The Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) began processing Climate Commitment Act (CCA) reimbursement applications. Reimbursements will only occur while funds are available and if CCA remains viable. During the first few days of the portal being opened, over 377 applications were received.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has removed the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly from their Vulnerable Species Protection Plan which will reverse a pesticide prohibition on approximately one million acres in the Northwest.

According to the University of Washington’s Columbia River Data Access in Real Time (DART) website, tens of thousands–often hundreds of thousands–more salmon and steelhead return to our rivers than when the first federal dam was constructed in the 1930s. In 2024, a record 755,000+ adult sockeye passed Bonneville Dam–a record in the 86 years that dam has provided affordable, reliable, carbon-free hydropower and river transportation for the people of our region.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is proposing a 3.8 percent increase in the average hourly rate employers and workers pay for workers’ compensation insurance next year.

Lamb Weston (Lamb) recently announced its results for the first quarter of fiscal 2025 and updated its full year earnings targets for fiscal 2025.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be the administrators for fiscal year (FY) 2025 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).

Happy 2025 Water Year! The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and Office of the Washington State Climatologist, in collaboration with the NOAA National Integrated Drought Information System, is asking for your participation in helping us document weather and climate impacts of the 2024 water year (October 1, 2023-September 30, 2024) for the Northwest (Washington, Oregon, and Idaho).

The Washington State University (WSU) Extension will be holding virtual training on Packinghouse Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) on November 4-7, 2024.