Yuma official tells Congress aging water facilities need ‘major’ repair

WASHINGTON - Yuma water official Tom Davis said the West's aging water infrastructure is beyond patching and in need of "major replacement and rehabilitation" - but that can't happen until federal officials inventory the problem.


Feds announce $160 million settlement of Four Corners Power Plant lawsuit

WASHINGTON - Utility companies in Arizona and New Mexico will spend up to $160 million on new technology to cut harmful emissions from the Four Corners Power Plant, under a consent decree announced by the federal government Wednesday.

pollution settlement

Stanton touts city’s successes, warns of need to fight for water rights

WASHINGTON - Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton told a Washington panel Tuesday that Arizona is in a fight to make sure other states, particularly California, don't take water "that rightfully belongs to the people of Arizona."


Blister in the sun? Heat bearing down on the Valley

Safety Project Manager Julian Martinez watches from below as two steel workers weld a massive girder on the top floor of the new Sandra Day O’Connor Law School building under construction downtown.


House panel advances bill to improve forest management, fire prevention

WASHINGTON - The House Natural Resources Committee gave preliminary approval Thursday to a bill aimed at reducing catastrophic wildfires on federal lands by better managing forests before fires and quickly restoring them afterward.

forest management

Feds talk about wildfire readiness, chances for ‘catastrophic’ fire

WASHINGTON - Federal officials said Tuesday they will be "ready when fire strikes," but raised concerns over funding for the upcoming wildfire season and the growing threat of catastrophic wildfires in the drought-stricken West.

Firefighter and blaze

Is endangered vole out of the hole? Feds say yes; conservationists disagree

WASHINGTON - Federal officials said Thursday they want to remove the Hualapai Mexican vole from the endangered species list, a move environmental groups immediately called a "bad idea."

endangered species

Economic needs collide with preservation in Grand Canyon

Cronkite News reporter Ryan Hill's story on development plans for Navajo Nation land in a remote corner of the Grand Canyon aired on PBS NewsHour's June 3 show. What could the development mean to the Navajo community? Watch the full report:

PBS NewsHour Grand Canyon Photo

Arizona hopes for more control of its water as drought deepens in West

WASHINGTON - Arizona wants more control of its water resources as the ongoing drought in Western states brings the likelihood of further shortages to the region, a state official testified Tuesday.

drought hearing