State investigators reveal that the company did not follow basic safety protocols.
Nick Bowlin
Nick Bowlin is a contributing editor for High Country News. Email him at nickbowlin@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor.
Posted inArticles
The feds declined to seriously cut Colorado River water use. Here’s what that means
After Southwestern states failed to cut a deal, the Interior Department took it easy on them.
Posted inOctober 1, 2022: Making Refuge
Workers report feeling unsafe at Nevada’s largest gold-mining corporation
After a controversial merger put the company in the hands of Barrick Gold Corp, employees say the shift has incentivized production over worker safety.
Posted inAugust 1, 2022: Our Fiery Future
How oil companies endlessly avoid cleanup costs
In Colorado, a sale of 110 low-producing oil wells illustrates a hot potato effect, and how funding remediation eventually comes from the public.
Posted inArticles
The Southwest’s cities are booming. Here’s how to make that growth climate-friendly.
One of the authors of the recent U.N. climate report says getting urban development right is crucial to addressing the climate crisis.
Posted inArticles
Will the EPA partially close a Wyoming coal plant that’s one of the nation’s largest polluters?
The decision affects the local economy and air quality — and could create an opening for renewable energy.
Posted inArticles
Interior devotes billions to plugging old oil wells. Is it enough?
The agency under-counted abandoned wells by more than half, which means the effort covers only a fraction of the cost.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
Gold country: A precious metal, a mining mega-corp and a captive workforce
In 2019, two gold-mining giants joined forces, with huge consequences for the Northern Nevada community and economy.
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
Vacation resort replaces affordable housing in Teton Valley
Once-affordable towns near Jackson Hole have become real estate magnets since the pandemic.
Posted inJune 1, 2021: Once and Future Fires
How ‘sustainable’ is California’s groundwater sustainability act?
Numerous issues around equity and the plan’s rollout loom.
Posted inApril 1, 2021: Holding Fast
Energy companies have left Colorado with billions of dollars in oil and gas cleanup
As the state tries to reform its relationship to drilling, an expensive task awaits.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Will the climate crisis tap out the Colorado River?
Water availability is going from bad to worse in the seven states that rely on the drought-stricken river.
Posted inArticles
Will New Mexico learn from coal’s decline?
The state relies on oil and gas revenue, but the industry faces an uncertain future.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2021: No Place Like Home
When COVID hit, a Colorado county kicked out second-home owners. They hit back.
How a group of nonresident homeowners tried to influence a rural Colorado election.
Posted inNovember 1, 2020: When the Smoke Clears
In Las Vegas, the burdens of remote learning rest heavy on working parents
One of the nation’s largest school districts is trying to provide laptops and Wi-Fi to more than 300,000 students.
Posted inArticles
Dispatch from an irreversibly changed New Mexico
Laura Paskus’s new book examines wildfire, drilling on the Navajo Nation and climate grief.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2020: The Next West
The old-school organizers who got it done on Zoom
How the country’s oldest organizing group won COVID-19 relief for undocumented immigrants in California.
Posted inArticles, En español
Las políticas de protección de vivienda que están frenando la gentrificación en San Francisco
A consecuencia del COVID-19 algunas ciudades de California están creando protecciones para los arrendatarios.
Posted inAugust 1, 2020: Infectious Ideologies
The housing policy that’s turning back gentrification
In the wake of COVID-19, some California cities are introducing tenant protections.
Posted inJune 1, 2020: Dissent at a Distance
Lawsuit challenges acting BLM director’s Senate confirmation avoidance
William Perry Pendley had his tenure extended in early May.