Lead ammunition and fishing gear poison ecosystems — and dinner tables.
Pollution
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This farm bill deregulates the rich and polices the poor
A former farmer calls the legislation an attack on family farms and the environment.
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Utilities should dump coal to lower power bills
Coal-fired plants are more expensive than renewable alternatives like wind power.
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The Colorado valley at stake in Trump’s oil boom
After coal waned, a community redefined itself. Will new leases turn back the clock?
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Politics are behind a plan to prop up coal and nuclear
Discussion of a ‘grid emergency’ ignores cheaper alternatives like solar and wind.
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The future of Alaska’s Pebble Mine — and its salmon
A timeline shows Scott Pruitt’s EPA waffling between mining and fishing interests.
Posted inJuly 23, 2018: Pay for Prey
Saving baby Jo from the smoke
A mother grapples with her decision to flee the 416 Fire with her infant daughter.
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Trump’s coal and nuclear bailout helps execs and hurts the grid
In a heavy-handed directive, the Department of Energy caters to industry barons.
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
GMO grass is creeping across Oregon
Missteps by agribusiness giants allowed the invasion. Now they’re off the hook for cleanup.
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Colorado follows California’s lead for cleaner cars
Fourteen states have now bucked the EPA to adopt stricter emissions standards.
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
Kleptoparasitism; an octopus named Fred; moose chasers
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
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Who pays for the damage caused by climate change?
Three Colorado communities are suing to make oil companies open their wallets.
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Arizona water utility chooses solar over coal
The decision tips the ailing Navajo Generating Station closer to its planned closure.
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We need to fix up roads and bridges — not mines
Federal officials may add mining to a law that fast-tracks infrastructure permitting.
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Nevada’s senators fight the Yucca Mountain resurgence
Republican political favors could again kill the nuclear waste project — for now.
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
The dark secrets of the Animas River
A 2015 spill that turned the waterway orange is a reminder of mining’s disastrous legacy.
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Don’t even think about leaving a trace
An outdoorswoman reflects on the myriad kinds of litter she’s encountered in nature.
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Lawmakers grill EPA chief on spending and ethics scandals
During a hearing on Capitol Hill, Scott Pruitt called the controversies a ‘distraction.’
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What happens in a small town when the gas goes out?
A writer ponders his community’s dependence on natural gas in its absence.
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EPA proposal would let states relax coal plant pollution rules
The change could increase contamination from coal ash leaching into groundwater.