Ripples of war

Pressure is mounting on the Biden White House to resolve its stalled policy on oil and gas leases in the West, with both the energy industry and environmentalists frustrated.

Researchers have found that forested basins of the western United States saw significant increases in streamflows for about six years following large wildfires. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences suggests that “increasing forest fire activity is unhinging streamflow from its historically predictable response to climate variability.“ Researchers attribute enhanced streamflows following wildfire to the loss of trees, which draw moisture out of the soil; the loss of canopy cover, which intercepts precipitation before it reaches the ground; and the way wildfire can “bake” soils, making them water-repellant. 

The Montana Stockgrowers Association has asked its state wildlife agency to prevent wolves from being captured and released into Colorado as part of the Centennial State’s voter-mandated reintroduction plan. It’s not that the 135-year-old livestock producer organization is supportive of keeping Montana’s wolves in the state. Instead, in a letter to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks the organization voiced its concern for the livestock producers of Colorado as a sign of solidarity. 

Colorado’s electric utility Xcel Energy has shifted 310,000 residents to a new “time-of-use” pricing system that pushes them to change their lifestyles—incentivizing electricity use at night instead of during peak daytime hours.