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Climate change is destroying habitats. But relocating species could be tricky.
This story is part one of a two-part series about a federal proposal to relocate endangered species outside their historic ranges. Read part two: State wildlife officials have widely diverging reactions to the proposal. Nine years ago, a team of scientists studying a violet-blue, thumb-sized butterfly found only two remaining in a rolling landscape of […]
With fire departments struggling for volunteers, states respond to the alarm
When firefighters show up to a blaze or medical emergency across much of the United States, they most likely are volunteers. It’s also likely the department is understaffed, struggling to replace old equipment and facing uncertainty about its next generation of firefighters. “So much of our country relies on the volunteer fire service,” said Kimberly […]
States Seek to Protect Tribes’ Rights in Child Custody Cases
Worried about a pending U.S. Supreme Court case, some states aim to pass new laws ensuring American Indian children can stay in their tribal communities even if they’re placed in the child welfare system. Later this year, the court will rule on a longstanding federal law designed to ensure that Native American children removed from […]
In Rush to Fight Climate Change, Cities Coordinate to Battle Heat With Trees
From Seattle to Palm Beach, Florida, city leaders agree that urban areas need more trees to alleviate the effects of climate change. Amid the growing attention to tree canopy — and an infusion of federal funding — more than a dozen cities are convening to share ideas and plan the urban forests of the future. […]
States Debate Whether to Restrict — Or Invite — Crypto Mining
SEATTLE — As cryptocurrency mining draws increased scrutiny on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., some state legislatures are considering proposals to restrict the industry over growing concerns about its energy use. Other states, though, are advancing bills to protect cryptocurrency miners from such crackdowns, citing the economic potential of hosting mining operations. Last year, New […]
West Warms to Geothermal Energy as a Path to Clean Power Goals
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY, Colo. — In Colorado’s quest to transition to renewable energy, the state’s leaders want to take an old-school approach: Drill, baby, drill. They won’t be prospecting for oil, though, but instead mining the Earth’s underground heat to power geothermal electricity plants. Other Western states are paying close attention. “Anything we can […]
Our Need for Seed Fosters an Unusual Partnership to Restore Forests
OLYMPIC NATIONAL FOREST, Wash. — Deep in the evergreen woodlands of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula sits a forest-within-a-forest: groves of Douglas fir, western hemlock, Sitka spruce and western white pine in evenly planted rows surrounded by a tall deer fence. The Dennie Ahl Seed Orchard, the state’s largest at 123 acres, has grown here since the […]
A Slew of State Proposals Shows the Threat of ‘Forever Chemicals’
In rivers and groundwater, in human bloodstreams and products ranging from cosmetics to food packaging to carpets, researchers are increasingly finding “forever chemicals” that don’t break down naturally and are shown to cause myriad health issues. State lawmakers across the country want to tackle the growing problem. Several states have passed landmark laws in recent […]
Egged on by Grocery Prices, Cities Welcome Backyard Chickens
For five years, a woman known as the Chicken Lady of South Jersey urged local officials in Haddon Township, New Jersey, to allow her and other residents to keep chickens in their backyards. She eventually won them over — but that was just the beginning. The woman, Gwenne Baile, became a traveling chicken guru for […]
States Reimagine Power Grids for Wind and Solar Future
For years, many states have set ambitious goals and incentives to promote renewable electricity projects. Now, more of those states are turning their attention to the transmission lines, substations and transformers needed to get that electricity from wind farms and solar plants into homes and businesses. Congress has invested billions in boosting clean energy. But […]
‘Green Banks,’ Poised for Billions in Climate Funds, Draw States’ Attention
In recent years, several states have created or helped to fund specialized banks that lend money to homeowners and businesses for energy-saving and climate projects. Now, states have billions more reasons to establish such institutions, known as green banks. Congress last year approved a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund of $27 billion, largely to pour money […]
Climate Change Is Forcing Cities to Rethink Their Tree Mix
Cities need to plant more trees. But not just any trees. As communities prepare for a massive influx of federal funding to support urban forestry, their leaders say the tree canopy that grows to maturity 50 years from now will need to be painted with a different palette than the one that exists today. “You […]