New agencies find making sustainability plans is hard, but easier than persuading growers to accept them.Continue readingA simmering revolt against groundwater cutbacks in California
The long-term push to restore a portion of ancestral lands to Native American tribes has gained new energy, fueled in part by the efforts of non-profit conservation organizations and private land holders. Continue readingNative American land return movement makes gains, faces obstacles
Floating wind turbines can produce energy from miles offshore. Some Pacific Coast sites the federal government has chosen for wind-energy projects intersect with important fishing grounds. Can they coexist?Continue readingPlans for deep-sea wind farms face resistance from Northern California’s fishing industry
The emerging science of road ecology has been tallying the cost of collisions to animal populations and vehicle owners. Now western states are mitigating the danger, a process that new Federal money could accelerate.Continue readingWildlife crossings seek to reconnect the animal West
Four out of five agricultural operations in the state are small farms, but many rules, from labor law to water resource planning, were designed for industrial-size players. Can the state make room for small and diverse businesses to succeed?Continue readingSmall farmers bear an extra burden as California agricultural policies respond to a changing climate
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
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?
Historically and today, secessionist movements in the Northwestern US have had a particularly rural character. Here are a few recent examples.Continue readingSecessionists target low-population areas