Environment

Electric vehicle sales up in Oregon thanks to incentives, report says

BY: - September 26, 2023

More Oregonians than ever are buying electric cars and the state is poised to see a major influx, in part because of friendly state and federal policies, according to a new report by the Oregon Department of Energy. Almost 70,000 electric vehicles are registered in Oregon, up from 38,000 in 2021, analysts wrote in a […]

Idaho Department of Agriculture confirms invasive mussel species in Snake River near Twin Falls

BY: - September 25, 2023

The Idaho Department of Agriculture is asking the public to stay out of the water in the Centennial Waterfront Park area in Twin Falls as it has confirmed the presence of quagga mussel larvae in the Snake River. In a press release last week, the department said multiple samples of quagga mussel at larval life […]

Green renewable hydrogen needed urgently, leaders say, but industry faces challenges

BY: - September 25, 2023

To meet emissions reduction targets and tackle climate change, Oregon will need to build a clean and renewable hydrogen industry as fast as possible, according to state leaders. But they face challenges that could take years to overcome. That was one of the takeaways from an industry conference last week in Portland that was sponsored […]

A fire large enough to be seen from space erupted at a crude oil refinery at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex on June 21, 2019, in Philadelphia. The refinery exceeded emission limits for benzene, a toxic pollutant, both before the explosion and for two years after it closed, but the EPA took no action against it, according to a report from the EPA’s inspector general office.

Report faults EPA for not enforcing limits on toxic benzene emissions at oil refineries

BY: - September 25, 2023

The federal Environmental Protection Agency must do a better job ensuring that oil refineries that exceed emissions limits for benzene, a toxic, carcinogenic pollutant, cut those concentrations, the agency’s inspector general found. “Thirteen of the 118 refineries we reviewed had benzene concentrations above the action level in 20 or more weeks after the initial exceedance,” […]

Gray wolves are in Oregon and Washington.

The latest clash over managing Washington’s wolves

BY: - September 23, 2023

Eleven conservation groups are asking Washington state to tighten its guidelines for when wolves that attack livestock can be killed. The groups are concerned too many wolves are dying needlessly under the current system. Their petition to Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission describes the existing standards the state uses to authorize lethal action against the […]

COMMENTARY

National officials should spark prescribed burns on federal lands to mitigate extreme fire seasons

BY: - September 21, 2023

When I was a former wildland firefighter between 2008 and 2011, peak fire season would migrate north in late summer, to our district in eastern Oregon, but the critical practice of prescribed burning was infrequently used in our region. Twelve years later, the fire seasons still migrate north, and millions of acres continue to be […]

U.S. Senate panel grapples with how to ensure access to water amid Western drought

BY: - September 20, 2023

Decades of drought in the West has made water quality and quantity a major issue requiring government funding and innovation to fix, members of a U.S. Senate panel said Wednesday. Demand for water in growing municipalities is stretching agricultural and tribal communities, while shrinking availability is leading to higher water prices, witnesses told the Senate […]

The Tillamook State Forest as seen from the summit of King's Mountain. Bare patches mark spots that have been clearcut. (Oregon Department of Forestry/Flickr)

NASA imagery shows scale, impact of logging in drinking watersheds on Oregon Coast

BY: - September 19, 2023

Oregon’s coastal communities that rely on drinking water from forested rivers and creeks have lost substantial tree cover during the last 20 years, a recent NASA analysis found. That’s bad news for residents and the environment, the report indicates. Forests not only improve the quality of surface waters, but also the quantity. They prevent erosion, […]

Conservation groups call for an end to aging Umpqua River dam after emergency fish salvage

BY: - September 18, 2023

For two days in early August, a dozen staff from the natural resources department of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians walked along the banks of the north Umpqua River, grabbing small, eel-like fish that were squirming in the mud.  They were trying to save the young Pacific lamprey left exposed by […]

Oregon youth join global climate strike, call on governor to declare emergency

BY: - September 14, 2023

Young people across the state are organizing to demand that Gov. Tina Kotek declare an emergency over climate change, with protests and marches Friday in five Oregon cities as part of action across the country and worldwide. Youth from more than 20 environmental organizations are leading the action. They want local, state and federal officials […]

EXCLUSIVE: Investigation finds BNSF railway at fault for Tunnel 5 Fire

BY: - September 11, 2023

This story was originally published by Columbia Insight. On July 2, just east of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Tunnel 5 in Skamania County, Washington, a blaze eventually designated as the Tunnel 5 Fire was ignited. Burning adjacent to heavily traveled Washington State Route 14 in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, the fire […]

Eleven of the 16 youth plaintiffs in the Held v. Montana case pose for a photo after the fifth day of the trial on Friday, June 16, 2023.

Oregon lawsuit by youth over climate inaction not likely to be helped by judicial win in Montana

BY: - September 11, 2023

Young activists in Oregon involved in a long-running lawsuit against the U.S. government over climate inaction won’t have their case helped by a recent win for Montana youth, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The 21 plaintiffs in Oregon suing the federal government for violating their constitutional right to life, liberty and property by allowing […]