Pacific Northwest
Latest Stories

‘No Kings’ rallies draw thousands across the Pacific Northwest
OPB reporters covered “No Kings” protests in Portland, Newberg and Hillsboro on Saturday, and we also be worked with news partners to provide coverage from across the Pacific Northwest. Here’s how demonstrations unfolded throughout the day.

Pacific Northwest startup promising to replant forests faces allegations of deception in whistleblower lawsuit
Carbon credits are meant to help fight climate change by allowing companies to offset their emissions through projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere. But Seattle-based Mast Reforestation — a startup that raised millions to replant wildfire-scarred forests — is now facing a whistleblower lawsuit alleging it misled investors and partners about the value and viability of its carbon offset projects.
Ancient Korean rice wine is making waves in the Northwest. Meet the family behind its revival
Many people enjoy sake, the Japanese rice wine. But now, a brewing company based in the Seattle area is betting diners will soon make room for Korean rice wine.

Northwest tribes say Trump’s proposed salmon budget cuts violate treaty rights
The White House’s proposed 2026 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would eliminate the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, the leading source of money for restoring the Northwest’s struggling salmon runs.
Undersea volcano off the Oregon Coast could blow this year — but don’t panic
The Axial Seamount, the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest, has been making headlines lately with signs that it could erupt sometime this year.

Federal funding
‘Like turning off the headlights’: Pacific Northwest braces for ocean-monitoring blackout in federal budget slash
President Donald Trump's proposal would defund the 11-region Integrated Ocean Observing System — cutting off the buoys, drones and radar that feed Oregon, Washington state and other coasts the real-time wave, wind and current data vital for safe shipping, tsunami routes and storm forecasts.
The Big One, coupled with rising ocean, could leave many in Northwest living in flood zones, study finds
More than 17,000 people in Oregon, Washington and California could almost instantly be living in a floodplain, the researchers found.

Infrastructure
Electricity demand in the Northwest could double in the next 20 years, forecast finds
Over the next two decades, demand could increase by between 1.8% and 3.1% annually, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council heard Tuesday. The projected growth will come primarily from companies building more data centers in the region, more electric vehicles on roads, electrifying buildings, computer chip manufacturing and the production of "green hydrogen.

Science & Environment
Forested swamps on the Northwest coast are some of the biggest carbon storehouses around, new research finds
A new study suggests that restoring tidal swamps along the Pacific Northwest coastline could provide the most bang for your carbon storage buck.
Environment
Proposed federal cuts jeopardize Pacific salmon habitat restoration, tribal rights
An internal document from the Office of Management and Budget, reviewed by KUOW, calls for eliminating NOAA’s Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, as well as national grant programs for species recovery, interjurisdictional fisheries, and habitat conservation and restoration.