Environment
As Southeast states warm, TVA criticized on preparations for dealing with climate hazards
WASHINGTON – Extreme weather patterns have sparked several improvements to the climate resiliency of Tennessee Valley Authority electrical infrastructure over the past two decades. However, a report from a government watchdog found the huge utility still has work to do in mitigating climate hazards to the regional power grid. “TVA has taken several steps to […]
Living on the knife’s edge, even at the source of the Rio Grande
This series originally appeared in Source NM. RIO GRANDE RESERVOIR, Colo — After 15 miles of pockmarked dirt road, the Rio Grande spreads wide in the shadows of the San Juan Mountains. It glitters, aqua, whitecaps whipped up by the wind. But even in the birthplace of the river lay the stark stains of climate change. Deep, bald […]
Colorado leaders hail drought ‘consensus’ among 6 of 7 Colorado River Basin states
Representatives from six of the seven states that make up the Colorado River Basin on Monday announced their agreement on an “alternative framework” that they say should form the basis of federal planning for the drought-imperiled water source for 40 million people across the U.S. Southwest. Colorado joined five other states in agreeing to the […]
A river wounded: Crisis on the Rio Grande
This series originally appeared in Source NM. The Rio Grande existed long before humans. It may not outlive us. Through millions of years, the river is mapped in strata, in oral traditions. More recently, in computer models. All tell of rapidly receding waters. A shrunken Rio Grande remains for thirstier landscapes and wildlife drawn to […]
New U.S. House Natural Resources chair opposes limits on fossil fuel development
The incoming chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee wants to allow more mining and believes technology — not limitations on fossil fuel production — is the best way to address climate change. As part of their organization of the chamber they now control, U.S. House Republicans selected Arkansas’ Bruce Westerman to lead the […]
Can new batteries help Aspen and Vail climate goals?
Holy Cross Energy aims to distribute 100% emission-free electricity to its 55,000 members in the Aspen, Rifle and Vail areas by 2030. How will it do that? Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Colorado’s second largest utility, has a different but related problem. It wants to best-use infrastructure associated with its coal-burning operations at Craig after the […]
Offshore wind will need major investments in transmission, supply chain, reports say
Achieving the aggressive offshore wind power goals of the federal government and individual states will require billions of dollars in spending on transmission infrastructure, “unprecedented” cooperation between grid operators and federal and state agencies, and would be aided by major buildout of a domestic supply chain, per a pair of reports released this week. Coastal […]
Public lands near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters withdrawn from federal mining leases
WASHINGTON — After more than a year of assessment and debate, the U.S. Department of the Interior on Thursday announced the withdrawal of more than 225,000 acres of public lands near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota from federal mine leasing programs. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order 7917, […]
Colorado should kick lawns to the curb
Over the course of the next seven years, an average 35,000 housing units will be built each year in Colorado. If past trends persist, around 70% of those housing units will be single-family homes. From Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, it’s likely that Coloradans will see more single-family suburban developments popping up — and with […]
Polis administration opposes new climate targets in Democratic-backed bill
For the third legislative session in a row, an effort by Democratic lawmakers to beef up Colorado’s approach to combating climate change is getting a cool reception from Gov. Jared Polis’ administration and industry groups. Senate Bill 22-16, introduced this month by Democratic Sen. Chris Hansen of Denver, received its first hearing in the Senate […]
Vote on Park Hill Golf Course redevelopment heads to Denver’s April ballot
Voters in Denver’s municipal elections in April will decide the fate of a controversial, years-long effort to redevelop the site of the former Park Hill Golf Course, creating a dense new residential and commercial district on the city’s northeast side while preserving most of the land as a new park. In a series of votes […]
Affordable, reliable and sustainable: report compares utility performance
A nationwide comparison of electric utility performance by an Illinois consumer advocacy group found that customers in states that are heavily reliant on fuel oil and natural gas, as in the Northeast and South, tend to pay more than those with larger amounts of carbon-free generation, among other findings. The report by the Illinois-based Citizens […]