Environment

Caribou graze on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Trump administration has held the first oil lease sale in the refuge.

Major Oil Companies Take A Pass On Controversial Lease Sale In Arctic Refuge

10:38pm January 06, 2021

After a three-year push by the Trump administration, almost no oil companies offered bids. Analysts point to controversy, low oil prices and an incoming administration that opposes drilling.

As RV Wastewater Pilot Program coordinator for Seattle Public Utilities, Chris Wilkerson visits people living in motor homes and trailers and offers to pump out their waste for free.

Homeless In Seattle Get Help From City Waste Pumper

11:49am January 03, 2021

by Erin Slomski-Pritz

The city has noticed a rise in illegal sewage spills as the number of people living out of RVs and other vehicles has increased dramatically.

A polar bear with cubs in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 2014.

After Decades-Long Push, It's Not Clear Who Will Bid In Arctic Refuge Oil Lease Sale

5:02am January 01, 2021

by Tegan Hanlon

There's little solid data on how much oil is under the refuge, and lawsuits and market forces could dampen industry interest. Any leases would also face opposition from a Biden administration.

Crews observe the continuing eruption in Halema'uma'u at Kilauea in the early morning of Dec. 28. Overnight, the western vent in the wall of Halema'uma'u continued to erupt.

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Eruption Creates 600-Foot-Deep Lava Lake

4:05pm December 31, 2020

by Nicole Werbeck

The volcano on Hawaii's Big Island began erupting more than a week ago and lava continues to flow, creating a huge new lake that's taken the place of a water lake it vaporized.

Ron Rosmann, seen in 2011, received some of the subsidies but says he's not in favor of the program. "It has disproportionately gone to the largest producers," he says.

Farmers Got A Government Bailout In 2020, Even Those Who Didn't Need It

2:14pm December 30, 2020

by Dan Charles

Total payments to farmers reached $46 billion, a record. Many received more than $100,000, yet didn't necessarily need the help.

Queue Listen Now

Vanessa Keegan, her boyfriend and 3-year-old son live a block from where rail cars will carry liquefied natural gas to an export facility on the Delaware River.

'That Terrifies Me': Trump Rule Allows Natural Gas Transport By Rail In Dense Areas

10:05am December 29, 2020

by Susan Phillips

Fifteen states are challenging the decision, arguing that the risk of explosion puts lives in danger. For one project, highly flammable gas will travel 200 miles through a busy East Coast corridor.

A Southwest Airlines flight takes off as United Airlines planes sit parked on a runway at Denver International Airport in April.

Environment

U.S. Implementing 1st-Ever Airplane Emission Rules; Critics Say They're Ineffective

4:23pm December 28, 2020

by Reese Oxner

The Environmental Protection Agency said the new rules will not result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists are calling for more stringent measures.

Barry Lopez won the National Book Award in 1986 for Arctic Dreams.

Barry Lopez, Acclaimed Author And Traveler Beyond Many Horizons, Dies At 75

5:00pm December 26, 2020

by Dave Blanchard

Lopez — who won a National Book Award in 1986 for Arctic Dreams — wrote about his travels to far places. But his writings aren't just travelogues, they remind us of how precious life on Earth is.

Queue Listen Now

Inside of the Blue Ice Drill tent, drillers Tanner Kuhl (left) and Elizabeth Morton (right) work with graduate students Austin Carter, Jacob Morgan and postdoctoral fellow Sarah Shackleton in Antarctica in 2019.

Scientists Have Found Some Truly Ancient Ice, But Now They Want Ice That's Even Older

2:59pm December 26, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Ice is usually ephemeral; it doesn't last that long before melting. But some ice on our planet has stayed frozen for millions of years, according to scientists on a quest to find the oldest ice.

Queue Listen Now

Recycled plastic pellets are displayed at a facility in Ontario.

Big Oil Evaded Regulation And Plastic Pellets Kept Spilling

7:12pm December 22, 2020

by Laura Sullivan

Oil and gas companies make enough pellets each year to fill a stadium several times over. The oil industry has long known it has a pellet pollution problem, but that's not what it told the public.

Queue Listen Now