Congress rejected the deep budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration.
News
Washington state bans salmon farms
An escape of non-native salmon prompted the state to shut down aquaculture.
Latest: Toxic-tinged wildlife refuge deemed safe for visitors
But conservation groups fear contamination at Colorado’s Rocky Flats still lingers.
Along the border, 500 miles of desert species
As Trump’s wall lurches forward, ‘BioBlitz’ records the Borderlands’ biodiversity.
Fire funding fix comes with environmental rollbacks
The legislation sets up an emergency disaster fund but also weakens protections for trees and wildlife.
A flurry of research illuminates snow’s foes
New studies detail how hotter temperatures, humid air and wind-blown dust can pummel the Western snowpack.
Land trusts move from the country to the city
To battle inequality and sprawl, conservation groups are looking beyond rural areas.
Judge: Agency cherrypicked science for bison management
Amid protests, Fish & Wildlife has been ordered to reexamine protections for the iconic Yellowstone beast.
What’s quelling the anxiety of electric-car drivers?
Charging corridors will make an interior West electric-car roadtrip increasingly possible.
In Congress, both parties agree on one public lands bill
A bill allowing public land sales for conservation inches towards passage.
A billionaire tests the strength of public access laws
In California, a dispute over a public beach could head to the Supreme Court.
Forest Service chief resigns over allegations of sexual misconduct
Tony Tooke stepped down from his role but disputes allegations against him.
Latest: Berkeley Pit cleanup ahead of schedule
The EPA will begin treating the pit’s toxic water five years earlier than planned.
In Arizona, a push for school choice targets Latino voters
The program, which would primarily benefit wealthy families, has received support from a Koch-funded group.
A way out of Bozeman’s shadow
Belgrade, Montana, is growing just enough to assert an identity separate of its adjacent city.
BLM speeds ahead on Grand Staircase-Escalante plans
The agency won’t wait for the courts to rule on monument boundaries to start planning.
Latest: EPA puts brakes on Pebble Mine proposal
Agency says risks to fisheries and natural resources justify gathering more data.
Interior opens more Western waters to offshore drilling
Officials from both parties ask Secretary Ryan Zinke to reconsider.
Latest: Washington state denies oil-by-rail terminal
Citing risks, Gov. Inslee rejects plans for the nation’s largest oil terminal.
Fight over household wells highlights rural growing pains
Can Washington balance development with the needs of rivers, fish and water users?
