Author: The Associated Press

NEW MEXICO Western states propose deal over beleaguered Rio Grande ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico, Texas and Colorado have negotiated a proposed settlement that they say will end a yearslong battle over management of one of the longest rivers in North America, but the federal government and two irrigation districts that depend on the Rio Grande…

MONTANA US sued for pollution from retardant drops on wildfires BILLINGS – An environmental group filed a lawsuit on Oct. 11 against U.S. Forest Service officials that alleges they polluted waterways during their campaigns against wildfires by inadvertently dropping large volumes of chemical flame retardant into streams. Government data released earlier this year found aircraft…

IDAHO Early data indicates state’s wolf population is holding steady BOISE – Idaho’s wolf population appears to be holding steady despite recent changes by lawmakers that allow expanded methods and seasons for killing wolves, the state’s top wildlife official said on Oct. 6. Idaho Department of Fish and Game Director Ed Schriever told lawmakers on…

MONTANA Proposal would permit eagle deaths as renewables expand BILLINGS – The Biden administration on Sept. 29 proposed a new permitting program for wind energy turbines, power lines and other projects that kill eagles, amid growing concern among scientists that the rapid expansion of renewable energy in the U.S. West could harm golden eagle populations…

NEW MEXICO Pelosi: US has to do more to help with wildfire recovery ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sept. 26 that the federal government has to do more to help with recovery in the wake of a devastating wildfire that charred several hundred homes and destroyed the livelihoods of many rural…

NEW MEXICO GOP candidate wants state referendum on abortion SANTA FE – The Republican nominee for governor in New Mexico has proposed a statewide referendum that could place new limitations on access to abortion procedures, pitching the idea in a television ad on Sept. 15. Mark Ronchetti has advocated for a ban on abortions after…

NEW MEXICO US restarts burns of forest fuel, paused after runaway blaze SANTA FE – The U.S. Forest Service is resuming its practice of intentionally lighting fires to clear brush and small trees from forested areas nationwide after a three-month hiatus to review the risks of runaway wildfires under increasingly severe climate conditions, the agency…

UTAH Biden sued over move to restore 2 national monuments SALT LAKE CITY – The state of Utah and two Republican-leaning rural counties sued the Biden administration on Aug. 24 over the president’s decision last year to restore two sprawling national monuments on rugged lands sacred to Native Americans that former President Donald Trump had…

MONTANA US to plant more trees as climate change kills off forests BILLINGS – The Biden administration on July 25 said the government will plant more than one billion trees across millions of acres of burned and dead woodlands in the U.S. West, as officials struggle to counter the increasing toll on the nation’s forests…