Monthly Archives: August 2021

Wildfire Smoke: Bad for our health, bad for our climate

Researchers are just beginning to understand the risks of wildfire smoke to public health and our climate. Emerging scientific research points to the need for more active management on unhealthy forests to reduce the heavy fuels that are contributing to larger and more severe wildfires. Bad for Public Health: Wildfire smoke contains carbon monoxide, sulfur…

Oregon’s ‘Rivers Democracy Act’ is a really bad idea

What is S.192? Introduced by Senators Merkley and Wyden, the bill (known as the ‘River Democracy Act’) would add nearly 4,700 miles of Oregon “rivers” to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.  Here’s why it’s a really bad idea: First, what are “Wild and Scenic Rivers?” The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968…

Why Wildfire Solutions Require More Than Money

In July alone, wildfires burning across the Western U.S. emitted enough carbon dioxide to wipe out more than half of the region’s pandemic-driven emissions reductions in 2020. California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington saw fossil-fuel emissions decline by around 69 million tons of carbon dioxide last year. But from July 1 to July 25, fires in…