For two decades, the Bureau of Reclamation incentivized farmers to pump water faster than the resource could recover, despite warnings from its own scientists.
Department of Interior
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Interior’s new oil-and gas-leasing roadmap sidesteps climate action
The report leaves the door open for new leases on public land. What does that mean for the West?
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What Biden’s infrastructure bill means for wildfire management
The bill allocates $3.3 billion for firefighter raises, prescribed fire, defending communities and more.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
The Park Service buried its own study on harassment
The agency promised transparency and action. Instead, it kept the audit confidential.
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The hunt for critical minerals in Colorado raises critical questions
When Earth MRI began surveying, residents grew concerned about the prospect of mining.
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Judge rejects a Trump-era water contract in a win for tribes in California
A bid to benefit agribusiness has stalled again, leaving the Hoopa Valley Tribe hopeful that the next contract follows the law.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
How tribal leaders want Chuck Sams to lead the Park Service
The Umatilla leader would be the first Native person in charge of the agency, which has a thorny history with tribes.
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
Bears Ears is back — but don’t celebrate just yet
Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk unpacks the deeper implications — and limitations — of Biden’s monuments proclamation.
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9 numbers that explain the BLM’s headquarters boomerang back to D.C.
A look at what happened to the reorganization of the agency under the Trump administration.
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Anxiety and hope in wildfire-prone Oregon
How might we live in the reality of our climate?
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Klamath River issues explained
Confused about what’s happening on the Klamath? Dams, salmon, irrigation and more.
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Who should pay for climate mitigation? Colorado looks to the oil industry.
Lawsuits across the state accuse the energy companies of deceptive practices that escalated the climate crisis.
Posted inAugust 1, 2021: A Mega-Dairy Comes to the Desert
Interior looks into the legacy of Native boarding schools
The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative aims to shed light on the grim history of residential Indian boarding schools in the U.S.
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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.
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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 inJuly 1, 2021: An Urban Greenspace Revolution
Ongoing fish kill on the Klamath River is an ‘absolute worst-case scenario’
Unprecedented drought in the Klamath Basin leaves communities wondering how they will make it through the summer.
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A parched West heads into fire season
Several types of drought are converging, and all are at or near record levels.
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The Gila River Indian Community innovates for a drought-ridden future
Through partnerships and exchanges, the community is ensuring that its members have long-term access to their own resources while helping solve broader water supply problems.
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The battle over Point Reyes’ tule elk
The needs of the ungulate and cattle supported by California’s Point Reyes National Seashore have different needs and created a years-long conflict.
Posted inJune 1, 2021: Once and Future Fires
Tribes unveil landmark missing and murdered Indigenous person response
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes worked with federal agencies to complete a first of its kind plan to address the crisis.