"Texas beaches may be open during the pandemic, but that doesn't mean they're safe places to swim, according to a new study of levels of fecal bacteria along the Gulf Coast."
"New Mexico this week proposed rules that would require its oil and gas industry to capture at least 98% of its emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane by 2026, a standard it said would be among the strongest in the nation."
"On a warming planet, heat hurts communities of color more. But Phoenix is finding ways to cool down."
"Dust storms—those billowing walls of sand and dirt often seen seen in the more arid regions of the world—doubled in the American Southwest between the 1990s to 2000s." "Respiratory ICU admissions spike in the wake of such storms, which are becoming more common across the American Southwest."
"Extreme weather has contributed to the vast blazes – with the pandemic complicating the emergency response."
"Red flag fire warnings are in effect for large portions of the West on Sunday and Monday, the National Weather Service said."
"A vast sea of wind turbines is in the works for hundreds of thousands of acres near Corona and surrounding Lincoln, Guadalupe and Torrance counties that could more than double the wind power generation in New Mexico and provide enough electricity for every home in the state."
Hazardous waste and floodwaters don’t typically mix well together. So when a Michigan dam recently burst, and flooded not just the local community, but also threatened a nearby Superfund site, it prompted Reporter’s Toolbox to look at how environmental journalists could track similar threats in their areas, especially as climate change raises the risks of similar disasters.
"One Mexican gray wolf died after being caught in a trap in April and another was found dead in the wild, bringing the total to more than a dozen of the endangered predators that died in the first four months of the year in New Mexico and Arizona."
"The oil and natural gas capital of the world is going all-in on solar power. Houston will begin a new five-year contract in July with NRG Energy Inc. to power all of its city-owned properties, from fire stations to airports, with renewable energy."
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