Environment
Nearly all national park sites to close during government shutdown
Almost all National Park Service sites will be inaccessible during a partial federal government shutdown likely to start this weekend, the U.S. Interior Department said Friday. The agency will bar access to most of the nation’s 425 parks, recreation areas, national historic sites and other units, according to a fact sheet from the Interior Department, […]
Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland probed at U.S. Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators said during a Wednesday hearing that foreign ownership of U.S. farmland is a national security threat that should be further examined. The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry discussed foreign ownership of the nation’s agricultural lands, with testimony from experts and Senate colleagues who have been taking the lead […]
How a looming government shutdown could hit national parks
National parks and nearby communities could forgo millions of dollars per day during a partial government shutdown that could start this weekend. Would-be visitors will likely see restrictions on park access, though the extent of those restrictions was still unclear just days before a potential lapse in federal appropriations set to begin Sunday. Parks would […]
The farm bill is on the verge of expiring. Congress is months away from a new version.
WASHINGTON — As the deadline for Congress to pass a new farm bill looms this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months – if not longer – until they reach agreement on a new bill. Lawmakers must rewrite the sweeping farm bill every five years to set […]
Battery storage seen as ‘backbone’ of reliable electric grid but adoption uneven across US
SEARCY, Ark. — In the decarbonized future envisioned by many states, utilities and the federal government, expect more power plants like Entergy Arkansas’ facility here, where thousands of gleaming panels and banks of batteries spread across 800 acres about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. The Searcy Solar Energy Center, a 100-megawatt solar and storage […]
California is suing big oil. Why doesn’t Colorado?
California last week filed a landmark lawsuit that seeks to hold the biggest oil and gas companies accountable for their role in causing the climate crisis. The lawsuit cites decades of deceit by fossil fuel executives, who knew from internal reports that their products would warm the planet but told the public a different story, […]
U.S. Senate panel grapples with how to ensure access to water amid Western drought
Decades of drought in the West has made water quality and quantity a major issue requiring government funding and innovation to fix, members of a U.S. Senate panel said Wednesday. Demand for water in growing municipalities is stretching agricultural and Tribal communities, while shrinking availability is leading to higher water prices, witnesses told the Senate […]
On a hydrogen-powered train, Colorado leaders stress urgency of Front Range passenger rail
“We’re now going 70 miles an hour,” said Gov. Jared Polis, hunched over beside the train’s engineer, into what he thought was its PA system. “Feel that smooth ride at 70 miles an hour. Imagine getting out of your cars. Not having to navigate the Gap. Colorado Springs to Denver in an hour or less.” […]
Feds OK killing of some reintroduced Colorado wolves, putting Dec. 31 deadline in reach
Federal wildlife officials on Friday announced they will grant Colorado a key exemption that paves the way for the state to reintroduce gray wolves to the Western Slope by the end of this year, while still allowing “lethal take” of the endangered animals in some circumstances. In a final environmental impact statement on the state’s […]
‘Get this right’: Colorado wildlife officials forge ahead with wolf reintroduction by end of year
Colorado wildlife officials expressed confidence in a hearing at the Capitol on Tuesday that they’re on track to reintroduce wolves to the state by the end of the year, but lawmakers continued to sound skeptical of the plan and its impact on ranchers and rural communities. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is moving forward with a […]
Report faults EPA for not enforcing limits on toxic benzene emissions at oil refineries
The federal Environmental Protection Agency must do a better job ensuring that oil refineries that exceed emissions limits for benzene, a toxic, carcinogenic pollutant, cut those concentrations, the agency’s inspector general found. “Thirteen of the 118 refineries we reviewed had benzene concentrations above the action level in 20 or more weeks after the initial exceedance,” […]
Safe, healthy outdoor spaces for underserved communities are becoming more of a reality
We Coloradans love the great outdoors, it’s not just a stereotype. Our mountain vistas, hiking trails, and national and state parks are core to who we are as Coloradans and momentous to the millions of people who travel here to experience them for themselves. But the grim reality is that not all Colorado communities, like […]