A billion-dollar, taxpayer-funded enterprise to kickstart a clean hydrogen industry in the Pacific Northwest took another hit due to energy companies getting cold feet. 

The Forest Service claims it recently reached 99% of its firefighting hiring goal, with almost 11,300 wildland firefighters. But a recent ProPublica investigation and internal communications obtained by High Country News paint a grimmer picture than what the public is seeing. 

Washington state Department of Ecology’s Washington Conservation Corps is recruiting young adults ages 18-25 and military veterans or those with a sensory or mental disability of any age to fill more than 250 positions across the state. 

The Corps of Engineers has issued a five-year construction license to the Benton Conservation District for a $1.2 million project to improve fish habitat.  

Thinking about making some energy efficiency improvements for your home or considering buying a new or used electric car? You may need to act fast to take advantage of a slew of energy tax credits that are expiring. 

Some of the recreation areas associated with dams on the Snake River will reopen for the fall season after being closed earlier in the year due to staffing shortages. 

A new cap on federal reimbursement of state energy programs threatens energy efficiency and energy grid resiliency itself, according to a lawsuit filed by Washington’s attorney general along with 17 other states and the District of Columbia. 

Highlights from the state’s first year of documenting native pollinators include a record-size carpenter bee found in Benton County and the discovery of a bee species in central Washington that was previously known only from colonies in the Tri-Cities area. 

Franklin County, along with Grant County, recorded no precipitation in June, making it the driest June on record. 

A national trade organization is excited to shine the spotlight on Hanford federal business opportunities at an upcoming conference in the Tri-Cities.