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High Country News

High Country News

A nonprofit independent magazine of unblinking journalism that shines a light on all of the complexities of the West.

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Welcome to High Country News

HCN has covered the lands, wildlife and communities of the Western U.S. for more than 50 years. Get to know the West better by signing up to receive HCN’s on-the-ground reporting and investigations in your inbox.

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

A wildland firefighter observes a prescribed burn in Everglades National Park in 2023. Uncertainty over funding and other interruptions related to President Donald Trump’s executive orders have delayed work to reduce flammable vegetation and other preparations for wildfire season.
Posted inArticles

Trump’s funding cuts leave the nation vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire

by Mark Olalde February 17, 2025February 16, 2025

‘What do they want, more fires?’

Posted inArticles

‘They’ll have to drag me out before I go.’ EPA workers stand firm despite Trump chaos

by Shi En Kim January 30, 2025January 31, 2025

Staff outside D.C. headquarters respond to funding freeze and other orders from the new administration.

Posted inIssues

What happens after Utah’s coal-fired power plants close?

by Brooke Larsen January 23, 2025January 24, 2025

Department of Energy grants are helping eastern Utah plan for the energy transition.

Posted inArticles

EPA takes unprecedented step to remove uranium waste from the Navajo Nation

by Natalia Mesa January 17, 2025January 23, 2025

The decision opens the door for new ways to manage uranium pollution on tribal land.

Posted inArticles

Our imperiled public lands

by Jonathan Thompson December 26, 2024December 26, 2024

President-elect Trump, a Republican-dominated Congress and Utah launch an all-out assault on environmental protection.

Posted inArticles

Utah’s coal mines can’t find enough workers

by Brooke Larsen December 23, 2024February 17, 2025

A mine just reopened in eastern Utah, but the industry has changed.

Posted inArticles

The Supreme Court decisions that gutted environmental protections in 2024

by Natalia Mesa December 19, 2024December 18, 2024

Several major cases destroyed federal agencies’ ability to address climate change and pollution.

Posted inArticles

Denver’s last slaughterhouse is on the ballot

by Raksha Vasudevan October 24, 2024October 24, 2024

Voters face a complicated choice between jobs, workers’ rights and animal welfare.

Posted inArticles

How another Donald Trump term could dismantle federal agencies

by Mark Olalde October 23, 2024October 22, 2024

Trump moved the BLM’s headquarters from the capital to Colorado in 2020, causing disruption and an exodus of leadership. If elected, he plans to use the same tactic elsewhere.

Posted inArticles

Project 2025’s extreme vision for the West

by Michelle Nijhuis and Erin X. Wong July 19, 2024August 9, 2024

The demolition of public lands, water and wildlife protections are part of conservatives’ plan for a second Trump term.

Posted inArticles

Polluted air threatens the health of New Mexico infants

by Nick Bowlin July 3, 2024August 8, 2024

A new study finds a link between air pollution and low birth weight.

Posted inArticles

Supreme Court curtails agencies’ ability to enforce regulations

by Erin X. Wong June 28, 2024August 8, 2024

The repeal of the bedrock Chevron doctrine throws climate and conservation laws into doubt.

Posted inArticles

Trump vs. Biden on the climate

by Jonathan Thompson May 31, 2024August 8, 2024

The next presidential election will have huge ramifications for the planet.

Posted inArticles

The West’s wetlands are struggling. Some have been overlooked altogether.

by Natalia Mesa May 22, 2024August 8, 2024

Wetlands are carbon-storage powerhouses — and many are unmapped.

Posted inArticles

Can carbon capture transition California’s oil fields?

by Jake Bittle May 15, 2024August 8, 2024

In Kern County, the community searches for an economic alternative to a fossil fuel industry. Will it be any fairer than the old one?

Posted inApril 2024: Epic Journeys

What’s going on with natural gas exports?

by Jonathan Thompson April 1, 2024April 1, 2024

The U.S. is the world’s largest exporter of LNG, but President Biden just paused new permits.

Sarah Ferris holds a flyer she received last year from the city of Vancouver informing residents that PFAS had been found in the city’s wells.
Posted inMarch 2024: Fertile Ground

The dangers of PFAS — and of downplaying their ubiquity

by Sarah Trent March 1, 2024February 29, 2024

Even well-meaning officials often provide inadequate or misleading information, putting communities at higher risk.

Posted inArticles

The good, the bad and the ugly of the state legislative season

by Jonathan Thompson February 29, 2024February 28, 2024

While Congress does nothing, Western state lawmakers pass a flurry of consequential and/or crazy — bills.

Posted inArticles

Will the Supreme Court allow agencies to continue interpreting ambiguity in laws?

by Robin Kundis Craig January 22, 2024February 1, 2024

If the ‘Chevron deference’ is overturned, federal enforcement of key environmental and health care regulations will be sharply curbed.

Posted inJanuary 1, 2024: January 2024

Defending the Tijuana Estuary

by Ruxandra Guidi January 1, 2024October 4, 2024

Stewardship saved a Southern California estuary from development. Climate change is the next challenge.

Posts pagination

1 2 3 … 13 Older posts

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Most popular stories

  • People brace for impacts on land, water and wildlife after feds fire thousands over holiday weekend
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Featured Stories

People brace for impacts on land, water and wildlife after feds fire thousands over holiday weekend

People brace for impacts on land, water and wildlife after feds fire thousands over holiday weekend

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The West in Perspective

AI on public lands and Biden’s environmental legacy

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