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Capitol Press by GAIL OBERST
February 14, 2019
HILLSBORO, Ore. — An innovative process that turns wastewater into phosphorous fertilizer granules is simplifying Oregon’s complicated relationship with this essential nutrient.
On one hand, phosphorus is needed for all living things to grow, said Brett Laney, operations analyst for Clean Water Services, headquartered in Hillsboro.
On the other hand, too much phosphorous runoff can create aquatic “dead zones” and algae blooms, overwhelming wildlife habitats and fouling drinking water.
Clean Water Services, […]
Continue reading Phosphorus ‘mined’ from waste water
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press February 7, 2019
A bill requiring Oregon government agencies to protect against “rollbacks” of federal environmental regulations has been dismissed as “political theater” by farm, ranch and timber organizations.
Under House Bill 2250, state natural resource agencies would have to monitor whether changes to federal air and water regulations have fallen short of standards enacted under the Obama administration.
The Department of Environmental Quality and other agencies would then recommend or take actions […]
Continue reading Bill aims to prevent Trump environmental “rollbacks”
By David Steves, OPB
Published: January 31, 2019, 9:38 PM
Climate change is playing out in significant ways in Oregon, with evidence in the form of more severe wildfires, lower summer stream flows and diminishing winter snowpacks, according to the state’s fourth annual climate assessment report.
The report, issued Thursday by the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, made it clear that climate change is no longer something to discuss as part of the Northwest’s future.
It’s happening now — […]
Continue reading Report: Oregon’s 2018 proof of climate change
HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif. — According to the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the federal court of appeals Friday unanimously sided with the Hoopa Valley Tribe, ruling that FERC, the states of California and Oregon, and PacifiCorp can no longer stall dam license conditions to protect fish.
For decades, the Hoopa Valley Tribe has urged aggressive actions to address the degraded water conditions in the Klamath River. PacifiCorp’s FERC license for operation of the Klamath Project which expired in 2006.
Mandatory conditions and […]
Continue reading Hoopa Valley Tribe wins lawsuit against aging Klamath River dams and PacifiCorp
KLAMATH FALLS, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley on Friday hosted a science summit, the Sucker Recovery Summit, to share updates on the health of the species and to discuss possible short-term options to help the Lost River (C’waam) and shortnose (Koptu) suckers survive until long-term solutions take effect.
Merkley developed the Sucker Recovery Summit after meeting earlier this year with Klamath-area stakeholders affected by water resource issues; all parties pointed to sucker survival as a critical element to […]
Continue reading SENATOR MERKLEY HOSTS SCIENCE SUMMIT TO IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS FOR SUCKERS
PORTLAND, Ore.— The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld an Oregon law restricting motorized gold mining in sensitive salmon streams. In 2017 Oregon passed the Suction Dredge Reform Bill (S.B. 3) to protect water quality and fish habitat across the state from damaging suction dredge mining.
“The court correctly ruled that states can protect water quality and wild fish from harmful motorized mining,” said Pete Frost with the Western Environmental Law Center. “This decision supports […]
Continue reading Court Upholds Oregon’s Right to Protect Water, Fish From Destructive River Mining
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued a final certification for the removal of the J.C. Boyle Dam on the Klamath River, according to a press release received Monday from Klamath River Renewal Corporation.
The ODEQ determined removing the dam, located in Klamath County, would improve water quality on the river, restore a more “free-flowing condition” and have long-term benefits for fish populations, according to the press release.
The J.C. Boyle Dam is one […]
Continue reading Oregon issues approval to remove J.C. Boyle Dam on the Klamath River
PORTLAND, Ore.— The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for refusing to recognize that ocean acidification caused by fossil fuel pollution is impairing waterways in Oregon.
Today’s filing notes that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to fulfill its requirement under the Clean Water Act to identify waters impaired by ocean acidification so that they can then be subject to pollution controls and other mitigation measures.
Shellfish and […]
Continue reading Lawsuit Launched Over Federal Failure to Address Ocean Acidification in Oregon
SALEM — Marion County Judge Claudia M. Burton on Monday ruled in favor of the Klamath Irrigation District (KID) by urging the Oregon Water Resources Department to make a determination on the distribution of water in Upper Klamath Lake.
The case stems from a request by KID earlier this year of the state water agency to regulate the water in the lake, a request that KID officials and legal counsel said was not acknowledged.
“The response […]
Continue reading Judge urges state to act on Upper Klamath Lake water distribution
After years of surveys and beach cleanups, microplastics data collected at Fort Stevens State Park and Crescent Beach near Ecola State Park will be at the forefront of an environmental group’s push to influence state policy.
The Center for Biological Diversity, a West Coast nonprofit, is submitting data from several Oregon beaches to the state Department of Environmental Quality in an attempt to list the nearby water as contaminated.
“If the beach is contaminated, there’s good reason to believe the […]
Continue reading Environmental group to use North Coast microplastics data to push for water quality standards
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