Environment & Sustainability

Rising wildfire risk drives up WA home insurance costs

ty@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Wildfire risk and rising disaster costs are pushing home insurance premiums higher across Washington, with some areas seeing steep increases in recent years and further increase expected through 2026.

Backed by local investors, Tri-Cities biotech startup eyes global market

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

This Tri-Cities startup cracked a problem the agriculture industry has struggled with for years – how to make microbes work as practical, affordable alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. And local investors are working to keep it rooted in the Tri-Cities.

AI could help PNNL pack more nuclear waste into glass

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

With the help of artificial intelligence, research from scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland could help optimize the vitrification of nuclear waste at Hanford and other nuclear sites.

Environmental health is a hidden driver of economic growth

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

In Benton and Franklin counties, a growing effort is underway to better understand how environmental factors influence both community health and the long-term vitality of the local economy.

From typewriters to water filtration, Abadan continues to adapt

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Abadan outlasted the typewriter. The fax machine. Now it wants to filter your water.

Campfires, target shooting restrictions start today on WDFW lands

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

State wildlife officials are implementing restrictions on public lands across the east side of the state weeks earlier than in past years due to low snowpack and the ongoing drought.

Federal judge allows class action over eastern Oregon water pollution to move forward

abaumhardt@americanpublicmedia.org — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Eastern Oregon residents who have lived for years with contaminated water can move forward with a class action lawsuit against the Port of Morrow and large food processors in the area, a federal judge ruled.

PNNL, partners release guide for data center development

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400

As data centers increasingly dominate conversations around the country, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and two partners have published a one-stop shop to help guide development.

Washington begins annual invasive pest survey

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Of the agency’s top priorities is the eradication of Japanese beetles in south central Washington. They’ve been found in Kennewick, Pasco, Sunnyside, Mabton, Wapato and near SeaTac.

Data centers are driving demand for gas from Northwest utilities, reports find

abaumhardt@americanpublicmedia.org — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Umatilla Electric Cooperative in Hermiston is one of six utilities across Washington and Oregon that have absorbed the bulk of energy demands of data centers in the region. A growing number of utilities are using booming data center demand to justify skirting climate rules in both states that mostly ban the build-out of new gas infrastructure, citing the need for regional energy reliability.

Three new EV charging locations coming to Benton County

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A state agency has awarded $2.4 million to support 16 new electric vehicle charging slots across three sites in Benton County.

Yakamas protest clean energy project on sacred site to power data center

abaumhardt@americanpublicmedia.org — Thu, 28 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Supporters of a Goldendale pumped-hydro energy storage project have said it will help meet growing regional energy demand, and the project developers tout its potential to one day power up to half a million homes without sending harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. But mounting evidence shows a large data center campus could be among the main beneficiaries of that power.

100K gallons of waste turned to glass at Hanford

Mon, 18 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Officials with the U.S. Department of Energy and Bechtel National, the firm that designed the Waste Treatment Plant, lauded the accomplishment, saying it reflects momentum in the cleanup effort and progress toward the next chapter for the Hanford site.

BPA officials cautiously optimistic halfway through fiscal year

Mon, 18 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Bonneville Power Administration’s financial performance is a mixed bag at the halfway point of its fiscal year but its leaders say the agency is still on track to meet most of its end-of-year targets.

KID refilling canals as pump comes back online

Sun, 17 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The irrigation district serving much of the city of Kennewick as well as other outlying areas of Benton County has begun refilling canals that went dry a week ago following repairs to a critical pumping station.

Kennewick plans $33M PFAS treatment plant after repeat detections

Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The city of Kennewick plans a $33 million water treatment facility after detecting PFAS levels above Washington state action levels in March 2024 and March 2025.

Trump signs Newhouse-supported hydropower bill

Tue, 12 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

President Donald Trump has signed a broadly bipartisan bill that will extend deadlines for construction to begin on hydropower projects around the country.

PNNL program highlights highly qualified contractors, technicians

Mon, 11 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of contractors and other trade professionals as you plan for a home project? Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is helping to make sure the most qualified can stand out from the rest, at least online.

Drought drives new statewide initiative, water monitoring tools

Wed, 06 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

As irrigators around the state wrestle with another year of drought, state officials have launched an effort to brainstorm solutions with communities along with a new tool to help Yakima Valley property owners track water restrictions.

Temporary irrigation cutoff coming for many Kennewick residents

Sun, 03 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Nearly all customers of Kennewick Irrigation District will be without irrigation water for up to 10 days as the pumping facility that supplies its canals undergoes repairs.

Settlement reached in Walla Walla gas station leak

ty@tcjournal.biz — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The owners of a Walla Walla Chevron gas station have reached a settlement with state ecology officials regarding penalties and cleanup costs for a 2023 gasoline leak that contaminated groundwater and led to the evacuation of the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel.

Aid available for Benton County businesses impacted by drought

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The U.S. Small Business Administration is making low-interest loans available to Benton County businesses in response to the ongoing drought, but not all are eligible.

WSU researchers find cheaper means to unlock the power of sewage

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A team of Washington State University researchers, including some based at the WSU Tri-Cities campus, have found a new method to treat sewage that reduces the costs of wastewater treatment while also creating renewable natural gas.

Reach Museum hosts Earth Day Festival

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

More than 50 organizations are gathering to celebrate Earth Day at a free event April 18.

Umatilla tribes plan to use $6.91M for regional fish hatchery projects

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation will use millions of dollars in funding from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to modernize and maintain its fish hatchery facilities around the region.

Amazon plans another data center southwest of Tri-Cities

ty@tcjournal.biz — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Planning officials in Oregon’s Morrow County recently approved a proposal from Amazon to build a data center campus with buildings encompassing 816,000 square feet just east of the Boardman Airport.

Darigold to pay $2M in settlement over Yakima River pollution

ty@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

One of the state’s largest milk producers has reached a settlement with an environmental group related to pollution from its processing facility in Sunnyside.

‘Our new normal’: WA confronts another year of drought

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Farmers face tough row to hoe

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:30:00 -0400

Farmers face a fourth consecutive year of drought, forcing tough decisions on irrigation, crop survival and water management for orchards and vineyards across the state.

Kennewick gives sewage a second life

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:30:00 -0400

Kennewick is turning wastewater and sewage sludge into nutrient-rich Class A fertilizer using innovative greenhouse-based technology, creating a sustainable, revenue-generating solution for the city.