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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In Seattle’s polluted valley, pandemic and particulates are twin threats
From a boat on the Duwamish River, it’s easy to see giant yellow excavators plucking crushed cars off the ground and swinging them toward an open-air shredder. At Seattle Iron and Metal, mounds of shredded steel as big as apartment buildings loom above the river.
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This Washington tribe has zero coronavirus cases. They plan to keep it that way
"If we were to lose a handful of those people, it would just be devastating."
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Driving starts to bounce back after pandemic-driven collapse. Too soon?
More Washingtonians are getting behind the wheel in recent weeks, despite the stay-at-home order.
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KUOW crowns the Biggest Carbon Loser
“I realized I was pretty adaptable to making big changes.”
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West Seattle Bridge won't reopen for 2 years — and might not be fixable
Seattle transportation officials announced on Wednesday the bridge won’t reopen this year or next. They say it might not be feasible to repair it at all.
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Amazon fires 2 tech employees who raised coronavirus, climate concerns
A few months ago, it might’ve been hard to imagine a scenario where someone would be fired in front of her 13-year-old son. But that just happened to Amazon employee Maren Costa while working from home in Seattle.
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Coronavirus surges across nursing homes as facilities plead for tests
The number of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities with confirmed Covid-19 cases more than doubled in the first eight days of April.
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6 feet away might be too close, especially if you’re on the move
Local and national health authorities recommend staying at least six feet away from other people to avoid spreading coronavirus. Some new studies suggest much greater distances are needed.
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COVID-19 testing is accelerating in Washington. So is the need
“Ramping up testing in our community is really important.”
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City officials have known about cracks in West Seattle Bridge since 2013
The cracks in the West Seattle Bridge that led city officials to suddenly close the bridge Monday were nothing new: Bridge inspectors first saw the series of cracks in concrete beneath the main span’s deck back in 2013.