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?
Author: Felicity Barringer
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
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
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