West

ENN

Wyoming climate data holds ominous clues about life, economy

By Dustin Bleizeffer . 3 November 2021
ENN

Wyoming residents observe a changing climate and quality of life

Extreme conditions feel like the continuation of a shift in climate patterns residents have observed over their lifetimes, they say.

By Dustin Bleizeffer . 3 November 2021
ENN

Montana tests biochar to reduce wildfire risks, with potential for mine remediation

Land managers are eyeing a centuries-old practice to help Western landscapes adapt to a hotter, drier and more fire-filled future, with possible benefits for reclaimed fossil fuel extraction areas.

By Amanda Eggert . 14 October 2021
ENN

Arizona lawmaker takes aim at policy barring campaign contributions by utilities

Arizona's Legislative Council suggested the state's utility regulator may have overstepped its authority by preventing its elected members from taking campaign contributions from utilities

By Jeremy Duda . 12 October 2021
ENN

How workers at Colorado Springs’ shuttered power plant are transitioning to new careers

Chris Cox worked at the Martin Drake Power Plant for 10 years. He's among 80 people finding new jobs as power companies switch to cleaner fuels.

By Michael Booth . 13 September 2021
ENN

Social cost of methane changes the equation for Colorado utility policy

Colorado is believed to be the first state in the nation to apply the social cost of methane to a broad range of regulatory decisions. A batch of new laws are expected to dramatically improve the case for building energy conservation.

By Allen Best . 2 August 2021
ENN

Unpaid utility bills? California will pay off $2 billion to avoid shutoffs

One family’s experience surviving a heat wave without water or power reveals what’s at stake as California lawmakers agree to pay off $2 billion of utilities debt, but haven’t extended the shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30

By Jackie Botts . 21 July 2021
ENN

Washington tribes want to be at the table for green energy planning

Tribal consultation has long been a problem on Washington's renewable energy plans, which can encroach on ancestral cultural sites and food access.

By Manola Secaira . 30 June 2021
ENN

New Mexico could be a clean energy epicenter — if it can diversify from oil and gas

The state's dependence on oil and gas revenue is cited as an argument for both continuing to prop up the industry and diversifying with wind and solar.

By J. Weston Phippen . 22 June 2021
ENN

Bitcoin fracking turns waste gas to digital gold in Bakken oil field

Natural gas produced as a byproduct in Bakken oil production is often flared as waste. Near Sidney, Montana, one company is converting it to cryptocurrency instead.

By Eric Dietrich . 21 June 2021