Idaho leaders urged to address systemic failures following prison abuse reports
InvestigateWest reporters uncovered years of sexual abuse by women’s prison guards prompting calls for independent investigation
Climate
Developers’ tree-cutting pace surges under contested Seattle tree protection ordinance
Mayor Harrell promised law would get Seattle “back on track,” but new street-tree planting data raises doubts
In wildfire-prone Washington, ‘collaboration’ on forest management gives way to timber interests
Forest collaboratives formed in the wake of the Pacific Northwest’s “Timber Wars” have become major power players operating largely out of the public eye
Seattle claims to ‘protect’ hundreds of trees that were never threatened
Analysis shows fewer than 3% of “protected” trees were actually preserved under the city’s controversial 2023 ordinance
Energy demand from data centers growing faster than West can supply, experts say
In a webinar hosted by regional transmission authorities, data centers were called a “major challenge” for the energy industry, as well as extreme weather
State Agency Met with Oil-by-Rail Firm in Private Ahead of Permit Application
A 2023 DeSmog investigation uncovered a “backroom deal” between Portland city officials and Zenith Energy. New documents show the state environmental regulator also met with the company.
Oregon begins rewriting landmark climate program derailed by gas lawsuit
During the next year, the Department of Environmental Quality will work on a new program to limit climate emissions and help vulnerable communities
Oregon’s first large-scale solar park and farm hinges on 50-year-old land use laws
A farmer behind the state’s first “agrovoltaic” farm says critics cannot stop ‘an idea whose time has come’.
The latest flare-up over Washington’s heat pump rules
A mandate to install electric heat pumps, rather than natural gas, in new homes may be replaced with incentives for builders to make the choice themselves.
What WA’s new wildfire smoke rules might mean for outdoor workers
Washington could be the second state to impose permanent safety regulations, but employers and workplace advocates disagree on the proposal.
How developers helped shape Seattle’s controversial tree protection ordinance
Urban tree advocates question builders’ behind-the-scenes role
An Oregon town is buying surrounding forests to confront wildfires
A logger, forester and former mayor have joined forces to help Butte Falls protect its town and build an economy supported by tourism