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According to a Brigham Young University report, 85% of the pollutants causing health and economic harm in Utah are fossil-fuel combustion products. (Adobe Stock)

Young Utahns Suing State, Calling for Climate Action

By Ray Levy Uyeda for Prism.Broadcast version by Alex Gonzalez for Utah News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Ser…

According to GreenLatinos, Hispanics and Latinos are twice as likely to depend on public transit for transportation, but current public transit lines don't ensure access to outdoor recreational spaces. (Andy Dean/Adobe Stock)

Group Pushes to 'Take Back Cinco de Mayo'

A national group says it wants to reclaim the significance of Cinco de Mayo, the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the …

Soot standards were last updated by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2012. In December 2020, the Trump administration declined to tighten standards. (Adobe Stock)

EPA 'Soot Standard' Receives Pressure from UT Clean-Air Advocates

The danger of soot pollution is real, and clean-air advocates in Utah say it is a top-of-mind issue for many in the state. Lindsay Beebe, senior …

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is more than 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, with methane from human sources driving roughly a third of current global warming. (Adobe Stock)

Utah Group Calls EPA Methane Rule Crucial for State's Overall Wellbeing

A Utah group was one of many who voiced its support during last week's Environmental Protection Agency public hearing on a proposed rule to reduce oil…

Utah is one of the most wildfire-prone states in the U.S., experiencing between 800 and 1,000 ground fires, surface fires and canopy fires each year. (rck/Adobe Stock)

Poll: Utahns, Westerners Voice Concerns for Water, Climate Change

Voters in Utah and across the West are increasingly anxious about the effects of climate change on the beauty and ecology of their Rocky Mountains…

The primary cause of rapidly increasing extinction rates is due to habitat loss caused by human activity, with drought from climate change an increasingly potent accelerant. (PAOLO/Adobe Stock)

Scientists: Sixth Global Mass Extinction Event Happening Now

New research suggests Earth's Sixth Mass Extinction event, on par with the one that ended the age of dinosaurs, is already under way. Noah Greenwald…

Grand Staircase-Escalante in southern Utah is one of dozens of national monuments that could be fully protected under the 30x30 Conservation Plan. (Andrushko/Adobe Stock)

Conservationists See 2022 as Critical Year for 30x30 Initiative

Conservationists say significant progress was made in 2021 toward the goals of the 30x30 Initiative, to have 30% of the world's land and oceans …

A symbolic 5,000-pound totem pole, hand-carved by Jewell James of the Lummi Nation in Washington state, will be at a blessing ceremony Saturday at Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. (#RedRoadtoDC)

Totem Pole Journey to Support Bears Ears Restoration This Weekend

MONTICELLO, Utah -- The movement to restore the Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah gets a major boost this weekend when a hand-carved …

President Joe Biden has nominated longtime environmentalist Tracy Stone-Manning to serve as director of the Bureau of Land Management. (NWF Photo)

Conservationists Laud Choice of Stone-Manning to Head BLM

MOAB, Utah -- Conservationists in Utah and across the West are praising the Biden administration's nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning, a longtime …

Conservationists Back Congressional Effort to Restore Methane Controls

MOAB, Utah -- Conservationists and others are optimistic key climate-change regulations on methane leaks rolled back during the Trump administration …

Restoring EPA regulations on vehicle emissions standards could help the Wasatch Front/Salt Lake City region roll back its annual brown cloud, which appears each winter. (Utah Dept. of Health)

For Utah, Biden Climate-Change Plan Could Mean Cleaner Air, New Jobs

SALT LAKE CITY -- President Joe Biden released a package of executive orders this week designed to fight climate change, curb pollution, conserve …

The Jacob Hamblin Arch is part of the former Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument that Utah conservationists hope will be restored by the incoming Biden administration. (kojihirano/Adobe Stock) <br /><br />

Groups Look to Biden Administration to Save Utah Wildlands

MOAB, Utah -- Utah conservation groups, battered by four years of Trump administration rollbacks of public-land protections, say they're looking for …

Acting Director of the Bureau of Land Management, William Pendley Perry (center), tours outdoor trails near Moab in 2019 with several BLM staff members. (BLM)

Federal Judge Orders Removal of Acting BLM Director

MOAB, Utah -- The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) begins this week without a director. In a win for conservation groups and a number of Western …

A 2019 audit by the Utah Legislature found the state regulatory agency in charge of inspecting oil and gas production had not issued a single fine in its 20-year history. (Craddick/Adobe Stock)

Utah Oil and Gas Regulators Fail to Issue Fines to Polluters

SALT LAKE CITY -- Regulatory agencies in most western states have improved their oversight of the oil and gas industry in recent years. A recent …

The Colorado pikeminnow is one of the endangered fish species threatened by oil-shale development in the Uintah Basin. (TaylorMcKinnon/Center for Biological Diversity)

Groups Plan to Sue Feds Over Utah Oil-Shale Project

VERNAL, Utah – A coalition of conservation groups plans to sue the Trump administration over plans to construct a commercial oil-shale …

More than 17 million people live within a mile of an active oil or gas well, including more than 2 million children and older adults. (Getty Images)

Doctors Confirm Health Risks Posed by Fracking

SALT LAKE CITY – Physicians' groups are sounding the alarm about the health risks posed by hydraulic fracturing, and have published a …

Coal-fired power plants are the nation's top source of CO2 emissions. (Getty Images)

Public Health Experts Cite Risks of Clean Power Plan Repeal

SALT LAKE CITY – This week the Trump administration took steps to repeal the Clean Power Plan, the nation's first-ever attempt to limit carbon …

The Methane Waste Rule is designed to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and increase royalties for states and tribes. Caitlyn Cromwell)

Court Forces Feds To Implement Methane Gas Waste Rule

SALT LAKE CITY -- A federal judge ordered the Trump administration late Wednesday to implement an Obama-era rule that forces oil and gas companies to …

A new report projects for each one-degree Fahrenheit increase in global temperatures, the U.S. economy could lose nearly one percent of its Gross Domestic Product output (Getty Images)

Report: Economic Inequality Could Increase with Climate Change

SALT LAKE CITY – Rocky Mountain and Western states could see some benefits as climate change forces people and assets to move away from the nati…

The Clean Air Act has reduced pollution, but clean air advocates say more needs to be done. (Pixabay)

Mothers Group Protests Trump's EPA Pick Over Clean Air Record

SALT LAKE CITY – A group of clean air advocates is running a series of television ads opposing President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head th…

A new report predicts emissions from oil, gas and coal currently in production are enough to raise global temperatures above limits set in Paris. (Pixabay)

Study: Fossil Fuel Expansion has Reached Climate Limits

SALT LAKE CITY – Existing fossil fuel production is enough to blow the world's entire remaining carbon budget for keeping global temperatures be…

The city of Oakland, Calif., has banned coal handling at its port facilities, blocking a plan for producers to use the facility to export Utah coal. (JanHanusSr/iStockphoto)

Oakland Port Off Limits for Utah Coal Exports

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah environmentalists and government watchdogs are cheering a decision by the Oakland city council to ban coal shipments through its…

Environmentalists and others are fighting a plan to ship coal mined in Utah by rail to Oakland for international export. (traveler1116/iStockphoto)

Coal Port Investment Plan Stirs Controversy in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY - A $53 million plan for Utah to buy a share of a coal-export facility in California is sparking controversy over both funding for the…

Arches National Park is one of Utah's numerous natural resources, but a new survey shows the state's congressional delegation routinely votes against most conservation issues. (National Park Service)

Utah Delegation Hits Bottom in Conservation Scorecard

SALT LAKE CITY - Despite coming from one of the top states for natural beauty and resources, the Utah congressional delegation ranks at the bottom in …

A controversial draft bill called the Utah Public Lands Initiative would protect part of the Bear's Ears region but would not make it a national monument as tribes have requested. (Credit: Josh Ewing)

Conservation Groups Slam Utah Public Lands Initiative

SALT LAKE CITY - Conservation groups are slamming a draft bill called the Utah Public Land Initiative, released Wednesday by Utah Congressmen Rob …

Oil and gas companies are stockpiling close to a million acres of Utah public land without developing the property, according to a new report. (zhengzaishuru/iStockphoto)

Report: Oil and Gas Companies Stockpile Utah Public Land

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah has almost one million acres of public land tied up in suspended, unused leases to drill for oil and gas, according to a …

President Barack Obama advocating the Clean Power Plan rules. Courtesy: US White House

Reports: EPA's Clean Power Plan Will Save Utahns Money

SALT LAKE CITY – The Clean Power Plan, which President Obama finalized Monday, is expected to help energy consumers in Utah and around the …

PHOTO: A new analysis from The Wilderness Society of BLM management plans throughout the west demonstrates oil and gas exploration is favored far beyond any other uses by a wide margin. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Analysis: 92 Percent of Public Land Use Is Far Cry from "Balanced"

SALT LAKE CITY - A new analysis from the Wilderness Society shows the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has made 92 percent of the public land it …

PHOTO: Several conservation groups are calling on an oil and gas group to work together on voluntary conservation efforts that can help the greater sage grouse from being listed as a threatened species. Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Conservation Groups Call for Unity In Sage Grouse Recovery Effort

SALT LAKE CITY - Several conservation groups are calling for unity in efforts to help the greater sage grouse recover from near-extinction in Utah and…

PHOTO: Summer heat has always been part of the Zion National Park experience, but the National Park Service says the impact of climate change is being felt around the park system and is taking steps to deal with its effects on wildlife and park visitors. Photo courtesy National Park Service.

Feds Plan for Climate Change Impact at Zion, All Nat'l. Parks

SALT LAKE CITY – The U.S. National Park Service says it's making plans to prepare and react to the effects of climate change at Zion National …

PHOTO: Factory Butte is one of many geographic points of interest in the 2.1 million acres covered by the Richfield Resource Management Plan. Courtesy of BLM.

Off-Roaders' Dream or Environmental Nightmare?

SALT LAKE CITY - Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on public land is the issue this week in a Salt Lake courtroom. On Tuesday, the first of six Resource …

PHOTO: Utah lawsuits contend counties should have transportation rights-of-way on roads on federal land in the state, even if � like this spot in Kane County � they don't look much like roads. Courtesy of SUWA.

Utah's Slew of Suits Seek Public Lands Right-of-Way

SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Attorney General's office is at the helm of 30 lawsuits against the federal government, and the first was decided in the …

PHOTO: The San Rafael Swell area that straddles Utah and Wyoming is of interest to oil and gas developers, and has been the subject of a two-year court case. Courtesy Bureau of Land Management.

Court Backs Closer Look at Oil, Gas Leases on Public Land

SALT LAKE CITY - Before putting an oil or gas lease up for auction on public land, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is supposed to consider the …

PHOTO: Gas wells could be located on the far cliffs in this photo and in the

Lawsuit Challenges Desolation Canyon Drilling

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah's Desolation Canyon wouldn't be quite so desolate with almost 1,300 oil and gas wells drilled in the area. The latest volley …

PHOTO: The Basel Action Network estimates 75 percent of the electronic waste that arrives in Lagos, Nigeria, is not reusable. BAN says too often, as in this photo, it ends up being dumped. Courtesy BAN.

Out with the Old: Recycling Cell Phones, Laptops, TVs...

SALT LAKE CITY - “Out with the old, in with the new” takes on a whole new meaning when the topic is electronic gear. A new national …

PHOTO: Utah and Colorado are experiencing the same oil and gas exploration boom � and the same hikes in air pollution levels. Map courtesy U.S. Geological Survey.

Utah's Producing More Oil, Gas – and Winter Smog

VERNAL, Utah - In Utah's Uinta Basin, 2012 has been a boom year for oil and gas development, with approvals for more than 5,300 new wells. But it has …

4/7/12 memo signed by Bob Murray which publicly names employees who have not given, and saying he feels

Utah Mine Owner Accused of Breaking Campaign Donor Laws

SALT LAKE CITY - Last month, as Murray Energy agreed on a settlement amount with the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to end the …

PHOTO: Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Courtesy of the USDA Forest Service.

Roadless Rule Withstands a "Supreme" Test

SALT LAKE CITY - After a decade of legal challenges, the "roadless rule" landed on the U.S. Supreme Court's doorstep, and on Monday the court opted …

PHOTO: 167,000 piston-powered general aviation aircraft in the U.S. use leaded aviation fuel. Photo courtesy of AOPA.

Small Planes' Fuel Raises Health Concerns

SALT LAKE CITY - Salt Lake County is in the nation's top five for its number of aircraft registrations. Most of the general-aviation or piston-driven …

PHOTO: Silica dust by worker conducting sand transfer operations. Photo credit: NIOSH

Hazard Alert: Hydraulic Fracturing Silica Dust is Dangerous

LOGAN, Utah - A federal study of the use of silica in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in oil and gas fields found that workers are sometimes …

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UT: Environmental Justice