John Ryan
Environment Reporter
About
John Ryan joined KUOW as its first full-time investigative reporter in 2009 and became its environment reporter in 2018. He focuses on climate change, energy, and the ecosystems of the Puget Sound region. He has also investigated toxic air pollution, landslides, failed cleanups, and money in politics for KUOW.
Over a quarter century as an environmental journalist, John has covered everything from Arctic drilling to Indonesian reef bombing. He has been a reporter at NPR stations in southeast and southwest Alaska (KTOO-Juneau and KUCB-Unalaska) and at the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
John’s stories have won multiple national awards for KUOW, including the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi awards for Public Service in Radio Journalism and for Investigative Reporting, national Edward R. Murrow and PMJA/PRNDI awards for coverage of breaking news, and Society of Environmental Journalists awards for in-depth reporting.
John welcomes tips, documents, and feedback. Reach him at jryan@kuow.org or for secure, encrypted communication, he's at heyjohnryan@protonmail.com or 1-401-405-1206 on the Signal messaging app.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, some Spanish, some Indonesian
Professional Affiliations: SAG-AFTRA union member and former shop steward; Society of Environmental Journalists member and mentor
Stories
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Broken no more: Seattle's glass recycling is back in business
Glass recycling is back in Seattle after a nearly year-long hiatus.
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Washington’s climate pollution data slow to see light of day, despite new law
For a week, NPR has been exploring various solutions to climate change, from quitting fossil fuels to putting coastal homes up on stilts.
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'Tree equity' on the chopping block in Washington state
Full shade can lower pavement temperatures 15 degrees, a potentially life-saving benefit during extreme heat. But efforts to bring more shade to cities, especially their less-leafy, lower-income neighborhoods, could wither like ferns in a heat wave.
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Northwest tribes: Treaties mean Trump can’t ax salmon funding
Northwest tribal officials say the Trump administration’s latest budget proposal would violate their treaty rights to catch salmon.
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On a wing and a prairie: Puget Sound butterfly avoids extinction with human help
In a prairie full of wildflowers, Erica Henry got down on all fours, then ducked under a low mesh tent, one of 10 homemade enclosures dotting the open space of Scatter Creek Wildlife Area south of Olympia, Washington.
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Lawsuit blames oil companies for woman’s Seattle heat-dome death
The daughter of a woman killed by the Northwest’s extreme heat wave of 2021 is suing the oil industry over her mother’s death.
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Whidbey's 'Kicking Gas' campaign keeps funding clean energy despite federal cuts
North and west of Seattle, the Whidbey-based “Kicking Gas” campaign is providing deep discounts on heat pumps and other climate-friendly technologies in Island and Snohomish counties and on Bainbridge Island
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Washington, other states sue to regain electric-vehicle funding as sales sag
As electric vehicle sales slump, Washington and 15 other states have sued the Trump administration for blocking funding for vehicle charging stations.
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States denied disaster aid as FEMA safety net begins to shrink
In his first 100 days, President Donald Trump turned down half the requests for major disaster aid that crossed his desk. Previous presidents had approved the vast majority of governors’ pleas for help after disasters struck, a KUOW investigation has learned.
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Premier climate study frozen by Trump administration as researchers get the boot
The Trump administration has put the nation’s most comprehensive climate study on hold and told hundreds of scientists working on it that their services are no longer needed.