Desert Environmental News, March 17, 2025

State officials say NM on track with firefighting training goals

Current and former U.S. Forest Service employees warn that recent dismissals could weaken protections for public lands.

Arizona nuclear reactor bill would exempt small modular reactors from environmental review and zoning requirements in rural areas

A pair of endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep graze on fresh plant growth in the lower elevations Mt. San Jacinto in Palm Springs at Windy Point, March 11, 2025.

El Paso ranked among the Top 10 most polluted major cities in the United States in 2024.

State officials have wrestled with the sea’s deteriorating condition as its water becomes fouler and its footprint shrinks, exposing toxic dust that wafts through the region. 

The Nevada Wildlife Commission has rejected calls to end coyote killing contests, but is debating two proposals on regulating them.

Arizona tribal water rights settlement introduced in Congress would provide $5.1 billion for infrastructure and secure water access for three tribes

New Mexico Land Commissioner Garcia Richard bans mining in the Upper Pecos Watershed for 20 years amid federal mining policy upheaval

Arizona developer water restriction bill fails in House vote as Republican joins Democrats to reject using outdated groundwater models for new construction permits

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva died Thursday morning at the age of 77, his office and daughter said. Grijalva, in Congress since 2003, was treated for lung cancer last year, and said he would not seek to run for office again after November's election.

Near the western New Mexico town of Grants, the toxic legacy of Cold War uranium mining and milling has shattered lives, destroyed homes and created a contamination threat to the last clean source of groundwater for an entire region.

Snowpack across the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Upper Colorado Basin have remained below normal for this time of year.

Arizona lawmakers want more solar energy projects in western areas of the state, a goal that could get mixed support from the White House.

New Mexico health officials on Friday reported a second measles infection in Eddy County, bringing to total outbreak to 35 cases.

A state district judge issued an order Thursday permanently barring landowners on the Pecos from building fences to prevent public access.

As Forest Service officials laid out alarming wildfire predictions, they refused to say how many Forest Service employees had been fired.

The status of Chuckwalla National Monument, near Joshua Tree National Park, and Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in Northern California remain unclear.

A fast-moving wildfire near Wagon Mound that ignited Friday is now under control, according to a State Forestry spokesperson, and investigators also determined that a utility line was the cause.  The Mogote Hill Fire in Northern New Mexico grew to 21,300 acres, according to dispatch records.