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No New Nuclear

Big tech made a big splash recently. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft  all announced plans to fuel their voracious appetite for energy, needed for AI and data centers, using new or resurrected nuclear power plants. In our region, Amazon now says it wants in on a scheme to build new nuclear plants on the Columbia River at Hanford. Read more

Turbulent Waters Ahead

Overhead view of dry riverbed in the fall

I don’t have to tell you that the recent federal election results are not good for the Columbia River and those who depend on it. 

Columbia Riverkeeper’s range of talents—including legal acumen, on-the-ground organizing, savvy communications, and a large, active membership—give us the tools to curtail some of the worst effects of the election in our region. Read more

NEXT: Water Quality Disaster

Westward Estuary

Last week marked the end of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ’s) comment period on the NEXT refinery’s water quality permit. DEQ is proposing to issue a permit that will not protect the Columbia River and surrounding waterways from NEXT’s pollution. We know that siting a major refinery on wetlands near the Columbia River Estuary is a horrible idea. That’s why we gave DEQ a laundry list of reasons to deny the permit.  Read more

What’s the Deal with New Nuclear Power Webinar Evaluation

Webinar on the problems with Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMNRs)

By Kelly Campbell, Policy Director

Columbia Riverkeeper explores the problems with “new” nuclear power, why it is not part of a just transition to a clean energy future, and why siting more nuclear power plants on the Columbia River should be a non-starter in the Read more

Hanford, Hanford, Listen and Read All About It!

Boat on the river at Hanford Reach, with reactor in the background. Photo by Kelly Turso.

Hanford team has been up to!

This June, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation’s (Yakama Nation) Environmental Restoration/Waste Management (ERWM) program and Columbia Riverkeeper hosted the fourth annual Hanford Journey. Near the banks and on the water of the Hanford Reach, the event brought together scientists, activists, artists, Tribal elected officials, elders, young people, birds, elk, and Spiel Yi (coyote in Sahaptin), to share stories and learn about the Hanford Nuclear Site. Read more

Nichols Natural Area

Our vision for the Nichols Natural Area: engage, educate, and inspire the diverse communities of the Columbia River Gorge to turn a former industrial site into vibrant riverfront habitat. Read more

Tire Chemicals and Salmon

For decades, researchers have puzzled over an alarming phenomenon in Seattle-area streams in the Puget Sound: a large proportion of adult coho salmon die before they get the chance to spawn. Then, in 2020, scientists pinpointed the pollutant responsible for the coho deaths: 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-q). Read more