Operators of commercial whale-watching vessels are pushing back against proposed new regulations from the state. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is implementing a mandatory licensing system for the vessels , after the Washington Legislature passed a directive last year that also instructed the department to develop rules for viewing endangered southern resident killer whales.

Whale watch operators insist their presence helps protect southern resident orcas

Stories about the environment focused on the Pacific Northwest, with many from KNKX's Environment reporter, Bellamy Pailthorp.

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A polluted river runs through the heart of industrial Seattle. The Lower Duwamish waterway was designated a Superfund site in 2001 . Now the community coalition that has spent years helping shape the cleanup plan for this 5-mile stretch of the river says that plan is under assault.

Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition calls on EPA  to maintain standards set in 2014

Irreversible sea-level rise is among the permanent consequences of human-caused climate change. That’s one of the findings of the new report out this week from the United Nation’s panel of scientists, the IPCC. On the front lines of the new challenges that poses are Washington’s coastal tribes. They’re experiencing the effects of climate change firsthand, as the warming ocean swells into waterfront villages and alters the chemistry of ecosystems in the Salish Sea.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visits Quinault as climate pushes coastal tribes to higher ground

The wildfires, drought and off-the-charts heat in the Northwest are just a few examples of extreme weather events that sound the climate-change alarm bells.

Worried about climate change? This Seattle therapist says you're not alone

The Swinomish Tribe is filing another amicus brief this week, in support of a lawsuit against the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Environmental groups want to stop Cooke Aquaculture’s plans to continue fish farming in Washington waters.

Swinomish Tribe objects as state allows Cooke Aquaculture to stock net pen at Hope Island

"No one got everything they wanted, but we have a very good compromise on the table. … Please pass this ordinance as amended July 13."

Whale watch operators insist their presence helps protect southern resident orcas

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