Jake Bolster

The Sage Grouse Could Face More Development in Its Critical Habitat Under Trump - Inside Climate News In Wyoming, environmentalists took to the sky this month to warn of impending changes to some of the best sage grouse habitat in the world.

The BLM is redoing two management plans, both with implications for sage grouse in Wyoming. Check out our coverage, including some great photos, and an awesome graphic from @paulhornographic.bsky.social.
insideclimatenews.org/news/0410202...

Citing ‘AI Arms Race,’ Trump Administration Announces Efforts to Rekindle US Coal Industry - Inside Climate News The administration is opening millions of additional acres of public land to mining while slashing royalty rates and environmental regulations for coal. Environmentalists warn of skyrocketing costs an...

Citing ‘AI Arms Race,’ Trump Admin Aims to Rekindle US Coal Industry

@jakebolster.bsky.social reports for @insideclimatenews.org

insideclimatenews.org/news/2909202...

Citing ‘AI Arms Race,’ Trump Administration Announces Efforts to Rekindle US Coal Industry - Inside Climate News The administration is opening millions of additional acres of public land to mining while slashing royalty rates and environmental regulations for coal. Environmentalists warn of skyrocketing costs an...

U.S. officials declared yesterday that "America needs coal more than ever" and that coal “is an industry that has been under assault."

Not mentioned: climate change, and how coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel.

From my colleague @jakebolster.bsky.social
insideclimatenews.org/news/2909202...

Citing ‘AI Arms Race,’ Trump Administration Announces Efforts to Rekindle US Coal Industry - Inside Climate News The administration is opening millions of additional acres of public land to mining while slashing royalty rates and environmental regulations for coal. Environmentalists warn of skyrocketing costs an...

My coverage of today's announcements on coal from the Interior Department, EPA, and DOE is below.

As one source put it: "There is no such thing as clean coal."

insideclimatenews.org/news/2909202...

Bureau of Land Management to Sell Off Federal Coal Reserve Leases in Wyoming - Inside Climate News The Trump administration has offered coal reserves in Wyoming in its latest move to reinvigorate the country’s coal industry. One environmental lawyer says it’s “ludicrous” to be selling leases for th...

Bureau of Land Management to Sell Off Federal Coal Reserve Leases in Wyoming

Arcelia Martin and @jakebolster.bsky.social report for @insideclimatenews.org

insideclimatenews.org/news/2509202...

Political Whiplash Is Terrible for Wolves’ Future. But More Is Coming. - Inside Climate News After a judge lamented the “political yo-yo” process embroiling wolf management in the Northern Rockies, no one appears to know how to deescalate the debate.

Wolves are back in the political spotlight, but now, so is the Endangered Species Act:

“Wolves are going to be around in 10 years,” one source told me. “I don’t think the Endangered Species Act is if this keeps up.”

This person isn't alone: insideclimatenews.org/news/2809202...

YouTube video by Inside Climate News Inside Climate Talks: A Tumultuous Moment for Public Lands and All Who Rely on Them

Thrilled to appear alongside @wyattmyskow.bsky.social and Michael Kodas to discuss the status of public lands in the U.S. as part of @insideclimatenews.org's Inside Climate Talk series. Check it out here, and see the other videos on our YouTube page: www.youtube.com/watch?v=f60j...

Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause By ignoring the rhetoric and actions of the Turning Point USA founder, pundits and politicians are sanitizing his legacy.

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Charlie Kirk and the pundits and politicians sanitizing his legacy.

A chilling story. @highcountrynews.org and @thefern.org with some excellent reporting.

Dozens of Scientists Call DOE Climate Report ‘Fundamentally Incorrect’ - Inside Climate News The review comes as the Trump administration is leaning on the report as part of its justification to end EPA regulation of greenhouse gases.

Dozens of Scientists Call DOE #Climate Report ‘Fundamentally Incorrect’

@jakebolster.bsky.social reports for @insideclimatenews.org

insideclimatenews.org/news/0209202...

A Geothermal Network in Colorado Could Help A Rural Town Diversify Its Economy - Inside Climate News Hayden, a long-established coal community, is pitching companies to come take advantage of “reliable, cost-effective heating and cooling” at its light industrial park once its new geothermal network i...

“Geothermal works at night, it works in the day, it works whenever you want it to work,” officials in a rural Colorado town embrace geothermal heating and cooling for a new business park. insideclimatenews.org/news/2008202... My latest, with ICN Mountain West reporter @jakebolster.bsky.social

Another example of an energy community hoping renewables will help them diversify their economy. Town officials are buzzing about providing businesses with “reliable, cost-effective heating and cooling.” Always fun to collaborate, and glad to get to work with @mckennapr.bsky.social on this one.

Tribal Solar Projects Meet Different Fates In Wyoming After Trump Administration Kills Funding - Inside Climate News The Eastern Shoshone are moving ahead with a solar-powered micro-grid, but the Northern Arapaho rooftop PV program stalled after the EPA clawed back Solar for All funding.

Two tribal solar projects in Wyoming have met different fates after the EPA pulled the plug on Solar for All. Members of the Northern Arapaho are calling the decision “a huge loss” after they expected to receive $10 million under the program. insideclimatenews.org/news/1608202...

Can Colorado Recycle Toxic Water from Oil and Gas Drilling Without Increasing Emissions? - Inside Climate News Environmentalists fear the answer is “no,” as regulators determine how to permit more produced water recycling facilities in disadvantaged communities.

More @insideclimatenews.org coverage of Colorado's effort to reduce oil and gas fresh water use. Can the state increase decouple wastewater recycling from oil and gas emissions?

"It's kind of a lose-lose situation," an @earthworks.bsky.social activist told me.
insideclimatenews.org/news/1308202...

Federal energy assistance funding uncertainty worries Wyoming advocates - WyoFile Rising electric rates spiked interest in rooftop solar and other home energy efficiencies — even with the state's strong fossil fuel culture. But federal cuts may put some of those options out of reac...

Federal policies stymieing wind and solar energy are locking people out of money-saving technology in Wyoming, @dbleizeffer.bsky.social reports: wyofile.com/federal-ener...

Lawmakers table bill to allow nuclear waste storage in Wyoming - WyoFile A legislative panel heard hours of public comment that mostly cautioned against prematurely changing state law to accommodate nuclear microreactor manufacturers.

Wyoming lawmakers are moving too quickly on a high-stakes effort to store spent nuclear fuel waste from microreactor manufacturers, according to many who spoke at a hearing in Casper. The Minerals Committee opted to table a draft bill for now. - @WyoFile wyofile.com/lawmakers-ta...

Republican Excitement for Wyoming Rare Earth Mining Contradicts the Party’s Disdain for Renewables - Inside Climate News Ramaco Resources’ Brook Mine could become the second rare earth extraction operation in the U.S., but the minerals face an uncertain domestic market under President Trump.

As Trump pushes more domestic rare earth mining, it's cannibalizing U.S. renewables—a large driver of demand for those resources, one source told me. I wrote about how this tension is playing out in the Powder River Basin for @insideclimatenews.org. insideclimatenews.org/news/2307202...

EPA Tries to Stop Closure of Colorado Coal Plants After Meeting With Colorado Springs Utilities - Inside Climate News Environmentalists lamented the agency’s decision, but Colorado officials said it would have little impact on its planned shutdown of coal plants.

EPA's decision to deny Colorado's plans to shut down coal plants came after a meeting with a utility hoping to keep its coal online. Read more about what Colorado and Colorado Springs Utilities are saying in my story for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/1707202...

Trump Move to Increase Coal Mining in the Powder River Basin Will Worsen Climate Change, Experts Warn - Inside Climate News Scientists and environmentalists say such a decision harms human health and the environment, and is unnecessary.

Trump Move to Increase Coal Mining in the Powder River Basin Will Worsen Climate Change, Experts Warn - story by @jakebolster.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/0807202...

Trump Move to Increase Coal Mining in the Powder River Basin Will Worsen Climate Change, Experts Warn - Inside Climate News Scientists and environmentalists say such a decision harms human health and the environment, and is unnecessary.

What would new coal mines in the Powder River Basin mean for our climate?

"It’s a really bad idea, and we’re going to be in a lot of trouble," Steve Clemmer with @ucs.org told me.

Read my coverage for @insideclimatenews.org: insideclimatenews.org/news/0807202...

USGS Touts Potential Oil and Gas Resources Beneath Public Lands in Updated Survey - Inside Climate News Environmentalists worry the report will be used to justify an increase in drilling without justifiable demand.

Today, against the backdrop of potential public land selloffs and Trump’s “energy emergency,” the USGS released its first map of potential oil and gas reserves under public land in almost 30 years. I covered what it could mean for the West. insideclimatenews.org/news/1806202...

Gila River Tribes Intend to Float Solar Panels on a Reservoir. Could the Technology Help the Colorado River? - Inside Climate News On its surface, floating solar appears to conserve water while generating carbon-free electricity. River managers are cautious, but some say the West can’t afford to wait.

Gila River Tribes Intend to Float Solar Panels on a Reservoir. The solar farm’s shape follows the path of a canal, with panels serving as awnings to shade the gently flowing water from the unforgiving heat and wind of the Sonoran Desert. @jakebolster.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/0106202...

Wyoming begins exploring voluntary water conservation programs - WyoFile With Colorado River negotiations facing a 2026 deadline, the state wants to keep water management in its own hands, but lags its neighbors in planning to cut usage.

With Colorado River negotiations facing a 2026 deadline, the state wants to keep water management in its own hands, but lags its neighbors in planning to cut usage.

Reporting by @jakebolster.bsky.social from @insideclimatenews.org

Floating solar is not perfect but has serious potential in the CO River basin, according to several studies. Read my latest to hear how western water managers view the tech—and check out my first batch of film for @insideclimatenews.org!

As China Touts Green Financing and Climate Goals, Its Banks Are Pouring Billions Into Commodities From the World’s Rainforests - Inside Climate News China plays a growing role in the future of the planet’s tropical forests, but a new report says its financial flows are going in the wrong direction.

As China’s geopolitical power rises, so does the scrutiny on its financial backing of commodities that risk destroying the world’s climate-critical forests.

USFWS has found listing the Fish Lake Valley tui chub as endangered is warranted.

Fish Lake Valley and its surrounding areas have seen a surge in proposed geothermal and lithium operations, including the recently approved Rhyolite Ridge mine.

public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-09127.pdf

I hate to say I called this, but I told @jakebolster.bsky.social last October that rural communities would get screwed under Project 2025. But even I didn't think NWS would just stop providing coverage.

insideclimatenews.org/news/3110202...

Wyoming Begins Exploring Voluntary Water Conservation Programs - Inside Climate News With Colorado River negotiations facing a 2026 deadline, the state wants to keep water management in its own hands, but lags its neighbors in planning to cut usage.

As Colorado River negotiations approach their 2026 deadline, Wyoming begins exploring a voluntary water conservation program in the Green River, the Colorado’s largest tributary. Check out my coverage of the concept for @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/1505202...

New PacifiCorp Forecast Sees More Fossil-Fueled Electricity. How Will That Affect Western Energy Jobs? - Inside Climate News The utility may keep coal and gas plants online longer than previously planned and reduce renewable investments. But new reports show energy communities could lose jobs with the slowed energy transiti...

“Those plants are expensive to run, and it would be a much better deal for ratepayers to retire those plants and replace them with #wind and #solar #energy storage,” said @brendan.bsky.social to @jakebolster.bsky.social
insideclimatenews.org/news/0905202...
#greensky #energysky

New PacifiCorp Forecast Sees More Fossil-Fueled Electricity. How Will That Affect Western Energy Jobs? - Inside Climate News The utility may keep coal and gas plants online longer than previously planned and reduce renewable investments. But new reports show energy communities could lose jobs with the slowed energy transiti...

Jobs are always top of the mind when a utility closes (or extends) a coal power plant. My latest for @insideclimatenews.org considers a @sierraclub.org report and @rff.org report on how @pacificorp.bsky.social's latest IRP impacts jobs in Wyoming and Utah: insideclimatenews.org/news/0905202...