Category: Colorado Plateau
Federal Action sought after endangered wolf Anubis killed in Arizona
“It’s tragic that Anubis was killed and many of us are grieving his loss, but despite this heinous crime, it is also profound confirmation that northern Arizona should be part of the wolf recovery effort.” by…
Postcard from Thermal: surviving the climate gap in Eastern Coachella Valley
In the climate crisis, it’s possible to live in the same place but inhabit different worlds. by Elizabeth Weil and Mauricio Rodríguez Pons, ProPublica August 19, 2021 The first thing to know about Thermal, California,…
America’s drinking water is surprisingly easy to poison
The cyberbreach at a plant in Oldsmar, Florida, which could have resulted in a mass poisoning, was a reminder of a disturbing reality: Despite a decade of warnings, thousands of water systems around the country are…
‘It’s like nobody cares’: After two weeks without running water, Jackson, Miss. pleads for help
“Water is a basic necessity and it just brought a lot of frustration, anger, and disappointment,” said one of the city’s residents. “If you don’t know when it’s coming back, what is being done to help…
Flagstaff High School Native American Club calls to rename the SF Peaks
By Trissdyn Nez Flagstaff, Arizona- The Native American Club at Flagstaff High School will be speaking at Flagstaff High School in the Multicultural Room (Room 701) at 7:30am on March 11th, 2020. Students from the indigenous…
Getting the lead out
by Wade Rathke September 29, 2020 New Orleans We have to take progress where we can get it in these dark days at perhaps the tail end of the Trump administration. There are scores of…
New report details flooding/contamination risks at uranium mine near Grand Canyon
April 28, 2020 Flagstaff, Ariz. The Grand Canyon Trust reports serious problems at the Canyon Mine uranium mine south of Grand Canyon National Park. The report, “Canyon Mine: Why No Uranium Mine is “Safe” for the…
Climate change threatens drinking water quality across the Great Lakes
Harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie, Sept. 4, 2009. NOAA/Flickr by Gabriel Filippelli, IUPUI and Joseph D. Ortiz, Kent State University This story is part of the Pulitzer Center’s nationwide Connected Coastlines reporting initiative. For more…
Pandemic shines a light on critical water issues — 40% of the Navajo Nation lacks running water, will Congress fund solutions?
Clean water is essential during the COVID-19 health crisis, but so far Congress hasn’t directed funds to help water utilities or stop water shutoffs in low-income households. 40% of the Navajo Nation lacks running water by…
Emerging climate-fueled megadrought in Western US may rival any over past 1,200 years
Source: the journal Science “We now have enough observations of current drought and tree-ring records of past drought to say that we’re on the same trajectory as the worst prehistoric droughts.” by Andrea Germanos, staff writer…
Coconino County Courts modify schedules and procedures
Courts will remain open Meteor Staff report. Monday March 23 State and County Court officials are modifying schedules and accepting motions to continue cases and adjust fine payment schedules in preparation for advancement of COVID-19 into…
Coconino Parks & Rec announces operational changes: social distancing for COVID-19 safety
By Meteor Staff Flagstaff Coconino County Parks & Recreation is staffing its office virtually to help protect the team and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual staffing at Parks & Recreation began on March…
Court approves settlement requiring EPA rules on most dangerous chemical spills
Saturday, March 14 The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York approved a consent decree between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a coalition of community and environmental organizations, including the Environmental Justice…
Conservation groups sue the Trump administration to prevent further damage to Arizona’s San Pedro River
By Meteor Staff Saturday, March 14, 2020 Flagstaff Conservation groups sued the Trump administration yesterday to prevent further damage to Arizona’s San Pedro River and its endangered species from excessive groundwater pumping in the Fort…
Some towns still haven’t halted utility shut-offs for unpaid water bills during coronavirus, even as federal lawmakers demand it
While some municipalities with only a few cases of the coronavirus have stopped disconnecting water service for residents with overdue bills, a few utility companies at the coronavirus epicenter in Washington have made no such promises….
EPA’s new rules for assessing pesticide risks ignore many harms to endangered species
By Meteor Staff Flagstaff The Environmental Protection Agency issued revised methods for assessing pesticide risks yesterday that could allow widespread harm to most of the nation’s most endangered plants and animals. The revised methods from…
‘This system cannot be sustained’ This year, tribal nations enter negotiations over Colorado River water.
By Anna V. Smith/ High Country News March 10, 2020 The Colorado River Basin is the setting for some of the most drawn-out and complex water issues in the Western U.S. In 2019, the Colorado River…
Appeals court rules Forest Service acted illegally opening Colorado forest to coal mining
“This is a victory for the remarkable wild forests of the North Fork Valley,” said Robin Cooley, the Earthjustice attorney who argued the case on behalf of the conservation groups. “The Court reversed the Forest Service’s…
Latest Bears Ears planning meeting convenes without indigenous voices
“Am I the only Indigenous person in the room right now?” asked Angelo Baca, a Navajo and Hopi resident of San Juan County and member of Utah Diné Bikeyah who attended the meeting as an observer….
Mine waste dams threaten the environment, even when they don’t fail
“These ecosystem modifications directly affect organisms on land and in the water downstream. Every decision to allow a mine to proceed with a tailings storage facility indelibly transforms rivers and their ecosystems for hundreds to thousands…
Leaking gas stations around Flagstaff
Recently, a number of gas stations have disappeared from Flagstaff. A couple have been replaced but the rest appear to have been taken out for good. A map provided by ADEQ’s Public Information Officer, Erin Jordan,…
Trump admin’s Clean Water rollback will hit some states hard
But the effects of removing this “environmental safety net” won’t be felt equally. States with fewer local protections and resources will suffer the most — as will their people and wildlife. Oceans & Clean Water February…
Report: ‘No Evidence That Fracking Can Operate Without Threatening Public Health’
More than 1,500 scientific studies on the health and climate impacts of fracking prove its dangerous effect on communities, wildlife and nature. By Tara Lohan, The Revelator In 2010 when I first started writing about hydraulic…
BLM suspends oil & gas extraction leases in Little Colorado River Valley
Flagstaff The Trump administration has suspended 4,200 acres of oil and gas leases on public land in Arizona’s Little Colorado River Valley as part of a joint motion filed in federal court yesterday (Feb 5) after…
