A clash over the National Environmental Policy Act follows familiar fault lines.
Department of Interior
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Aridity heads east; a geyser wakes up; activists young and old
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Latest: Sagebrush conservation efforts are failing
A new report says weeds and wildfire are major threats to sagebrush habitat.
Posted inJuly 23, 2018: Pay for Prey
After Malheur, side effects of the Bundys’ extremism linger
But in Harney County, Oregon, collaboration around public lands grows.
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Latest: Abandoned gas wells aren’t adequately managed
A new report found the BLM falls short in overseeing orphan wells.
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
A new era of uranium mining near the Grand Canyon?
With scant data on risk, Republicans push to open a ‘perfect’ mining opportunity.
Posted inArticles
Reckoning with History: The devolution of conservation’s trust fund
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is set to expire, thanks to a partisan Congress.
Posted inArticles
Arizona water utility chooses solar over coal
The decision tips the ailing Navajo Generating Station closer to its planned closure.
Posted inArticles
An advocate for Indian Country in the Trump administration?
Tara Sweeney, an Inupiaq woman from Alaska, could become the second Native woman to head Indian Affairs.
Posted inArticles
National parks endure rising visitation and less staff
Politicians disagree over funding, leaving visitors waiting and projects backlogged.
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
Some like it hot; the West’s unluckiest man; Phoenix’s future
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
Interior revives the push for a higher Shasta Dam
But the state of California and Winnemem Wintu Tribe oppose the project.
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
Sage grouse shake-up alienates conservationists
Some back away from cooperating as trust in Interior wanes.
Posted inArticles
Tell Interior not to sell off the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Against economic and ecological reason, officials plan to open the refuge to drilling.
Posted inArticles
Park Service releases complete climate change report
Following political pressure, references to humans’ role in sea level rise were restored.
Posted inMay 14, 2018: Death in the Alpine
Recreation is redefining the value of Western public lands
Visits to public lands and consumer spending grow, as agency budgets atrophy.
Posted inArticles
Bears Ears is open for business
A reporter staked a mining claim on former monument lands. You could, too.
Posted inArticles
Oil- and gas-rich counties ask for more federal revenue
A new bill would return money earmarked for Western water projects to mineral-producing counties.
Posted inArticles
Gunnison sage grouse recovery plan stops lawsuit
U.S. Fish and Wildlife has 30 months to submit a draft plan to recover the threatened species.
Posted inApril 30, 2018: Celebrity Scofflaw
How the feds helped make Cliven Bundy a celebrity
The creation of an anti-public-lands hero.