The agency under-counted abandoned wells by more than half, which means the effort covers only a fraction of the cost.
Analysis
Posted inArticles
Biden’s ‘herky-jerky’ first year on Western issues
The new president sacrificed bold executive action to try to win over Congress.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2022: Essential
How do you make a movie about a hyperobject?
The film ‘Don’t Look Up’ turns climate change into an allegorical comet.
Posted inArticles
Salmon need better infrastructure, too
Aging culverts block salmon migration between freshwater streams and the Pacific Ocean.
Posted inArticles
Two Democrats kill chances of reforming outdated hardrock mining law
The nearly 150-year old law allows mining companies to extract resources like copper and lithium royalty-free.
Posted inArticles
The Westiest programs in Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The act is the New Deal redux, with a splash of ecosystem restoration.
Posted inArticles
A reality check on Biden’s ‘30 by 30’ conservation plan
The plan has lofty ambitions, but what’s happening on the ground tells a different story of how it might play out.
Posted inArticles
Will history repeat in a dry Klamath Basin this summer?
This year’s drought is worse than in 2001, when political and environmental tensions exploded into the national spotlight.
Posted inArticles
A parched West heads into fire season
Several types of drought are converging, and all are at or near record levels.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Public land is no longer on sale to oil and gas companies
President Biden’s leasing pause signals a major shift in federal land policy.
Posted inArticles
Pikas are adapting to climate change
The resilient species is altering its behaviors in response to changing conditions.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line
The Washington, D.C., siege has Western roots and consequences
History and the growing power of right-wing extremism point to a volatile future for the West during the Biden presidency.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s impact on Indian Country over four years
From legal decisions to on-the-ground policies, Indigenous lawyers describe the administration’s tactics as an “onslaught” removing federal protections of land and wildlife.
Posted inOctober 1, 2020: Democracy's Frayed Western Front
Federal boots on city streets
With Congress gridlocked and courts restrained, public opinion confronts authoritarian tactics.
Posted inAugust 1, 2020: Infectious Ideologies
Patriot militia groups mobilize during a deadly pandemic and massive protests
‘That has a real chilling effect on democratic practice.’
Posted inSeptember 1, 2020: The Next West
Is a big win for conservation a blow to climate action?
As extinction and climate crises loom, the Great American Outdoors Act and recreation industry continue to rely on oil money.
Posted inJuly 1, 2020: 'I am here fighting for my life and future children'
Western police are geared up for war
But who’s the enemy?
Posted inArticles
Coronavirus takes a heavy economic toll on rural hospitals
A sudden drop in revenue shows how thin margins threaten small town hospitals.
Posted inArticles
Are wildland firefighters at a greater risk from COVID-19?
New research suggests that the smoke firefighters breathe makes the disease more threatening.
Posted inApril 1, 2020: Land-Grab Universities
How the U.S. immigration system has grown increasingly cruel
The nation’s migration deterrence policy shapes the way immigrants are seen and treated.