The Biden administration has released an environmental analysis of competing plans for how seven Western states and tribes reliant on the Colorado River should cut their water use. The review did not state which option should be chosen, but defended the Interior Department's authority to make sure basic needs such as drinking water and hydropower are met. The White House has proposed new measures to dramatically cut how much water states can draw from the Colorado River, and the Interior Department is expected to make a decision soon.
Posts tagged as “Sierra Nevada”
The Colorado River is a vital source of water and electricity for seven states and numerous tribes. The US Interior Department has released two plans for how to reduce water usage in the Colorado River system, with California and some tribes favoring one and the other six states favoring the other. The Biden administration has declined to take a side, but the analysis provides an overview of the situation and potential consequences of each plan to help the states and tribes come to an agreement.
Jeremy Renner, best known for his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was nearly killed in a New Year's Day snowplow accident that left him with 30-plus broken bones. In an exclusive interview, Renner discussed the incident, saying it was his mistake and he is now in a wheelchair recovering from the accident. Despite the trauma, Renner is determined to move forward and continue his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shifting the narrative of being victimized.
A diver found a human bone near the shore of Lake Mead in October, prompting a search by a park dive team that uncovered more. DNA analysis was used to identify the remains as belonging to Donald Smith, a Las Vegas resident who reportedly drowned in April 1974. The Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner confirmed the remains and ruled the death an accident, providing closure to Smith's family and friends after nearly five decades.
President Biden announced the establishment of two new national monuments in Nevada and Texas, as well as the creation of a marine sanctuary in U.S. waters near the Pacific Remote Islands southwest of Hawaii. The move will bring more than half a million federal acres under a new set of protections. At the White House Conservation in Action Summit, Biden emphasized the need to preserve these natural wonders for future generations, calling it a "birthright to pass down from generation to generation." The announcement comes despite Biden's approval of a controversial fossil fuel drilling project in the Alaskan Arctic.
President Joe Biden has designated the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Southern Nevada as a national monument, protecting 506,000 acres of Nevada's Spirit Mountain and the surrounding desert. This is a major victory for the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, who have been advocating for the site for three decades, and is part of Biden's larger effort to protect the environment. The monument is one of the largest tracts of land to come under federal protection so far during Biden's presidency.
Joshua Isaac Nichols, son of Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols, has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and armed robbery in Las Vegas, avoiding a trial and resulting in a minimum of five years in prison. Hundreds of people gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the bombing, which killed 168 people. Joshua and his co-defendant, George William Moya III, face a maximum of life in prison when they are sentenced on April 16 and 19 respectively.
Fourteen Democratic governors have called on major pharmacy retail companies to clarify their plans to dispense mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion, in response to recent media reports. This call has been met with opposition from a coalition of anti-abortion groups, who have requested a preliminary injunction to take mifepristone off the market nationwide. If access to mifepristone is halted, it could affect millions of individuals in states where medication abortion is lawfully dispensed. The issue of access to abortion medication has become increasingly politicized, and it remains to be seen how the pharmacy retail companies will respond.