Environment
Environment
As Many People Stay Home, Will The Environment Improve — At Least Temporarily?
Will the current lull in activity make a difference in the air we breathe or the future of climate change?
Washington And Oregon Close State Parks Over…Well, You Know By Now
You’ll have to put off your favorite hike on Washington public lands for at least two weeks. State-managed parks and wildlife areas are closing starting Wednesday, March 25.
Meetings On Future Of Snake River Dams Now Teleconferences: Here’s How To Access
If you want to attend public hearings on the federal government’s plan to manage the Columbia and Snake River dams, you’ll have to do it by phone. The previously scheduled in-person meetings are now teleconferences.
Washington Lawmakers Stop Short Of Banning Pesticide Linked To Neurological Problems
Washington regulators must soon consider rules to limit the use of a controversial pesticide that can cause neurological and health problems, especially in young children. A bill passed by state lawmakers this session didn’t outright ban the pesticide, as health and farmworker activists had proposed.
The Mountain Wildflowers Are Out (Earlier): How Climate Change May Affect Tourist Season At Rainier
The wildflower season at Mount Rainier National Park was short in 2015. Some of the lupines stopped flowering and didn’t make seeds like they normally do. The shorter season also meant fewer people saw peak blooms. A new study looks at how winter changes may affect tourist season at Washington’s iconic park.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Promises Executive Action On Climate After GOP Legislative Walkout
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.
Climate Stewardship Connects Eastern Washington Faith And Farming To Legislative Action In Olympia
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.
States Take The Wheel Promoting Electric Cars. Not Everyone (Especially Oil Companies) Is On Board
There are nearly 1.5 million electric vehicles in the U.S. today. E.V. boosters want more government incentives to increase that. With little federal movement states like New Jersey are taking action.
Do Thinning And Prescribed Burns Help? New Study Following 2014 Carlton Complex Fire Says Yes
Researchers began their detective work, trying to figure out what happened to these treated areas during the first few extreme days of the Carlton Complex fire. They gathered geospatial maps and satellite images.
Alaska Feels The Brunt As Investors Promise Retreat On Fossil Fuels
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.
Draft Federal Plan Recommends Keeping Lower Snake River Dams In Place
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration laid out a range of six alternatives in a draft environmental impact statement. The most controversial measure would have been to remove or alter the four Lower Snake River dams.
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.
