Environment

FILE – In this Jan. 10, 2009, file photo, a flock of geese fly past a smokestack at a coal power plant near Emmitt, Kan. The Trump administration is moving to scale back criminal enforcement of a century-old law protecting most American wild bird species. The former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told AP billions of birds could die if the government doesn’t hold companies liable for accidental bird deaths. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File) CAER206 CAER206

March 31, 2020 at 10:15 am

Ex-wildlife chief: Trump rule could kill billions of birds VIEW

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — At a former open pit copper mine filled with billions of gallons of toxic water, sirens and loud pops from propane...

Business

FILE – This Dec. 12, 2018, file photo shows traffic on the Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump’s is expected to mark a win in his two-year fight to gut one of the United States’ single-biggest efforts against climate change, relaxing ambitious Obama-era vehicle mileage standards and raising the ceiling on damaging fossil fuel emissions for years to come. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) WX121 WX121

March 30, 2020 at 9:11 pm

Trump rollback of mileage standards guts climate change push

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration's rollback of mileage standards Tuesday marks a win for Americans who like their SUVs and pickup trucks, but the...

Business

March 30, 2020 at 11:29 am

New Trump mileage standards to gut Obama climate effort

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is poised to roll back ambitious Obama-era vehicle mileage standards and raise the ceiling on damaging fossil fuel emissions...

Business

FILE – In this Feb. 27, 2020, file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler testifies during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Trump administration is steadily pushing major public health and environmental rollbacks toward enactment, rejecting appeals that it slow its deregulatory drive while Americans grapple with the pandemic. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) WX206 WX206

March 26, 2020 at 6:54 pm

Citing virus, EPA has stopped enforcing environmental laws

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday abruptly waived enforcement on a range of legally mandated public health and environmental protections, saying industries...

Business

March 23, 2020 at 9:17 pm

Trump agencies steadily push rollbacks as pandemic rages

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is rejecting appeals to slow its deregulatory drive while Americans grapple with the coronavirus, pushing major public health and...

March 23, 2020 at 9:20 am

Scientists just discovered a massive new vulnerability in the Antarctic ice sheet

Denman Glacier is retreating into the deepest undersea valley in all of Antarctica. Nearly 5 feet of sea-level rise are at stake.

Nation & World

At low tide and with no rain, Alki Beach is unusually sparsely populated on Saturday March 21, 2020.

LO Linesonly

Coronavirus 213415

March 22, 2020 at 7:09 am

Coronavirus daily updates, March 22: Nearly 2,000 cases confirmed statewide, Trump declares emergency in Washington

Throughout today on this page, we’ll be posting updates from Seattle Times journalists and others on the outbreak and its effects on the Seattle area,...

Children gather in the Quad at UW, which is packed as people go to see cherry blossoms, almost at peak bloom, and to take photos. Friday, March 29, 2019.

Cherry blossoms in the Quad at UW were 65 percent in bloom Thursday, March 28, 2019, and peak bloom is expected in the next few days. This weekend should be a great time to check them out. The 29 large cherry trees in the Quad are about 86 years old and more have been planted over the years. For more information, go to: https://www.washington.edu/news/2019/02/21/historic-2019-snowstorms-in-seattle-not-expected-to-slow-down-cherry-blossoms/ 209775

March 18, 2020 at 12:19 pm

It’s cherry blossom season, but because of the coronavirus, the UW invites you to watch from home WATCH

The UW wants you to stay away from the quad — but you can add the school's cherry blossoms to your home streaming queue.

The Washington Capitol building is seen on the last day of the 60-day legislative session, Thursday, March 12, 2020, in Olympia, Wash. Lawmakers were finishing up their work amid concerns of the state’s coronavirus outbreak. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte) RPRL108

March 15, 2020 at 2:49 pm

Coronavirus dominated the 2020 Washington state legislative session. Here’s what lawmakers did and didn’t get done | State politics

A roundup of legislative action on coronavirus, homelessness, college affordability, firearms, climate change, transportation and diversity & inclusion in Washington state.

March 13, 2020 at 12:30 pm

Pollution is plummeting in Italy in the wake of coronavirus, emissions data show

First it happened in China. Now, Italy.The coronavirus struck hard, and authorities responded with sweeping interventions to keep people from spreading the disease further. As...

Nation & World