How the Animas River disaster forced Silverton to face its pollution problem — and its destiny.
Growth & Sustainability
Posted inArticles
A millennial mayor and his timber town
This young local is trying to transform Aberdeen, Washington, into a city for his generation.
Posted inArticles
Can we learn from Europe’s approach to laid-off coal miners?
A more secure safety net for workers in transition means higher taxes, a tradeoff many Americans oppose.
Posted inArticles
The drought isn’t over, so let’s not relax
It’s too soon to stop water conservation efforts. News of the drought’s end are greatly exaggerated.
Posted inArticles
Will states find other revenue streams to weather the fossil fuel bust?
Powerhouses like Wyoming and Alaska are shrinking budgets, not looking for new sources of income.
Posted inArticles
Ranch Diaries: Sustainability doesn’t always mean regenerative
How I came to terms with my subsistence upbringing, and have started to rethink it.
Posted inArticles
Photos: The costs of air pollution in Bakersfield, California
In the Central Valley, oil and agriculture both support and harm communities, making air pollution a complex problem.
Posted inArticles
Forest Service rejects Grand Canyon luxury village
The setback is just the latest in a 30-year push to develop the rim.
Posted inMarch 7, 2016: The Parks You Don't Know
National parks: Where we go and where we don’t
Much of the Park Service’s land in the West is poorly visited and little-known.
Posted inArticles
Tiny houses won’t solve our affordable housing problem
In Salida, Colorado, little homes come with a big price tag.
Posted inArticles
In Utah, a massive water project is gaining ground
The project could divert 86,000 acre-feet from Lake Powell to the retirement community of St. George.
Posted inArticles
Can food hubs make small farms economically feasible?
A new effort near Tahoe, California, brings farmers and food buyers together to buck the system.
Posted inArticles
Will this desert community survive its water overdraft problem?
Borrego Springs, California, was founded on the promise of endless water. Now they must conserve — or else.
Posted inArticles
California Coastal Commission fires its executive director
The decision exposes the quintessential coastline to damage, development and closures.
Posted inArticles
Should this national monument become a national park?
An Idaho town hopes changing Craters of the Moon to park status will boost its economy.
Posted inArticles
Forest Service leaves control of water rights to ski resorts
How does industry control of water affect public land management?
Posted inArticles
How do we define climate pollution’s cost to society?
Every year, the government recalculates how much money a metric ton of carbon costs us.
Posted inJanuary 25, 2016: The Forever War
The road to better eating, in an era of compromise
A review of Megan Kimble’s “Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food.”
Posted inArticles
Economic downturns fuel Sagebrush Rebellion events
Natural resource-dependent rural economies help explain why disputes happen where they do.
Posted inArticles
Nevada decision guts the state’s thriving solar industry
Electric utility pushed effort to sour economics of rooftop solar.