Environment
Burning Man sues BLM over geothermal project in Nevada
Burning Man is suing the Bureau of Land Management over its approval of a geothermal exploration project in Gerlach, Nevada. In a filing Monday, the Burning Man Project—the nonprofit behind the festival —argues the agency failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act when it ruled in October that the exploration project would have […]
2,500 earthquakes, 26 swarms. 11 Steamboat Geyser eruptions. Here’s Yellowstone’s year in a glance.
Any annual review of Yellowstone’s activity has to start with seismicity. Yellowstone is an active place in terms of earthquakes. Typically the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, which is responsible for the operation of the Yellowstone Seismic Network, locates 1,500–2,500 earthquakes every year in the region. Over the last several years, annual seismicity in and around Yellowstone National […]
As another winter storm strains the electric grid, it’s time to fix transmission, experts say
The deadly winter storm, christened Elliott by the Weather Channel, that tore through much of the United States over the Christmas weekend placed a huge strain on the American electric grid, pushing it past the breaking point in some places. Frigid temperatures, in some places setting records, drove a surge in electric demand while also […]
Wild salmon and 50 years of Idaho’s Sawtooth National Recreation Area
Fifty years ago, Idahoans in large numbers and variety asked the U.S. Congress to create the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in the headwaters of the Salmon River. In the 1972 creation statute, the first stated purpose of the new area is to preserve its wild salmon. The opposite has happened. All the Sawtooth National Recreation […]
Environmental enforcement has fallen off under Biden, report says
Federal environmental enforcement, as measured by Environmental Protection Agency civil cases closed against polluters, hit a two-decade low in 2022, per a report released this month by a national environmental group that blames budget cuts, staff shortages and the U.S. Senate’s failure to confirm key leaders. The Environmental Integrity Project said the 72 civil enforcement […]
Some Oregon trout withstand rising water temperatures, study finds
In September 2020, the Archie Creek fire near Roseburg, Oregon, burned all 5,000 acres of the Hinkle Creek watershed, home to rainbow, cutthroat and steelhead trout. Oregon State University scientists who had been studying the fish for years figured the loss of tree cover would mean warmer stream temperatures that would stress, and ultimately kill, […]
Payette Land Trust reaches conservation easement agreement for part of Idaho’s Cougar Island
Officials with the Payette Land Trust and the new owner of a parcel of land on an island situated on Payette Lake have agreed on a conservation easement that will limit future development and commercial use on Cougar Island. The conservation easement, which Payette Land Trust purchased from the land owner, applies to a privately […]
USDA awards funding for 12 renewable energy projects in southern Idaho
In an effort to lower energy costs, expand access to clean energy and combat climate change, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide funding for 12 renewable energy projects in Idaho, said USDA Rural Development Idaho State Director Rudy Soto in a press release. The projects, overseen by businesses and agricultural producers in the state, […]
To combat climate change, Oregon bans sale of new, 100% gasoline-powered cars by 2035
All new cars sold in Oregon by 2035 must be considered zero-emissions vehicles. On Monday, Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission voted unanimously to adopt the Advanced Clean Cars II Rule, requiring auto manufacturers to begin producing and delivering a growing number of zero-emission vehicles to Oregon beginning in 2026, so that they make up 100% of […]
Water managers across drought-stricken West agree on one thing: ‘This is going to be painful’
Water authorities in the Western U.S. don’t have a crystal ball, but rapidly receding reservoirs uncovering sunken boats and other debris lost in their depths decades ago give a clear view of the hard choices ahead. If Western states do not agree on a plan to safeguard the Colorado River — the source of the […]
Scientists announce a fusion breakthrough with big implications for clean energy
Scientists at a U.S. national laboratory announced Tuesday that they achieved fusion ignition, a breakthrough decades in the making that could have major implications for clean energy. Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near San Francisco said that on Dec. 5, for the first time anywhere in the world, they managed to produce more […]
Idaho River Sports – center of the universe for river boaters – celebrates end of an era
Timing can be everything in business. Start a new business at the beginning of a new market trend, and you could be riding a wave of success. Wait too long, and you’ve missed the show. In a lot of ways, Jo Cassin and Stan Kolby had great timing when they launched a new outdoor store […]