The three mineral-rich western states agreed to make their grids more resilient, build transmission lines together, and boost university research and private investment in energy.

Over 3,000 visas were issued last year to foreign farmworkers – a fraction of what the agriculture industry needs for its labor force. That guest worker program is getting new scrutiny from labor and industry critics who have long wanted to overhaul it.

Frustration among outfitters and guides over federal permitting is not new. Recreation-focused staff and budgets at national forests, in particular, have gone down as demand has gone up. This has been resulting in lengthy delays in responses to applications.

The goal is to boost domestic mining of lithium and other minerals officials say are critical to national security and the economy.

About $45 million went toward helping families of unhoused students in our region with basic necessities so students could concentrate on getting to class and doing schoolwork. But advocates fear that progress could be erased.

Federal officials are reportedly considering shrinking at least six national monuments in the Mountain West region to increase energy development on public lands.

Most of the states in our region have at least one county that violates the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Ambient Air Quality Standard, with the most problematic issues involving particulates in the air and heat.

The Jackson Hole Airport in Grand Teton National Park joins more than 80 other internationally recognized dark sky places in our region.

It would still be illegal to harm Mountain West species, such as jumping mice, migratory birds and desert tortoises, but their habitats may no longer be federally protected.

A Native American law group has launched a free online resource to help tribal nations obtain legal information about their water rights. This comes at a time when tribes face increasing water challenges.