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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Seattle taxes oil heating, but postpones action on natural gas
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has signed a tax on heating oil into law. Money from the tax would go to help homeowners replace their oil heat with climate-friendly alternatives.
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Feds push for dirtier waters. Tribes say that threatens their health
Washington tribes say the Trump administration is violating their treaty rights and endangering their health. Those were some of the complaints at a hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to allow more pollution in Washington waters — and Washington fish.
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Microsoft pledges climate action even as it helps Big Oil drill faster
Microsoft announced new efforts to reduce its impact on the climate on Monday, including making some of its Xbox gaming consoles carbon-neutral. But Microsoft’s announcement that it was partnering with Chevron and Schlumberger, the world’s largest oilfield services company, left activists and employees questioning how serious the tech giant is about tackling climate change.
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Wifi wires will run through water pipes in northern Washington town
Starting next month, people in Anacortes can get something unusual in their drinking water: The internet.
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Amazon reveals dirty secret, promises quick action for climate
How dirty is Amazon’s business?
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Alaska Airlines loses climate friendly(ish) crown to Frontier
Seattle-based Alaska Airlines used to be the least-polluting domestic airline. Not any more.
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Want a peek at our hotter future? Go to Alaska
Alaska, heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world, is the next best/worst thing to a climate-change time machine.
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Kelp is on the way... out: Steep decline in key Puget Sound habitat
The underwater forests of Puget Sound are in trouble. Since 2013, researchers have seen drastic declines in kelp beds in south Puget Sound.
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Sea enemies come together to protect ocean floor twice size of Washington state
Protection is in the works for a rare ecosystem known mostly from dinosaur-era fossils.
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They’re back! Endangered orcas surface off San Juans after nearly 6 weeks away
Southern resident killer whales returned to their usual summertime haunts on Thursday for the first time since July 6, to the delight of San Juan Island’s human residents.