Environment
Climate change likely playing role in 40% drop in Pacific gray whale population
Scientists are investigating the causes of a nearly 40% decline in the Pacific gray whales that pass along the Oregon Coast each winter and spring on their way from Baja, Mexico to the Arctic. One primary suspect is food scarcity with Arctic feeding grounds impacted by warming temperatures and the loss of sea ice from […]
Federal energy agency approves plan to remove Klamath River’s dams
A nearly two-decade campaign to remove hydroelectric dams and restore threatened and endangered fish on the lower Klamath River has cleared its final hurdle. On Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the plan to remove four dams on the lower Klamath River, saying it was in the public interest. The commission is made up […]
OSU professor awarded $3 million federal grant to produce a sustainable battery without scarce metals
The metals found in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles could become scarce in the decades ahead as demand increases. So Xiulei “David” Ji, an Oregon State University chemistry professor, and a team of OSU scientists set out to find alternatives. After a decade investigating and experimenting with battery chemistry and storage, including working […]
Oregon environmental commission rules out air pollution regulations for large dairies
Dairies with hundreds of cows won’t face regulations for air pollution for now, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission decided. The five governor-appointed commissioners made the ruling Wednesday in response to an August petition filed by two-dozen environmental, animal welfare and social justice groups that asked the state to regulate harmful emissions from dairies with 700 […]
Nearly 90% of West depends on national forests, grasslands for drinking water
Western states and cities are more reliant on drinking water from U.S. Forest Service lands than previously known. A first-of-its-kind study by the Forest Service reveals how some of the largest public water systems in the country rely on surface waters from the federal agency’s land. The agency plans to use the new data to […]
NW Natural scraps plans for blended hydrogen and natural gas project in Eugene
Oregon’s first green hydrogen production project has been shelved after public pushback over potential environmental and health impacts. NW Natural, the state’s largest natural gas provider, had proposed to the Oregon Public Utilities Commission in August a plan to create green hydrogen to blend into its natural gas. The company would have pumped the blended […]
14 Oregon UPS facilities fined for hazardous waste violations as part of nationwide settlement with EPA
More than a dozen UPS distribution and transportation centers in Oregon have been fined by the Environmental Protection Agency for violating federal hazardous waste reporting and disposal rules. The fines, for $4,589 each or just over $64,000 collectively, are part of a nationwide settlement that the global delivery company reached with EPA. In total, United […]
Oregonians favor environmental protection, candidates who will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, survey finds
Most Oregonians would prioritize protecting the environment to spur economic growth, rather than rolling back environmental regulations on companies, according to a new survey. Most also said they would vote for candidates in the November general election who are committed to reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. About 1,500 adults participated between Sept. 13 to […]
Oregon natural gas providers raising residential rates up as much as 25% this fall
Oregonians relying on natural gas for home heating and cooking will be paying significantly more this winter. On Nov. 1, NW Natural, the state’s largest natural gas utility, will raise residential rates about 14%, and then another 11% in March, affecting about 600,000 people. Avista will increase gas rates for its 105,000 residential customers by […]
VOTE 2022: Governor candidates weigh in: How green Oregon should go?
Oregon’s gubernatorial race pits three candidates with two climate philosophies and asks one policy question to voters in November: How green is green enough? Wildfires loom, groundwater is disappearing and the tenor of Oregon’s response to the most destructive symptoms of human-caused climate change hinges on a tight contest for the governor’s chair. Whoever wins […]
Number of human-caused wildfires in Oregon down nearly 20%
The 2022 wildfire season in Oregon has been among the mildest in the last decade, with human-caused fires down nearly 20% from the 10-year average, according to state data. Humans are the number one cause of wildfires in Oregon and across the country. The Oregon Department of Forestry credits the decline to a wetter than […]
For offshore wind aspirations to become reality, transmission hurdles must be cleared
President Joe Biden’s administration laid out ambitious additional goals last month to boost offshore wind power generation, one of the American renewable energy industry’s emerging wide open frontiers. The federal announcements come as coastal states across the country are increasingly setting offshore wind energy targets, seeking to capture not just clean energy but the potentially […]