Feds waived environment, other regs on 90 miles of state border in 2019
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration waived environmental and other regulations on nearly one quarter of Arizona's border with Mexico last year to ease the way for border wall construction, a review of government documents shows.
Snowbirds: Why are white pelicans wintering in Arizona?
PHOENIX – Decreasing water levels in white pelicans’ natural habitats are forcing the wetland birds to migrate to find refuge in the Arizona’s maintained lakes.
Navajo Generating Station, coal mine face years of breakdown, cleanup
WASHINGTON - They may have turned out the lights, but the party's not over at the Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta coal mine. The facilities' owners face years of decommissioning and cleanup and possible decades of environmental monitoring of the sites, which closed for good this fall.
Drone on the range: Farmers take to the skies to save water and money
MARICOPA – Drones are monitoring some crops to help save water while gathering detailed information that can help with crop cultivation and monitoring soil conditions.
Trump administration’s push for U.S. uranium production opposed near Grand Canyon
TUSAYAN – President Donald Trump has listed uranium as a “critical mineral,” which may encourage domestic uranium mining. The Nuclear Fuel Working Group has not issued recommendations yet, but uranium mining companies want quotas lax oversight, while environmental activists push for a ban on uranium mining near the Grand Canyon.
Cactus juice used to make nontoxic, biodegradable plastic bags
PHOENIX – Scientists in Mexico have found a sustainable alternative to plastic bags. Using juice from the prickly pear cactus, they’ve produced plastic that can decompose in just a few weeks rather than the several centuries it takes for traditional plastic bags.
Critics light up decision to halt planned lightbulb-effiency rules
WASHINGTON - A Trump administration plan to roll back stricter regulations on energy-efficient lightbulbs may have done the impossible - put environmentalists and some utility companies on the same side of an issue.
Water for wildlife: Catchments prove lifesavers across Arizona
PEORIA – Life-bearing water makes its way to remote locations with the help of large tankers and the occasional helicopter to make sure wildlife survive. Filling and maintaining Arizona’s water catchments is a full time job for members of the Game & Fish Department.
Damming the Little Colorado River for power projects is opposed by tribes, environmentalists
PHOENIX – Two hydroelectric storage projects are being proposed for the Little Colorado River and environmental activists as well as the Hopi Tribe, and the Navajo Nation, are opposed.
With drought plans finished, water managers pause Colorado River negotiations
LAS VEGAS – With the drought contingency plan finished, water managers from across the Southwest recently gathered in Las Vegas to figure out what’s next. Climate change already is restricting the arid region’s water supplies, and there’s little agreement on how to bring balance to the Colorado River Basin.
Arizona volunteers plant hope for the future of monarch butterflies
PHOENIX – As part of a 50 year plan to revive the population of migrating monarch butterflies, Arizona Game & Fish Department is working with volunteers and other organizations to plant milkweed to make “waypoints” for the insects.
Sky rivers: A new scale categorizes power of crucial atmospheric flows
LA JOLLA, Calif. – Researchers with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have created a new scale to characterize atmospheric rivers, based upon their intensity and potential impacts.
