Category Environment & Agriculture
Environmentalists, customers raise concerns over new NW Natural hydrogen project to lower emissions
The state’s largest natural gas utility is attempting to blend low-emission hydrogen into natural gas in Portland to fight climate change, but many say it’s a bad bet.
Brooks garbage incinerator fined for exceeding emissions limits
State regulators said the Brooks plant, which is contracted by Marion County to dispose of much of the county’s garbage, exceeded acceptable pollutant emission levels on multiple occasions. The company has until Sept. 5 to pay the $22,800 fine.
Climate change a growing public health threat in Oregon, but state adapting, report finds
More Oregonians are visiting emergency rooms because of the impacts of excessive heat and poor quality from wildfires. Rural and elderly Oregonians and Oregonains of color are hit hardest.
New wildfire hazard map will be released with few changes after yearlong makeover
An assessment of wildfire hazards across Oregon landscapes is getting a new name after drawing the ire of property owners previously identified as high risk.
Conservation groups suing federal agency over plight of red tree voles
Red tree voles, which live in tree tops and eat conifer needles, used to be abundant on Oregon’s north coast and are considered a marker of forest health.
Southeast Salem Home Depot distribution center fined for mislabeling hazardous waste
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined Southeast Salem’s Home Depot warehouse and distribution center over $25,000 for failing to determine whether it was generating hazardous waste over a three year period.
Despite mild fire season forecast, agencies tell Oregon leaders they need to invest in workforce
Agency officials said firefighters are hard to hire and retain, and are often left to sleep in their trucks or camp on the job due to a lack of housing.
Northwest leaders try again for more federal money for prescribed burns to prevent wildfire
Sen. Ron Wyden is seeking a third to direct hundreds of millions of federal dollars for prescribed burning to the Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Climate change devastating to some marine species, OSU study indicates
Certain species failed to recover after a near record heat wave that stretched from Alaska to Baja California and an epidemic that decimated certain starfish populations.