Phoenix replacing more diesel-fueled garbage trucks with environmentally friendlier natural gas vehicles
PHOENIX – To reduce emissions by city vehicles, Phoenix will use a $1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to purchase more garbage trucks fueled by compressed natural gas.
House panel OKs bill to undo Trump changes to Endangered Species Act
WASHINGTON - A House committee gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill that would reverse Trump administration changes to the Endangered Species Act, after a heated debate between members over which side had the best interest of the act at heart.
Advocates: EPA’s new clean-water rules hit Arizona, Southwest hardest
WASHINGTON - Clean-water rules unveiled Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency could remove the vast majority of Arizona's waterways from federal oversight, a change environmentalists call bad news in a region where water is "super precious."
Arizona in Focus: What it takes to make sure wildlife have water
PEORIA – For decades, the Arizona Game & Fish Department has trucked and flown water out to catchments so that wildlife large and small have access to this precious resource.
A rush of blood to the head: How do grasshoppers deal with being upside down?
PHOENIX – Insects spend a lot of time upside-down and sideways, and now scientists have learned more about how their circulatory and respiratory systems handle the pull of gravity in awkward positions.
Feds say humpback chub has recovered to point it’s no longer endangered
WASHINGTON - Federal officials said recovery efforts for the humpback chub have been so successful that the Colorado River fish can be downgraded from endangered to threatened, but some environmentalists worry that it may be too soon to make that move.
Bill would prohibit transfers of some Colorado River water to central Arizona
PHOENIX – A Republican lawmaker from Kingman has introduced legislation that would bar “fourth priority” water contracts along the Colorado River from being transferred to growing cities in central Arizona.
Communities along Rio Sonora may finally get relief from 2014 toxic mine spill
HERMOSILLO, Sonora, Mexico – A recent ruling by Mexico’s Supreme Court has residents of the Rio Sonora Valley hopeful they’ll finally get relief from a toxic mine spill that occurred more than five years ago.
Water-well metering to prevent groundwater depletion proposed in Legislature
PHOENIX – The lack of groundwater regulations in most of Arizona, along with reports of industrial farms extracting huge amounts of water from threatened aquifers, has gotten the attention of legislators.
Climate change, and our response to it, is making life harder for desert tortoises
LAS VEGAS – The desert tortoise is well equipped to handle a hot and dry climate, but climate change, and large scale developments are making the land they roam hotter and drier.
Heat deaths continue to rise, as federal disaster relief continues to lag
WASHINGTON - The Federal Emergency Management Agency doles out billions annually in response to tornadoes, hurricanes and other disasters, but the deadliest disaster goes largely unfunded - extreme heat, cited as the cause of death for about 100 people a year in Maricopa County alone.
Phoenix considers asking residents to donate to plant more trees
PHOENIX – Phoenix is considering accepting private donations to plant more trees along streets and in public spaces. But who would decide where those trees go, and who would make sure they stay healthy?
