The Department of Commerce encourages economic growth and job creation. This executive branch department oversees 12 major bureaus, including the U.S. Census Bureau; the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which provides scientific measurement standards; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which conducts environmental and climate research and manages marine fisheries. The Commerce Department […]
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What is the Congressional Budget Office?
The Congressional Budget Office is a federal agency within the legislative branch that analyzes budget and economic issues. It releases cost estimates and looks at proposed legislation as part of Congress’ annual budgeting process. Its reports include baseline and long-term projections, economic forecasts, and analysis of federal programs and tax rules. The forecasts of the […]
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What is the Bureau of Reclamation?
The Bureau of Reclamation, part of the Interior Department, manages water conservation and delivery, flood control, drought response and rural water projects. It helped Western homesteaders in the early 20th century by providing water to farmers and ranchers through dams, irrigation and reservoirs. Today, it delivers water to one in five farmers in the Western […]
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What are the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement?
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management manages oil and gas exploration and leasing on 30 million underwater acres — part of the outer continental shelf, under U.S. jurisdiction, where drilling and extraction take place. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement enforces regulations for offshore oil and gas rigs, oversees oil spill response and conducts […]
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What is the Bureau of Land Management?
The Bureau of Land Management, part of the Department of the Interior, was established in 1946 to administer grazing and mineral rights when the U.S. Grazing Service was merged with the General Land Office. Today it manages 246 million acres of land, mostly in the Western U.S., ranging from lush Northwestern forests to arid, oil-rich […]
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What is the Bureau of Indian Affairs?
The Bureau of Indian Affairs was created in 1824 to help the federal government negotiate trade and treaties and ultimately assimilate Native Americans into the dominant white culture. Its modern mission is to promote tribal self-determination by working with the nation’s 566 federally recognized Indian tribes, providing support for education, courts, law enforcement and social […]
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What is the U.S. Forest Service?
The U.S. Forest Service manages about 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands, mostly in the West. This executive branch agency, overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, fights wildfires and conducts research on forestry and rangeland management. The Forest Service manages timber harvest and sales; in 2015, it sold timber worth more than […]
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What is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration oversees marine fisheries and conducts research on climate, weather and the ocean. This executive branch agency, overseen by the U.S. Department of Commerce, comprises six main offices, including the National Weather Service, which monitors and predicts the weather, and the National Marine Fisheries Service, which manages fish and other […]
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What is the National Marine Fisheries Service?
The National Marine Fisheries Service manages the nation’s ocean resources and works to conserve fish and other marine animals. This executive branch office, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, issues and enforces fishery regulations, including catch limits and season openings and closures; monitors fish and shellfish population numbers; and operates a seafood inspection […]
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What is the Department of the Interior?
The Department of the Interior protects and manages the United States’ natural and cultural resources. This executive branch department is made up of 10 agencies that oversee federal public-land management on roughly 500 million acres, largely in the West. These include the National Park Service, responsible for national parks and some national monuments, and the […]
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A last-minute health care deal courts Western lawmakers
When Republicans return to the reform issue, which senators will they need to woo?
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Trump considers tariffs on solar industry
Cheap solar panel imports damage domestic sales, and curbing them could drive prices up.
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Western governors take the lead on climate change
New alliance highlights states’ progress despite President Donald Trump’s rollbacks.
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Legal or not, Trump’s wall is already being built
What you need to know about construction currently happening on the border.
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The fight to save vaquitas from extinction
Through a tangle of corruption and overfishing, a marine species hangs in the balance.
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California water project could cramp Colorado River plan
If the Delta tunnels deal sinks, it could mean increased pressure on the already-strapped Colorado.
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West Obsessed: The battle over solar energy
High Country News delves into a win for Nevada’s solar customers and what it means for the grid.
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Tucson’s seed library fosters food sovereignty in a desert
With help from Pima County’s public libraries, Tucsonans grow urban gardens.
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Coal. Guns. Freedom?
How the Trump administration has seized mythologies around coal.
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A military legacy loosens its grip on a landscape
Plans for Colorado’s Camp Hale balance restoration and commemoration.