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Feds announce new funding to restore Las Vegas Wash
Long before the artificial fountains of the Las Vegas Strip, people were attracted to the valley by its natural wetlands and springs that bubbled up from deep underground. Those springs dried out after decades of urban development, but water managers are slowly trying to restore one important wetland corridor in Southern Nevada known as the […]
Water managers across drought-stricken West start negotiations in Las Vegas
Nature offered the Colorado River Basin states a reprieve last winter after a heavy snowpack and generous rainfall saved the region’s two largest reservoirs from collapse. But one good year won’t solve decades of drought in the West, and the deadline for a new set of rules to manage the Colorado River looms over seven […]
CA agencies agree to conserve a combined 643,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mead
Lake Mead is getting a massive boost in water this summer after several California water agencies agreed to conserve up to 643,000 acre-feet of water through 2025 under an agreement with the federal government, more than double Nevada’s total annual water allocation. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the drought-stricken reservoir, announced the agreement […]
Ford defends pace of three year investigation into NV fake electors
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford defended his measured investigation of Nevada’s fake electors Wednesday. Ford characterized his office’s indictment of the Trump-aligned electors as a “lose-lose proposition,” but said he hoped the indictments would discourage additional attempts to undermine the integrity of Nevada’s elections. . “I know there are those who wish I had acted […]
Touting ‘big win,’ conservation groups drop suit over axed Ash Meadows lithium project
In a hard-fought victory for conservation groups in Nevada, federal land managers have agreed to provide public notice for all new exploration or mining projects near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge for the next 12 months. On Friday, the Center for Biological Diversity and Amargosa Conservancy agreed to drop their lawsuit against the Bureau […]
It’s ‘infrastructure decade,’ Biden says while touting high-speed rail funding in NV
On a campaign stop in Las Vegas Friday, President Joe Biden reclaimed “Bidenomics,” announcing billions of dollars in new infrastructure spending on high-speed rail in Nevada and nationwide. The president kept jabs toward his predecessor Donald Trump relatively light, instead highlighting his own administration’s economic accomplishments, including legislation to lower prescription drug costs, expand high-speed […]
NV tribes will not appeal most recent lithium mine ruling
Native American tribes opposing a mine over what could be the country’s largest natural lithium deposit have decided to abandon efforts to halt its construction through the courts after a series of legal setbacks. But that doesn’t mean they are abandoning the fight. On Tuesday, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony announced the tribe won’t appeal U.S. […]
CA farmers agree to conserve 100,000 acre-feet of Lake Mead water in exchange for compensation
Southern California has agreed to conserve enough water in Lake Mead to support upwards of 300,000 single family homes for a year under an agreement struck with the federal government. On Friday, the Biden Administration announced they will pay the Imperial Irrigation District — the Colorado River’s largest water user — an estimated $77.6 million […]
Summer EBT program will now be permanent, as long as NV applies
During the pandemic, children in Nevada benefited from a popular free food program that fed kids during school closures and summer vacation. Now the U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering a similar program, Summer EBT, on a permanent basis. The new permanent summer nutrition assistance program for children, known as Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer, would […]
Salton Sea could meet nation’s lithium demand for decades, study finds
A federal analysis released Tuesday confirmed Southern California’s Salton Sea contains enough lithium to meet the nation’s needs for decades. Salton Sea has the potential to produce an estimated 375 million lithium batteries for electric vehicles — more than the total number of vehicles currently on U.S. roads, according to the analysis commissioned by the […]
National report tracks huge costs of climate change in Southwest
A new national climate assessment paints a dismal picture of the Southwest over the next decade, as the rapidly warming climate drives food shortages, intensifies droughts, floods, wildfires, diseases, and jeopardizes public infrastructure like roads and dams. The Fifth National Climate Assessment — a congressionally mandated report due roughly every five years —found that although […]
Feds announce new funding for Nevada’s threatened springs
Nevada’s springs are especially vulnerable to drought and climate change, but the fragile habitats are getting a helping hand thanks to the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation’s history. Last week, federal land managers announced $51 million in investments for 30 new environmental water resource projects in 11 states, including one in Nevada. […]