Oregonians encouraged to sign up for SOLVE’s ‘Oregon Spring Cleanup’
Join thousands of Oregonians this Earth Day for the Oregon Spring Cleanup, presented by Portland General Electric.
Continue ReadingEnvironment
WA greenhouse gas allowance auction raises estimated $300M
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington state’s first auction of greenhouse-gas pollution allowances has generated an estimated $300 million as companies, consumers and the Legislature get a glimpse of the cost of emitting greenhouse gases that are increasing climate catastrophes. On Tuesday the Department of Ecology announced it had sold all of its almost 6.2 million allowances,
Continue Reading
Bend-La Pine students going green on the road: District’s first electric school bus is on the job
Riding on a school bus just became eco-friendly in Central Oregon. Students from Bend-La Pine Schools hopped on the district’s first electric school bus on Tuesday.
Continue ReadingCountries agree on historic oceans treaty to protect the high seas
By Laura Paddison, CNN Nearly 200 countries have agreed to a legally-binding “high seas treaty” to protect marine life in international waters, which cover around half of the planet’s surface, but have long been essentially lawless. The agreement was signed on Saturday evening after two weeks of negotiations at the United Nations headquarters in New
Continue Reading
OSU receives grant to explore carbon sequestration in 3D-printed building materials
Oregon State University and Sandia National Laboratory have received a three-year, $540,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to explore capturing carbon dioxide from industrial emissions and sequestering it in a mineralized form in 3D-printed building materials.
Continue Reading
OSU researchers develop catalyst that purifies herbicide-tainted water, produces hydrogen
Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Science have developed a dual-purpose catalyst that purifies herbicide-tainted water while also producing hydrogen.
Continue Reading
BLM seeks public input on stepped-up aquatic, riparian restoration projects east of the Cascades
The Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington said Friday it is asking for input on plans to step up its aquatic and riparian restoration activities on lands east of the Cascades.
Continue Reading
ABC’s and EVs: Bend-La Pine Schools rolls out Oregon’s first electric school bus east of the Cascades
The first electric school bus for Bend-La Pine Schools — and the first east of the Cascades — is ready to hit the streets of Central Oregon, the district announced Wednesday.
Continue Reading
USFWS releases draft recovery plan for Oregon spotted frog, begins 60-day public comment period
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday the availability of a draft recovery plan for the Oregon spotted frog and a 60-day public comment period.
Continue Reading
9th Circuit denies emergency bid to halt Nevada lithium mine
By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — A federal appeals court refused Wednesday to block construction of the largest lithium mine in the U.S. while it considers claims by Nevada conservationists and tribes that the government illegally approved it in a rush to produce raw materials for electric vehicle batteries. The 9th U.S.
Continue Reading
Black Butte Ranch appeals Oregon DEQ’s $5,100 fine over higher ammonia discharges into Indian Ford Creek
The Black Butte Ranch resort is appealing part of a $5,100 fine imposed earlier this year by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for exceeding ammonia limits in its wastewater discharge into Indian Ford Creek, noting that it self-reported the issue and resolved it as quickly as possible.
Continue Reading
OSU-led study shows blue whale foraging, reproduction related to environmental conditions
A new study of New Zealand blue whales’ vocalizations indicates the whales are present year-round in the South Taranaki Bight and their behavior is influenced by environmental conditions in the region.
Continue ReadingUS judge won’t block huge lithium mine on Nevada-Oregon line
By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — A federal judge has sided again with the Biden administration and a Canadian-based mining company in a high-stakes legal battle with environmentalists and tribal leaders trying to block a huge lithium mine in Nevada near the Oregon line. U.S. District Judge Miranda Du in Reno denied
Continue Reading
Study: Sea stars can consume kelp-eating urchins fast enough to protect kelp forests
A research team including a scientist from Oregon State University has provided the first experimental evidence that a species of endangered sea star protects kelp forests along North America’s Pacific Coast by preying on substantial numbers of kelp-eating urchins.
Continue Reading
As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are adjusting their migration patterns, OSU researchers say
NEWPORT, Ore. (KTVZ) – As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are staying north of the Bering Strait more frequently, a shift that could affect the long-term health of the bowhead population and impact the Indigenous communities that rely on the whales, a new study by Oregon State University researchers shows. Bowhead whales
Continue ReadingFederal agency proposes California spotted owl protection
By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal wildlife officials on Wednesday announced a proposal to classify one of two dwindling California spotted owl populations as endangered after a lawsuit by conservation groups required the government to reassess a Trump administration decision not to protect the brown and white birds. The U.S.
Continue Reading
‘We’re still in a drought status’: Deschutes County commissioners approve drought declaration
Deschutes County commissioners met Wednesday morning to adopt a countywide state of emergency that brings continued attention to the ongoing drought the county and region still faces.
Continue Reading
Senators say Oregon to get $18.9 million to address ’emerging contaminants’ in drinking water
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., this week announced Oregon will receive $18.9 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address emerging contaminants like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water.
Continue ReadingNew emergency bid to appeal, block huge Nevada lithium mine
By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — Conservationists are seeking an emergency court order to block construction of a Nevada lithium mine after a U.S. judge directed a federal agency to revisit part of its approval of the plans but allowed construction to go forward in the meantime. Four environmental groups want U.S.
Continue Reading
OSU-led researchers develop machine learning model to improve carbon storage estimates in the Amazon
A collaboration led by an Oregon State University College of Forestry researcher has used very-high-resolution satellite imagery to develop a machine learning model that aims to improve climate scientists’ ability to estimate aboveground carbon stocks in the Amazon.
Continue Reading