environment Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Wyoming Doubles Down On Coal With Threat To Sue Other Western States, Including Washington

By NWPB News May 3, 2021

In this July 27, 2018, the Dave Johnson coal-fired power plant is silhouetted against the morning sun in Glenrock, Wyo. A law signed April 6, 2021, by Republican Gov. Mark Gordon creates a $1.2 million fund for an initiative that marks the latest attempt by state leaders to help coal in the state that accounts for the bulk of U.S. coal production, which is down by half since 2008. Wyoming coal production, which accounts for about 40% of the nation's total, has declined as utilities switch to gas, which is cheaper to burn to generate electricity. CREDIT: J. David Ake/AP

Last year, Wyoming and Montana — another major coal state — asked the Supreme Court to override a decision by Washington state to deny a permit to build a coal export dock on the Columbia River. The interstate lawsuit followed years of unsuccessful attempts by the dock’s developer, Utah-based Lighthouse Resources, to contest the permit denial in federal court. Read More

Washington Joins Oregon, California, British Columbia In Passing Low-Carbon Fuel Standard

By Courtney Flatt April 27, 2021

File photo of tailpipe vehicle emissions. CREDIT: Flickr/eutopication and hypoxia

The state’s new fuel standards will slowly lower the amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gasses coming out of vehicle tailpipes through 2035. That means cleaner technologies biodiesel or renewable natural gas will get a boost over gasoline and diesel. Read More

WATCH: Is Recycling Worth It Anymore? People On The Front Lines Say Maybe Not

By NPR News April 21, 2021

Rogue Waste System’s Scott Fowler (left) and Laura Leebrick (center) have nowhere to send about 2,000 tons of baled and stacked of co-mingled recycling. CREDIT: JES BURNS

Recycling works, but it's not magic. As America continues to lead the world in per capita waste production, it's becoming more and more clear that everybody – manufacturers and consumers — "over-believes" in recycling. Continue Read More

Washington Lawmakers Move Closer To Passing Clean Fuels Bill; Opponents Say It’s Too Costly

By Courtney Flatt April 9, 2021

Tailpipe exhaust is the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington state and nationwide. CREDIT: RICK BOWMER/AP

Lowering the amount of carbon that comes out of your tailpipe has become a quest for some Washington lawmakers. Now, new standards that would promote biofuels over gasoline are closer to becoming law than ever before. Read More

A Road Across Mount St. Helens Blast Zone Threatens One-Of-A-Kind Research, Lawsuit Says

By NWPB News April 1, 2021

Mount St. Helens left an indellible mark on the Northwest landscape -- not just in the ecology and geology, but in how government officials respond and think about disaster preparedness.

Conservation groups and scientists are challenging a federal decision to build a road through the Mount St. Helens blast zone, saying it would damage more than two dozen decades worth of irreplaceable research plots. Continue Read More

Hazardous Waste Landfill Near Columbia River Seeks To Expand

By NWPB News March 30, 2021

An undated file photo shows leachate evaporation ponds at the CWM hazardous waste landfill in Arlington, Ore.

Military cleanups, federal Superfund sites, firefighter training facilities — all are among reasons cited by Chemical Waste Management, or CWM, to expand its hazardous waste operation outside the Columbia River town of Arlington. Continue Reading Read More

Timber Wars Continued: Conservationists Sue To Save Spotted Owl Logging Protections

By NWPB News March 24, 2021

In this May 8, 2003, a northern spotted owl sits on a tree branch in the Deschutes National Forest near Camp Sherman, Ore. CREDIT: Don Ryan/AP

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to preserve protections for 3.4 million acres of northern spotted owl habitat from the US-Canada border to northern California, the latest salvo in a legal battle over logging in federal old-growth forests that are key nesting grounds for the imperiled species. Read More

Interior Nominee Deb Haaland Faces Tough Questions On Climate Goals

By NPR News February 23, 2021

Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., during her Senate hearing Tuesday to be Interior Secretary. If confirmed, she would be the first Native American to hold the post. CREDIT: Jim Watson/AP

Congresswoman Deb Haaland would be not just the first Native American Interior Secretary, but also the first in a presidential cabinet. She faced tough — and, at times, misguided — questioning from Republican lawmakers worried about the president's climate goals. Read More

Federal Government Will Reconsider Rollback Of Northern Spotted Owl Protections

By NWPB News February 22, 2021

A northern spotted owl. CREDIT: Todd Sonflieth/OPB

The U.S. Interior Department is delaying and reviewing the Trump administration’s last-minute roll-back of federal protections for the imperiled northern spotted owl, which called for slashing protections from millions of acres of Northwest forests. Read More

Washington State Regulators Deny Key Permit To Kalama Methanol Refinery

By NWPB News January 20, 2021

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

The Washington Department of Ecology defended its denial by saying the refinery, which would convert fracked natural gas into methanol to be shipped to Asia, would emit vast amounts of greenhouse gases. If built, it would be among the top 10 greenhouse gas emitters in the state. Read More

Timber Tax Cuts Cost Rural Northwest Towns Billions. Polluted Water Drove Up The Price

By NWPB News January 4, 2021

An aerial view of clear-cuts near the south fork of Gordon Creek, one of two water sources for Corbett, Oregon. CREDIT: Google Earth

In rainy Oregon, communities tap a network of streams and creeks to supply millions of residents with cold, clean water. The problem is that the land surrounding drinking water streams is, in many cases, owned not by the towns or the residents who drink the water, but by private timber companies that are now logging more intensively than ever, cutting trees on a more rapid Read More

It Wasn’t Just The Pandemic: Oil’s Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Year

By NPR News January 3, 2021

Hurricane Laura sends large waves crashing on a beach in Cameron, La., on Aug. 26 as an offshore oil rig appears in the distance. The most active hurricane season on record was just one of many challenges facing the oil industry this year — aside from the attention-grabbing crisis of the pandemic. CREDIT: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Set aside the pandemic. Ignore the collapse in demand. Forget about the time oil prices went negative. Look at everything else that happened this year, and — Well. Oil still had a pretty terrible year. Continue Reading It Wasn’t Just The Read More

Aging Tanks, Aging Watchdogs: Lots To Work On For Washington’s New Waste Program Manager

By Anna King December 29, 2020

The Plutonium Finishing Plant at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. The site includes 56 million gallons of radioactive waster across 580 square miles.

David Bowen has owned his own bar in Cle Elum, been a Kittitas County commissioner and managed groundwater nitrate cleanup in the Yakima Valley. Now, he’ll hold the U.S. Department of Energy accountable for its cleanup at the site using the Tri-Party Agreement. That’s a 1989 document struck between Ecology, the federal Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Read More

Scientists Pinpoint Chemical That’s Been Killing Northwest Coho Salmon. It Comes From Tires

By John Ryan December 7, 2020

A coho salmon gapes for air, one of the symptoms of "urban runoff mortality syndrome," in Miller Creek in Normandy Park, Washington. Screenshot from University of Washington video

Coho salmon returning to freshwater each fall often die, gasping for breath and swimming aimlessly, before they are able to spawn. Scientists now know why. After years of chemical sleuthing, scientists have pinpointed the toxic substance that’s been killing large numbers of coho salmon in Northwest creeks. Read More

Trump Administration Rushes To Lock In Arctic Wildlife Refuge Drilling Before Biden’s Term

By NPR News December 3, 2020

Caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd migrate onto the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. The refuge has long been eyed for oil exploration. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/AP

The Jan. 6 auction was set before the end of the comment and nominations period. If leases are finalized before Joe Biden takes office, they could be difficult to revoke. Continue Reading Trump Administration Rushes To Read More

Environmental And Energy Industry Groups Commit To Working Together On (Some) Hydro Projects

By Courtney Flatt October 13, 2020

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

The groups, often at the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to dams and hydropower, say climate change has created a need to hear each other out. Even when it comes to tough issues. Continue Reading Read More

Gov. Jay Inslee On How To Stay Optimistic When Fighting Climate Change

By NPR News October 4, 2020

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee toured the town of Bridgeport on Saturday, Sept. 12, unknowingly bringing banned apples with him. But he didn't see the fire-evacuated farmworkers in Brewster, across the river, as the shelter was shut down by the time he arrived. CREDIT: Governor's Office/Twitter

The fires in Washington are largely under control now, but the state has been experiencing dangerous, even deadly, wildfires for years, something Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee says are only made worse by climate change. Continue Reading Gov. Read More

Rule Protecting The Northwest’s Old-Growth Trees Is Under The Federal Government’s Ax

By Monica Samayoa August 12, 2020

Beyond the borders of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness are as much as 200,000 acres of undeveloped forest.

This latest rollback proposal, issued Tuesday, comes from the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region. It would end a 25-year-old provision that prevents logging of trees that exceed 21 inches in diameter in six national forests across Eastern Oregon and Washington. Read More

COVID-19 Has Resurrected Single-Use Plastics. Are They Back To Stay?

By NWPB News July 26, 2020

File photo. Washington and Oregon lawmakers are considering statewide bans on single-use plastic bags in grocery stores. CREDIT: JULIA REIHS/KUT

COVID-19 is changing how the U.S. disposes of waste. It is also threatening hard-fought victories that restricted or eliminated single-use disposable items, especially plastic, in cities and towns across the nation. Continue Reading COVID-19 Read More

‘Most Significant Conservation Legislation’ In 50 Years: Great American Outdoors Act Approved

By NWPB News July 23, 2020

The Strawberry Mountains are a prominent feature in Grant County, Oregon. Over 60 percent of land in the county is managed by the federal government. CREDIT: TOM BANSE/N3

Supporters say the measure, known as the Great American Outdoors Act, would be the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century. Continue Reading ‘Most Significant Conservation Read More

Saddle Mountain Fire Is Test For COVID Plans, And In A Sensitive Wildlife Area

By Courtney Flatt July 8, 2020

The Saddle Mountain Fire began the afternoon of July 6, 2020, burning in a sensitive area of central Washington at a wildlife refuge, part of the Hanford Reach National Monument. Courtesy of SE WA Interagency Incident Management Team

Firefighters are wrapping up after three days at this season’s first big wildfire in eastern Washington. As crews began heading home, the Saddle Mountain Fire had burned about 10,000 as of Wednesday, July 8, in steep terrain on part of the Saddle Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Read More

In Toppenish, A Trail Cam Zooms In On Unique Learning Opportunity For Yakama Nation Students

By Courtney Flatt June 23, 2020

An otter seen on a trail camera as part of an environmental science course at the Yakama Nation Tribal School. With the coronavirus pandemic, students still monitored the area of study near Highway 97 in Toppenish remotely.

Historically, the Yakama Nation Tribal School was a school “of last resort,” says principal Adam Strom, where students came after they could no longer attend other area schools. That’s changing. He says courses like this one in environmental science and natural resources are a big reason why. Read More

U.S. Senate Passes Big Funding Boost To Conservation Fund, Help For National Parks Maintenance

By Courtney Flatt June 17, 2020

Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell helped push through the Great American Outdoors Act, speaking on the Senate floor with a picture of Mount Rainier on June 17, 2020. Screenshot / Courtesy of U.S. Senate

The Great American Outdoors Act would permanently allocate $900 million to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which finally lapsed almost two years ago. Continue Reading U.S. Senate Passes Big Funding Boost To Read More

Research From Northwest Scientists Shows Negative Climate Change Effects On Old Growth Forests

By Courtney Flatt June 1, 2020

OSU scientists detect a tagged hermit warbler in the canopy of an old growth grove in the Oregon Cascades. Learning how the small song birds travel over the course of a day could provide insight into why bird populations are doing well in old growth forests while declining in other warming landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. CREDIT: GREG DAVIS

Deforestation, climate change and the disturbances it can exacerbate – like wildfires, extreme droughts and insect outbreaks – are decimating old growth forests across the globe. That means forests worldwide are filling in with younger and shorter trees, according to a new study. Read More

Federal Rollback Of Environmental Rules Continue Despite Pandemic. Opponents Cry Foul

By NPR News May 28, 2020

Because of the pandemic, the Bureau of Land Management held virtual public hearings in April on a proposal to expand oil drilling in Alaska's North Slope. U.S. Department of the Interior / screenshot by NPR

The Trump administration is rushing to finalize some of its biggest environmental rollbacks ahead of November's election. Some affected groups say they're too distracted by the pandemic to engage. Continue Reading Federal Read More

Our Pandemic Habits Cut Carbon Emissions, But It’s Not Clear They’ll Last

By NPR News May 22, 2020

Energy demand plummeted because of the pandemic shutdown. A big question is whether new habits like telecommuting and flying less will endure, and mean lower oil consumption in the future. Continue Reading Our Pandemic Habits Cut Carbon Read More

Trump Administration Says Washington State Overstepped With Oil Train Law

By NWPB News May 13, 2020

Smoke billows from a Union Pacific train that derailed near Mosier, Ore., in the Columbia River Gorge. on June 3, 2016.

The Trump administration on Monday moved to block a Washington state law that imposed safety restrictions on oil shipments by rail following a string of explosive accidents. Continue Reading Trump Administration Says Washington State Read More

Pandemic Gives Pacific Northwest Whales A Respite From Din Of Underwater Noise

By Tom Banse May 13, 2020

Underwater noise impacts on endangered orcas were already under study before the coronavirus pandemic opened the door for a natural experiment.

American and Canadian marine scientists -- and one talented dog -- are seizing an unexpected opportunity presented by the coronavirus pandemic. They are trying to establish whether Pacifc Northwest whales benefit from the current drop in boat traffic and underwater noise. Read More

Federal Environmental Policies During Pandemic Raise Concerns Across Northwest

By NWPB News May 10, 2020

An elevated fish ladder designed to help migrating fish swim through the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River near Almota, Wash.

State agencies and advocates have been alarmed by federal environmental policy rollbacks that continue unabated by the global coronavirus pandemic. Continue Reading Federal Environmental Policies During Pandemic Raise Concerns Read More

Pandemic Shutdown Is Speeding Up The Collapse Of Coal

By NPR News April 27, 2020

Energy analysts say coal use is down so much that some power plants might run out of room to stockpile it.

Coal use has plummeted in part because it's more expensive than natural gas or renewable energy. Mines are shutting down, and some power plants may run out of places to stockpile coal. Continue Reading Pandemic Shutdown Is Speeding Up The Collapse Of Read More

10 Years After BP Deepwater Horizon Spill: Oil Drilled Deeper; Rules Relaxed

By NWPB News April 20, 2020

Oil in the Gulf of Mexico as the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns

Ten years after an oil rig explosion killed 11 workers and unleashed an environmental nightmare in the Gulf of Mexico, companies are drilling in deeper and deeper waters, where payoffs can be huge but risks are greater than ever. Continue Read More

As Many People Stay Home, Will The Environment Improve — At Least Temporarily?

By PBS Newshour April 6, 2020

Alexandra Sasha Grieb and Kyleigh Dabler, both 19, from Kennewick, waved at passing cars driving by Richland’s John Dam Plaza. Grieb said it will be up to younger generations to fight climate change now with their votes. “The earth will survive climate change. Humans won’t,” she said. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

Will the current lull in activity make a difference in the air we breathe or the future of climate change? Continue Reading As Many People Stay Home, Will The Environment Improve — At Least Temporarily?Read More

Washington High Schoolers Won’t Get Litter Crew Jobs This Summer — But Adults Can Apply

By Courtney Flatt March 27, 2020

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

The state Dept. of Ecology will bring the student crews back next summer. But the agency will will hire more adult crews, ages 18 and up, to pick up litter. There won’t be as many openings as with youth workers because the adults will work longer than three weeks. Read More

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Promises Executive Action On Climate After GOP Legislative Walkout

By Dirk VanderHart March 9, 2020

People gather on the steps of the Oregon Capitol in Salem for a rally for climate action on Feb. 11, 2020. CREDIT: Kaylee Domzalski/OPB

For the second year in a row, Democrats’ signature bill for instituting a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was stymied by a Republican walkout. Now, the focus falls on Gov. Kate Brown. Continue Read More

Climate Stewardship Connects Eastern Washington Faith And Farming To Legislative Action In Olympia

By Courtney Flatt March 5, 2020

Church members at Richland’s Shalom United Church of Christ sing environmental hymns during a service on Feb. 9, 2020, that addressed environmental issues, such as climate change. CREDIT: Courtney Flatt/NWPB

Climate change isn’t a new topic for progressive churches like Shalom United Church of Christ in Richland. But it is perhaps tinged with new urgency. Survey results from the Pew Research Center show that congregations are delving into environmental awareness recently. And so are farmers. Read More

Alaska Feels The Brunt As Investors Promise Retreat On Fossil Fuels

By NPR News March 1, 2020

JPMorgan Chase is the latest investor to say it won't finance drilling in Alaska's Arctic. Some welcome the move, but there's also concern in a state that depends heavily on oil revenue. Continue Reading Alaska Feels The Brunt As Read More

Scientists Gather To Study Risks Of Microplastic Pollution In Northwest Waters

By NWPB News February 24, 2020

Microplastic fibers, like this one from an Oregon river, are less than 5mm and often show up in vivid color under the microscope. CREDIT: TODD SONFLIETH / OPB

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. Read More

Jeff Bezos Pledges $10 Billion To Fight Climate Change

By NPR News February 18, 2020

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced Monday he would spend $10 billion of his own fortune to launch a global initiative to fight climate change. He is photographed here in front of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October. CREDIT: Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Amazon, the company Bezos founded and heads, has come under increasing scrutiny for its own carbon footprint. Continue Reading Jeff Bezos Pledges $10 Billion To Fight Climate ChangeRead 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

Clean Water Protection Businesses Could Dry Up As Trump Administration Rolls Back Regulations

By NPR News February 2, 2020

Water emerges from the headwaters of Nevada Spring Creek at around 44 degrees year-round. A mitigation bank provided private money to reconnect it to Montana's Blackfoot River and to restore a prized trout fishing habitat. CREDIT: Nick Mott/Montana Public Radio

The Trump administration is stripping clean water protections put in place by President Barack Obama, and some in the industry worry that the regulatory changes will threaten their business. Continue Reading Clean Read More

Student Mini-Docs

By Murrow News 8 Staff January 23, 2020

Four unique mini-docs that look at motherhood in higher education, police and drone technology, protecting our own backyard and WSU women's rowing. These unique mini-documentaries were produced, directed and edited by students of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. Continue Read More

Youth-Led Climate Lawsuit ‘Reluctantly’ Dismissed By Federal 9th Circuit Appeals Court

By NPR News January 20, 2020

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday the young plaintiffs had "made a compelling case that action is needed," but they did not have legal standing to bring the case. Continue Reading Read More

2020 Brings New Protections For West Coast Seafloor Habitat

By Cassandra Profita January 12, 2020

Rocky reefs off the Oregon coast provide valuable habitat for rockfish and other marine life. Courtesy of Oceana

Regulations that began Jan. 1 restrict bottom trawl fishing on about 90% of the seafloor off Washington, Oregon and California. Continue Reading 2020 Brings New Protections For West Coast Seafloor HabitatRead More

How The Trump Administration’s Environmental Policy Rollback Affects The Northwest

By Cassandra Profita January 10, 2020

Fish advocates say sending water through spill bays is the best way to ensure fish survival through dams in the Columbia and Snake rivers. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA

A new Trump administration plan to scale back a bedrock environmental law could affect all kinds of projects in the Northwest, including timber sales, hydroelectric dams, and large energy developments like the controversial Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas project with its 235-mile Pacific Connector pipeline. Read More

Video: Mexico’s Most Active Volcano Erupts, Spews Ash Cloud Nearly 20,000 Feet

By NPR News January 10, 2020

The dramatic explosion of Popocatépetl, about 40 miles south of Mexico City, sent columns of ash and debris shooting into the sky. Continue Reading Video: Mexico’s Most Active Volcano Erupts, Spews Ash Cloud Nearly 20,000 Read More

California Will Enforce The Energy-Efficient Lightbulb Rule President Trump Wants To Reverse

By NPR News January 1, 2020

Jack George, an employee at Royal Lighting, looks at chandeliers using incandescent light bulbs at the store in Los Angeles. A federal judge is allowing California to enforce updated efficiency standards that will affect such specialty lightbulbs. CREDIT: Jae C. Hong/AP

California and other states are challenging the Trump administration over its reversal of standards for energy-efficient lightbulbs. Continue Reading California Will Enforce The Energy-Efficient Lightbulb Rule President Trump Read More

Judge Rules In Favor Of Exxon In Climate Change Fraud Case

By NPR News December 10, 2019

Environmental activists rally outside of New York Supreme Court in October in Manhattan, the first day of the trial accusing ExxonMobil of misleading shareholders about its climate change accounting. CREDIT: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In a three-week trial, New York state prosecutors argued that the oil company had downplayed the financial risks it faces from possible climate regulation. Attorney General Letitia James said doing so made Exxon's assets appear more secure than they really were, which in turn affected its share price and defrauded investors. Read More

Nature’s ‘Brita Filter’ Is Dying And Nobody Knows Why

By NPR News December 8, 2019

A recently dead pheasantshell mussel is rotting in its shell. Snails, crawfish and other river inhabitants will eat the flesh. "Nothing goes to waste," says Virginia biologist Tim Lane. CREDIT: Nathan Rott/NPR

A mysterious die-off of freshwater mussels has scientists scrambling to find a cause. Freshwater mussels clean water and provide habitat to countless other species. Continue Reading Nature’s ‘Brita Filter’ Is Dying And Nobody Knows WhyRead More

Wildlife Managers Look To Save Salmon Habitat In Washington’s Chehalis Basin

By Courtney Flatt November 27, 2019

Adult fall Chinook salmon in the Priest Rapids Hatchery. CREDIT: PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY

Biologists say, if things continue, salmon may be extinct from the basin by next century. That’s why they’re coming up with a plan to help restore the area’s 3,400 miles of streams and rivers – which are also home to the largest diversity of amphibians in the state. Read More

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

By Monica Samayoa November 24, 2019

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