Homeland Security’s ‘welfare’ check on Idaho migrant students raises school privacy questions
In other parts of the country, the welfare checks have resulted in children being taken out of their homes and put back into government custody
Environment
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
The U.S. government sold off these aging ships — leaving states in the Pacific Northwest to pay the price
Washington, Oregon officials say they’ve spent millions removing or destroying abandoned vessels
Pressure builds on Army Corps to produce years-late reports on Willamette River Basin dams
New federal study shows dams harming endangered salmon as Congress pushed for action
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
A tale of two workers: Heat deaths on the job provoke differing responses in Oregon, Idaho
One state adopted worker protections and saw deaths drop, while the other took no action
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
Idaho residents still seeing impacts of decades-old nuclear test fallout
‘The fight isn’t over’: Idaho downwinders persist after Congress cuts compensation for them.
In an era of climate change, Alaska’s predators fall prey to politics
With Alaska's wildlife numbers declining, agencies are blaming — and culling — predators. The true threat is much more complex.
Washington Law Attempts to Fill the Void in Federal Regulation of Hazardous Chemicals
With a years-long backlog in the U.S. government’s risk assessments of thousands of potentially hazardous chemicals, the new law requires companies to disclose what chemicals are used in their products.
NW states, tribes reach ‘historic’ deal with feds over Columbia River Basin fish and dams
Settlement agreement calls for a 10-year pause in legal fighting over salmon restoration efforts that dates back to the 1990s.