"A federal judge in Oregon has ordered narrow changes to hydropower dam operations on the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest in order to help salmon, saying the Trump administration’s plans for the massive structures would harm salmon runs that are 'disappearing from the landscape.'”
"Daniel Poleschook Jr. looked out of his window at Washington state’s Loon Lake and saw something unusual: A deer was stranded in the middle of it."
"A staffing exodus at Olympic National Park has put salmon recovery efforts in jeopardy."
"Federal energy regulators last Thursday greenlit a roughly $2 billion renewable energy megaproject on a Yakama Nation sacred site overlooking the Columbia River in Klickitat County."
Seattle’s heavily polluted Duwamish River is no place to catch fish — except for salmon, which pass quickly through these troubled waters on their way from the sea to their freshwater spawning grounds. With fishing pole in hand, environmental journalist Alex Brown joins jostling crowds of industrial-zone anglers and catches a firsthand view of a spectacle that is both anomalous and awe-inspiring.
"Firefighters sometimes use a special type of foam to put out fires caused by flammable liquids, like gases or solvents. But that foam contains “forever chemicals,” or PFAs."
"The Trump administration has ordered another aging, costly coal plant to keep operating past its long-planned retirement date — this time in Centralia, Washington."
"Low snowpack, leftover burn scars, and abnormally warm temperatures are supercharging the atmospheric rivers hitting the Pacific Northwest."
"Surging floodwaters turned farmland into vast pools, washed out bridges and prompted rescues of people stranded in cars and homes across Washington state on Thursday, as tens of thousands of people were under evacuation orders and authorities hoped levees would hold and prevent far worse damage."
Explore our 10th annual Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy, as we scour the beat to identify 15 top stories to put on your radar for 2026. Our updated format for the special report provides a quick read and a broad scope — with insights on climate change and environmental justice, bird and insect declines, data centers and deep sea mining, deregulation and PFAS and much more. Get started here.
