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Low pesticide levels found near salmon
Seattle Times
03/18/2010
Low pesticide concentrations, generally below levels that violate water quality standards, have been detected in five Washington watersheds where salmon are found. Levels at some sites may harm aquatic life that serves as a food source for salmon.
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EPA's focus on kids' enviro health lapses
USA Today
03/17/2010
During the past decade, the EPA's commitment to keeping children safe from toxic chemicals has lapsed, and top officials routinely ignored scores of recommendations by the agency's own children's health advisory committee.
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Portland backs $20 million for bikes and bioswales
Oregonian
03/17/2010
The Portland City Council voted today to spend $20 million in sewer contract savings to help build new bike lanes. The vote was unanimous, despite grumbling from the public.
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Views: Law is a boost to fluorescent light recycling
Olympian
03/18/2010
The 2010 Washington state Legislature has passed a bill that will make it much easier for residents to recycle their used fluorescent lights. This legislation is attractive on several fronts.
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Views: Rainwater runoff the key to a green city
Victoria Times Colonist
03/17/2010
Stormwater runoff carries vast quantities of pollution into our streams and oceans. But rainwater management practices have recently been developed that make the 21st-century green city possible. Instead of relying heavily on pipes and concrete, this new approach relies upon soil, trees and open space to naturally absorb, store, evaporate and filter rainwater.
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Poll: Worries about environment hit low
USA Today
03/16/2010
Americans' worries about environmental issues have hit a 20-year low, largely because of economic concerns, according to a Gallup Poll released Tuesday. Fewer adults worry "a great deal" about each of eight issues surveyed, including toxic waste, air pollution and global warming, than a year ago.
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Spokane tunes up fleet's eco-friendly quotient
Spokesman Review
03/16/2010
The city of Spokane is getting an oil change as part of its effort to promote environmental sustainability. Officials recently announced that the city's 1'400 vehicles will now be running on re-refined motor oil, a product made from waste oil.
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WA considers stopping some mosquito spraying
Seattle Times
03/15/2010
Citing its toxicity to fish and other wetland animals, the state Department of Ecology is considering banning the spraying of insecticides that target adult mosquitoes near rivers, ponds and lakes.
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Oil company to pay $588,000 to settle spill claim
Seattle Times
03/15/2010
A subsidiary of ConocoPhillips Co. has agreed to pay $588,000 to help compensate the public for environmental harm caused by a crude oil spill that marred 21 miles of Puget Sound shoreline near Tacoma, the Washington Department of Ecology said Monday.
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Proposed Metro Vancouver incinerator could harm health
Vancouver Sun
03/16/2010
Emissions from a proposed waste incinerator in Metro Vancouver could have negative effects on human health, a University of British Columbia report says.
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Gold claims upend Oregon wilderness
Oregonian
03/14/2010
Some are aghast at a plans to dredge one of Oregon's purest rivers for gold and helicoptering crews into a wilderness area to do it. But a neatly barbered real estate developer from Washington state says historic mining law won't let anyone interfere.
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WA environmental bills that lived and died
KPLU
03/14/2010
In the regular legislative session that just wrapped up in Olympia, Washington lawmakers considered a raft of environmental proposals. Here's what passed, and what didn't.
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Less poison really is...deadly
Toronto Globe and Mail
03/14/2010
For 500 years, science has believed that we can tolerate a little bit of almost kind of any poison. Those days may be gone.
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Study: Cruise ships spew toxins in Victoria
The Tyee
03/15/2010
Cruise ship tourists milling about the streets of Victoria BC are more likely to encounter inviting smiles than frowns. But many residents worry about air pollution from the big vessels - and a newly available study appears to confirm those fears, tripling the previous official estimate of local toxic sulphur dioxide emissions.
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Kerry: Energy bill more about jobs
AP
03/14/2010
Sen. John Kerry, hoping to win over wavering senators, said he is pushing environmental reforms to create jobs and spark energy independence, with climate benefits "along for the ride." Legislation crafted by key senators will differ from a House bill that embraces a cap and trade approach to reduce global warming pollution.
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Ocean acidification: new path to carbon limits?
Christian Science Monitor
03/12/2010
Move over global warming. Ocean acidification is getting its day in court. In a legal settlement, the EPA has agreed to help states test coastal waters for acidity, and to weigh whether to tighten rules on carbon emissions to address ocean acidification.
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Biomass: Boon or burden?
Oregonian
03/11/2010
Burning wood, or "biomass" is civilization's oldest form of generating energy and is now seen as one of Oregon's best options for generating reliable, home-grown electricity that doesn't come from fossil fuels. But community and environmental activists are raising questions about the wisdom of treating wood energy as green power.
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Global warming's 'evil twin'
Corvallis Gazette-Times
03/11/2010
The US Environmental Protection Agency will consider ways the states can address rising acidity levels in oceans, which poses a serious threat to shellfish and other marine life and has been called "global warming's evil twin."
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Hazardous-chemicals tax gaining momentum
Seattle Times
03/10/2010
Environmentalists seeking to clean up Puget Sound may be on the verge of a major political victory, with a proposal to boost the state's hazardous-substances tax to deal with polluted stormwater gaining traction in the closing days of the legislative session.
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Washington is first to tackle toxic copper in brakes
Kitsap Sun
03/10/2010
Washington state has done it again, being the first state in the country to take a legal stand against a toxic chemical. The Legislature this week voted to phase out cooper in brake pads. It also finalized rules banning bisphenol A in baby bottles and sports bottles.
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The most toxic home products
Forbes
03/10/2010
You expect to find toxic chemicals in cleaning products and pesticides. But you wouldn't think toxins could be in your bed -- or worse yet, your infant's crib.
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Oil industry still fighting clean water tax
Publicola
03/09/2010
Environmental lobbyists dramatically reduced a proposed tax increase on toxic chemicals to try to win approval from Washington lawmakers. But the oil industry is still fighting the plan, which would help cleanup polluted stormwater.
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Hanford health program still has complaints
Tri-City Herald
03/09/2010
A US program pays $150,000 to workers with cancer because of radiation exposure at Hanford and up to $250,000 for illnesses caused by hazardous chemicals. But ill workers can find it overwhelming to gather the information needed for their claims.
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Obama wants more nuclear power, but what about the waste?
Crosscut
03/09/2010
The administration is trying to get out of plans for storing waste at Nevada's Yucca Mountain, at the same time as the president wants more nuclear plants to generate electricity. Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna is dubious about this, and where it might leave Hanford.
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Industrial fluid suspected in BC's Fraser River fish deaths
Toronto Globe and Mail
03/09/2010
Environment Canada and the city of Burnaby are looking into an incident where as many as a thousand young fish died in an urban creek that empties into the Fraser River.
It's believed the fish were killed by a hazardous material -- possibly an industrial cleanser -- poured into a nearby storm drain, which then flowed into the creek.
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