- A Fine and Pleasant Soaking
June 14, 2009
Thanks to Peter Grubb and ROW Adventures, the Center’s new Spokane Riverkeeper program gets a ceremonial launch through the white water of the Bowl & Pitcher and the Devil’s Toenail–See the Video.
- Paddling for Permits
June 8, 2009
City seeking comments on Whitewater Park proposal.
- PCBs, PDQ
May 26, 2009
In one of his first actions as the new Spokane Riverkeeper, Rick Eichstaedt puts the state on notice about its foot-dragging on a cleanup plan for a notorious toxin that plagues Spokane River fish.
- Blackwell Island, Redux
May 12, 2009
To build a new port for luxury yachts, the Hagadone Corporation is back with a controversial plan to dig up tons of contaminated soils along the uppermost reach of the Spokane River.
- A Man for All Reasons
May 6, 2009
Mike Chappell finds himself in the right place at the right time to help Gonzaga convene a new environmental law clinic devoted to the Spokane River and other regional waterways.
- Closer to Perfect
After months of negotiation, Avista reaches settlement with Sierra Club and CELP on downtown waterfalls.
- Eyes on the Water
April 19, 2009
Center for Justice wins approval to head up Spokane Riverkeeper project.
- Stuck in the Membrane, An Update
April 15, 2009
CFJ raises new questions about Spokane County’s decision to go with CH2MHill given its competitor’s willingness to accept burden of meeting much lower phosphorous discharges.
- Paging Lisa Brown
March 23, 2009
Lots of questions remain about whether and how state Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown got involved in pushing a bill to weaken water pollution cleanup timelines. So we decided to ask her.
- Time to Make a Splash
March 9, 2009
Center presents 2nd Annual Paddling Film Festival April 18th.
- Our River Lawyer Goes to D.C.
March 6, 2009
The Center’s Rick Eichstaedt takes the case for clean water inside the beltway and finds that the Spokane River is getting national attention.
- The Power of Pulp
March 5, 2009
At the behest of Inland Empire Paper and the Department of Ecology, the State Senate unanimously passes bill that would delay cleanup of the Spokane River and other state waters.
- Same Old Smell?
February 23, 2009
The Center’s Rick Eichstaedt testifies against a hastily introduced bill to relax cleanup timelines for the Spokane River and other state waters.
- Saving Shorelines
February 17, 2009
Former County Plan Commission chairwoman Lindell Haggin explains the importance of Tuesday’s hearing on the fate of Spokane County shorelines. UPDATE: Futurewise’s Kitty Klitzke weighs in for shoreline buffers.
- Not So Fast…
January 28, 2009
Washington Attorney General argues that Avista’s retroactive settlement payments to Coeur d’Alene tribe to compensate for “unlawful trespass” cannot be passed on to company’s rate payers.
- Torrents of Talk
January 24, 2009
Against an undercurrent of conflict, an overflowing Spokane River Forum Conference brings new hopes and ideas for addressing regional water problems.
- Getting to “No.”
January 14, 2009
Commissioner Bonnie Mager forced Spokane County to finally deal with some harsh realities about its wastewater treatment plan. But it wasn’t enough to get her vote for the CH2M Hill contract.
- Black Rock Bites the Dust
December 19, 2008
In a remarkable win for Spokane-based environmental group, the federal Bureau of Reclamation turns thumbs down on Yakima River storage project.
- Calming the Waters
December 16, 2008
To resolve longstanding dispute with Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Avista agrees to trust fund and long-term payments of $150 million. In exchange, Tribe supports 50 year license for Avista dams on Spokane River.
- Fasten Your Life Jackets
December 8, 2008
At a critical juncture in the battles over the Spokane River, the Center’s lead water attorney, Rick Eichstaedt speaks candidly about how we got here, and what lies ahead.
- Stuck in the Membrane with CH2M Hill
How Spokane County gave itself over to an omnipresent contractor and an expensive sewage treatment plan that’s getting us nowhere.
- About that new pipe…
December 2, 2008
With support from an unexpected source, Sierra Club issues its strongest warning to date that Spokane County’s waste water treatment plan is misguided, expensive, and unlikely to survive legal challenges.
- Confessions of a Soap Sample Boy
November 28, 2008
Item: People are driving to Idaho to buy dish soap banned from stores in Spokane. How you can have cleaner dishes, make better use of your time, and still help the Spokane River.
- Spokane River Sessions
November 8, 2008
Public Workshops Set to Review and Discuss Spokane River Challenges
- Take the (Virtual) River Tour
November 3, 2008
- A Big Waste of Money?
November 1, 2008
Sierra Club says Spokane County’s selection of wrong sewage treatment technology could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and still pose environmental and legal problems.
- The River and Ron Hall
October 14, 2008
The Spokane River and the people who love it have a talented new friend who’s given us a new way to look at things.
- EPA Takes the Bullet
September 26, 2008
In a remarkable public meeting, agency apologizes and takes brunt of criticism for reversing course on how it will regulate Spokane River pollution.
- Lake Coeur d’Alene’s Sleeping Monster
September 6, 2008
Washington Department of Ecology joins Sierra Club and others with a forceful critique of a lake cleanup plan that is as short on enforcement as it is on funding.
- River Reversal
September 4, 2008
In a major victory for the Center for Justice and Sierra Club, the Environmental Protection Agency changes course on how it will regulate pollution in the Spokane River.
- Dumping On The Falls
August 6, 2008
Avista begins dredging the Monroe Street dam, drawing protests from the Sierra Club and the Center for Justice.
- Cleaning It Up
July 14, 2008
Sierra Club, working with Center for Justice attorneys, agrees to settlement with City of Spokane that avoids Clean Water Act lawsuit over direct sewage discharges to the Spokane River.
- Same Dam Problems
July 7, 2008
Center will represent Sierra Club and CELP in appeal of Ecology’s Avista-friendly remedy for the Spokane River.
- Two Eggs, Orange Juice, And A Dry Riverbed
June 10, 2008
Ecology’s landmark decision on Avista dams punts on the river’s problems and leaves Spokane’s signature waterfalls retreating to a bare trickle on summer mornings.
- Tell It To The Fish
Idaho agency’s new ruling on Avista’s upper Spokane River water flows is better news for Lake Coeur d’Alene’s dock owners than it is for the river’s struggling red band trout population.
- A Publisher’s New Problem
June 8, 2008
New documents uncovered by a Center for Justice records request highlight a big problem for Cowles Co.’s newsprint subsidiary and its discharges to the Spokane River.
- Dishonorable Discharge
May 30, 2008
Spill from notorious Canadian polluter Teck Cominco sends lead and acid into Columbia River.
- Magic Pollution, Part 1
May 12, 2008
How the Environmental Protection Agency Used a Paper Trick to Clean Up the Spokane River
- The Whistleblower
December 20, 2007
What scientist Drea Traeumer’s story says about the fate of the Spokane River, and the state of the State of Washington.
The Center has worked with Spokane geographer and model-builder Ron Hall to offer a Spokane River Google Earth demonstration project. To access it, you’ll need to do one or two things. If you don’t already have Google Earth on your computer, go here to obtain the FREE download. Then just click here to access the Spokane River issues download and you’re on your way.
