Ashley Ahearn

The Blue whale is believed to be the largest animal ever to exist. But nobody remembers number two. Fin whales are the second largest animals on the planet, weighing in at around 80 tons. And they’re very mysterious creatures. Now scientists have gained better access to the giant whale’s secret lives – almost accidentally.

The number of coal export terminals under consideration in the Northwest has dropped to three, that’s from a high of six last year.

A coalition of environmental groups that oppose exporting coal through terminals in the Northwest have announced plans to file a lawsuit against BNSF Railway and several coal companies. The groups say coal that escapes from trains is polluting the water and should be regulated under the Clean Water Act.

The Washington state legislature has just passed a bill that will come up with a strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The bill was introduced by request of Gov. Jay Inslee.

For over a decade, state and federal agencies have been trying to figure out how to clean up Seattle’s Duwamish River. The Duwamish was declared a superfund site in 2001. It’s contaminated with dioxins, PCBs and other hazardous chemicals left over from years of industrial use. The Environmental Protection Agency has just released their proposed plan for public review.

Governor Jay Inslee made one of his first public appearances since his inauguration at a breakfast for the Capitol Land Trust in Olympia on Tuesday. Several hundred people gathered for the conservation group’s annual breakfast.

 In recent years, millions of larval oysters in Northwest hatcheries have died because the water has become too corrosive for them to form their shells. Washington could be the first state in the country to introduce legislation to deal with the economic and environmental threats posed by ocean acidification.

On Monday the Seattle City Council announced a new plan to take action on climate change. As global temperatures rise, so does sea level, and some reports predict that by the year 2050 key parts of Seattle could be underwater at high tide.

Keeping up with transportation infrastructure isn’t cheap. The Washington State Transportation Commission estimates that in the next 20 years around $200 billion needs to be put towards the maintenance of roads, ferries and more.