Getting Colorado River water from California farms will take more than just money – just ask the farmers
California’s Imperial Valley is the single-largest water user along the Colorado River, and any plan to correct the river’s supply-demand imbalance will be nearly impossible without Imperial farmers on board. They say that for them to cut back on water use will take big payouts, and they have thoughts on how the money should be spent.
Report: State added 13,000 clean-energy jobs in past year, 7th best in U.S.
WASHINGTON - Arizona added almost 13,000 clean-energy jobs in the past year, good enough for seventh-most among states and evidence that the state is becoming a "powerhouse" for clean energy and electric vehicle production, a new report says.
‘We’re not the place’: Yuma County residents fight hazardous waste permit
PHOENIX – A petition to stop a local waste company from expanding into hazardous materials has reached more than 4,000 signatures as Yuma County officials prepare to vote on the special use permit.
Gallego touts Phoenix’s efforts during White House meeting on heat emergency
WASHINGTON - Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego told President Joe Biden Thursday that even in a town that knows who to cope with hot weather, this summer's record-breaking heat is posing a challenge.
‘Very personal project’: Repurposed shipping containers provide alternative shelter for those experiencing homelessness
PHOENIX – The city of Phoenix has teamed up with nonprofit St. Vincent de Paul and metal fabrication company Steel + Spark to provide another shelter option using shipping containers.
Big fight for a little bird: Pygmy-owl gets threatened species status
WASHINGTON - Federal officials this week granted threatened species status to the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl, capping 17 years of "litigation and controversy" from advocates fighting to win protection for the 6-inch raptor.
U.S. criticizes Mexico over protection of vaquitas, stops short of sanctions
WASHINGTON - Mexico is not living up to its responsibility to protect the threatened totoaba fish and the critically endangered vaquita, a small porpoise of which there are only around a dozen left in the Gulf of California, the Biden administration said this week.
‘We cannot continue to scar Mother Earth’: Public shows support for proposed monument near Grand Canyon
FLAGSTAFF – Dozens of community members, tribal leaders and state officials gathered in Flagstaff to show their support for a proposed national monument around the Grand Canyon, saying the designation could protect natural and cultural resources. Critics say the monument could hurt the economy.
Coconino official tells House ‘anti-ESG’ bills threaten public investments
WASHINGTON - Coconino County Treasurer Sarah Benatar told House lawmakers Tuesday that it's her job to get the best, and safest, return on public investments for taxpayers, but that "anti-ESG" legislation puts public dollars at risk.
Navajo witnesses clash over government’s Chaco Canyon mining ban
WASHNGTON - A moratorium on mining within 10 miles of Chaco Canyon tramples on tribal sovereignty and denies Navajo badly needed royalty payments; or it is needed to ensure oil and gas operations no longer poison the people, competing witnesses told a House panel.
Navajo president presses Congress for more time, money, for water project
WASHINGTON - Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren asked senators Wednesday for more funding, and time, for a pipeline project that would create a reliable water supply for 250,000 people across Arizona and New Mexico.
Meet the Colorado River’s newest – and youngest – power player
Meet JB Hamby, the Colorado River's newest and youngest policymaker, on his home turf. Hamby serves on the board of the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest single user of Colorado River water, and was recently appointed as California's top water negotiator.
