many parts of the United States this winter has been one of the warmest on record. People around the country are feeling the effects of it.
Tugboat Carrying Diesel Fuel Sinks In Columbia River Near Umatilla Above McNary Dam
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.
Scientists Gather To Study Risks Of Microplastic Pollution In Northwest Waters
This week, a group of five-dozen microplastics researchers from major universities, government agencies, tribes, aquariums, environmental groups and even water sanitation districts across the U.S. West is gathering in Bremerton, Washington, to tackle the issue.
BLM Director Defends Agency’s Controversial Move From D.C. To Western U.S.
The Bureau of Land Management decides who gets to do what on some 250 million acres of public land in the country, or to put it another way roughly one-tenth of all the land in the U.S. Relocating its headquarters to the West, where most of its actual land is, has been floated for years. But now the Trump administration is actually making it happen.
Federal Watchdog Criticizes Energy Department For Hanford Cleanup, Tunnel Collapse
The report from the independent Government Accountability Office says the U.S. Department of Energy has not found the root causes of the partial collapse of the waste-storage tunnel, and that failures in DOE’s investigation, inspections and maintenance of other aging and contaminated facilities is concerning.
How Warming Winters Are Affecting Everything
Winters are warming faster than summers in many places, and colder parts of the U.S. are warming faster than hotter ones. The warming winter climate has year-round consequences across the country.
Jeff Bezos Pledges $10 Billion To Fight Climate Change
Amazon, the company Bezos founded and heads, has come under increasing scrutiny for its own carbon footprint.
Federal Land Managers Propose 11K Miles Of Fuel Breaks To Combat Wildfires In Western States
The Bureau of Land Management announced a proposal Friday that would fund up to 11,000 miles of strategic fuel breaks in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Utah in an effort to better control wildfires.
2.5 Million Pounds Of Radioactive Waste Illegally Dumped In Oregon Landfill Near Columbia River
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.
Bringing Back Oregon’s Sea Otters Gets Federal Bucks For Feasibility Study
A group that wants to bring back wild sea otters to the Oregon Coast is taking a big step forward. The federal government has awarded them a grant to launch a feasibility study for a possible reintroduction effort.
Beer Waste Helps Montana Town Save Money On Water Treatment
In Bozeman, Mont., the Water Reclamation Facility treats more than 6 million gallons of water every day from sinks, showers, toilets — really anything that goes down a drain. That includes liquid waste from more than 10 breweries in this city of nearly 50,000.
