This last week the Supreme Court has been hearing the case of Entergy v. Riverkeeper, which in layman’s terms boils down to Power Plants v. Fish, or, as always, The Bush Administration v. Environmentalists. (more…)

The term “clean coal” is an oxymoron; even if the clean coal technologies do manage to “wash the coal” or bury carbon emissions deep in the ground, coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of mercury pollution in the U.S. And the mercury released pollutes the nation’s water resources, posing a serious public health threat to the population. (more…)

With mountains, skiing, and good weather it’s no surprise that people are moving to the Rocky Mountain States in droves. However, with a rising population comes an increasing demand for more water. And, right now, water is a dwindling resource. (more…)

It was steam power that originally conquered the West and it might just be steam power that saves it. Fed on trees and water, the first “iron horses,” or steam locomotives, forged their way across the Rockies opening up economic opportunities and building a precedent of fossil fuel dependence. And now steam power is once again in the headlines. Only this time there’s no smoke and no fire, only an almost inexhaustible supply of clean energy. (more…)

Rain. Just because it falls on your roof doesn’t mean it’s yours. At least not in Colorado or Utah.

In these states, citizens or businesses that attempt to collect or store rainwater are in fact breaking the law. The overriding rule here is that of prior appropriation i.e. in order to have any rights to water you have to gain a state water right. (more…)

If you live in the Rocky Mountain States and have been feeling a little irritable or losing hair lately just blame the selenium in your water. In a recent report it was found that over 80% of the areas studied in the American West are suffering from highly toxic levels of selenium caused, primarily, by the mining industry. So ubiquitous is the problem that it is causing the citizens, lawmakers, and environmentalists, to question whether the Clean Water Act, and the infrastructure which enforces it, is adequate in protecting and ensuring our vital water resources. (more…)

And that’s not of being eaten. Something far less natural or savory. Populations of freshwater fish are on decline due to habitat loss, introduction of non-native species, and last but not least, climate change.

In a report recently issued by the American Fisheries Society 700 fish are now listed as either threatened, endangered, or vulnerable. This is a 92% increase over the number of fishes classified as “imperiled” in the equivalent 1989 study. Of the 364 fishes classified in the previous study, 61 are now extinct. (more…)