Courtney Flatt

Northwest Public Radio

9:59am

Wed September 14, 2011
Salmon recovery

Grant will expand use of ‘sensor fish’ in dams

Credit Carol Munro / Flickr

RICHLAND, Wash. – As salmon wind their way through dams on the Columbia River, a small percentage ultimately end up passing through turbines. A project that helps fish move more safely through turbines recently received a grant to expand its scope.

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10:35am

Tue September 13, 2011
Environment

Electric vehicles could help store NW wind power

Credit U.S. Army / Flickr

RICHLAND, Wash. – As the Pacific Northwest begins to integrate more renewable energy, grid operators sometimes have trouble predicting the variability that comes with it. Researchers have found a way to use electric vehicles to help balance wind power’s inconsistency.

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3:37pm

Wed September 7, 2011
Environment

Pine white butterflies flit to new homes in Washington desert

Credit Lynette Schimming / Flickr

RICHLAND, Wash. – It's been 30 years since the last outbreak, but now white butterflies are flitting between pine trees across areas of eastern Oregon and Washington.

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5:41pm

Tue September 6, 2011
Energy development

Grants awarded to improve hydropower generation in Wash.

RICHLAND, Wash. – New projects in the Pacific Northwest may soon improve the efficiency and reduce costs of hydropower generation, thanks to a new round of federal spending announced today.

Two projects in Washington received grants to help improve hydropower generation.

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5:06pm

Thu August 25, 2011
Environment

Battelle researchers study efficient carbon capture

RICHLAND, Wash. – Researchers recently received a grant to develop a better process to capture carbon dioxide that could save more than half of what coal-fired power plants now spend on the technology.

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11:40am

Wed August 17, 2011
Pacific laboratory

Roman artifact helps nuclear storage research

Credit Northwest News Network

Scientists are experimenting with 1,800-year-old glass to better understand how nuclear waste storage will hold up for millennia to come.

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9:59am

Wed August 10, 2011
Environment

Northwest businesses seek new salmon policy

Northwest business, fishing and food industry leaders are asking for a new approach to salmon policy. From Richland, Courtney Flatt has more.

A group of one thousand businesses is using a ruling recently issued by federal judge James Redden to call for a new look at salmon policy.

In a news conference, business owners and fishermen say they hope to bring key regional stakeholders to the table to restore all salmon runs to the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Spokane outdoor retailer Paul Fish says a healthy environment goes hand-in-hand with a healthy economy.

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10:48am

Fri August 5, 2011
Environment

Catalyst may lead to more ethanol options

Credit Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Ethanol may soon have more uses than just as a fuel additive. Researchers have accidentally discovered an easier, more environmentally friendly biofuel catalyst.

Researchers hope a new catalyst called isobutene will lead to more ways to use ethanol –- from making rubber to solvents to aviation fuel.

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