Environment Archives – RANGE Media

What do your council candidates want to do about climate change?

By Aaron Hedge ● Environment ● October 8, 2025

Six hopefuls for Spokane and Spokane Valley city councils said the region should respond to global warming, but some worried budget shortfalls may hamper those efforts.

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Health emergency declaration discussed for West Plains PFAS crisis

By Aaron Hedge ● Environment ● September 27, 2025

A new task force is providing the first official county response to the ‘forever chemicals’ crisis on the West Plains. Its leaders are considering declaring an emergency that would mobilize response funds.

WA state: Spokane city and county now liable in PFAS crisis, too

By Aaron Hedge ● Environment ● August 29, 2025

The two governments jointly own Spokane International Airport, which discovered the chemicals six years before disclosing to the public. The decision could direct funding from the city and county for cleanup.

To compost or not to compost?

By Aaron Bratt ● Environment ● January 14, 2025

Spokane County sends much of its organic waste to a facility in Fishtrap, but it can’t process everything, and it can be hard to tell what’s admissible. We’re breaking it down for you.

Spokane County eyes ‘forever chemicals’ task force

By Aaron Hedge ● Environment ● November 26, 2024

The body would represent the first time the county has paid formal attention to the PFAS contamination crisis between Airway Heights and Spokane since the chemicals were found in West Plains groundwater more than 7 years ago.

Al French and Larry Haskell at odds over French’s claims on West Plains contamination progress

By Aaron Hedge ● Environment ● November 2, 2024

County Commissioner French said the county had hired an attorney to “draft agreements” to pipe water to residents with forever chemical contamination. Prosecutor Haskell told Commissioner Chris Jordan the county was planning no agreements.

Initiative 2117: Cap-and-Trade ballot measure could kill WA’s first try at getting carbon neutral

By Erin Sellers ● Environment ● September 26, 2024

Washington’s current cap-and-trade program isn’t perfect, but if Initiative 2117 passes, not only would the current program die, the state would be prohibited from trying anything similar in the future.

Initiative 2066: Ballot measure wants to slow WA’s march away from fossil gas

By Aaron Hedge ● Environment ● September 26, 2024

Voters will decide in November whether Washington governments will be able to move away from fossil gas, a potent contributor to climate change, when they vote on Initiative 2066.

Pollution ‘likely’ came from airport operations, report says

By Aaron Hedge ● Environment ● September 19, 2024

Officials have raised questions about the origins of ‘forever chemicals’ on the grounds of Spokane International Airport. An investigation released last week said the contamination probably resulted from SIA firefighting training.

Al French’s timeline does not clear him from allegations of a PFAS cover up

By Aaron Hedge ● Environment ● September 6, 2024

French promised a timeline would clear him of accusations that he covered up forever chemical contamination. It doesn’t seem to.