Environment
Gov. Polis pitches geothermal energy as clean-heating solution in Western governors’ initiative
When administrators at fast-growing Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction first looked into using geothermal energy to heat and cool a new campus building in 2008, they weren’t sure if the projected cost savings would be realized fast enough to make the system feasible. “We then asked the question — what if?” said Kent Marsh, […]
Puerto Rico to get $60M to prep for future hurricanes, Biden announces
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday landed in Ponce, Puerto Rico, to survey the damage from Hurricane Fiona and announce $60 million in funding to help the island prepare for future hurricanes. The visit came after the Category 1 hurricane in late September damaged the power grid, leaving millions in Puerto Rico without power. […]
Why baby steps when the Colorado River needs big strides?
This commentary is republished with permission from Big Pivots. Rivers and streams on Colorado’s Western Slope chattered excitedly with runoff during mid-September after several days of rain, softening landscapes that had turned sullen after another hot summer. The water was a blink of good news for a Colorado River that needs something more. It needs a long, […]
Biden to battered Florida: ‘We’re going to do everything we can for you’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden addressed the nation Friday afternoon, focusing on uniting the country as Florida begins to survey the damage left by a Category 4 hurricane, while states further up the coast prepare for the impact from Hurricane Ian. “As you all know, the situation in Florida is far more devastating,” Biden said. […]
Environmental groups urge Colorado to take ‘once-in-a-generation’ shot at clean energy spending
Nine major Colorado environmental groups on Thursday called on state and local officials across Colorado to maximize the benefits of the “once-in-a-generation” opportunity presented by congressional Democrats’ passage of $369 billion in new spending to combat climate change. In a letter sent to hundreds of elected officials, organizations including Conservation Colorado, the Colorado Sierra Club […]
Manchin seeks bipartisan ‘sweet spot’ for a new try at his energy permitting bill
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators from both parties said Wednesday they hope to negotiate an energy permitting reform bill yet this year, reviving efforts to streamline the process after West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III had to pull back his plan amid broad opposition. The Manchin proposal was attached to a must-pass government funding bill […]
‘The storm is here’: Ian threatens to make landfall as Category 5 in southwest FL
This story originally appeared in the Florida Phoenix. Hurricane Ian, a catastrophic Category 4 storm overnight, now threatens to make landfall as a Category 5 storm at the Charlotte County coast in southwest Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and state emergency officials said at an early morning Wednesday news conference. Ian is “knocking on the door […]
Billions for natural disasters, home energy included in stopgap spending bill in Congress
WASHINGTON — Congress is on track to approve billions in funding this week to help offset rising home heating and cooling costs as well as boost aid for communities recovering from natural disasters. The package, unveiled overnight, would provide $2.5 billion in assistance for the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire that scorched much of New Mexico […]
Make Camp Hale a national monument
The Camp Hale-Continental Divide is the proposed site of a national monument encompassing the historic site of Camp Hale and the area surrounding Colorado’s Continental Divide. As a former military base, the Army’s 10th Mountain Division trained at Camp Hale during World War II. After training at 9,200 feet, the soldiers of the 10th Division […]
Boebert calls proposed executive action to protect Camp Hale a land grab pushed by ‘extremist environmentalists’
The three Republican U.S. representatives from Colorado urged President Joe Biden in a letter dated Thursday against using his authority to designate land named in the stalled Colorado Outdoor and Recreation Act as a national monument, arguing that the designation does not have congressional or local support. Rep. Lauren Boebert, along with Reps. Ken Buck […]
Colorado is failing on climate goals. What did you expect?
A new progress report on Colorado’s greenhouse gas emission reductions shows the state is not on track to meet key goals. And anyone could have seen it coming. The goals are set by statute, yet state officials haven’t taken climate action with sufficient seriousness to do right by the law, let alone public health and […]
Permanent solutions to drought on Colorado River sought in Bennet-led letter to Bureau of Reclamation
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado led a group of fellow legislators from Colorado and New Mexico in writing a letter asking the Bureau of Reclamation to seek permanent solutions to the Western drought crisis with its funding from the recent Inflation Reduction Act. The letter, addressed to Bureau Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton, asks her […]