High Country News
Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
Western Solar Plan Charts Course for Development on Public Lands
The BLM’s proposed maps could open up as much as 55 million acres to solar installations.
Traffic Deaths Rise Sharply on Western Roads
The region is seeing higher rates of road deaths in part due to larger vehicles, high speed limits, and inadequate pedestrian infrastructure.
An Affordable Housing Model for Indigenous Americans
Indigenous people make up a disproportionately high percentage of the unhoused population, but many programs designed to assist them don’t reach those most in need.
How the Great American Outdoors Act Improved Public Lands
The 2020 federal law has helped fund park maintenance projects and improve access to public lands.
Home Insurance Increasingly Unaffordable or Inaccessible
Homeowners in places at risk for wildfires and other disasters find it harder than ever to secure an affordable insurance policy as companies leave some states altogether.
How to Decarbonize the Electric Grid
Eliminating fossil fuels means shifting how electricity is produced and distributed from the source.
How Ski Towns are Tackling the Housing Crisis
Mountain towns in Colorado and other western states are struggling to maintain a supply of affordable housing for their workers and lower-income residents.
GAO: Washington State Slow on Clean Water Reporting
The Clean Water Act mandates reporting of ‘impaired waters’ to support conservation and restoration efforts.
Opening of Denver’s New Freeway Cap Park Triggers Gentrification Fears
Local residents fear rising housing costs and displacement with the opening of a new four-acre park built on a deck bridge over the newly reconstructed and widened I-70 interstate.
BLM Releases New Plan for Moab Area
The plan limits motorized recreation to protect natural and cultural resources.
Durango Mobile Home Park Residents Form Community Land Trust
The model of combining housing co-ops with community land trusts could show a new path forward for increasing housing stability.
A Reckoning for Southwestern Golf Courses
Amid a growing water crisis, more cities are cracking down on ornamental uses of grass and golf course greens.
Proposed Regulatory Changes Would Raise the Cost of Oil Drilling on Public Land
The new rules would raise more money for cleanup operations and bring more revenue to oil-producing states, but are a far cry from fulfilling President Biden’s promise to end extraction on public lands.
How Noise Pollution Impacts Nature
Overly loud noise isn’t just a public health risk for humans.
Colorado Supreme Court Denies Access to Riverbeds
The state doesn’t seem ready to reverse its famously restrictive aquatic access policies anytime soon.
How Hot is Too Hot?
While they may not sound extreme, temperatures over 90 degrees can easily pose fatal risks and could have long-term impacts on public health.
Public Lands Rule Would Center Conservation
After decades of protecting extractive interests, federal law could reverse course and put conservation on par with other uses.
The Water Crisis Comes Home to Roost in Arizona
Due in part to the state’s history of ‘wildcat’ real estate developments, some communities are losing access to water sources as cities and water agencies look for ways to conserve shrinking water supplies.
Federal Grants Aid Native Relocation, but Will They Be Enough?
Increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, many Native Alaskan and other indigenous communities will have to relocate—and soon.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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