The state is dependent on oil and gas, but Carlsbad has opportunity to become the epicenter of renewable energy.
Solar energy
Posted inArticles
Study looks at covering California’s canals with solar panels
Covering waterways would save water and provide electricity, among other benefits.
Posted inArticles
Local climate efforts cut costs and carbon in Wyoming
As the state doubles down on fossil fuels, towns chart their own path.
Posted inDecember 1, 2020: A Community Divided
Trump gutted NEPA regulations, but a Biden presidency could restore them
An environmental lawyer discusses the future of the country’s bedrock environmental law.
Posted inAugust 1, 2020: Infectious Ideologies
The job loss epidemic
COVID-19 impacts ripple through every sector of the economy.
Posted inArticles
A fossil-fueled town fights back
As coal continues to fade, Pueblo, Colorado, looks to renewables for a new economy.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Crossing to Safety
In rural Colorado, the kids of coal miners learn to install solar panels
Where the mines once provided steady employment, solar energy now offers jobs for the next generation.
Posted inArticles, En español
California pudo haber ayudado a sus residentes de bajos ingresos soportar mejor los apagones de PG&E.
El estado tenía un programa – y $72 millones – pero casi nadie solicitó ayuda
Posted inNovember 25, 2019: Forever Mines
California could have helped low-income residents weather PG&E blackouts
The state had a program — and $72 million — but hardly anyone applied.
Posted inArticles
Is renewable energy’s future dammed?
A proposed hydroelectric project on the Little Colorado River shows the tricky trade-offs in transitioning from fossil fuels.
Posted inOctober 14, 2019: Severed Ties
The West moves ever closer to a unified power grid
A unified grid would allow for easier sharing of wind and solar power.
Posted inJuly 21, 2019: A Radical Return
Bankrupt bigly; coal’s demise; shoplifting job applicant
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe goes solar
An image of sovereignty in the Colorado high desert.
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A critical solution to climate change is right here in the West
In pursuit of a ‘Green New Deal,’ don’t forget public lands.
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Dollars and sense in the West’s power market
An outgoing utilities commissioner discusses Montana’s changing energy landscape.
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When a huge utility company pledges to go carbon free
Xcel Energy says it wants to ‘step up and do more’ to reduce greenhouse gases.
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Do climate policies have a negative effect on jobs?
Climate change will hurt the economy if not addressed, but evidence on how environmental regulations affect unemployment is mixed.
Posted inNovember 26, 2018: Follow the fish
Latest: Trump’s BLM approves a massive California solar plant
Opponents cite potential harm to desert wildlife, views and sand dunes.
Posted inArticles
In the West, climate action falters on the ballot
While climate-focused candidates won key races in the region, ballot initiatives to limit fossil fuels’ effects failed.
Posted inArticles
A utility in coal country doubles down on renewables
‘You can politicize it all you want, but in the end economics is really what drives it.’