Author – The Durango Herald

Gold King legacy leads to stronger water protections

Colorado is currently considering ways to strengthen rules for protecting water from future hardrock mining operations. It’s a direct link back to the Gold King Mine spill in 2015, though on...

DATE: Mar 20, 2021 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

States, industry, consumers leading climate change policy

Events of the past year drove home the reality of our changing climate. Colorado experienced the three largest wildfires in recorded history, two of which burned across high mount...

DATE: Feb 20, 2021 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Land protection on deck for new Congress

Congress reconvenes this month with major unfinished business around land conservation legislation of great significance to Southwest Colorado. After decades of analysis and cons...

DATE: Jan 16, 2021 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

New administration means new environmental rules

The changing of the guard of presidential administrations frequently brings substantial reversals of previous rules and policies. The Trump administration gained notoriety for it...

DATE: Dec 19, 2020 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Utility to assist Navajo energy transition

The accelerating transition from coal-fired electricity to renewables is great news for the climate, but poses tough economic challenges to dependent communities like Farmington and Shiprock...

DATE: Nov 22, 2020 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Unlawful public lands head invites chaos

A Montana judge recently ruled the head of the Bureau of Land Management had illegally served as the agency’s director for more than a year. That’s a big deal, seeing as it is the...

DATE: Oct 17, 2020 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Will wolves join lynx as recovered species in Colorado?

Twenty years ago, Colorado wildlife officials restored long-missing lynx to the state’s forests and mountains. It was a joy to watch lynx bound away from their release point at Rio Grande Re...

DATE: Sep 19, 2020 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Defense spending bill may provide path to land conservation

As Congress nears the finish line this year, the fate of conservation legislation dealing with a million acres in Colorado is left hanging. The House of Representatives has now t...

DATE: Aug 14, 2020 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Electric co-ops closer to securing Tri-State exit fees

Last week, La Plata Electric Association inched closer to gaining the basic information it has long desired to evaluate whether it makes sense to stay with Tri-State Generation and Transmiss...

DATE: Jul 17, 2020 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Carbon capture technology is an elusive dream

Our region took a major step toward a cleaner energy future recently when New Mexico regulators gave Public Service Co. of New Mexico approval to retire the coal-fired San Juan Generating St...

DATE: Jun 21, 2020 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

Chaco drilling plans advance despite pandemic

While much of the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, it’s full speed ahead at the Department of Interior approving oil and gas development projects. One of the most c...

DATE: May 16, 2020 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green

As coal-fire power plants close, our skies are clearing

One of the noticeable, and remarkable, changes in recent years has been the dramatic improvement in visibility and air pollution in the Four Corners. Longer-term residents routin...

DATE: Apr 19, 2020 | CATEGORY: Thinking Green