& the West
Published since 2016, ‘& the West’ offers reporting, research, interviews, and analysis on the environmental future of California and western North America. It is produced by the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University. More about us »
The Energy Department has repeatedly invoked emergency powers to stop the closure of coal plants around the U.S. and reopen oil pipelines in the West. As court challenges inch forward, utilities and energy companies are dusting off equipment that was headed for the scrap heap.
What we’re reading elsewhere.
The Supreme Court weighs Boulder’s critical fight against climate change; nuclear buildout expected on public lands in Utah; Washington is restoring Canada’s salmon; the Trump administration fast-tracks Arctic oil exploration; Native tribes sue for changes to the Endangered Species Act; a story of collaboration over fencing in Montana; and more environmental news from around the West.
The Supreme Court heard arguments on a critical case for climate change. Officials in Boulder, Colorado, are suing Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy for the damage they say was caused by their fossil fuel emissions. If Boulder wins, the ruling would “open the door to oil and gas companies owing many billions in damages.” If Boulder loses, it may be difficult in the future to hold big oil accountable for the pollution they cause. A decision is not expected until June or July. NEW YORK TIMES GRIST
A startup plans to place new nuclear reactors and data-center infrastructure on federal land near Price, Utah. The project would produce 9.6 gigawatts of power, whereas the entire state of Utah now produces an average of only around four gigawatts. However, the project faces major public concern about the use of federal land for projects of this scale. NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
A Washington State river might finally be restoring fish passage to Canada. The Skagit River originates in British Columbia but much of it flows through Washington, meeting the ocean at Puget Sound. For more than a century, salmon swimming upstream have not reached the Canadian portion of the Skagit due to a series of three dams built in Washington. This could soon change with a recent $1 billion settlement between the utility Seattle City Light and assorted tribes that promises to restore fish passage. THE NARWHAL
The Trump administration streamlines the permitting process for Alaskan oil drilling. Previously, activities that fell under the umbrella of Arctic oil exploration, such as well drilling or ice road construction, were subject to individual environmental analyses by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Now, this type of oil exploration will no longer need formal case-by-case environmental review. Alaska Beacon
The Swinomish and Squaxin Island tribes are suing the federal government over changes to the Endangered Species Act. Earlier this year, the Trump administration redefined its interpretation of “harm” to be far more limited, drastically reducing the power of the ESA. Tribes whose livelihoods are tied to some of these endangered and threatened populations, like the Puget Sound chinook salmon, are fighting back. HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
Private landowners and conservation group volunteers are collaborating to restore connectivity in the Greater Yellowstone area. The West contains more than 600,000 miles of barbed wire fence, and much of it either breaks up the movement paths of important ungulate populations or poses a more direct threat of injury. A conservation organization is working to remove these fences on private land; positive impacts are already visible. MONTANA FREE PRESS
Disappearing snowpack in the West. Is the end of western mountain snowpacks in sight? San Francisco Chronicle Washington Post
Disappearing water in the West. Does groundwater have a future in California, or is its depletion inevitable? Stanford Earth Matters
Disappearing water, Part II. Water agencies serving 27 million Californians are on their own next year, getting nothing from state water projects. Los Angeles Times
Disappearing water, Part III. Small farmers in the Central Valley wonder: where is Kings County water going? SJV Water
Oregon’s proposed Jordan Cove liquified natural gas project abandoned. It was designed to include a liquified natural gas terminal and a 229-mile natural gas pipeline and send liquified natural gas to Asian markets. Oregon Public Broadcasting
Interior Secretary Haaland works to eliminate racist place names, like those using the word “squaw.” How names like “Chinaman Gulch” affected one Asian American. Grist KSUT
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Associate editor
Geoff McGhee specializes in interactive data visualization and multimedia storytelling. He is a veteran of the multimedia and infographics staffs at The New York Times, Le Monde and ABCNews.com. MORE »
Editorial Assistant
Xavier graduated from Stanford in 2023 with a degree in economics and is currently a master’s student in Stanford’s journalism program. He has written about the high phone call costs faced by U.S. inmates, temporary Mexican workers’ interactions with the labor market and the efficacy of government healthcare assistance programs. A lifelong lover of charts and maps, he enjoys combining data journalism with narrative-style reporting.
‘& the West’ is published by the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University, which is dedicated to research, teaching, and journalism about the past, present, and future of the North American West.
Faculty Director
Associate Director
