Three months after the first market trades of California water futures, a conversation about economic forces and an essential material for life.Continue readingCalifornia Water on the Market: Q&A with Barton “Buzz” Thompson
Author: Felicity Barringer
To keep the virus under control and health-care resources within capacity, counties and towns rely on trust and try to cajole residents to comply with mandates, rather than punish them for flouting rules.Continue readingTo Fight a Plague, Local Governments Lean on Trust. Could They Lose It?
What has been done and what still needs to be done to untangle physical, financial and political barriers blocking fair access to clean drinking water in California?Continue readingCentral Valley Communities Struggle for Drinking Water: Q&A with Felicia Marcus, California Water Expert
Two decades into the 21st Century, broadband internet access still falls short of reaching tens of millions of Americans — especially in hilly and remote parts of the rural West. But local initiatives and creative uses of technology are slowly helping close the divide.Continue readingBy Land or Sky, Rural Western Communities Seek an Elusive Good: Broadband Internet Access
If other figures in American law are celebrated for what they changed, the late Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas has been celebrated for what he kept unchanged. Continue readingJustice Douglas’ Real Roots Were in the Wilderness: Q&A with Judge M. Margaret McKeown
With outdoor recreation in its east and fossil-fuel resources on the west, can Garfield County develop an economy that serves both ends?Continue readingAstride Two Wests, Colorado County Faces a Tricky Economic Balance
In 1919, a difficult cross-country trek made the case for better roads in the West. The roads came, but a hundred years later, Central Nevada may be as isolated as ever.Continue readingU.S. Route 50 Was the Best Way to the Pacific; Now, It’s a Road to the Past
As was true a half century ago, forces in Washington, D.C. want to loosen emission requirements and strip California of its ability to impose tough standards for vehicle emissions, and once again, California officials are fighting back.Continue readingCalifornia’s Vehicle Emissions Fight Continues a 50-Year Struggle
An academic study supports the notion that one way to mitigate wildfires is clearing out trees, brush and brambles in the forest understory, often with prescribed burns. But proponents face a slew of obstacles, from pollution concerns and shrinking seasonal windows, to the vast scale of undertreated western forestland.Continue readingGaining in Public Acceptance, Can Prescribed Fires Head Off Devastating Wildfires?
With new rules coming into effect, farmers and municipalities using groundwater must either find more water to support the aquifers or take cropland out of use. To ease the pain, engineers are looking to harness an unconventional and unwieldy source of water: the torrential storms that sometimes blast across the Pacific Ocean and soak California. Continue readingPutting a Tempest into a Teapot: Can California Better Use Winter Storms to Refill its Aquifers?