After decades of court cases have rebuffed federal management, it may take a political fix to restore salmon in the Columbia Basin.
Energy & Industry
Posted inOctober 14, 2019: Severed Ties
The prospect of more Airbnbs tempts a struggling New Mexico town
Vacation rentals have gutted the culture of nearby communities, but a new project in Questa flips the narrative.
Posted inArticles
30 million acres of public land in Alaska at risk of being developed or transferred
‘The size and scope is simply staggering.’
Posted inArticles
Methane emissions advance climate change and Trump’s regulatory rollback matters
Energy scholars explain what rescinding methane regulations will mean for the climate and industry.
Posted inNovember 25, 2019: Forever Mines
While ‘zombie’ mines idle, cleanup and workers suffer in limbo
Instead of paying to clean up the mess left by mining, companies are warehousing their operations indefinitely.
Posted inArticles
Trump administration rolls back methane pollution regulations
The EPA will reverse Obama-era standards intended to curb leaks of the potent gas that contributes to the climate crisis.
Posted inArticles
Energy lobbyists changed politicians’ official letters supporting gas project
The Consumer Energy Alliance made substantial edits to lawmaker op-eds about the controversial Jordan Cove Energy Project.
Posted inArticles
Automakers follow California, not feds, on mileage standards
Obama-era official says companies will reduce emissions rather than deal with regulatory uncertainty.
Posted inSeptember 2, 2019: In Bad Faith
Can Western states afford to break the boom-and-bust cycle?
Climate action on public lands would force a reckoning for fossil fuel dependent states and communities.
Posted inArticles
The fallout of uncertainty in nuclear test communities
For downwinders of bomb testing, plans for compensation to redress past harms makes for tricky politics.
Posted inArticles
New Mexico’s economic and energy extraction quagmire
‘We’re on a death train, economically.’
Posted inAugust 5, 2019: From Prison to Fireline
With coal in free fall, Wyoming faces an uncertain future
As demand shrinks and the industry retracts, counties and the state are in an untenable situation.
Posted inArticles
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe goes solar
An image of sovereignty in the Colorado high desert.
Posted inJuly 21, 2019: A Radical Return
Staffers allege misconduct at BLM’s busiest oil and gas office
Complaints to Interior’s Office of Inspector General reveal concerns that the Carlsbad Field Office broke laws to favor industry.
Posted inArticles
New Wyoming coal company abandons mines and miners
State officials are picking up the pieces after Blackjewel goes belly up.
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New Mexico’s oil boom has made rural roads deadly
As oil wells multiply in the Permian Basin, the influx of heavy vehicles exacerbates risks for those living in the area.
Posted inArticles
It’s time to move the Bureau of Land Management out of D.C.
(Most) of those living in the West have the public lands’ best interest at heart.
Posted inArticles
Oregon Republicans are hiding to avoid a climate-bill vote
This is the second time the group of state lawmakers have walked out this year.
Posted inArticles
The rapid thaw of Alaska will accelerate global heating
The state’s warmest spring on record will have planet-wide repercussions.
Posted inArticles
Public lands top Rep. Debra Haaland’s agenda
One of the first Native American women elected to Congress is fighting fossil fuel development on ‘the most pristine and beautiful places in our country.’