Sustainability
Regulators approve $100 million plan for EV charging stations
Nevada approved a $100 million effort to build nearly two thousand electric vehicle chargers over the next three years, one of the state’s largest investments to expand charging infrastructure so far. The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada authorized NV Energy to invest in charging infrastructure for electric cars and trucks. The draft plan approved Nov. […]
GOP labels Interior oil leasing report an ‘attack,’ environmentalists call it ‘weak’
The U.S. Interior Department recommended increased fees for oil and gas exploration on federal lands as part of a long-awaited report released Friday that environmental groups said didn’t go far enough in limiting fossil fuels and Republicans derided as an attack on domestic producers. The report, ordered by President Joe Biden during his first week in […]
Sage-grouse protection plans under review by Biden administration
The Bureau of Land Management is updating Obama-era plans to manage the greater sage-grouse in 10 Western states. The BLM has published a request for comments to help update management plans for the bird’s habitat in Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and other Western states. The Interior Department agency will review new scientific data, including the […]
Senate confirms first tribal member in history to lead National Park Service
The U.S. Senate approved by voice vote late Thursday the nomination of Charles F. Sams as the first confirmed National Park Service director since 2017. Sams, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Ore., will be the first tribal member to lead the Park Service in the agency’s […]
Pick to lead U.S. Fish and Wildlife vows ‘collaborative conservation’ at agency
President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pledged Wednesday to let science guide decision-making at the agency and to collaborate with government and private partners. Martha Williams, the former director for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, told the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that wildlife […]
Some senators’ Rx for inflation: More fossil fuels
Days after global leaders agreed for the first time to decrease coal usage and subsidies for fossil fuels, U.S. senators battled over rising gasoline prices and urged action on the high cost of energy—including by increasing production of coal, oil and gas. The Tuesday hearing, led by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Joe Manchin, […]
Judge says no evidence of massacre at proposed mine site, tribes say otherwise
A federal judge in Nevada has rejected a legal effort to stop excavation at the site of a planned lithium mine near the Oregon-Nevada border, turning down requests from Native American tribes to reconsider additional evidence that a massacre took place in the area. U.S. District Judge Miranda Du ruled earlier this month that Canadian-owned […]
Climate funds in infrastructure bill aimed at drought, wildfires, floods
The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill isn’t just about roads and bridges—it also spends billions to address wildfire, drought, flooding and other effects from climate change, Interior Department officials said Wednesday. The $1.2 trillion measure, which is awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature after the House cleared it last week, includes pay raises for wildland firefighters, funding […]
Obama at world climate conference: We are falling short
Returning to the world stage on climate change, former President Barack Obama on Monday told world leaders and young people gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, that time is running out to prevent life-threatening degradation of the planet’s climate, and he called on the world’s young people to demand better. “Collectively and individually, we are still falling […]
Hunters and ranchers prevail, preserve coyote killing contests
The Nevada Wildlife Commission’s endorsement of coyote killing contests is proof the board is out of touch with the population it’s charged with serving, say opponents of the practice, which awards prizes to those who kill the most animals. By a vote of five to four, the Commission killed a nearly year-long effort to end […]
What Big Oil knew about climate change, in its own words
Four years ago, I traveled around America, visiting historical archives. I was looking for documents that might reveal the hidden history of climate change – and in particular, when the major coal, oil and gas companies became aware of the problem, and what they knew about it. I pored over boxes of papers, thousands of […]
Biden calls for ‘decade of action’ on climate, apologizes for Trump exit from Paris Accord
President Joe Biden urged the international community on Monday to transition to clean energy, curb greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, and help developing nations adapt to a changing climate. Speaking at a pivotal United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Biden said worsening wildfires and once-in-a-century storms hitting every few years show that there’s only “a brief […]