The new limits may represent a shift in Utah’s cozy relationship with industry.
Politics
The good, the bad and the ugly of the state legislative season
While Congress does nothing, Western state lawmakers pass a flurry of consequential and/or crazy — bills.
Oil industry profits don’t pay for cleanup
A failure of regulation has allowed industry to avoid the true cost of cleaning up its unplugged wells.
How a small town with limited resources is planning for climate change
Oregon’s Grants Pass is known for its climate, and its sustainability plan aims to keep it that way.
What happened to the Great American Outdoors Act?
A historic public lands act passed in 2020. Here’s what it’s done so far.
Learning to live with musk oxen
The species were introduced to Alaska’s Seward Peninsula decades ago, without local consent. Now they pose danger to life and property.
Gov. Newsom releases new plan to save California salmon
A wave of dam removals is planned, but salmon strategy relies on voluntary water cuts.
New Mexico pushes back on Big Oil
New bills in the legislature could curb industry excesses.
Will the Supreme Court allow agencies to continue interpreting ambiguity in laws?
If the ‘Chevron deference’ is overturned, federal enforcement of key environmental and health care regulations will be sharply curbed.
Washington’s solar permitting leaves tribal resources vulnerable to corporations
Tribal officials say the process threatens cultural resources and what remains of healthy Indigenous foodways.
The culling of Alaska’s bears and wolves
As the state’s wildlife numbers decline, predators are getting the blame. The true threat is much more complex.
As migration routes shift toward New Mexico, so does death
Migrant deaths in the state have jumped from 2 to 109 in a few years.
Paws on the ground: How Colorado got its wolves back
Five wolves were released in remote western Colorado yesterday, marking the beginning of an ambitious reintroduction program.
Washington lags behind in water-pollution oversight
State officials have been missing Clean Water Act deadlines for a decade.
Forest Service proposes storing CO2 under public land
‘It’s the opposite of a virtuous cycle.’
Washington State residents ask: What is our wildlife agency for?
Public backlash over a new policy reveals a deeper divide over the future of conservation.
Bozeman’s next mayor on housing, tattoos and the West
The 28-year-old mayor-elect, Joey Morrison, shares his plans for boosting community engagement and building neighborhoods for all Montanans.
Has Montana solved its housing crisis?
A spate of new state laws will spur housing development. Will anyone be able to afford what’s getting built?
What the fed’s new proposal for management of Colorado River reservoirs means
Lake Powell and Lake Mead remain historically low, but modeling shows risk of crisis levels has lessened over the next three years.
Medicaid’s big paperwork problem
After a federal rule expired this spring, millions of people have been disenrolled from Medicaid. Many of them may still be eligible.