by Patrick J. Paul The costs of Flagstaff’s July 2019 Museum Fire, fully contained as of August 15th and for which no cause has yet been determined, are now anticipated to exceed $13,000,000. To date, the Coconino National Forest Service has spent almost $10 million in dedicated fire suppression efforts. Meanwhile, Coconino County itself estimates […]
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by Fred Breedlove Every year, Colorado River water users anxiously wait for the results of the Bureau of Reclamation’s (“BOR”) August 24-Month Study Report. While the report is updated and published monthly, the August report is particularly significant because it sets the operational tier level for coordinated operation of Lakes Mead and Powell for the […]
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by Amanda A. Reeve Consuming the forest in a red blaze just about a mile north of downtown Flagstaff, the Museum Fire Wildfire had many Arizonans on edge, especially fire management officials. Flagstaff is a popular destination year-round, and especially so in late July for Arizonans looking for respite from the warmer temperatures of the […]
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by Patrick J. Paul The U.S. Forest Service deployed a drone for its maiden mission to manage a forest fire in Flagstaff, Arizona earlier this week. The lightning-caused Maroon Fire has been burning for several weeks in the Coconino National Forest in an area used for bomb and ordnance testing during World War II. Forest […]
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by Denise A. Dragoo On April 10, 2019, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order seeking to address permitting and policy obstacles preventing the export of coal and other energy resources through West Coast ports. New port facilities and improvements have been halted or delayed by state, local and tribal governments in California, Washington and […]
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by Andy Hawes World War II left America exhausted after tremendous sacrifices were made by the American people. As the sun set on this storied chapter in American history, American society was ready for leisure which stirred a renewed enthusiasm for outdoor recreation. During this time there was an increase in awareness that public lands […]
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by Frances Folin Coloradoans continue to see fights over oil and gas development in the news. Following last month’s Colorado Supreme Court decision in COGCC v. Martinez, mineral owners in the Wildgrass neighborhood of Broomfield, Colorado, with the help of an anti-development group, Colorado Rising, filed suit on behalf of in the United States District […]
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by Michael C. Ford The partial government shutdown that began December 22, 2018 has interrupted the Trump administration’s proposal to revise the Clean Water Act’s definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS Proposal). The pre-publication version of the WOTUS Proposal was released on December 11, 2018.[1] Less than a week after the shutdown began, […]
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by Frances Folin Yesterday, the Colorado Supreme Court handed down its much-anticipated decision in the COGCC v. Martinez case (2019 CO 3). To the relief of oil and gas companies operating in Colorado, the Colorado Supreme Court found in favor of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and overturned a hotly-contested Colorado Court of […]
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by John W. Andrews Voters in several western states on November 6th defeated citizen-initiated ballot initiatives that would have heavily regulated mineral and energy development. The highest profile failed initiative was Colorado’s Proposition 112, which would have prohibited new oil and gas drilling within 2500 feet of any structure in the state, or within the […]
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