From the Field

InvestigateWest and KCTS 9 co-produce “Breathing Uneasy,” a look at the air pollution crisis in South Seattle

By June 14, 2011March 16th, 2021No Comments

“Breathing Uneasy” is the result of a collaboration between InvestigateWest and KCTS 9. Veteran environmental reporters Robert McClure of InvestigateWest and Jenny Cunningham of KCTS 9 spent six months examining the impact of truck traffic on the communities that border the Port of Seattle, an area that new studies say has some of the worst air in the state. Their stories detail how toxic emissions from diesel trucks endanger residents of some of Seattle’s poorest communities, but also contain lessons and implications for any area dealing with major roadway traffic near schools and residential neighborhoods.

In addition, McClure and Cunningham examine how Port of Seattle Chief Executive Officer Tay Yoshitani helped oppose changes in legislation that would have made trucks cleaner, despite his promise to make Seattle the “cleanest, greenest, most energy-efficient port in the U.S.”

A special report on air pollution, co-produced by InvestigateWest and KCTS 9,  will air on KCTS Connects Friday, June 17 at 7 p.m. Click here to view the video.

To read the stories on Crosscut, click here.  And you can listen to Robert McClure discuss the issue with Ross Reynolds on The Conversation during the noon hour Tuesday, June 14 on KUOW 94.9 FM.

The public will also get a chance to have their say about upcoming port decisions that could affect the air pollution load in the region. The Port of Seattle is holding a public meeting from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. on June 28 at South Seattle Community College. For more information, call (206) 787-3000.

Rita Hibbard

Rita Hibbard

Co-Founder

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