Barbara Bernstein

On June 3 of last year, an oil train derailed in the Columbia River Gorge in the little town of Mosier. Several cars caught fire and burned for 14 hours. If the normal Gorge winds had been blowing that day, Mosier would been destroyed, like Lac-Megantic. On the first anniv... Read more

On May 9 of this year, an extremely radioactive tunnel at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state partially collapsed. The tunnel is part of the PUREX facility (Plutonium Uranium Extraction Plant), which was used to manufacture plutonium for nuclear weapons. The... Read more

The Great Lakes―Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Superior―hold 20 percent of the world’s supply of surface fresh water and provide sustenance, work and recreation for tens of millions of Americans. But they are under threat as never before, and their problems are spreadin... Read more

What if there was a relatively simple, cost-effective way to help feed the world, reduce pollution, pull carbon from the atmosphere, protect biodiversity, and make farmers money to boot? According to geologist David R. Montgomery the answer is right beneath our feet. In his... Read more

As the fossil fuel industry turns up its pressure to turn the Pacific Northwest into a fossil fuel export hub, a Thin Green Line stands in its way. On this special one-hour edition of Locus Focus, we premiere Locus Focus host Barbara Bernstein's latest radio documentary, SA... Read more

On June 3, 2016, the small town of Mosier in the Columbia River Gorge, near Hood River, made regional and national news of the most unfortunate kind. Firefighters battled for 14 hours to contain a dangerous oil fire from a derailed 96-car Union Pacific train carrying highly... Read more

This program was originally broadcast on March 20. 2017 In 2012 a massive fire ripped through the Chevron Richmond Refinery, sending a towering plume of toxic smoke into the air over Richmond, California.  For over a hundred years, Richmond was a classic company town, whose... Read more

Oregon is already home to one of the nation’s largest industrial-scale dairy operations. Located near Boardman, Threemile Canyon Farms houses 70,000 cows and is a major source of ammonia and other pollution emissions. On March 31, despite unprecedented public opposition, th... Read more

In today's fast-paced, fast-food world we all seem to be eating alone, all the time - whether it's at our desks or in the car. And as much as we feel cut off from our friends and families, we certainly feel even more disconnected from all the other people in our vast foodsc... Read more

With its soaring azure sky and stark landscapes, the American Southwest is one of the most hauntingly beautiful regions on earth. Yet staggering population growth, combined with the intensifying effects of climate change, is driving the oasis-based society close to the brin... Read more