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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

  • caption: Grocery owner Kevin Ashe of Darrington

    Independent Commission To Probe Oso Landslide

    An independent commission will delve into the deadliest landslide in Washington history. The commission will seek statewide lessons from the Oso landslide, land use in the Oso area before the slide and the emergency response in the days and weeks afterward. Governor Jay Inslee and Snohomish County Executive John Lovick said the commission will not try to hold anyone accountable for the 43 deaths in the in the March landslide. At a press conference on Friday, Lovick declined to say why. "That's the decision we've made. Is there another question, please?" Inslee then offered an explanation. "The judicial system is set up to assign blame and responsibility," he said. "We're confident that system will work. Our job, moving forward, is to try to improve safety." Dozens of lawsuits are in the works, with at least 38 tort claims already filed over the destruction caused by the slide. Darrington grocery owner Kevin Ashe said the commission should address who did what wrong. "We're all taught this as kids: If you make a mistake, own up to it," he said. "I think people are forgiving and we move on. It's only when you make a mistake and it's kind of pushed under the rug, that's when people tend to start to ask questions." The commission has experts, officials and business leaders from around Washington state. Ashe said he wished the 12-member commission had at least one person from the Arlington, Darrington and Oso communities that lived through the slide. One question Ashe hopes the commission will address is why loggers and other local volunteers, who used their backwoods expertise and machinery to dig victims out of the massive landslide debris, weren't incorporated sooner into the official recovery efforts.