skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Government shutdown looms after Trump-backed bill fails; Environmental groups sue CA Air Resources Board over biogas credits; NY elected officials work to electrify municipal buildings; Need a mental health boost? Talking hot dog is here.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President-elect Trump repeats his threats to jail Jan. 6th committee members, while also putting a stop-gap spending plan in jeopardy. A court removes Fani Willis from Trump's Georgia election interference case. The FAA restricts drones in New Jersey, and a Federal Reserve rate cut shakes markets.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

Poll: Western Voters Love Their Public Lands

play audio
Play

Friday, February 14, 2014   

PHOENIX – Residents of the Rocky Mountain states want their public lands protected, and say candidates' positions on conservation and land use could decide votes in this year's elections.

The latest Conservation in the West poll from Colorado College shows strong support in Arizona and the Intermountain region for preserving public lands, regardless of a voter's political affiliation.

Democratic pollster Dave Metz says opposition to selling public lands to pay down the national debt is even higher this year than last.

"Seventy-four percent, almost three-quarters of voters, now tell us they oppose the sale of those public lands – with almost three in five, 58 percent, telling us that they strongly oppose such a sale," he says.

The bipartisan survey of 2,400 registered voters found 85 percent agreement that closing national parks, as happened last year, hurts communities and small businesses.

And 83 percent say they're against funding cuts for national parks, forests and other public lands.

Despite significant distrust of the federal government in parts of the West, Republican pollster Lori Weigel says the poll found strong support for federal public lands agencies.

"Eighty-four percent approving of the National Park Service, 73 percent the U.S. Forest Service, 69 percent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” she relates.

“BLM (Bureau of Land Management), it was still by a two-to-one margin that they indicated a more positive than a negative."

In Arizona, voters were strongly concerned about pollution of rivers, lakes and streams.

And Arizona Wilderness Coalition director Barbara Hawke says the poll also shows 72 percent of the state's voters would be more likely to support a candidate who favors greater use of renewable energy, such as wind and solar.

"Arizonans, like the country, are recognizing that we need to plan for our nation's energy future, and planning for appropriate siting of renewables is a great way to add to that mix," she says.

Hawke is concerned that the Sonoran Desert Heritage Act, addressing a variety of land use issues in an area west of Phoenix, has been stalled in Congress for well over a year.

"If we are going to allow our children to have the same opportunities we have to go out and experience our incredible natural areas in Arizona, we need to take action today," she stresses.

Even with this year's 50th anniversary celebration of the federal Wilderness Act, Hawke adds there's still a great deal of work to be done on Arizona's unprotected public lands that remain vulnerable to development.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A survey from the American Heart Association revealed 79% of respondents neglect their health during the holidays. Many say they find this time of year more stressful than income tax season.
(deagreez/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Holiday travel is in full swing and for many, so is the stress. The American Heart Association of Missouri has health tips for anyone with heart …


Health and Wellness

play sound

By Amy Felegy for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collabo…

Health and Wellness

play sound

With Christmas less than a week away, experts are giving advice on how seniors and the community can fight against social isolation. A United Health …


A new University of Miami study has found buildings in Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside have been sinking by 2-8 centimeters between 2016 and 2023. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

When the Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside in 2021 taking 98 lives, it sent shock waves across South Florida. The tragedy has left …

Environment

play sound

Rural communities across Massachusetts are benefiting from state grants aimed at strengthening the local food supply and building climate resilience…

Dairy digesters remove methane from liquified animal waste. The gas can then be used to generate power. (Lance Cheung/USDA)

Environment

play sound

Three environmental nonprofits filed suit Wednesday against the California Air Resources Board to oppose the expansion of a program allowing oil and g…

Environment

play sound

New York lawmakers are focusing on electrifying municipal buildings. Buildings statewide make up 32% of New York's greenhouse gas emissions and …

Social Issues

play sound

North Dakota is expected to rejoin the debate over whether all school children, regardless of their family income, should have access to no-cost …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021