carbon emissions

A cow is standing in an open field and chewing on grass while looking forward. Standing a few feet away is her calf, who is also looking straight ahead. Both cows are brown with white-colored areas on their heads and green tags on their left ears.

As feds keep grazing fees at their lowest, conservationists say public lands pay the price

Kaleb Roedel

The Biden administration is keeping the cost of grazing a cow and calf on federal land at $1.35 per month. Conservation groups say this low fee – the minimum it can be under federal law – comes at a high cost to Western lands and the climate.

A bird’s eye view of homes burnt to the ground by a wildfire in a neighborhood. Several trees and shrubbery are blackened throughout the composition.

Energy and Environment

Voters of color in Nevada, Colorado influenced by climate change, survey shows

Kaleb Roedel

Polling data shows that many voters of color in the Mountain West were influenced by climate change more than the electorate at large during the 2022 midterm elections.

Two welders are fusing part of a length of pipe. They stand under a network of pipes and construction scaffolding.

Energy and Environment

$112 million retrofit of Storey County fuel plant underway to produce plant-based diesel

Shelby Herbert

A renewable energy company is retrofitting a facility in Storey County that will turn non-edible crops into diesel fuel.

Rows of solar panels make up the foreground of the image. Dark clouds hover over mountain peaks on the horizon.

Energy and Environment

Analysis spotlights the Southwest’s solar economies

Bert Johnson

A new report shows many states in the West have the largest solar energy industries relative to the size of their economies, with Nevada in the top spot.

U.S. fossil fuel production will only increase in 2022, EIA forecasts

Nate Hegyi

The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects oil, gas and coal production – and C02 emissions – to rise in 2022. Extreme temperatures are partly to blame.

Carbon Tax Could Accelerate Energy Transition In The Mountain West

Madelyn Beck

Janet Yellen is President Joe Biden's pick to be treasury secretary. And she's been a big proponent of a carbon tax .

An image of a big meadow with forests surrounding it.

Energy and Environment

If Healthy, Mountain Meadows Can Be Big Carbon Sinks, Study Shows

Noah Glick

Researchers have found that it’s not just forests on the landscape that can help mitigate climate change. Meadows also provide an efficient way to keep…

"If done right, taking climate action will be a win-win for rural communities, counteracting the shifts to their way of life," the Center for American Progress said in a recent analysis.

Energy and Environment

Climate Policies A ‘Win-Win’ For Rural Communities, Think Tank Argues

Madelyn Beck

Rural economies could get a massive boost under policies meant to decrease carbon emissions, according to an analysis by the Center for American...

Energy and Environment

Farm And Forests Hold Huge Potential To Reduce CO2, Study Shows

Noah Glick

Agriculture, forestry and other land uses are responsible for about a quarter of human-caused greenhouse gases. That “land sector” holds huge potential to…

Energy and Environment

City Officials Tout Reno's Clean Energy Potential

Following today's Environment Protection Agency announcement on carbon emissions, Reno city officials say the local clean energy industry is in a good…