‘They have to look at it every day and wonder if that’s the reason why they’re dying.’
U.S. Department of Energy
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
As coal plants close, Wyoming looks toward nuclear
Is a new generation of nuclear technology a ‘shiny object’ or a solution to a faltering fossil fuel economy?
Posted inArticles
How yellowcake shaped the West
The ghosts of the uranium boom continue to haunt the land, water and people.
Posted inArticles
New Mexico eyed for major nuclear waste storage facility
Critics say virtual meetings bypassed rural communities and raise concerns about the company behind the proposal.
Posted inArticles
Effort to lock Hanford’s radioactive waste in glass faces more delays
Feds aim to push back the opening of ‘glassification’ plants, while state officials say the Department of Energy has been underfunding the cleanup of America’s most poisoned site.
Posted inArticles
The fallout of uncertainty in nuclear test communities
For downwinders of bomb testing, plans for compensation to redress past harms makes for tricky politics.
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
There’s no easy fix for our nuclear past
At Washington’s Hanford nuclear site, failing infrastructure and make-do plans as the West prepares for a new round of radioactivity.
Posted inArticles
New EPA head has long history of ties to mining interests
Watchdog groups worry Andrew Wheeler will advance an agenda of deregulation.
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Arizona water utility chooses solar over coal
The decision tips the ailing Navajo Generating Station closer to its planned closure.
Posted inArticles
What is the Department of Energy?
Though the Department of Energy is best known as the keeper of the country’s nuclear weapons, the responsibilities of this Cabinet-level department also include broad energy issues, such as production, conservation and research. It operates a system of national laboratories, including facilities in Richland, Washington; Los Alamos, New Mexico; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Berkeley, California. […]
Posted inAugust 21, 2017: Rooftop Revolution
In solar scuffle, big utilities meet their match
Solar advocates win a surprising victory in Nevada.
Posted inArticles
A tour of the West’s radioactive legacy
Trump’s push for nuclear security could send ripples across the region.
Posted inMay 29, 2017: The Cost of a Comeback
Meet Jane, a climate scientist who fled Trump’s government
Worries about science censorship drove her from her post at the Energy Department.
Posted inArticles
Despite what the Trump administration says, coal is out
The energy transition is happening now and will only continue.
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Is Yucca Mountain back from the dead?
The controversial, long-dormant project rears its head in Congress.
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What’s really killing King Coal?
Rick Perry wants to save coal from solar and wind, but natural gas is the real culprit.
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Meet Trump’s Interior, EPA and Energy picks
What we know from the confirmation hearings for Ryan Zinke, Scott Pruitt and Rick Perry.
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Washington state sues feds over worker safety at Hanford
A watchdog group also filed, citing ‘toxic roulette’ for workers at the former nuclear facility.
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In Idaho, new worries over nuclear shipments
With governor set to offer DOE waiver, nuclear waste fears return.
Posted inArticles
Conflicting forecasts for natural gas
A new study suggests that estimates for U.S. supplies may be vastly overstated.