Sustainability
Summer hurricanes, wildfires and storms loom as FEMA faces pressure to step up
WASHINGTON — Another grueling summer disaster season is arriving, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is under intense pressure even as its portfolio balloons, it pleads for more money from Congress and criticism comes on several fronts. The agency manages more than 300 disaster declarations a year, a dramatic increase from the average of 108 […]
Gas appliances cost Nevadans money and clean air, study says
A sustainability group is now pushing for Nevada to embrace cleaner, more efficient alternatives as natural gas price in the state hit a 12-year high. Fully electric heat pumps can deliver more affordable home heating and cooling in Nevada and other Southwest states, according to a new study by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), […]
Tahoe bears randomly trapped, tagged, and hazed by California officials
The practice of setting bear traps in populated areas of Lake Tahoe for the purpose of obtaining DNA from the animals for use in identifying culprits of home break-ins is futile as a management tool, traumatic for the bears, and puts cubs at risk, say some animal experts. “It’s extremely stressful to be trapped. The […]
What is dead pool? A water expert explains
Journalists reporting on the status and future of the Colorado River are increasingly using the phrase “dead pool.” It sounds ominous. And it is. Dead pool occurs when water in a reservoir drops so low that it can’t flow downstream from the dam. The biggest concerns are Lake Powell, behind Glen Canyon Dam on the […]
As mining law hits sesquicentennial, many Democrats demand reform. Cortez Masto isn’t one of them.
It’s got a new name. But the effort to overhaul the nation’s 150 year-old law that governs mining of hardrock and other minerals on federal lands still faces old obstacles, not least the senior senator from Nevada. Mining reform was last seen being crushed in the now defunct Build Back Better legislation. “The senator from […]
Conservation through a political lens: What wildlife management in Africa and Nevada have in common
I have followed some of Nevada’s debates about its wildlife populations and governance issues with interest. I’m an historian, and I study wildlife conservation. My research is on eastern and southern Africa, far afield from Nevada from a geographic perspective. However, viewing Nevada’s debates through an historical lens, even one rooted in 1920s-1970s Africa, reveals […]
Tree-planting program launched to mitigate severe Las Vegas ‘heat island effect’
As the Las Vegas Valley experiences record-breaking heat each summer, research shows temperatures are not distributed evenly, with poor or minority neighborhoods often bearing the brunt of heat waves. Communities like east Las Vegas experience higher temperatures than other neighborhoods because of urban heat island effects. The urban heat island effect is separate from climate […]
U.S. Interior secretary to promote big spending jump for tribal, climate programs
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will ask a U.S. House spending panel to increase funding for the department’s tribal programs and climate resilience efforts, according to written testimony released ahead of a hearing scheduled for Thursday. The administration’s budget request for fiscal 2023 would significantly increase spending for the Interior Department. Its agencies oversee onshore oil and gas drilling, […]
Tribe appeals to archeological firm to stop digging at Thacker Pass
The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is asking a California-headquartered archaeological firm to stop digging at a site considered sacred to Nevada tribes. Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc., began excavation work at Thacker Pass this month, an area about 35 miles south of the Oregon-Nevada border. The dig is part of a planned mine by Lithium […]
3 big reasons why the Biden climate agenda is floundering
President Joe Biden’s climate agenda took a hit this month when the Interior Department said it would open 144,000 acres of federal land up for oil and gas development to comply with a court order to restart fossil fuel development. The announcement marked yet another setback for a presidential climate plan that was once seen […]
Department of Interior announces funding opportunity for tribal communities to address climate change
Tribal nations across the country have the opportunity to receive funding to address the unique impacts climate change has within their communities. “As the effects of climate change continue to intensify, Indigenous communities are facing unique climate-related challenges that pose existential threats to Tribal economies, infrastructure, lives, and livelihoods,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a […]
County may raise smog check fees to help repair, replace ‘classic’ cars
An unknown number of vehicles in Nevada bearing license plates designating them as Classic Vehicle, Old Timer, or Classic Rod in order to escape smog emission standards have until the end of the year to make necessary repairs or replace their vehicle. Assembly Bill 349, passed by the 2021 Legislature, is designed to close the […]