The mighty Mississippi running dry: what you need to know
Water levels in the Mississippi River hit record lows in the past month. The drought is impacting shipping along the river, along with business and tourism in river communities.
BREAKING: Recent Report Shows hydropower Reservoirs in Alabama Emit *Substantial* Amounts of Methane
The Alabama Rivers Alliance (ARA), in partnership with PhD students from the Virginia Scientist-Community Interface (V-SCI), has used the G-res modeling tool to analyze the net methane and carbon dioxide emissions of two of Alabama Power’s hydropower facilities, and the results show that these supposedly “clean” and emissions-free hydropower dams and reservoirs actually create and emit significant quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
The Clean Water Act at 50
This week, I joined environmental policymakers from the White House and Congress in marking the anniversary of the Clean Water Act, one of the most important laws signed in the past 50 years.
How would you feel if the Grand Canyon ran dry?
The situation on the Colorado River continues to get worse. For months, there has been abundant news about falling lake levels (Lake Powell is below 25% full, and Lake Mead is hovering below 30% full) and while some areas of the west had a terrific monsoon, other...
“High” salmon returns in 2022 are not a sign of true, sustainable numbers
This year is being pointed to as a banner year for salmon and steelhead returning to Idaho. Politicians and news outlets have been sharing the big bump in numbers in 2022, implying that it is a harbinger of good years ahead and a sign of salmon populations recovering, even though the Lower Snake River Dams remain in place.
However, the long-term reality for salmon runs remains one of steep decline towards extinction and dispels any meaning derived from recent short-term increases in return numbers.