Southwest (AZ NM OK TX)

"The case could establish the nation’s first independent repository for spent nuclear fuel in West Texas, despite the objections of state leaders."

"It is a ritual that takes place every winter — federal and state wildlife managers use remote cameras, scat collection, radio telemetry devices and helicopters to count Mexican gray wolves that are roaming mountain ranges in parts of New Mexico and Arizona." "This year’s count shows the recovery of Mexican wolves is inching forward."

"El Paso Water broke ground on the first U.S. facility that will treat wastewater for direct re-use in a city water supply, using a four-step process to transform wastewater into clean, potable drinking water."

"A child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas, state officials said Wednesday, the first U.S. death from the highly contagious — but preventable — respiratory disease since 2015."

"Exxon's proposal for a plastics factory on the Gulf Coast raises alarms for a community already dealing with pollution."

"In the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the City Council of Arlington on Tuesday approved plans by French energy giant TotalEnergies to drill 10 new gas wells near a daycare center, residential neighborhoods and elementary schools."

"Shipments of uranium ore from a revived mining operation just south of the Grand Canyon are expected to resume in February after the Navajo Nation reached a settlement with the mining company, clearing the way for trucks to transport the ore across the largest Native American reservation in the U.S."

"Climate change, drought, and fires — all caused or worsened by human activity — are rewriting the future of ancient Sonoran saguaros."

"The decision opens the door for new ways to manage uranium pollution on tribal land"