Environment
Is the Western drought finally ending? That depends on where you look
This commentary originally appeared The Conversation. After three years of extreme drought, the Western U.S. is finally getting a break. Mountain ranges are covered in deep snow, and water reservoirs in many areas are filling up following a series of atmospheric rivers that brought record rain and snowfall to large parts of the region. Many […]
Rep. Neguse asks federal housing officials to protect Marshall Fire victims from foreclosure risk
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado is asking housing officials to update federal mortgage guidelines that are leaving Marshall Fire victims at risk of foreclosure. In a letter sent this week to Federal Housing Administration Commissioner Julia Gordon, Neguse, a Lafayette Democrat, requested that the agency change its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage occupancy requirements for victims […]
Gov. Polis orders Colorado regulators to crack down on air pollution from oil and gas industry
After decades of failure to meet health standards under the Clean Air Act, Colorado leaders on Thursday signaled their intent to take a more aggressive approach to cutting ozone pollution from the oil and gas industry as work begins on a new set of federally mandated regulatory plans. In a letter to agency heads, Gov. […]
U.S. Senate leader calls for safety audit into all major railroads after Ohio derailment
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Wednesday for the federal authority responsible for determining the causes of transportation casualties to investigate the safety culture at all major North American freight railroads. Following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment that caused a toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, Schumer, a New York Democrat, said […]
Colorado utilities defend investor-owned model amid scrutiny of higher gas, electricity bills
Executives from Colorado’s two privately owned utilities went before state lawmakers on Tuesday to defend their status as “regulated monopolies” amid scrutiny of soaring utility bills for their customers — and record-breaking profits for shareholders. Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy’s Colorado division, which serves over 1.5 million customers in the state with electricity and […]
States to receive $2.5B from feds for electric vehicle charging infrastructure
The federal government will send $2.5 billion over the next five years to states, local governments and tribes to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Biden administration officials said Tuesday. The new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant program, which was authorized by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, will spend $2.5 billion over five years to build […]
Natural gas production likely cause of southern Colorado earthquakes, experts say
One of the largest earthquakes to hit Colorado in decades rattled homes and businesses near Trinidad on the night of March 9, one of a series of six small quakes that were detected in western Las Animas County, not far from the Colorado-New Mexico border. The area known as the Raton Basin has seen a […]
U.S. House votes to roll back Biden’s WOTUS rule
The U.S. House voted Thursday to undo a Biden administration definition of wetlands that allows for regulations on private lands. The chamber approved, 227-198, a resolution to roll back the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s broader definition of what qualifies as “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, for the purposes of federal regulation under the […]
Norfolk Southern CEO apologizes for Ohio crash, but won’t back bipartisan rail safety bill
The CEO of Norfolk Southern, the railroad operating the train that last month derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, apologized for the derailment at a U.S. Senate hearing Thursday, but declined solicitations to endorse a bipartisan rail safety bill. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw opened his testimony to the Senate Environment and […]
U.S. Senate panel probes how crypto mining increases energy consumption
WASHINGTON — The so-called mining for digital assets, or cryptocurrency, consumes as much electricity as some entire nations, and U.S. senators explored the issue Tuesday in what they said was their first-ever hearing focused on the energy implications of digital currency. Crypto mining in both Nebraska and Pennsylvania was discussed in particular by the members […]
New oil trains in Colorado not worth the risk
The United States averaged three train derailments every day in 2021. Derailments of freight trains carrying toxic or flammable cargo pose a threat to the ecosystems and communities they pass, much like the town of East Palestine, Ohio. In early February, a train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed, releasing 1.1 million pounds of vinyl chloride. […]
Kamala Harris visits Colorado to highlight Biden administration’s climate action
Vice President Kamala Harris joined an audience of Colorado elected officials and other stakeholders in Arvada to talk about the Biden administration’s latest efforts to tackle climate change. In a panel discussion led by U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood as well as rock climber and environmental advocate Sasha DiGiulian of Boulder at the Arvada […]