The West’s uranium boom brought dozens of mills to the banks of the Colorado River — where toxic waste was dumped irresponsibly.
Pollution
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
Latest: The EPA drops mine cleanup proposal
Obama-era plan required mining companies to prove they can pay for remediation.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
In a burning West, wildfire smoke threatens public health
Montana hospitals handled an increase of respiratory-related problems this year.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
Interior Department’s return to the ‘robber baron’ years
Secretary Ryan Zinke will be known better for cynicism than conservationism.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
A map of $1.1 billion in natural gas pipeline leaks
In seven years, pipeline incidents have killed nearly 100 people nationwide.
Posted inNovember 27, 2017: Profit and Politics
A tale of two parks: How the Bakken boom transformed a landscape
While a North Dakota national park is an oasis from drilling, a nearby state park is thrown open.
Posted inNovember 27, 2017: Profit and Politics
Threatened plants on state lands have few protections
Politics, land ownership and imperiled plants collide in New Mexico.
Posted inOctober 30, 2017: The Changing Face of Woods Work
Handbook to ranching; pizza-loving bears; high hopes for medical marijuana
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
A water-bottling plant creates a rift in Montana
Opponents say a proposal is tilting Flathead Valley development toward corporate interests.
Posted inOctober 30, 2017: The Changing Face of Woods Work
Gina McCarthy holds out hope on climate policy
The former head of the EPA isn’t despairing despite Trump administration rollbacks.
Posted inArticles
Coal. Guns. Freedom?
How the Trump administration has seized mythologies around coal.
Posted inSeptember 18, 2017: No Hoax
Tribes commit to uphold Paris climate agreement
Western nations take action on climate change — and push for self-governance.
Posted inArticles
Invasion of the butt flickers
When tourists toss their spent cigarettes at the Grand Canyon, I’m the one who picks them up.
Posted inArticles
Uranium pervades homes on and near Navajo Nation
EPA budget cuts threaten to slow a long-overdue cleanup.
Posted inSeptember 4, 2017: The Elwha, Unleashed
Gutting regulations damages democracy
Shutting the public out of natural resource rule-making is bad for the environment — and the country.
Posted inAugust 21, 2017: Rooftop Revolution
In solar scuffle, big utilities meet their match
Solar advocates win a surprising victory in Nevada.
Posted inAugust 7, 2017: Los Promotores
Amid California’s toxic dumps, local activists go it alone
They call themselves promotores, and they’re starting to see results.
Posted inAugust 7, 2017: Los Promotores
Los promotores
En medio de los basureros tóxicos de California, los activistas trabajan solos.
Posted inAugust 7, 2017: Los Promotores
Latest: Duel over Owens Valley water intensifies
A county uses eminent domain to try to reclaim land taken by LA.
Posted inArticles
Court rules EPA must enforce Obama-era methane rule
The Trump administration’s rollback of environmental regulations has hit a roadblock.