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Nature and Environment

Oak Flat, east of Superior, Arizona. A company proposes to build one of the world's largest underground copper mines at this location.

Protesters urge Sen. Kelly to support bill to protect sacred Oak Flat

Dec 2, 2021 The land holds religious and cultural significance to Indigenous communities.
Laura Dent had solar panels installed on her home earlier this year through a co-op and says that the process was simple and straightforward.

Nonprofit helps homeowners find good price for solar panels

Dec 2, 2021 The organization is launching its second co-op in Tucson.
A sprawling swath of the West is in drought, with more than 20 years of dryness in the Colorado River basin. Researchers say nearly every indicator of drought is heading in the wrong direction.

Drought monitors paint a bleak picture for the Colorado River

Nov 25, 2021 Four metrics are used to track drought, and they paint a bleak picture
A woman holds a sign opposing early plans for a proposed Interstate 11 outside a public event focused on the corridor in Tucson on May 8, 2019.

Officials approve corridor for part of proposed of new I-11

Nov 17, 2021 Depending on which of two alternatives is chosen, I-11 would track the existing Interstate 10 through Tucson or be routed across desert west of the city.
Visitors take in Colorado River views at Horseshoe Bend outside Page, Arizona.

Infrastructure bill includes billions of dollars for Western water projects

Nov 10, 2021 $300 million will help implement drought contingency plans in the Colorado River Basin.
The Grand Canyon.

US agency decides against flooding Grand Canyon amid drought

Nov 4, 2021 Agency officials said opening the bypass tubes at the Glen Canyon Dam would have reduced the elevation of Lake Powell at a time when it's at historic lows.
Downtown Tucson, Oct. 23, 2019.

Pima County considers permit for company that will emit trace amounts of cancerous gas

Nov 3, 2021 The company previously violated air quality laws in Georgia
The Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness west of Safford.

Ranch near Aravaipa Creek now in public hands

Nov 2, 2021 Trust for Public Land says move will protect area once eyed for weapons testing.
The proposed site of the Rosemont Copper mining project is in the Santa Rita Mountains in Southern Arizona.

State OK's open-pit mine site's reclamation plan near Tucson

Oct 31, 2021 Opponents argued that Hudbay Minerals Inc. didn’t address major issues.
File image of monsoon rain in Saguaro National Park.

Interior Department releases Indian Youth Service Corps Program draft guidelines

Oct 29, 2021 The department said the Indigenous youth corps will work on conservation projects in public, tribal and Hawaiian lands.
A Mexican wolf.

US proposes changes to Mexican gray wolf management

Oct 28, 2021 Officials argue removing population limits and setting goals for genetic diversity will help the endangered species.
The Colorado River Basin continues to be sapped dry by increasing temperatures and diminished precipitation.

Drought to continue, say weather experts

Oct 26, 2021 The 2021 monsoon did little to help.
The late-afternoon sun on Lake Powell, April 2018.

Drought projections show steadily dropping reservoirs

Oct 23, 2021 New measurements for drought conditions in the West are delivering a grim long-term forecast in the Colorado River basin.
Attorneys in Apache Stronghold v USA arguing their cases in front of U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit October 22, 2021.

Oak Flat appeal heard in U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit

Oct 22, 2021 Apache Stronghold's attorneys predict the court will rule on the case sometime next year. If favorable, it could pause the proposed mining project at the Apache sacred site.
Outside the Tucson Water building in downtown Tucson.

$1.7M in Air Force funds go to Central Tucson PFAS project

Oct 21, 2021 Efforts to address the water contaminates via the project began in 2020.
County officials and media tour a biogas refining plant at the Tres Rios Water Reclamation Facility, Oct. 21, 2021. The newly-dedicated plant will supply renewable natural gas, or RNG, to Southwest Gas, reducing the utility's demand for fossil-fuel based gas.

Biogas plant makes fuel, money for Pima County

Oct 21, 2021 Facility purifies waste methane for commercial use.

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