Environment

New U.S. Energy Secretary Set To Visit Hanford This Week

Anna King — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:13:06 +0000

Ernest Moniz, the new secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy visits Hanford Nuclear Reservation in southeast Washington on Wednesday. Among the issues he will have to deal with are the leaking underground tanks of radioactive waste and the troubled waste treatment plant.

From his resume, it appears Moniz isn’t short on brainpower. He’s been on the faculty of MIT since 1973.

Army Corps To Congress: Climate Change Of Burning Coal Won't Be Considered

Ashley Ahearn — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:33:45 +0000

The federal agency in charge of approving Northwest coal export terminals delivered a setback for environmentalists, telling a congressional panel Tuesday morning that it will not be considering the area-wide effects of transporting coal, or the global impact of burning it in Asia.

Seattle's Tiny Statue Of Liberty

JOSHUA MCNICHOLS — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:12:59 +0000

Out on Alki Beach in West Seattle is a statue. It’s called the Statue Of Liberty. It's a replica of the one in New York Harbor. Only this one is tiny, about six feet tall. It was part of a national Boy Scout campaign to erect statues like this across the country: a campaign called "Strengthening The Arm Of Liberty."

The original Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor symbolized America's freedom from colonial powers and its friendship with France. Over the years immigrants passing the statue on the way to Ellis Island adopted the statue as a sort of patron saint, and the famous quote "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" was eventually added to the statue's base.

By the time Seattle's Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1952, its meaning had changed yet again. Liberty was no longer a revolutionary idea. It was something old and familiar, a sign of stability in a time of great social and political instability.

You can get a sense of that instability from this 1951 newsreel. We sampled it in today's story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60

Full list of stories from KUOW Presents, June 17:

Seattle’s Dirty River Offers Gift Of Green Jobs

Ashley Ahearn — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:11:20 +0000

In a classroom at South Seattle Community College 14 local residents shimmy into hazmat suits, waving their arms like Michelin men and women. They’re part of a program run by the EPA to train people who live near Superfund sites to qualify to work on the cleanup.

Andrew Guzman Discusses "Overheated"

the conversation with ross reynolds — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:40:04 +0000

Berkley law professor Andrew Guzman’s new book "Overheated: The Human Cost of Climate Change" warns about the eventual disasters that unchecked climate change could cause. He even begins his book with a dedication to his sons: “To Nicholas and Daniel, Whose Generation Will Face The Consequences.” David Hyde talks to Guzman about the rapidly changing state and uncertain future of our planet.

A Discussion With "Science Friday’s" Ira Flatow

the conversation with ross reynolds — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:37:11 +0000

For those of us without "Dr.” or “Professor” in front of our names, science can be intimidating. But author and public radio host Ira Flatow has spent his career trying to get more people talking and thinking about science. He hosts NPR’s Science Friday, which helps listeners peer into the mind-bending world of scientific discovery.

This week’s episode of Science Friday will be broadcast live from the Pacific Science Center. But first, Flatow stopped by the KUOW studio to talk science with David Hyde.

Government Report: Coal Companies Are Pocketing Millions At Taxpayers’ Expense

Ashley Ahearn and Bonnie Stewart — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:19:26 +0000

Coal mining companies are saving tens of millions of dollars that should be going into state and federal treasuries, according to a new report by the Inspector General at the US Department of Interior.

Young Puget Sound Oysters Struggling With Acidification

the conversation with ross reynolds — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:27:32 +0000

A new study from Oregon State University shows that young oysters are struggling due to ocean acidification. But adult oysters are still growing. What does this mean for the future of wild oysters in the Puget Sound? David Hyde gets the details from Taylor Shellfish’s lead researcher Joth Davis.

Environmental Update With Ashley Ahearn

the conversation with ross reynolds — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:28:15 +0000

From the Duwamish River cleanup efforts to coal terminals to chuckling frogs; David Hyde talks with KUOW and EarthFix reporter Ashley Ahearn about the latest in Northwest environmental news. Plus, Ahearn talks about EarthFix’s upcoming documentary, "Voices of Coal: And EarthFix Multimedia Special."

Washington State Officials "Extremely Disappointed" Over Key Hanford Deadlines

Anna King — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:45:23 +0000

Washington Governor Jay Inslee and the state attorney general say they’re quote ‘extremely disappointed’ that the U.S.