Hilary Franz

The Democratic lands commissioner quit the governor’s race and began campaigning to succeed U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, who is not seeking re-election. Democratic state Sen. Emily Randall is also vying for the post.

Seven candidates are running to become Washington's next Commissioner of Public Lands. People who are familiar with the office say it's not shocking – even if some voters aren't totally sure what the commissioner's job is.

Washington state plans to conserve 2,000 acres of state forest, that would otherwise be logged, to absorb carbon dioxide. Activists want more. KNKX environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp explains the potential of this climate solution, and the obstacles to implementing it.

Washington Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has announced her campaign for governor. Franz has spent the last seven years leading the department responsible for millions of acres of public lands in Washington.

Though no one has officially announced their candidacy for the 2024 gubernatorial race, possible candidate Hilary Franz is taking aim at the big campaign war chest amassed by another potential candidate: Bob Ferguson.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources says one thing is missing from the state’s climate policies. Recent laws don’t allow the state agency to sell carbon credits. Department officials are pushing legislation that would change that law.

Washington state's Department of Natural Resources will ban commercial net pen fish farming in Washington waters, following an executive order announced Friday. The move comes in the same week that the agency opted not to renew the last two remaining leases held by Cooke Aquaculture in Puget Sound.

For the first time Washington state will lease public timber lands as carbon sinks – preserving older forests to absorb greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. It will use carbon markets to generate income from stands of timber by not cutting them down. The Department of Natural Resources will sell leases on 10,000 acres of its most ecologically-valuable forests in Western Washington.