Breaking – SCOTUS overturns prior ruling that federal agencies must consider upstream & downstream environmental impacts from a given project. Big implications for environmental reviews across the country, especially for UT's Uinta Basin Railway:

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives struck down a move to sell off thousands of acres of public land across Utah and Nevada Wednesday night after immense pushback from conservationists, sportsmen and other groups who opposed the measure.

The Salt Lake area has some of the worst ozone pollution in the country. But the state of Utah says the region should not have to adhere to stricter federal air quality standards — and the Trump administration is listening. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Green Natural Gas Ventures LLC’s gas and helium plant in La Sal is “exposing residents … to air pollutants, which is a violation of Utah law and has an adverse impact on the health and welfare of the public,” the state claims. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Utah produced a record 65M barrels of oil in 2024 due to drilling in the Uinta Basin. If the state has its way & the Uinta Basin Railway is built, oil production will keep breaking records. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

A Salt Lake City-based nuclear energy company announced it is partnering with the state and the Intermountain Power Agency to explore putting a small nuclear reactor in Millard County.

The state’s investment in relatively cheaper electricity sources like coal, natural gas and solar has helped keep residential costs lower, even as Utahns are using more electricity than ever.

In 2024, coal made up 46% of Utah’s total electricity generation, with only 5 coal mines operating — the fewest in 150 years. Coal's decline persists despite the state's attempts to help the industry. Solar and natural gas have picked up the slack. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

The Trump administration chose to "speed up" permitting for the expansion of a copper mine in southeastern Utah. The mine laid off or furloughed more than half its workers in November. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

This morning @washingtonpost.com reported that Trump is looking to shrink Bears Ears & Grand-Staircase Escalante NMs in Utah — again — to expand mining and drilling. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

“Kelly Pehrson has been a steady, trusted leader at UDAF for years, and I’m grateful he’s willing to take on this new role,” Gov. Spencer Cox said about his appointee.

Cox’s choice to run Utah's agriculture department has a history that has raised red flags from San Juan County to Salt Lake City. Read more here: sltrib.com/news/environ...

A man was hospitalized Tuesday night after a shooting involving a law enforcement officer for the Utah Department of Natural Resources. More details here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Two men were charged with multiple felonies Tuesday after Utah officials say they dumped oily wastewater into a northeastern Utah pond on multiple occasions.

Two men were charged Tuesday after Utah officials say they dumped oily wastewater into a northeastern Utah pond on multiple occasions. Read more here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

You know Utah's lands better than anyone. Help us share stories about how our public lands are being used and enjoyed, and what changes you’re seeing.

Utah received its largest environmental grant *ever* last year to clean up SLC’s dirty air. But the state says it is holding off on spending any of that money due to questions about President Donald Trump’s federal funding freeze. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

May or shall? Debate over a bill directing Utah’s nuclear energy roadmap is stuck on one word dictating whether collaboration between the state and municipalities is required for nuclear projects, or optional. #utpol

We talked to three former superintendents of Utah national parks about the impact of the Trump/Musk firings. Here's what they had to say: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

DOGE is cancelling offices leases across Utah for the National Park Service, USGS and other agencies, via @hufh4m.bsky.social www.sltrib.com/news/politic...

“I know people are really worried that they’re next, and I hate to be grim, but they are,” a worker laid off from the USGS in Utah told me. There are thousands of stories like these from fired federal workers across the country. Hard to fathom. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

I've been able to confirm at least 17 national park employees fired in Utah due to the mass Trump layoffs, but a source tells me that number might be closer to 30. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

State leaders want Utah to be "one of the nuclear headquarters for the world."

Utah state leaders have been promoting nuclear energy over the last few months. I've gotten a lot of questions about what future nuclear development might mean/look like for the people who live here. Here's what you need to know: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Rep. Celeste Maloy says conservation shouldn’t be a “use” of America’s public lands. Yesterday, she introduced a bill to repeal the Biden-era Public Lands Rule: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Heightened immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration has sent a wave of anxiety over the Ute Indian Tribe and others across the country, where Indigenous citizens fear they could be profiled.

Retaliatory tariffs and the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration have Utah farmers on edge.

Some water news — a dry January hurt forecasts for Lake Powell & the Colorado River. Last month, hydrologists thought spring runoff into Lake Powell would be 81% of average. They now expect it to be just 67% of average. But February could bring a reprieve: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Dear Utahns: It's already difficult to get access to some records the public should be able to see, and it appears lawmakers are trying to make it harder (1/6)

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox appointed Shelley to direct the Department of Environmental Quality just before his first term.

The woman in charge of regulating Utah's air, water and land will step down in the middle of the legislative session. Kim Shelley tried to instate rules to help UT's air quality comply with federal standards, but lawmakers pushed back last year: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

The Department of the Interior will start taking “actions to review and, where appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands,” like national monuments.

Trump's Department of the Interior has quietly initiated a review of public land protections that might mean drastic changes for Utah’s national monuments — for the second time. More here: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

The land in Utah owned by the federal government — about 2/3 of the state — is now under new management. Here’s what new Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has said about public lands here and across the country: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Months after the Navajo Nation’s president said the trucking of uranium ore across the reservation showed “blatant disregard for our tribal sovereignty,” the tribe and a uranium mining company have reached an agreement for future transport to Utah: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Last month, I traveled with @hufh4m.bsky.social to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. President Trump previously reduced them. In 2021, President Biden expanded them. Ahead of the inauguration, some wonder what lies ahead for these monuments. https://buff.ly/40wGvER

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Utah’s challenge to federal public lands. The case that had implications for states across the West, where the Bureau of Land Management controls millions of acres of land. @hufh4m.bsky.social reports: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Hi! I'm on Bluesky now! And there's a lot going on this morning — to start, the Supreme Court just declined to hear Utah's case challenging public lands. State leaders say they "will continue to fight to keep public lands in public hands" www.sltrib.com/news/environ...