methane Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

The Secret Life Of Trees: Researchers Probe Methane In Washington’s Coastal Forests

By Courtney Flatt March 9, 2021

Sequim-based researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have measured methane in trees and compared that to what’s escaping through the wood. Matt Norwood studied trees in Washington’s coastal forests and the East Coast. Courtesy of Matt Norwood/PNNL

Trees have a little secret you might not know about. Yes, they produce oxygen. Yes, they take in carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. But, they also emit methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that can be significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.Read More

In Surprise Reversal, Jay Inslee Opposes Washington Natural Gas Projects

By Molly Solomon May 9, 2019

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has reported raising $112,000 for a federal PAC that will allow him to explore running for president. CREDIT: OFFICE OF GOV. JAY INSLEE

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has changed his stance on two proposed fossil fuel plants, including a $2 billion gas-to-methanol project in southwest Washington.Read More

Bubble Hunters: Ocean Scientists Count 1,000 Methane Seeps Off Pacific Northwest Coast

By Tom Banse August 31, 2018

Oregon-based researchers deployed an ROV to sample methane vents off the Pacific Northwest coast this summer. CREDIT: OCEAN EXPLORATION TRUST

Ocean researchers have found nearly 1,000 methane seep sites along the continental shelf of the Pacific Northwest. The bubble streams could be a sign of offshore energy potential, represent a greenhouse gas threat — or be neither of those things at all.Read More