It’s been two weeks since Washington’s worst industrial accident in nearly a century. More than a half-million gallons of a caustic liquid known as white liquor flooded through the Nippon Dynawave pulp mill in Longview after a storage tank imploded. Eleven people were killed. As the investigations continue, KUOW’s environment reporter John Ryan has been looking into chemical safety at other Washington pulp mills.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Kim Malcolm: You found three other paper mills in Washington that use the same white liquor chemical stew that killed workers at the Nippon Dynawave mill. Tell us about them.
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John Ryan: There are two other mills in Longview. There’s the Smurfit Westrock mill and the North Pacific Paper Company (NORPAC) mill. Then there’s one in Port Townsend called the Port Townsend Paper Company mill. I asked each mill how much white liquor they have, how they store it, and what, if any, safety measures they’ve taken in the wake of the Nippon Dynawave disaster. The Smurfit Westrock mill in Longview declined to comment. The NORPAC and the Port Townsend mills didn’t reply to my requests at all.
How concerned should people living near these mills be about the chemicals there?
The main risk is to workers inside these plants. Even this Nippon Dynawave disaster, the worst in nearly a century, had minimal, I would say, environmental impacts beyond the boundaries of the plant.
There were some fish killed in a ditch outside the Longview plant, but the vast majority of those fish killed were actually introduced or invasive species, so, kind of a small environmental benefit, if you will. But it is hard to say how much of a risk these above-ground tanks of white liquor pose because there’s little information about them.
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They’re not very tightly regulated, unlike underground tanks and unlike containers of other types of hazardous materials. I spoke with Marissa Baker, a professor of occupational health and hygiene at the University of Washington:
“The federal or state agencies would not have kind of purview on inspecting, maintaining the tank. Is it structurally sound? Is it being cleaned as it should? That’s going to really fall on the employer.”
While these tanks aren’t tightly regulated, Baker makes the point that our state constitution does require every worker to have a safe workplace, and that was clearly not the case at Nippon Dynawave when multiple workers were killed on the job.
Wouldn’t people in communities like Port Townsend and Longview have the right to know what is being done to keep people and workers safe?
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Well, these mills are private businesses, and generally what they do is private information. But when you’re dealing with large amounts of hazardous materials, federal law says the public does have a right to know what’s going on there and what’s being done to keep the community safe.
Once a year, these mills are required to disclose how much hazardous material they have on-hand and how they store it, and they’re supposed to make that information publicly available. You might think this would end up on a website somewhere that anybody could just search for and find, but that’s not the case.
You have to file a public records request to get this information. I did that with the counties and the state to get this information. This morning, Cowlitz County told me they found the records I requested, but they couldn’t send them to me yet. They’re giving the mills two weeks to seek a court order to prohibit disclosure of these records, and that’s even though the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act says those reports must be available to the public. Again, the public does have a right to know.
That Community Right-to-Know Act also requires the mills and local governments to have plans for what to do if they do have a hazardous material spill. The local emergency planning committees in the mill counties are having their first meetings since the Nippon Dynawave disaster coming up very soon. If people want to try to find out more in person, the emergency planning committee for Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties is meeting tomorrow [Thursday] afternoon. For Port Townsend, in Jefferson County, there’s a meeting in July.
Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.
Gov. Bob Ferguson is proposing a statewide ban on cellphones in Washington’s public schools. Neighboring Oregon is among a majority of states banning or restricting the devices.
At a press conference on June 9, 2026, at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in North Seattle, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that he wants to see a cellphone ban in all Washington state public schools.
Freddy Monares / KNKX
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At Robert Eagle Staff Middle School in North Seattle, something is notably missing as kids walk through the halls, changing classes: cellphones.
The school has required students to lock their phones away during school hours since implementing their “away-for-the-day” policy in 2024.
Gov. Bob Ferguson used the school as a backdrop for a press conference Tuesday to announce that he wants to see a cellphone ban in all Washington state public schools. The majority of states in the U.S. now have a type of cellphone ban or restrictions in place.
“In our schools, digital distractions are causing kids to miss what’s written on the white board. They’re focusing more on memes than on math,” he said.
In Washington, many individual public schools have cellphone policies, but there is no broad ban coming from the state.
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A recent study from the University of Washington shows that, on average, teens spend more than an hour a day on their cellphones while at school.
No phones at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School
Zach Stowell, principal at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School, said at the press conference that he’s seen positive changes after taking students’ phones away.
“The classrooms are more vibrant, students are engaging, there’s more social time,” he said. “At the end of the day … our test scores are up, and I’m seeing kids smile at rates that we’ve never seen before.”
Zoe Taggart, a seventh grader at the school, said the policy has also helped her outside of school hours.
“After school, everybody’s hanging out with each other, and then again, it’s still phones away, because we know there’s better things to do,” Taggart said.
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Washington educators advocate for phone bans
Some educators have been pushing lawmakers for phone bans in schools.
The Washington Education Association, which represents 84,000 educators in the state, passed a resolution in April in support of a statewide cellphone ban in public schools.
Larry Delaney, the organization’s president, said he’s proud of the work state educators do on a daily basis.
“Their creativity is unmatched, but no amount of ‘gamifying’ or enhancing lessons will off the stimulation that the latest TikTok trend will. I’m 57 years old, and I find myself getting sucked in,” he said.
During the legislative session earlier this year, state lawmakers approved studying how cellphone use affects kids during school hours. Ferguson said that’s not enough to protect students.
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He said he and his team will meet with students and educators across the state to discuss the policy and hear feedback.
Ferguson expects to announce a detailed proposal by Sept. 15. If approved by the Washington state Legislature, it would be implemented by the start of the 2027-2028 school year.
Adia White from the Northwest News Network contributed to this report.
Freddy Monares is a reporter with KNKX. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
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What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
The 2026 MLB season has surpassed the quarter mark, and after each team’s first 40 games, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in all summer long.
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has already proven doubters wrong by launching 17 home runs, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes consistently looks like the best version of himself on the mound and Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski is throwing harder than any starter in the majors.
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The MLB action continues on Wednesday as the Washington Nationals visit the San Francisco Giants.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is Washington Nationals vs San Francisco Giants?
First pitch between the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals is scheduled for (ET) on Wednesday, June 10.
How to watch Washington Nationals vs San Francisco Giants on Wednesday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 6:32 a.m.
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Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for June 10 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
Washington State University alumni Fé LopezGaetke and Mary Nam have been appointed to the university’s Board of Regents by Gov. Bob Ferguson. Both appointments will take effect June 9.
“Fé and Mary have been true advocates for Washingtonians for decades,” Gov. Ferguson said in an announcement Tuesday. “I’m confident they will provide steady leadership on the WSU Board of Regents.”
The board is the university’s governing body whose broad responsibilities are to supervise, coordinate, manage, and regulate the WSU system. The Board of Regents consists of 11 members, one of whom is a student and one of whom is a faculty member.
LopezGaetke is the co-executive director at Purpose. Dignity. Action. (formerly Public Defender Association). She was previously the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Law School Admission Council, where she helped identify the effective strategies and policies for helping diverse students gain admission to law school.
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“Growing up in Central Washington, I know that so many in my community look to WSU as an accessible and important opportunity to further their education,” LopezGaetke said. “Additionally, my professional development path has afforded me the unique lens of surveying local and national educational trends and impact to underrepresented communities that can help inform Washington State University’s strategic direction. I look forward to working together to continue moving WSU into innovative sustained growth that is accessible to all who attend.”
LopezGaetke previously served as the first director of Seattle’s Community Police Commission, where she advocated for marginalized communities on issues of police reform.
She is a past president of the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington and OneAmerica.
LopezGaetke, a child of former farmworkers, is from Central Washington and is a WSU graduate. She currently lives in White Center with her family. She started her bachelor’s degree at WSU’s main campus and finished her degree at the Tri-Cities campus. She earned her law degree at Seattle University School of Law.
Nam is an Emmy Award-winning news anchor and journalist who spent more than 20 years at Seattle’s KOMO-TV. When she joined KOMO in 2003, she found herself among numerous fellow WSU graduates, carrying on a proud tradition of Edward R. Murrow College graduates joining the industry. In March, after 26 years, she retired from local news.
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“I’m very excited to join the WSU Board of Regents,” Nam said. “The education and experience I received at WSU changed my life — my four years in Pullman led to a 26-year career in broadcasting. Whatever you’re drawn to, WSU can create a path toward success. Students today face both new possibilities and challenges, and I’m honored to join at a pivotal time in the changing landscape of higher education. I thank Governor Ferguson for this opportunity. And I look forward to working with such a passionate and dedicated Board.”
Nam has worked with numerous non-profits, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Food Lifeline. She also previously volunteered with King County Senior Services’ Sound Generations and served as a youth mentor with the VOICE Mentor Program.
Nam and her husband, Eric, are WSU graduates. They look forward to the Apple Cup in Seattle this year, she said, and “Cougar football in the Palouse with our two sons is a fall highlight.”
The appointments of LopezGaetke and Nam fill two recent vacancies on the Board. The Governor will soon announce a third appointment to fill the vacancy due to the passing of former state Sen. Sam Hunt.
