Environment
Environment
More Ice And Less Snow Gets A Chilly Reception In Anchorage
As the climate warms, recent winters in Anchorage, Alaska, have seen more ice. The trend is leading to safety concerns and new measures to cope in this city where winter is defined by snow.
West Coast Scores Rare Conservation ‘Home Run’ As Fishery Rebounds From The Brink
After years of fear and uncertainty, bottom trawler fishermen — those who use nets to scoop up rockfish, bocaccio, sole, Pacific Ocean perch and other deep-dwelling fish — are making a comeback here, reinventing themselves as a sustainable industry less than two decades after authorities closed huge stretches of the Pacific Ocean because of the species’ depletion.
Not Logging Some Northwest Forests Could Offset Climate Change, Study Finds
Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of California-Berkeley looked at which forests in the Western United States should be prioritized for preservation under climate change scenarios.
Federal 9th Circuit Court Orders More Action To Protect Salmon And Steelhead In Columbia Basin
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the Environmental Protection Agency must do more to protect Columbia basin salmon and steelhead from dangerously warm river temperatures.
U.S. House And Senate Pass Bills To Compensate Spokane Tribe For Losses From Grand Coulee Dam
The U.S. House voted on Monday to pay compensation to the tribe for its losses when Grand Coulee Dam was built in the 1930s and 1940s.
Columbia River Treaty Renegotiation Brings Out Crowd And Contention In Tri-Cities
The Columbia River Treaty is costing U.S. ratepayers and public utility districts too much. That was the broad sentiment at a sometimes-tense town hall Monday about ongoing treaty negotiations. At the Richland meeting Monday night, negotiating officials laid out the complicated back-and-forth between the U.S. and Canada.
U.N. Climate Summit Goes To Extra Time, But Ends With Major Questions Unresolved
The talks showed deep divisions, as small countries highly vulnerable to rising seas and powerful storms were at odds with wealthy, high-emitting countries like the United States.
Across The West, Communities And Landowners Prepare For Their Own Paradise Wildfire Scenario
It’s been a little over a year since the Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise, which impacted thousands of lives in Northern California. The disaster also alarmed people across the West, who are now asking themselves: Could a fire like that happen here?
It Flew! All-Electric Seaplane Completes Milestone First Flight Near Vancouver, British Columbia
A fully electric seaplane has made its first flight over the mouth of the Fraser River near Vancouver. The maiden flight represents a milestone in the long process of reducing the aviation industry’s emissions, noise and costs by electrifying short-to-medium distance commercial flying.
Judge Rules In Favor Of Exxon In Climate Change Fraud Case
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.
Alaska Cod Fishery Closes And Industry Braces For Ripple Effect
In an unprecedented response to historically low numbers of Pacific cod, the federal cod fishery in the Gulf of Alaska is closing for the 2020 season. The decision, announced Friday, Dec. 6, came as little surprise, but it’s the first time the fishery has closed due to concerns over low stock.
Nature’s ‘Brita Filter’ Is Dying And Nobody Knows Why
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.
