As drought tightens its grip on the West, states are taking different approaches to encouraging water conservation.Continue readingWater restrictions close in, sporadically, on the West’s most populous areas
Author: Felicity Barringer
The West led the charge to legalize marijuana. As it becomes big business in many cities and towns, some others view it with distaste grounded in moral qualms or concerns about criminal cartels. Will growing revenues help sweeten the pot?Continue readingUrban, rural and tribal: how three Wests diverge on cannabis
Billions in potential federal dollars have led Gov. Gavin Newsom to pause the decommissioning of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant — source of one sixth of the state’s green energy.Continue readingWeighing the consequences of losing carbon-free energy in California
Is California “dammed out?” Or could increasing reservoir capacity help the state ride out the new era of aridification? Continue readingDoes drought-prone California need another reservoir?
Above: State of Jefferson themed merchandise for sale in a Colusa County restaurant. Aaron Anderer via Flickr By Felicity Barringer For decades, as some rural Californians living in the woodlands of the state’s far north have felt isolated, exploited, and oppressed by distant state and federal governments, a secessionist movement has simmered. In the 1940s,…Continue readingThe pandemic reignited rural secessionist movements and upended one county government
The state has gone from being an also-ran in the population sweepstakes to the country’s fastest-growing.Continue readingIdaho is increasingly a bullseye for Californian migrants
In a new feature called “Up Close,” we survey a group of notable recent stories on California’s deep groundwater problems amid an ongoing drought.Continue readingCalifornia’s crisis is latest chapter of water flowing to power
Decarbonizing global transportation requires building a huge quantity of batteries so fleets can convert to electric power. This will mean more mining to supply the lightweight metal lithium. So far, most lithium has come from Australia, South America, and China, but eyes are turning to deposits in the United States.Continue readingCar batteries are the goal. Lithium is the quickest way to make them. Does a global good require local sacrifice in the Southwest?
Stanford Law School’s first Native American professor discusses the marginalization of tribal legal structures.Continue readingHow the U.S. legal system ignores tribal law: Q&A with Elizabeth Reese
The Navajo Nation has the most capacity, but its troubled energy history and culture of livestock grazing make solar development fraught.Continue readingWhat it May Take to Harness Solar Energy on Native Lands