Environment
Ahead of climate conference, U.S. House panel tussles over curbs on emissions
Republicans on a U.S. House panel argued Wednesday against aggressive moves to meet carbon reduction goals, saying U.S. fossil fuel companies are working to make their products cleaner. Democrats on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Minerals countered that to achieve further reductions, federal policies should be continued […]
Some states act to protect residents from extreme heat — with a new focus on young people
After two years of record-breaking heat that brought a surge of deaths and health emergencies, several states have enacted or are considering measures designed to protect residents — with a new focus on younger people whose vulnerability is rising with the temperatures. Nationally, heat-related deaths rose from about 1,000 in 2018 to 1,722 in 2022 […]
The ‘double whammy’ of climate change in Arizona: higher temps and worse air quality
Kathy Jacobs says she’s worried about the number of hot days Arizona is seeing, and specifically how it is impacting our air and her kids. “The number of hot days, whether I have to worry about whether I can put my kids out to play or not is scary,” Jacobs said. Jacobs, who heads up […]
Reliability v. sustainability: Inside the debate over the EPA’s proposed carbon rules
Electric reliability has been a hot topic lately — from congressional hearings to regulatory agencies and at the regional transmission organizations that run the electric grid in much of the country. The American electric grid is undergoing a major change, prodded by state and federal decarbonization policies, market forces pushing cheaper and cleaner forms of […]
Tap water is cheap, but old pipes, a shrinking Colorado could change that
With infrastructure that is aging and needs replacement, municipal water departments in the Colorado River basin are starting to invest in new systems that will help cities adapt to a future with a smaller water supply. But that means big spending, costs that will get passed along to the millions of people who use that […]
Gila River Indian Community moves foward with solar canal project, first in country
In an effort to address the ongoing drought affecting the Southwest, the Gila River Indian Community is taking an innovative step forward by launching its Solar Canal Project to construct the country’s first solar-over-canal project. “A tribe is leading the way,” Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis said, adding that the shovel-ready project […]
Gosar pushes to reverse Biden’s Grand Canyon national monument to allow for uranium mining
Saying that stopping companies from mining uranium from lands near the Grand Canyon is a threat to national security, an Arizona Republican won preliminary approval of an amendment that would reverse President Joe Biden’s creation earlier this year of a national monument in northern Arizona. “Arizona already boasts more national monuments than any other state,” […]
It’s time for the EPA to get tough on our biggest roadway polluters: heavy-duty trucks
The transportation sector is driving climate change…quite literally. Tailpipe emissions from heavy duty trucks are a leading cause of air and climate pollution in the United States, and to drive the matter a bit closer to home, Maricopa County receives a “F” grade for particle and ozone pollution. The pollution from trucks is dangerous to […]
Clean air advocates urge EPA to regulate heavy-duty trucks
Growing up amid the opaque skies of Los Angeles resulted in childhood asthma for DJ Portugal. To protect his four children from the same fate, he moved to Phoenix, hoping for clearer vistas and cleaner skies. But the Valley of the Sun has consistently failed to meet air quality standards, a side effect of its […]
Feds’ cash stream supports Colorado River conservation — but the money will dry up
Despite a megadrought, states in the West have been able to avoid drastic cuts to their allocations of Colorado River water this year not only because of surprising storms but also thanks to generous financial incentives from all levels of government that have encouraged people to conserve. The temporary Colorado River water-sharing agreement that Arizona, […]
Arizona Senate plans to sue Biden to block the Grand Canyon national monument
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen announced Friday that he is giving the “greenlight” to the Arizona Senate to file a lawsuit against the Biden administration for last month’s designation of a national monument near the Grand Canyon, which he said was an unconstitutional “land grab.” “President Biden’s attempt to cloak his unconstitutional land grab in […]
It may have just gotten harder to protect minority communities from pollution
In recent years, some states have invested in air quality monitoring, applied extra scrutiny to permitting decisions and steered cleanup funding to minority communities that have borne the brunt of pollution for decades. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down race-conscious college admissions policies, state lawmakers are facing a […]