The Forest Service didn’t make a “reasoned decision” in exempting timber harvests from environmental review. Photo by BiggiBe -- Pixabay After thousands of acres were logged without any environmental impact statement on Forest Service land in Oregon, a lawsuit was filed to stop the use of CE-6, a categorical exclusion to reduce wildfire danger intended …
Slowing the Spread of Urban Fires Starts Right Outside the Home
A year after the LA wildfires, growing research is revealing just howessential the outdoor spaces between homes can be. Image by xiSerge from Pixabay After the California wildfires the rebuilding process could benefit from the research being done that shows houses are safer when the spaces between them are free of flammable material. Read the article by Linda …
Continue reading "Slowing the Spread of Urban Fires Starts Right Outside the Home"
How Trump’s First Year Reshaped U.S. Energy and Climate Policy
The sweeping changes have affected everything from coal plant retirements to international diplomacy over shipping emissions. Image by Angela from Pixabay In his first year back in office, President Trump has rapidly reshaped America’s climate and energy landscape. His administration dismantled a wide range of climate and pollution regulations, began to overhaul how the federal government responds to …
Continue reading "How Trump’s First Year Reshaped U.S. Energy and Climate Policy"
Fix Our Forests in Name Only
A new piece of bipartisan legislation would erode safeguards meant to protect trees By Will Solomon Image by Jim Drinkwine from Pixabay A new bill moving through Congress promises a major overhaul in the way federal officials manage public lands in the United States. Lawmakers have framed the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA), passed by the …
NYC comptroller’s push to drop BlackRock creates test for Mamdani
By Pixabay BlackRock, Inc. is the world's largest asset management company and a leading provider of financial technology, managing over $12.5 trillion in assets as of late 2025. The company is headquartered in New York City and serves a diverse range of clients, including institutions, governments, and individual investors, in over 100 countries. Nov 26 (by Ross …
Continue reading "NYC comptroller’s push to drop BlackRock creates test for Mamdani"
Trump Vowed Fewer Regulations and Lots More Oil. He’s Delivered on One.
Image by Dawn Sinclair from Pixabay The president’s energy strategy is projected to generate more pollution, but so far production has not risen significantly and price drops have been modest, analysts say.Since President Trump took office, oil production is up, but largely because of improved efficiency, and it has not translated into more jobs for either the industry …
Continue reading "Trump Vowed Fewer Regulations and Lots More Oil. He’s Delivered on One."
How Does Plug-In Solar Really Work?
How long before we can have it in Washington? Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay Utah has cleared a path for small, self-installed solar systems that plug directly into a household outlet. More states could follow the lead of Utah helping people utilize solar power without huge fees, permits or contractors. Read entire article by Derek Markham for Clean …
Making change for marmots
Lawsuit Aims to Help Olympic Marmots Image by John Gussman Olympic marmots — large, round-bodied squirrels who live almost entirely inside Olympic National Park in Washington state — are threatened by climate change and coyote predation. So in May 2024 the Center for Biological Diversity, (CBD) petitioned for their Endangered Species Act protection, and this …
Fact sheet: Pacific Northwest will be the next “biomass battleground”
The Southeast has already seen this destructive, deceptive playbook
New report and toolkit on threat of wood pellet industry and expansion
Image by Hans from Pixabay Dear Climate Forests Colleagues, Today, the Rachel Carson Council is releasing our fourth major report on the perils of industrial wood pellet production and its threats to mature and biodiverse forests. I've included our toolkit, including an advocacy fact sheet, and our short documentary below for anyone interested in checking it out and/or …
Continue reading "New report and toolkit on threat of wood pellet industry and expansion"
Farewell to Bob Lynette
OCA founding board member dies at 88 Engineer, entrepreneur, social activist, visionary, and environmental hero Bob Lynette died on September 30 in the company of his loved ones. On top of a jet-propelled career in aerospace and wind energy, Bob combined a love of the outdoors--he could still outhike most folks into his 80s--with a …
Clallam Commissioners adopt Climate Vulnerability report
Major concerns are drought and wildfire Clallam County's Climate Vulnerability Assessment is part of a larger Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan which identifies and quantifies the natural and human-caused hazards that threaten Clallam County, along with ways to reduce these risks. Diane Harvey, Clallam's Special Projects Manager, says about this plan: "Comparing 2019 to today, something …
Continue reading "Clallam Commissioners adopt Climate Vulnerability report"
Federal clean-energy incentives end soon; state & local go on
Here's an explainer In a time when our federal government seems determined to go the way of the dinosaur, the bright truth of the sun continues to shine, and renewable energy is outstripping fossil fuels in virtually every undistorted market. Here's an explainer of the incentives available right now; federal incentives are going away thanks …
Continue reading "Federal clean-energy incentives end soon; state & local go on"
Storymap: Keep Roadless Areas Roadless!
Last chance to comment is Friday, Sept. 19 One sign of the Trump administration's bad faith in their intention to repeal the Roadless Rule, which has protected some 60 million roadless acres from extraction, degradation, and fragmentation, is that they only provided a scant two weeks for public comment on their proposal. This is hardly …
“Sun Day” will celebrate green consumer technologies
Sunday, September 21, Port Angeles City Pier, 12-4 pm Exhibitors invited; many rebates will expire this year Image by Rosy / Bad Homburg / Germany from Pixabay As part of a nationally-organized Sun Day celebration, Olympic Climate Action will host “Sun Day: A Celebration of Renewable Energy” on Sunday, September 21, from 12-4 pm at Port Angeles City …
Continue reading "“Sun Day” will celebrate green consumer technologies"
State-level clean energy rebates still available!
Up-to-date information from the State Dept. of Commerce Image by John Cambalik The WA Dept. of Commerce Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Home Energy Rebates programs are still in the design phase, and we anticipate applications will be available to the public in Fall 2025. Program and rebate information for the Federal IRA Home Efficiency Rebates …
Continue reading "State-level clean energy rebates still available!"
Clear-Cutting Triggers 18x More Floods, for 40+ Years
A decades-long UBC study reveals that clear-cutting doesn’t just increase flooding — it can multiply extreme events up to 18 times and make them more than twice as large. Clear-Cutting Linked to Surge in Catastrophic Floods Image by Thomas from Pixabay Clear-cutting can dramatically intensify flood risks, making the most severe events up to 18 times more frequent …
Continue reading "Clear-Cutting Triggers 18x More Floods, for 40+ Years"
OCA comments on proposed forest-stream buffer rule
Rule change has been 20+ years in the making The OCA Board of Directors has sent letters of support to both the WA Depts of Natural Resources (DNR) and Ecology, in favor of the proposed greater protections around upper-watershed streams. Here is an excerpt of our letter to Ecology: We can always say there’s a …
Continue reading "OCA comments on proposed forest-stream buffer rule"
We need a stronger Roadless Rule, codified in law
Image by Simon from Pixabay OCA just signed onto a letter to Congress to urge the Department of Agriculture to immediately preserve the "Roadless Rule" (35 CFR, Part 294) and update the policy to enact permanent Protection of these 58.2 million acres of priceless and irreplaceable ecosystems. A reformed Roadless Rule needs to end all forms of logging, …
Continue reading "We need a stronger Roadless Rule, codified in law"
Republicans withdraw public lands selloff proposal under pressure
Image by James Lee from Pixabay Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, said late Saturday that he had dropped his contentious plan to sell millions of acres of public lands from the sweeping domestic policy package that the Senate will soon begin debating. Read full story. Article by Maxine Joselow
Happy Birthday ONP! And many more!
Image by John Gussman Happy Birthday Olympic National Park -- 87 years old!!!
US Policies are a Race-to-the Bottom for Nations Trying to End Forest Losses by 2030
Google Earth Image of the “checkerboard” pattern of alternating private lands (with clearcuts) and BLM lands (US federal land; remaining green areas between clearcuts) in southern Oregon. Onshore logging does nothing to solve domestic forest losses or global deforestation. "Rapid loss of the natural world is in no one’s best interest. Increasing domestic logging is …
Court to BLM: Leave old growth alone!
Debunks cutting old trees for fire protection Image by Daniela from Pixabay MEDFORD, OR — Medford, Ore., – Yesterday, Federal District Court Judge Ann Aiken ruled that the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) “Integrated Vegetation Management” (IVM) logging program illegally authorized the destruction of old-growth forest stands located within Late Successional Reserves. With this ruling, the court agreed that “gap creation” and …
Gauging the climate vulnerability of a home
Hans -- Pixabay How to Shop for a Home That Won’t Be Upended by Climate Change From the New York Times
OCA signs on to NGO Letter Against HR 471, ‘Fix Our Forests’ Act
NGO Letter Against HR 471, 'Fix Our Forests' Act Deadline: Wednesday, January 22nd at 12pm PT Dear Members of Congress and President-Elect Trump: While the wildfires in Los Angeles were raging, killing at least 25 people and destroying more than 17,000 structures, leaders of the Congressional Western Caucus, Representatives LaMalfa (R-CA), Westerman (R-AR), and McClain …
Continue reading "OCA signs on to NGO Letter Against HR 471, ‘Fix Our Forests’ Act"
Commissioner of Public Lands race centers on how to manage forests in the face of climate change
A DNR mature forest remains alongside the Olympic Adventure Trail near the Elwha River in Port Angeles. The agency spared 69 acres of a timber sale called "Power Plant," after protests from a coalition of groups advocating for preservation of so-called legacy forests. The state will use funds from the natural climate solutions account provided …
OCA Signs onto Letter Urging Biden to Protect Older Federal Forests from Logging
Dear President Biden, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, and U.S. Forest Service Chief Moore, We the undersigned organizations write to express our deep concern with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Forest Services’ proposed Amendment to Land Management Plans to Address Old-Growth Forests Across the National Forest System. In compliance with the President’s Executive Order …
Continue reading "OCA Signs onto Letter Urging Biden to Protect Older Federal Forests from Logging"
OCA joins the Washington Fair Trade Coalition
Critical Minerals Agreements Must Prioritize Labor, Environmental and Human Rights The U.S. government is considering entering into a number of possible Critical Minerals Agreements (CMAs) with other countries throughout the world. Please sign the petition below urging that any new CMAs prioritize labor, environmental and human rights throughout the supply chain. OCA joined the Washington …
Continue reading "OCA joins the Washington Fair Trade Coalition"
Act Now-No 2117 — A Bad Deal for Washington
What is Initiative 2117? According to a ballot summary provided by the Washington state legislature Initiative 2117, which will be on the ballot in November, would prohibit state agencies from imposing any type of carbon tax credit trading, including "cap and trade" or "cap and tax" programs, regardless of whether the resulting increased costs are imposed on fuel recipients …
Continue reading "Act Now-No 2117 — A Bad Deal for Washington"
Four Ways Context Matters for Wildfire News Coverage
Reporters can help people see the forest, even when the trees are on fire. Incident Commander Rich Harvey answers questions about the Waldo Canyon Fire. Source: Michael Rieger/FEMA Journalists play a vital role in interpreting the significance of wildfire events within a broader context. For example, over the past decade, following the available science, reporters …
Continue reading "Four Ways Context Matters for Wildfire News Coverage"
Risks of repealing the Climate Commitment Act
No on I-2117: "We can't afford this bad initiative" In the Evergreen State, we value clean air, healthy communities, and forward progress. That’s why we lead the nation in natural beauty, quality of life, and clean energy. Because of the Cap-and-Invest Climate Commitment Act, it’s no longer free to pollute in Washington. The state’s biggest polluters …
Continue reading "Risks of repealing the Climate Commitment Act"
Landscape Disturbance in Pacific Northwest National Parks
North Coast & Cascades Inventory and Monitoring Network The National Park Service’s North Coast & Cascades Inventory and Monitoring Network put together a StoryMap to help communicate Landscape Disturbance in Pacific Northwest National Parks. This is a great example of how NASA data, specifically from the Landsat Program, can be used to visualize change over time and enhance …
Continue reading "Landscape Disturbance in Pacific Northwest National Parks"
Olympic Climate Action supports the City of Port Angeles’s “Elwha Watershed Protection Project”.
Is Green Growth Possible?
We can do this...if we want... In this podcast, Ezra Klein interviews Hannah Ritchie, a Scottish data scientist and author of Not the End of the World, about sustainability in relation to climate change, energy, food and agriculture, biodiversity, air pollution, deforestation, and public health. Bottom line: we can now decouple our economies from heating …
New tool available to help you make clean energy upgrades
Check out The Switch Is On if you want to electrify your home, lower your energy use, save on utility bills, and cut climate pollution. It’s a one-stop shop to help you navigate the process of upgrading your home with clean energy technologies like a new heating and cooling system, heat pump water heater, or …
Continue reading "New tool available to help you make clean energy upgrades"
Conserve Water
Rain Barrels at Tammy's home. For info on storing rainwater during our increasingly dry season, contact Tammy Dziadek at tammydzi@yahoo.com. For hired help with water conservation via rainwater storage, I, Tammy Dziadek of Port Angeles, highly recommend Ryan Bates (RSB Builders, 360-912-1844, rybates@gmail.com). Ryan and his helper Steve created an efficient, effective rainwater collection system via …
Dave Upthegrove earns key endorsements for Lands Commissioner
King County Council Chair Dave Upthegrove Photo: Andrew Villeneuve/NPI By Andrew Villeneuve, The Cascadia Advocate The endorsements from former Democratic Commissioner Peter Goldmark and Washington Conservation Action come at a critical juncture in the campaign. Read more
Supt. Reykdal calls for BNR reforms
Board needs more transparency, diversity, inclusion In a February letter to Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and his fellow Board of Natural Resources members, Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal calls for significantly more time for the Board to evaluate proposed timber sales and for the public to comment on them, as well as …
OCA signs on: Stop logging mature/old-growth fed forests!
TemperateSage -- Pixabay The OCA Board of Directors unanimously agreed to sign onto this petition, from The John Muir Project alongside a coalition of over 200 conservation, climate, and social justice organizations, as well as 200 leading scientists, urging President Joe Biden to issue an executive order halting logging inall mature and old-growth forests on …
Continue reading "OCA signs on: Stop logging mature/old-growth fed forests!"
Killer whale calf J60 missing
J16 and J60- January3, 2024 (Encounter #3) Center for Whale Research The Center for Whale Research is sad to report that the youngest member of J pod, J60, was missing during our most recent encounter with the pod. On January 27, 2024, researchers conducted a photo ID survey of J pod in San Juan Channel …
Clallam Commissioners ask DNR to participate in Natural Climate Solutions program
Recommend a parcel near Lake Sutherland On December 12, the Clallam County Commissioners sent a letter to DNR nominating a timber sale with mature forest as a priority parcel for conservation under the Natural Climate Solutions program of the Climate Commitment Act, becoming the eighth county wanting to participate in this program! Clallam County historically has been …
Continue reading "Clallam Commissioners ask DNR to participate in Natural Climate Solutions program"
WA State Building Code Council Votes to Protect Energy Codes
Ensures they are among the most climate & health friendly in the nation OLYMPIA, WA—The Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC) voted today to adopt amendments to statewide energy codes for new residential and commercial buildings, ensuring that they are among the most climate and health-friendly in the nation and are insulated against gas industry …
Continue reading "WA State Building Code Council Votes to Protect Energy Codes"
SALMON, CEDAR, ROCK AND RAIN
A love offering for the Olympic Peninsula Photo -- Art Wolf In Salmon, Cedar, Rock & Rain, Tim McNulty explores the Olympic Peninsula’s complex—and ongoing—story of development, conservation, restoration, and cultural heritage, while writers from the Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam, Port Gamble S’Klallam, and Makah Tribes, and Quinault Indian Nation share some of their …
Controversial WA timber sale near Elwha River rankles conservationists, and Port Angeles leaders
Daniel Kim -- The Seattle Times Reporter Isabella Breda for the Seattle Times provides an in-depth look at the views from many sides about the Department of Natural Resources harvesting 80+ year-old forests in the Elwha River watershed. Read her article.
330,000 call on BLM to protect our older forests
In response to a public comment period on a proposed Conservation and Landscape Health rule, more than 330,000 members of the public and supporters of environmental advocacy groups, including Environment America, called on the Bureau of Land Management to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests managed by the agency. “From the redwoods and Douglas …
Continue reading "330,000 call on BLM to protect our older forests"
OCA calls for protection of older federal forests
Letters sent to BLM, USFS In response to calls for public comment in response to President Biden's Earth Day 2022 call to develop policies to protect America's older forests, OCA submitted comments to the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. Here are our comments to the Forest Service from our perspective here on …
Continue reading "OCA calls for protection of older federal forests"
Washington Conservation Groups Call on Lands Commissioner Franz to Preserve our Remaining Mature Forests
Art by Shelly Gould As part of the Week of Action for PNW Forests and Climate happening June 24-July 2, the Washington State Lands Working Group releases an open letter from more than 25 organizations to Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, calling on her to: Publicly commit to bring forward a new policy and …
Scientists: Preserve Large Trees and Mature/Old-Growth Forests to Help Stem the Biodiversity and Climate Crises
Scientists' letter to the federal government re: rulemaking on older forests "As scientists with expertise in forest ecosystems, climate change, and natural resources, we fully support global efforts to protect large trees and old forests (mature and old growth) from logging along with restoring logged forests as natural climate solutions¹. . . . There is …
Coordinated Banner Action June 26th, 2023
As part of a coordinated regional action of the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance, OCA members held banners supporting protection of our older forests on Monday morning at the Black Diamond overpass over Hwy 101. Similar banners were dropped over I-5 from southern Oregon to the Canadian border. Activists across the state are calling upon the state Department of …
Continue reading "Coordinated Banner Action June 26th, 2023"
OCA Members Protest DNR in Olympia for Clearcuts of Mature Forests
OCA members traveled to DNR Headquarters in Olympia Tuesday, joining others from the Washington State Lands Group of the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance, calling on Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz to halt cuts of the state’s older forests, our carbon workhorses, while a longer-range plan can be developed that incorporates the Natural Climate Solutions potential of these …
Continue reading "OCA Members Protest DNR in Olympia for Clearcuts of Mature Forests"
Clallam County PUD endorses Snake River dam removal
The Board of Commissioners of Clallam County PUD #1, on April 10, became the first public utility district in the region to come out in favor of restoring a free-flowing lower Snake River. The utility serves citizen-owners on Washington State’s North Olympic Peninsula. The commissioners unanimously approved a resolution that minced no words. The resolution makes these key …
Continue reading "Clallam County PUD endorses Snake River dam removal"
Jerry Franklin tells it plain: We need our older forests!
The UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) welcomed Dr. Jerry Franklin, SEFS Emeritus Professor, as the 2023 Sustaining Our World Speaker. Dr. Franklin spoke on “What the Old Forests Taught Us: Forest Stewardship in the 21st Century”, with Q&A following. Franklin's program description: A revolution in our understanding of forests – what they …
Continue reading "Jerry Franklin tells it plain: We need our older forests!"
Climate Commitment Act Funds Go to Washington State Forests in Historic Recognition that Forests Play a Central Role in Reducing Emissions
Laura Otýpková -- Pixabay April 24, 2023, Olympia, WA — State legislators in Olympia invested a landmark $83 million in forest conservation and ecological forest management practices to boost carbon sequestration on state lands. This funding marks the first time the state government will set aside timber acreage strictly for its carbon value, by designating it …
Forest Service takes key step toward 1st national rule to protect mature, old-growth trees, forests
Announcement advances Biden’s 2022 Earth Day Executive Order The 42 Divide logging sale in the Roseburg, Oregon Bureau of Land Management district. Photo Credit: Hanna Anderson WASHINGTON, DC – According to reports, the U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday a pathway for protecting mature and old-growth trees and forests as part of a strategy to improve …
The Inflation Reduction Act Can Save You Money
by Cynthia Bratz, Local 2020 What if you could reduce your carbon footprint and save money at the same time? The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the biggest climate bill in US history, will help many Americans reduce their home energy costs and go electric. The High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Act (HEEHRA) was included in the …
Continue reading "The Inflation Reduction Act Can Save You Money"
Paul Stamets Supports Legacy Forests
Paul Stamets at Elwha River overlook "Our old growth forests are undervalued – we should not be deceived that short term gains in selling lumber accurately reflects the value of the intact biodiversity resident within these ancient stands. In particular, varieties of Agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis aka Laricifomes officinalis) are now known to have potent antiviral properties. But …
New coastal risk assessment for Port Townsend
A North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation and Development Council grant helped local communities advance their planning for addressing the impacts of climate change. The City of Port Townsend used the grant money to develop this sea level rise and coastal flooding risk assessment, an important first step in climate preparedness.
$$ to improve your home, reduce your bills!
From OCA member Dave Large, here's a list of incentives for reducing home-related energy usage offered by the federal government, Washington State, the City of Port Angeles, and the Clallam County PUD. Incentives cover many aspects of a home, from simple to more complex, including insulation, windows, space heating and appliances, photovoltaic, solar hot water, …
Continue reading "$$ to improve your home, reduce your bills!"
Clean energy incentives on the way, from the IRA!
From the American Solar Energy Society: The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the largest climate bill inU.S. history. A main focus is tax credits and rebates for clean energy, electric vehicles, and efficiency updates. Below are some highlights of how this bill can benefit you and/or your business:
Port Townsend City Council Recognizes Rights of Whales in WA
Mayor David Faber, Patrick Johnson of QUUF, and members of the North Olympic Orca Pod On Monday night, the Port Townsend mayor and city council took the step to declare that the Southern Resident Orcas have inherent rights. Port Townsend is the first city in Washington State to take this step, in a growing movement …
Continue reading "Port Townsend City Council Recognizes Rights of Whales in WA"
Brief filed in state logging lawsuit
On August 5, the Center for Sustainable Economy (CSE) and Save the Olympic Peninsula (STOP) filed the Opening Brief in their lawsuit challenging the WA State Board of Natural Resources' (BNR’s) approval of two major timber sales without any prior analysis of the extent of greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-change-related impacts that those timber …
Schumer-Manchin bill
Let’s toast to some success! However, here are critiques of the new bill from Rachel Fazio of the John Muir Project and Dominick DellaSala of the Wild Heritage Project, both sponsored by the Earth Island Institute: Eldergeek Dominick DellaSala <dominick@wild-heritage.org> wrote: it's missing mature forest protections - a major problem - it has tax credits for biomass - a …
19 Groups Call for Bold Action to Protect Public Forests
19 groups have released a seven-step "Call to Action" urging key decision-makers to protect State forests in response to climate change.
Origin of Carbon Footprint
Carbon footprint. You know the term, right? But do you know where it originated? The fossil fuel industry. Yup. In the early aughts, oil giant BP hired the ad wizards at Ogilvy & Mather to promote the idea that climate change was not the fault of the fossil fuel industry but was the fault of …
Port Angeles adopts Climate Resiliency Plan
Three years in the making, the Port Angeles Climate Resiliency Plan has been adopted and posted online. Next comes implementation of the Plan, including short-, medium-, and long-term priorities, cost estimates, ordinance language, etc. This phase will be facilitated by a grant project of the North Olympic Development Council. Kudos to Council and Planning Commission …
Continue reading "Port Angeles adopts Climate Resiliency Plan"
Study: Olympic glaciers doomed
Mt. Olympus from Hurricane Hill, September 2, 2021 Andrew G. Fountain and five others have posted a study online, "Glaciers of the Olympic Mountains -- the Past and Future 100 years," noting three key points: The glaciers of the Olympic Peninsula are shrinking rapidly, losing half of their ice-covered area since 1900. Warming air temperatures …
350 Seattle Priority Meetings and Notices
TACOMA LNG RESISTANCE Last November, the long anticipated court ruling for the Tacoma LNG facility by the Pollution Control Hearings Board sided with Puget Sound Energy, but this fight is far from over. Last month the Puyallup Tribe and Earthjustice filed an appeal and the case will be heard in a higher court, so keep …
Continue reading "350 Seattle Priority Meetings and Notices"
Tracking Climate Change in 193 Countries
A team of more than 40 Opinion writers, photographers and editors spent five months canvassing the globe to illustrate the deadly consequences of our warming world. By Sarah Bahr | Jan. 2, 2022 Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. “Open your …
Former OCA Exec checks in from Utah
Gerald Johnson, who joined OCA’s Executive Committee when finishing up his studies remotely at Prescott College and got heavily involved in our outreach, education, and lobbying efforts, moved to Utah several years ago to work with a sustainable-energy company, and here’s his inspiring report from the field! I hope all is well on the Olympic …
Save Our wild Salmon
Greetings, As we head toward the holidays and the end of another year (gulp!), we wanted to share with you three recent stories/news that our team at SOS found inspiring. ONE: The first installment in a new two-part series from Lewiston Morning Tribune’s award-winning reporter Eric Barker. This series is exploring the circumstances today around …
350 Seattle Newsletter
TACOMA LNG RESISTANCE We’re not going to sugarcoat it, November was a rough month for communities in Tacoma and allies along the Salish Sea working to protect their health, safety, and children’s futures from local fossil fuel expansion. The state Pollution Control Hearings Board ruled to uphold the controversial final project permit for Puget Sound …
Local Cross-Governmental/Organizational Stewardship Group Sets Priorities for the 2022 Washington State Legislative Session
Thanks partially to OCA leadership, climate is a high priority for the Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network The second priority addressed (Items 3-4) focuses on climate change. OCA applauds the Strait ERN for taking seriously its role to steward the magnificent natural resources of the North Olympic Peninsula. https://olyclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/straitern_2022wastatelegislativepriorities_final_2021nov19-.pdf
USDA Forest Service Alaska Roadless Rule Repeal Update
Sincere apologies for the typo in the email address and in the link to the preferred method for providing comments. The preferred method for submitting comments is: https://www.regulations.gov/document/FS-2021-0007-0006. The errors are corrected below. ----------------------------------------The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it is taking steps to repeal the 2020 Alaska Roadless Rule and restore protections …
Continue reading "USDA Forest Service Alaska Roadless Rule Repeal Update"
Civil Society Groups Walk Out of COP 26
At the time of this writing, negotiators in Glasgow are scrambling to finalize an agreement for this year's COP 26 climate talks. They’re expected to work through today, and likely into Sunday. If you’d like the headlines, you can find some helpful links below. But it’s a beautiful autumn day here in Colorado, where my young …
Is Joe Manchin losing the room?
Senator Joe Manchin — who (along with Senator Kyrsten Sinema) has spent months preventing his own party from passing essential legislation to help working Americans and to confront climate change — said some things yesterday.“It's time our elected leaders in Washington — all of us — stop playing games with the needs of the American …
Draft 2021 Northwest Power Plan
This September, the Draft 2021 Northwest Power Plan was released. The 2021 Northwest Power Plan, once finalized, will help determine how much clean energy and energy efficiency the Northwest will use by providing a blueprint for power system decisions throughout the region. It comes at a critical time, when the Northwest needs to replace the energy and capacity services …
Grave concerns from scientists about Infrastructure Bills
A letter is circulating the Hill from well over 100 scientists urging them not to pass the BBB or BIF legislative packages unless the climate-harming logging provisions are removed from both. These two bills are the ones climate activists have been counting on to help promote climate solutions; the Reconciliation Bill (Biden's Build Back Better 3.5 Trillion) andthe Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill …
Continue reading "Grave concerns from scientists about Infrastructure Bills"
The Increase in CO2/Heat is getting steeper
The link between co2 emissions and warming is indisputable. Scientists have understood this for almost 200 years. Scientists have scientifically known for nearly 200 years that a trace gas like atmospheric carbon dioxide absorbs heat: Joseph Fourier 1824 - Remarques Générales Sur Les Températures Du Globe Terrestre Et Des Espaces Planétaires (General remarks on the temperatures …
Continue reading "The Increase in CO2/Heat is getting steeper"
Conservation Northwest trying to Undo Established Precedent for Forest Management Benefits
Link to the Amicus Brief Lawyers for DNR and Hilary Franz have submitted an Amicus brief in the case brought by Conservation Northwest to change the beneficiaries of forest lands management in Washington State. The intent, or purpose, of the Conservation Northwest suit is not clearly disclosed in the Amicus brief, but the invalid arguments …
350 Seattle August Newsletter
MONDAY’S IPCC REPORT At 1am on Monday morning, the International Panel on Climate Change will release the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report, providing an updated carbon budget ahead of their November meeting in Glasgow. This part is just the physics: how much warming and what physical impacts we can expect. Two more chapters …
WA State Alert on Systemic Risk of Climate Change
State of Washington DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONSDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS P.O. Box 41200 l Olympia, Washington 98504-1200Telephone (360) 902-8700 l TDD (360) 664-8126 l FAX (360) 586-5068 l http://www.dfi.wa.gov July 7, 2021 TO: Washington State Regulated Financial Institutions RE: DFI Alert on Systemic Risk of Climate Change and Related Financial Risks Message from DFI Director Charlie …
Continue reading "WA State Alert on Systemic Risk of Climate Change"
9 Years to ZERO newsletter
Accelerating Climate Impacts This past month has brought hellish reminders of the gravity of the climate emergency and the very real danger it brings. We’ve seen destructive heat waves in the Northwest, which cooked shellfish on the shore and is estimated to have killed more than a billion marine animals. Hundreds of people, including unhoused individuals, …
Lower Snake River Dams Update
Click to enlarge -- Back to Return Friends,I wanted to update you on the responses, and non-responses, to our recent letter to Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee emphasizing the coastal stake in the fate of Snake River salmon and the lower Snake dams. Neither of the two addressees -- Murray and Inslee -- has directly …
Dakota Access Doubling their Flow Across Iowa
Dear Friends,Dakota Access has begun work on a pump station just north of Des Moines that would allow it to double the flow oil across Iowa. Please take a few minutes to take these critical actions: WATCH and then share this short video with at least ten people, and ask them to share it as well. We're sending the …
Continue reading "Dakota Access Doubling their Flow Across Iowa"
Climate & Energy Forum
2021 Federal Climate Legislation Discussion Series Learn about the issues -- Share ideas -- Solve the problem of Climate Change Learn about climate action in the 2021 Legislative Session from: Derek Kilmer, U.S. Representative, 6th District Maria Cantwell, U.S. Senator, Washington State (invited) Wednesday, Mar. 10 | 5 pm -- 6 pm PTZoom link: http://bit.ly/mar-10-forum …
Rep. Derek Kilmer on Salmon Recovery
Dear Mr. Chadd, Thank you for contacting me regarding the management of the lower Snake River dams, as well as the critical importance of promoting healthy and robust salmon and orca populations in our region. Like you, one of the reasons I enjoy living in our region is because I value the richness of our …
No More “Cap and Trade” Games
By Bobby Righi | For the Retiree Advocate newsletter Bobby Righi Here we are at the beginning of a new year and a new administration. We are hopeful and breathing a big sigh of relief, but looking over our shoulders for what new monster might be appearing out of the murk of white supremacy, rampant …
Nationwide Permits issued for commercial shellfish aquaculture ruled Unlawful
Back in October, 2019 the Federal District Court found that the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) Nationwide Permits issued for commercial shellfish aquaculture unlawful. The Court ruling required shellfish operations to re-permit under Individual Permits but did allow planting through the 2020 season and harvesting through March 2022. The aquaculture industry group appealed the decision. …
Continue reading "Nationwide Permits issued for commercial shellfish aquaculture ruled Unlawful"
League of Conservation Voters Endorses Climate Agenda
This is the single biggest day for climate action in more than a decade.Today, President Biden signed a series of executive orders and memoranda that place climate justice at the center of the administration's agenda. These orders are just the start of the Biden-Harris administration's all-of-government approach to address the climate crisis and the interrelated …
Continue reading "League of Conservation Voters Endorses Climate Agenda"
Governor Jay Inslee 2021 Climate Legislation Plan
Below is a letter that arrived at our house from Governor Jay Inslee today. With the Washington Climate Assembly, the Governor and many groups lobbying our legislature this year, we may get them to take some meaningful action. -- Michael Clemens Darlene, Bold climate action can't wait. I wanted to share with you our plan …
Continue reading "Governor Jay Inslee 2021 Climate Legislation Plan"
Addressing the climate crisis is a top, cross-cutting priority for President-elect Joe Biden
League of Conservation Voters The saying goes, "Personnel is policy." As President-elect Joe Biden continues to announce his choices for key leaders in the next administration, one point is clear: Addressing the climate crisis is a top, cross-cutting priority.On the campaign trail, Biden called for a whole-of-government approach to four interconnected issues: The economy, public …
Wildfires destroyed ‘irreplaceable’ trees
John Branch, right, interviewed Nate Stephenson, a research ecologist at the United States Geological Survey, in the Kings Canyon National Park in October. Max Whittaker for The New York Times They are the only plant species in California honored and protected by national parks that bear their names. They attract crowds from around the world. By …
Continue reading "Wildfires destroyed ‘irreplaceable’ trees"
Commerce awards $9.8 million for electric vehicle charging
Commerce awards $9.8 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout the state Projects prioritize communities underserved by EV infrastructure and those disproportionately impacted by climate change and pollution from transportation systems OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced $9.8 million in Electrification of Transportation Systems (ETS) grants for 14 projects in …
Continue reading "Commerce awards $9.8 million for electric vehicle charging"
Clallam County Commissioners to Work with the City of Port Angeles on Climate Plan
Clallam County Commissioner Work Session On November 23rd, the Monday Work Session for the Board of Clallam County Commissioners began their Discussion on Climate Change. Rich Meier stated "The logical first step is to conduct a greenhouse gas inventory to measure a baseline for decision making, and a yardstick of where we’re going for future …
Port Angeles City Council Awards Contract to Begin Climate Action Plan Update
Port Angeles City Councilmembers Port Angeles City Council members at meeting on Zoom.Top row left: Mayor Kate Dexter | Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin | Deputy Mayor Navarra CarrBottom row left: Mike French | LaTrisha Suggs | Charlie McCaughan | Brendan Meyer-picture not available November 17, 2020, | Port Angeles Virtual City Council Meeting Full Recording of City …
Continue reading "Port Angeles City Council Awards Contract to Begin Climate Action Plan Update"
Post-Election Virtual Recap
Thank you for joining our Washington Environmental Council + Washington Conservation Voters Post-Election virtual gathering last week! We really enjoyed celebrating everyone’s accomplishments from this election cycle together, as well as learning about the political lay of the land and environmental priorities for 2021. If you weren’t able to make this event, we’re sorry we …
The Challenge of Drought on a Changing Planet
The Sierra Club’s Climate Adaptation and Restoration GrassRoots Network Team invites you to join in our ongoing webinar series. Communities throughout the United States are facing great challenges with a changing climate. One of the most crucial challenges is that of drought -- whether it’s periodic drought, deep water stress, or fundamental climate zone shifts. For this series of …
Continue reading "The Challenge of Drought on a Changing Planet"
350 WA Legislative Priorities for 2021
Hello 350 WA Network local group leaders! Greetings from the whole crew at the 350 WA Civic Action Team. We have been working very hard behind the scenes to grow our Network’s shared legislative campaign, and we wanted to let you all know where we are and what’s ahead. First, we’ve grown our volunteer crew of …
How can we make our economy work for everyone?
What would a sustainable, universally beneficial economy look like? Like a doughnut says Oxford economist Kate Raworth https://www.ted.com/talks/kate_raworth_a_healthy_economy_should_be_designed_to_thrive_not_grow?language=en This talk was presented at an official TED conference,and was featured by our editors on the home page. In a stellar, eye-opening talk, she explains how we can move countries out of the hole -- where people …
Continue reading "How can we make our economy work for everyone?"
Climate Change, COVID-19 and Bat Week
Are Bats our friends or are they a menace? While visiting family in Monroe, WA, we discovered a small bat had blundered into the house. I believe I saw a representative range of reactions, from extreme fear and hat-wearing through calm attempts to help the bat escape. Bat Week -- October 24-31 Bats eat insects, …
Olympic Climate Action 