Aerial firefighting is dangerous, expensive and environmentally damaging. So why do we do it?
Economy
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
Arrival of the cost-benefit state
The Supreme Court wants the Environmental Protection Agency to weigh human health against costs to industry.
Posted inArticles
Interior launches national conversation on federal coal
Should royalties be higher to account for social costs of climate change?
Posted inArticles
Whitewater parks: an unlikely drought bailout
Expensive artificial wave features can ease dry times for river economies.
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Living the dream, on overtime
Why the outdoor industry opposes a federal minimum wage.
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Private-land camping startups offer alternative to public lands
Airbnb-like websites spring up in response to overcrowded public campsites.
Posted inArticles
How crowded are private prisons in the West?
A riot in Arizona puts the spotlight on for-profit incarceration.
Posted inArticles
Natural gas exports to Mexico are surging
A major new energy export market quietly emerges as Mexico takes advantage of low-priced U.S. gas.
Posted inArticles
Lake Mead watch: As the Colorado dries up, will tourism?
What dropping water levels could mean for the region’s recreation economy.
Posted inArticles
The U.S.’s only rare-earth mine files for bankruptcy
How plain old economics could end Molycorp’s Mountain Pass Mine in the Mojave Desert.
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
The scrappy effort to revive a former mining town
In Butte, Montana, optimism is booming.
Posted inArticles
Wrangell recovers from its timber hangover
Can a small Alaska town overcome the booms and busts of resource development?
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
Why rare-earth mining in the West is a bust
Forget the hype. In the global rush for energy-critical elements, our region can’t compete.
Posted inArticles
Outfitters seek exemption from new federal minimum wage
Bill would allow recreation businesses to operate on federal land without paying staff $10.10 an hour.
Posted inJune 8, 2015: Tree of Life
Can leasing irrigation water keep Colorado farms alive?
Farmers try to stop “buy and dry” by pooling water rights to supply growing cities.
Posted inArticles
Drilling is down, driving is up in wake of low petroleum prices
Demand increases, but rig counts plummet and workers continue to get laid off.
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
The Trans-Pacific Partnership could pipe in new business for the Western gas industry
By lowering tariffs and regulatory hurdles, the deal could make it easier to sell natural gas to Japan.
Posted inArticles
Sightseeing at an open pit mine in Arizona copper country
The mines are still in business, yet towns that once flourished are now mostly gone.
Posted inMay 11, 2015: The Wetland Wars
Wins for workers
Western cities lead the national movement for a higher minimum wage.
Posted inArticles
Huge new ‘communities’ planned for Tucson, Albuquerque
Sprawl rises from its slumber, but urban renaissance is still thriving.