NEWS
(OLYMPIA)– More clean energy and less coal power: That’s the recipe for a drop in Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions detailed in a new Washington Department of Ecology report. Despite population and economic growth, the state’s total emissions declined 0.5% from 2021 to 2022. This report does not include impacts from the Climate Commitment Act and the Clean Fuel Standard, which took effect in 2023, according to a news release from Ecology. Data from Ecology’s Statewide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory – the most comprehensive look at all sources of carbon emissions in Washington – shows that emissions dropped from 96.6 million metric tons in 2021 (read more)
(SKAGIT COUNTY)- Skagit County Emergency Management will host two Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in Burlington and Hamilton to help residents affected by the December 2025 flooding event apply for federal, state, and local resources to support recovery efforts. Residents looking to apply for disaster recovery funds should be prepared to share home, mailing, and email addresses, phone number, social security number, and banking and insurance information, according to a news release from the county. DRCs at both the Burlington and Hamilton locations will host representatives from Skagit County Emergency Management, Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), Small Business Administration (SBA), Office (read more)
(NORTHWEST WASHINGTON)- Harmful fine particles in wildfire smoke continue to show impacts on air quality in northwest Washington, according to the annual national “State of the Air” report. The American Lung Association’s 27th annual report includes data from the years 2022-2024, according to a news release from the Northwest Clean Air Agency. It includes information from the relatively smoke-free summer of 2024. The “State of the Air” report takes a nationwide look at particle and ozone pollution – two common, widespread air pollutants that pose risks to people’s health. Among the report’s conclusions: Skagit and Whatcom counties received (read more)
(BELLINGHAM)– Travelers have a new reason to slow down and enjoy the scenery along one of Washington’s most beautiful highways: A permanent speed-limit reduction is now in place along a nearly 9-mile stretch in both directions of State Route 11/Chuckanut Drive south of Bellingham. On Friday, April 17, Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews installed 35 mph speed limit signs from south of Blanchard Road in Skagit County to south of Spokane Street in Whatcom County (mileposts 9.38 to 17.99), according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The northern end of the new speed limit ties into (read more)
(SKAGIT COUNTY)- In 2025, Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program protected four farmland properties, permanently safeguarding another 270 acres of prime agricultural soil. Protected properties were in Bow (40 acres, 83 acres) and Mount Vernon (40 acres, 107 acres). The protection of Skagit County’s USDA-designated prime farmland means these properties can no longer be developed into residential buildings and will instead provide essential soil and land for farming for generations to come, according to a news release from the county. Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program now protects 15,400 acres of prime farmland of regional and global significance. An agricultural conservation easement means that the (read more)