While the US is using less coal than we have in the past, we plan to export more coal to Asia. That means transporting it by trains, as we’ve done for decades. But there’s very little research on the effects coal has on the environment when it escapes from coal hoppers bumping along the rails.
In order to market coal to Asia, the western US coal industry wants to build export facilities in Oregon and Washington. The planned ports have divided local communities. EarthFix, a public radio collaborative based out of Washington State, has been following the debate with their project, Voices of Coal.
Every year the nation uses more than 20 million tons of salt to clear snow and ice from winter roads. While it may make the roads safer, scientists say salt may have the opposite effect on drinking water and wildlife. Living on Earth’s Ashley Ahearn reports.
When rivers were on fire and fish were washing up dead by the thousands Americans came together to demand "swimmable" "fishable" waterways for all. 1972 marks the creation of the Act that changed the way water pollution is managed in America.
With coal use falling fast in the US but still growing in Asia, western coal producers are pitching a plan to build five big new coal export terminals in Washington and Oregon, but opponents warn of big new environmental risks.
Dark-skinned African Americans are twice as likely to be vitamin-D deficient as white Americans, and that may have major health repercussions.
A new robotic vehicle hits the waves to gather data that could unlock some important secrets of the ocean.
Seattle elementary school kids are raising salmon to learn about the salmon's lifecycle, as well as water quality and habitat issues.
A new robotic vehicle hits the waves to gather data that could unlock some important secrets of the ocean.
Scientists are scrambling to find out if a deadly virus has spread to salmon in Pacific Northwest fisheries.