Brooke Larsen

Feds put polarizing southern Utah highway proposal back on the table, months after Biden administration rejected it The Bureau of Land Management is reassessing the controversial Northern Corridor highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area.

The feds are once again considering the Northern Corridor, a highway through desert tortoise habitat in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area.

Zion National Park is considering a reservation system. Utah leaders don’t want it. Utah leaders speak out against a proposed reservation system at Zion National Park as they anticipate the release of a draft visitor use management plan.

Zion National Park has been considering a timed entry system to better handle the boom in visitors. Some Utah officials don't want a reservation system, though. Washington County passed a resolution in opposition to the park's anticipated draft visitor use management plan.

Who controls food in the West? - High Country News Consolidation, shifting politics, water rights and the myth of the cowboy all play into the region’s ability to feed itself.

Buckle up for an in-depth overview about who controls our food (& you wondered why it was so expensive) w/amazing of #infographic by @jbrookelarsen.bsky.social & Nick Underwood for @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/issues/57-9/...

Read the full story, which is part of “Food and Power in the West,” a FERN special issue produced in partnership with High Country News, at thefern.org/2025/09/food...

@highcountrynews.org @jbrookelarsen.bsky.social

After defending their community, Pine Valley firefighters reckon with Forsyth Fire’s toll Pine Valley firefighters are processing their trauma from the Forsyth Fire as they help their community recover from the blaze.

The volunteer Pine Valley firefighters defended their community from the ferocious Forsyth Fire. Now they're processing the emotional toll and helping their community recover. “This was traumatic,” said Pine Valley Fire Chief Robert Hardy. “The whole department felt it.”

Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ is rolling back major oil and gas reforms. Here’s what that means for Utah’s public lands. Trump's "beautiful" bill is "driving us back to a future where the oil and gas industry wields immense power over the future of the nation’s public lands," said Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance attor...

The Trump administration is making it easier and cheaper to lease public lands for oil and gas drilling. Here's how that may impact federal lands in Utah:

‘This is a big one’: Monroe Canyon Fire damages power poles and structures as it grows to over 55,000 acres Firefighters lost ground on the Monroe Canyon Fire near Richfield on Friday, as it went from 11% contained to 7% and jumped over state Route 24. The road has since reopened, but officials expect more ...

The Monroe Canyon Fire has exploded to over 55,000 acres, damaging power poles and destroying homes. This is Utah's largest wildfire so far this year.

This southern Utah community has dealt with contaminated water for years. Now the taps run clean. A new water pipeline will deliver clean drinking water to an Apple Valley neighborhood in southern Utah.

A small town in southwest Utah has been dealing with dirty drinking water for over 15 years. Now, thanks to a new water pipeline, residents have clean water.

House Republicans move to slash funding for this southern Utah national monument U.S. House Republicans are seeking to slash funding for the management of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. According to a proposed funding bill for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of ...

House Republicans are seeking to slash funding for the management of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, limiting the BLM’s ability to protect roughly 900,000 acres of land within the current 1.9 million-acre monument.

The Men Trump Deported to a Salvadoran Prison On March 15, President Donald Trump’s administration sent more than 230 Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Last week, the men were released as suddenly as they’d been t...

NEW: On March 15, President Donald Trump’s administration sent more than 230 Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.

Last week, the men were released as suddenly as they’d been taken away.

These are their stories.

A mine is coming to Sevier Dry Lake. Here’s what it could mean for Utah’s dust pollution. Dust from Sevier Dry Lake in southern Utah blows particulate as far north as Salt Lake City, but it also holds a vital mineral for growing high-value crops.

Last month, the BLM gave Peak Minerals the go ahead to start extracting potash from the Sevier Dry Lake. @leialarsen.bsky.social and I dug into what that could mean for Utah's dust pollution:

Trump administration fast-tracks oil transport expansion in eastern Utah The Bureau of Land Management approved the expansion of an oil transloading facility in Carbon County Thursday evening after an expedited review under President Trump’s “national energy emergency” declaration.

The Bureau of Land Management approved the expansion of an oil transloading facility in Carbon County Thursday evening after an expedited review under President Trump’s “national energy emergency” declaration.

Trump administration fast-tracks oil transport expansion in eastern Utah The Bureau of Land Management approved the expansion of an oil transloading facility in Carbon County Thursday evening after an expedited review under President Trump’s “national energy emergency” dec...

The BLM approved the expansion of an oil transport facility in eastern Utah Thursday evening after a 16-day review. This will increase the amount of waxy crude oil producers can truck out of the Uinta Basin and transfer onto rails cars that travel for over 100 miles along the Colorado River.

Trump admin plans to rescind ‘roadless rule.’ Here’s what that means for millions of acres of forest across Utah. As wildfires rage across southern Utah, the Trump administration is looking to remove decades-old protections for millions of acres of forests in a move it says will help prevent such blazes.

The Trump administration plans to rescind the roadless rule and open up nearly 59 million acres of national forest land to logging and road building. I spoke with fire ecologists to learn what that may mean for wildfires in Utah and the West.

UPDATE: Forsyth Fire destroys 12 structures, including primary and secondary homes in Pine Valley.

Forsyth Fire in Washington County forces mandatory evacuations, as other fires across southern Utah grow The Forsyth Fire prompted mandatory evacuations in the Pine Valley community, forcing 400 to 500 people from their homes. There are approximately 450 homes in the area, with half of those inhabited by...

Wildfires are growing across Southern Utah. Last night, the Forsyth Fire started north of St. George. The France Canyon Fire near Bryce Canyon has spread to more than 9,000 acres, and the Bridge Creek Fire on Navajo Mountain near Lake Powell is now over 1,000 acres. Critical fire weather persists.

A wildfire near Bryce Canyon doubles in size, as high winds, rough terrain hinder containment efforts Hot, dry and windy conditions are putting much of Southern Utah at risk for wildfires. The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for the region through Monday evening, and the France Cany...

A fire near Bryce Canyon National Park has doubled in size since yesterday. Hot, windy conditions are expected to pick up tomorrow.

Zion National Park reopens bridge to popular trails after more than 2 years Zion National Park on Tuesday reopened a bridge connecting Zion Lodge to the popular Emerald Pools hiking trails that weave through ephemeral waterfalls and essential water bodies for wildlife.

I'm excited to share I started a new position this week as Southwestern Utah Reporter with @sltrib.com. Here's my first quick story on the reconstruction of the Emerald Pools Bridge in Zion National Park. Send me tips on all things Southwest Utah at blarsen@sltrib.com.

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow As the administration does its best to hide public records from the public, Wired magazine is stepping up to help stem the secrecy

They're called public records for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with @freedom.press to offer this for our new coverage.

ICE has ‘disappeared’ 48 New Mexico residents, attorneys say • Source New Mexico “We don’t know what’s happened to these four dozen New Mexicans. They’ve effectively disappeared. They’re gone,” an ACLU attorney said.

“We don’t know what’s happened to these four dozen New Mexicans. They’ve effectively disappeared. They’re gone,” said Becca Sheff, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico.

📣 Starting now, @HighCountryNews will provide free digital access to all of our reporting to any federal employee, including those who have recently lost jobs due to government layoffs. 📣

As the Great Salt Lake recedes, industry rises - High Country News Utah’s Inland Port Authority works with local officials to boost development, but residents feel ignored.

For over a year, I've been investigating the Utah Inland Port Authority's expansion around the receding Great Salt Lake. While some local leaders see UIPA as an opportunity to boost economic growth, community members worry about pollution, wetland destruction, accountability and loss of rural life.

Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go? Search our map by ZIP code. From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood.

Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go?

From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood.

grist.org/accountabili...

#Climate #Data #GreenSky #IRA #BIL

Now offline: Government resources about Long COVID as a disability - The Sick Times Several government resources about accommodations for people with Long COVID have become unavailable in the last week, following purges of government websites and datasets under the Trump administrati...

The Sick Times: “Now offline: Government resources about Long COVID as a disability”

“It seems like Long COVID has been targeted”

thesicktimes.org/2025/02/11/n...

A screenshot of a multi‐column table listing several U.S. presidential Executive Orders relating to LGBTQ+ rights and antidiscrimination policies. Each row has columns for “Origin” (POTUS), “Number/Identifier” (e.g., EO 13988), “Title” (such as Preventing and Combating Discrimination…), “Action Type” (e.g., Broad Nondiscrimination, Military Nondiscrimination), “Summary” (key points of each order), and “Date Signed.” The listed orders span from early 2021 through early 2025, covering topics like preventing discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, banning conversion therapy, rescinding prior harmful EOs, and restricting or expanding DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives.

A spreadsheet at the top shows columns tracking anti‐LGBTQ bills by status and year: total bills (334), 2025 bills (327), 2024 rollovers (7), how many passed committees (3), passed one chamber (5), passed both chambers (0), enacted (1), vetoed (0), failed (3), and carried forward (0). Below that, another header row lists different types of anti‐LGBTQ legislation (e.g., gender‐affirming care bans, pronoun bans, “Don’t Say Gay,” drag bans, bathroom bans) with the total count of each category (e.g., 55 for gender‐affirming care bans, 20 for pronoun bans, 14 for “Don’t Say Gay,” etc.). A color‐coded U.S. map spans the lower half, with states shaded from light orange to deep red according to how many anti‐LGBTQ bills they contain. Texas appears in the darkest red (46 bills), with lighter shades indicating fewer bills in other states. A note at the bottom right explains that the map shows total tracked bills per state, which does not necessarily reflect each bill’s likelihood of passage.

We've created a tracker that covers all executive orders affecting LGBTQ folks along with federal and state legislation.

We're at 334 anti-LGBTQ bills.

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Credit
@alli.gay
@erininthemorning.com
@evanurquhart.bsky.social
@miralazine.bsky.social
@lizsaila.bsky.social

Union members are taking over the Utah statehouse to make their voices heard. Lawmakers are trying to take away the freedom for public service workers to have union representation and a voice on the job. This is collective power IN ACTION!

✊ Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong. 🎵

In a first, scientists find microplastics are building up deep in our brains A new study shows that microplastics are making their way into our brains, and that their numbers are rising.

Amid everything, a new study finds that microplastics are accumulating in human brains.

“Every time we scratch the surface, it uncovers a whole host of, ‘Oh, is this worse than we thought?’” lead author Matthew Campen told me last fall.

A short thread: 1/

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

‘They’ll have to drag me out before I go.’ EPA workers stand firm despite Trump chaos - High Country News Staff outside D.C. headquarters respond to funding freeze and other orders from the new administration.

Coming in hot from @highcountrynews.bsky.social new fellow @goesbykim.bsky.social a dispatch from the EPA's hq. Workers there understand what's at stake. www.hcn.org/articles/the...

What happens after Utah’s coal-fired power plants close? - High Country News Department of Energy grants are helping eastern Utah plan for the energy transition.

Another terrific @highcountrynews.bsky.social article by @jbrookelarsen.bsky.social on what lies ahead for Utah's coal country. www.hcn.org/issues/what-...

Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier granted clemency by President Biden The outgoing administration has released Leonard Peltier from prison. Numerous activists and tribal officials have requested the release of Peltier, whom they believe to be innocent of killing two FBI...

In one of his last official acts before leaving the White House, President Joe Biden released Leonard Peltier from prison. The action is an extraordinary move that ends a decades-long push by Indigenous activists, international religious leaders and human rights organizations.