John Ryan
Environment Reporter
About
John Ryan joined KUOW as its first full-time investigative reporter in 2009 and became its environment reporter in 2018. He focuses on climate change, energy, and the ecosystems of the Puget Sound region. He has also investigated toxic air pollution, landslides, failed cleanups, and money in politics for KUOW.
Over a quarter century as an environmental journalist, John has covered everything from Arctic drilling to Indonesian reef bombing. He has been a reporter at NPR stations in southeast and southwest Alaska (KTOO-Juneau and KUCB-Unalaska) and at the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
John’s stories have won multiple national awards for KUOW, including the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi awards for Public Service in Radio Journalism and for Investigative Reporting, national Edward R. Murrow and PMJA/PRNDI awards for coverage of breaking news, and Society of Environmental Journalists awards for in-depth reporting.
John welcomes tips, documents, and feedback. Reach him at jryan@kuow.org or for secure, encrypted communication, he's at heyjohnryan@protonmail.com or 1-401-405-1206 on the Signal messaging app.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, some Spanish, some Indonesian
Professional Affiliations: SAG-AFTRA union member and former shop steward; Society of Environmental Journalists member and mentor
Stories
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Northwest tribes: Treaties mean Trump can’t ax salmon funding
Northwest tribal officials say the Trump administration’s latest budget proposal would violate their treaty rights to catch salmon.
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On a wing and a prairie: Puget Sound butterfly avoids extinction with human help
They're surprisingly fuzzy. Each wing looks like a mini-masterpiece of stained-glass art, in orange, black, and white.
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Lawsuit blames oil companies for woman’s Seattle heat-dome death
The daughter of a woman killed by the Northwest’s extreme heat wave of 2021 is suing the oil industry over her mother’s death.
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Whidbey's 'Kicking Gas' campaign keeps funding clean energy despite federal cuts
North and west of Seattle, the Whidbey-based “Kicking Gas” campaign is providing deep discounts on heat pumps and other climate-friendly technologies in Island and Snohomish counties and on Bainbridge Island
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Washington, other states sue to regain electric-vehicle funding as sales sag
As electric vehicle sales slump, Washington and 15 other states have sued the Trump administration for blocking funding for vehicle charging stations.
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States denied disaster aid as FEMA safety net begins to shrink
In his first 100 days, President Donald Trump turned down half the requests for major disaster aid that crossed his desk. Previous presidents had approved the vast majority of governors’ pleas for help after disasters struck, a KUOW investigation has learned.
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Premier climate study frozen by Trump administration as researchers get the boot
The Trump administration has put the nation’s most comprehensive climate study on hold and told hundreds of scientists working on it that their services are no longer needed.
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Tacoma man charged with sabotaging power grid 6 times. No neo-Nazi link found
A Tacoma man has been charged with sabotaging six electrical substations in western Washington in 2022.
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Seattle launches new actions to tame transport’s climate impact
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced measures Tuesday to cut the city’s stubborn carbon emissions, including more electric-vehicle charging stations and a program for e-cargo bike deliveries.
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Trump's FEMA denies Washington disaster relief for 'bomb cyclone' windstorm
The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied a request from Washington state last week to help pay for damage caused during a storm last year.
