In a study this last April by Pacella et al., the authors projected the rise of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in seagrass environments is about twice the projected rate of change in the open ocean. This indicates that these habitats and estuaries in general may be especially sensitive to ocean acidification. But what is ocean acidification?

While our city, county, and state governments are trying to curb the abuse of prescription drugs and the illicit drug markets, environmentalists are waging a different war.

Painkillers, antidepressants, high-blood pressure, and countless of other types of medications are continually being prescribed and used throughout the country. While many of these medications are legally prescribed, they are also often disposed in an improper manner by the general public.

On August 17, Washington Attorney General’s Office filed a petition seeking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a fish culvert decision by the lower Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This stems from a 2013 decision by the District Court for the Western District of Washington that ruled in favor of the federal government and Washington tribes, in that Washington State was ordered to replace hundreds of culverts under state highways, at an estimated cost of billions of dollars, by 2030.

In 2001, the lower part of the Duwamish River, also known as the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) in Seattle, WA, was put on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Priorities List. This list puts priority to cleanup toxic contaminated sites throughout the nation. These are known as Superfund sites and the agencies responsible for overseeing the LDW cleanup are the EPA and the Washington State Department of Ecology.

On Thursday Myron Ebell, former head of President Trump's transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said in an interview with The Associated Press that he expects to see massive cuts in the agency's budget. The results of a cut in budget allocation would result in significant staffing reductions. 

Though not completely relevant to Environmental Issues, if you happened to miss Obama's farewell speech, you can catch it here!

 https://youtu.be/R2Zo8vHOgaM