A failure of regulation has allowed industry to avoid the true cost of cleaning up its unplugged wells.
Nick Bowlin
Posted inArticles
Mountain towns are trying all sorts of solutions to the housing crisis
A new report details the many ways that high-altitude communities are wrestling with ballooning housing costs.
Posted inArticles
New Mexico’s displaced coal miners have gotten the shaft on severance pay
The state’s just transition plans promised by the Energy Transition Act haven’t panned out for many workers.
Posted inArticles
Private equity gets into oil and gas
A new report warns of bankruptcies and abandoned wells on Western public land.
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New public-land drilling rules would overhaul the Western oil industry
The potential new rules would hike the amount companies must pay in order to drill, in addition to other changes.
Posted inArticles
Western resort towns risk being ‘loved to death’
A new report details the downsides of tourism and population booms – and what communities can do about it.
Posted inApril 1, 2023: The Path Forward
The natural gas pushback
Local communities want to electrify, but gas interests have other ideas.
Posted inArticles
Colorado regulators come down hard on troubled oil company
K.P. Kauffman said that penalties could result in a large bankruptcy, leaving well cleanup to the state.
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Colorado works on an oil and gas well cleanup guarantee, but doubts loom
The state’s financial assurance process called ‘the strongest in the nation.’
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Feds claim Defenders of Wildlife unlawfully fired union-organizing staffer
The environmental nonprofit’s work environment is under scrutiny after multiple unfair labor submissions.
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EXCLUSIVE: Investigation confirms Nevada Gold Mines violated safety rules, contributing to miner’s death
State investigators reveal that the company did not follow basic safety protocols.
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The feds declined to seriously cut Colorado River water use. Here’s what that means
After Southwestern states failed to cut a deal, the Interior Department took it easy on them.
Posted inOctober 1, 2022: Making Refuge
Workers report feeling unsafe at Nevada’s largest gold-mining corporation
After a controversial merger put the company in the hands of Barrick Gold Corp, employees say the shift has incentivized production over worker safety.
Posted inAugust 1, 2022: Our Fiery Future
How oil companies endlessly avoid cleanup costs
In Colorado, a sale of 110 low-producing oil wells illustrates a hot potato effect, and how funding remediation eventually comes from the public.
Posted inArticles
The Southwest’s cities are booming. Here’s how to make that growth climate-friendly.
One of the authors of the recent U.N. climate report says getting urban development right is crucial to addressing the climate crisis.
Posted inArticles
Will the EPA partially close a Wyoming coal plant that’s one of the nation’s largest polluters?
The decision affects the local economy and air quality — and could create an opening for renewable energy.
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Interior devotes billions to plugging old oil wells. Is it enough?
The agency under-counted abandoned wells by more than half, which means the effort covers only a fraction of the cost.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
Gold country: A precious metal, a mining mega-corp and a captive workforce
In 2019, two gold-mining giants joined forces, with huge consequences for the Northern Nevada community and economy.
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
Vacation resort replaces affordable housing in Teton Valley
Once-affordable towns near Jackson Hole have become real estate magnets since the pandemic.
Posted inJune 1, 2021: Once and Future Fires
How ‘sustainable’ is California’s groundwater sustainability act?
Numerous issues around equity and the plan’s rollout loom.