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• Interior Dept. to ban mining near Grand Canyon

  January 8, 2012 6:42 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Interior Department is moving forward with a plan to ban new mining claims on 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon, even as congressional Republicans try to block efforts to limit mining operations in an area known for high-grade uranium ore. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is... more »

• Air Force revises low-level training plans

  September 10, 2011 3:19 PM

  CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AP) - The Air Force says it has determined that its controversial proposal for flying low-level night-time training flights over New Mexico and Colorado would have no significant impact on the environment. But it has made some adjustments to its proposed fly-zones. A new... more »

• Close encounters of the bear kind on the rise

  July 24, 2011 2:22 PM

  The Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife is cautioning residents and campers that dryer than average conditions are attributing to higher than normal human and bear interaction. Michael Seraphin, Spokesperson with DOW released a statement outlining that within the last few weeks, wildlife officers have responded to a higher than... more »

• Ban on mining claims near Grand Canyon extended

  June 20, 2011 10:34 PM

  FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - The Interior Department has extended a temporary ban on the filing of new mining claims in a one-million-acre area near the Grand Canyon. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made the announcement Monday during a visit to the iconic park. The department has been analyzing whether... more »

• Deal would speed cuts in western coal pollution

  June 19, 2011 11:49 AM

  BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Aging coal-fired power plants across the West could be forced to install costly pollution control equipment under a new agreement between federal regulators and environmentalists. Many utilities already have cut air emissions in recent years to meet health standards. Next up are even deeper cuts... more »

• Colorado Springs gets greener

  April 29, 2011 4:51 PM

  Colorado Springs got a little greener today. Arbor Day meant that twenty-five trees found a new home in Colorado Springs. "Planting trees is great for the environment," says Tana Jones of Weston Solutions, who helped with the event. "It's a great sustainability initiative for our city, and I... more »

• Group asks judge to revoke uranium mill's license

  February 8, 2011 3:45 PM

  DENVER (AP)-A Telluride-based citizens group is asking a judge to revoke a license for what would be the country's first new conventional uranium mill in more than 25 years. The Sheep Mountain Alliance filed a lawsuit last week in Denver District Court over the Pinon Ridge mill that Energy... more »

• Gulf corals in oil spill zone appear healthy

  October 22, 2010 8:24 AM

  ON THE FLOOR OF THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - On the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, just 20 miles north of BP's blown-out well, life appears bountiful despite initial fears that crude could have wiped out many of these delicate deepwater habitats. Scientists are currently in the... more »

• Arsenal-turned-refuge marks end of cleanup work

  October 15, 2010 9:12 AM

  Rocky Mountain Arsenal is celebrating the end of years of cleanup work to transform it from a chemical weapons-making site for the Army into a national wildlife refuge. A ceremony Friday marks the end of major environmental cleanup work at the northeast Denver site. It also marks the... more »

• EPA wants to know chemicals used in gas drilling

  September 10, 2010 8:53 AM

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking nine natural gas service companies to voluntarily list the chemicals used in the process that extracts natural gas from deep below the earth. The federal agency said Thursday that the data is key to its study of the health impact of hydraulic... more »

• Colorado wild horse removal plan announced

  September 9, 2010 1:57 PM

  A new plan to remove about 100 wild horses in northwest Colorado has been released by the federal Bureau of Land Management. The agency said Thursday that it will begin removing the wild horses in the West Douglas Herd Area next month. Last year, a federal judge in... more »

• Endangered turtles saved from oil spill

  September 1, 2010 3:49 PM

  Dozens of turtles that were once covered with oil, are now back home in the Gulf of Mexico. A rehabilitation center released 42 Kemps Ridleys turtles this week. They were among the first victims of the gulf oil spill. 3 The Kemps Ridleys are the most endangered turtles... more »

• New microbe discovered eating Gulf oil spill

  August 24, 2010 3:31 PM

  A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe suddenly is flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico and gobbling up the BP spill at a much faster rate than expected, scientists reported Tuesday. Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled since... more »

• Great Lakes reach 'biological tipping point'

  August 23, 2010 3:23 PM

  Michigan assistant attorney general Robert Reichel says the threat of Asian carp to the Great Lakes has reached a "biological tipping point" and the waterways leading into Lake Michigan have become a "carp highway." The comments came Monday during the first hearing in a multi-state lawsuit demanding tougher action... more »

• Experts: Gulf of Mexico far from cured

  August 18, 2010 9:59 AM

  More than a month after oil stopped spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, big questions remain about where it is. Scientists who've just finished a cursory examination of the Gulf are disputing government claims that half the leaked oil is completely gone from the ecosystem. They've been looking... more »

• BP to begin forcing cement down well

  August 5, 2010 8:20 AM

  BP officials say they plan to begin forcing cement down the blown-out Gulf oil well today. The announcement came last night shortly after their plan was approved by the federal official in charge of the oil spill. The company plans to shove cement down from pipes attached to ships... more »

• NC expert: Gulf oil unlikely to reach East Coast

  July 29, 2010 1:45 PM

  An expert on marine sciences and coastal circulation says it's unlikely oil from BP's massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico will reach the East Coast. Roy He of North Carolina State University said Thursday the chances are low in part because the well is capped for now. ... more »

• Turtle hatchlings from Gulf now in Atlantic

  July 14, 2010 9:13 AM

  The first sea turtle hatchlings whose eggs were evacuated from the Gulf Coast oil spill to Florida's Kennedy Space Center have been released into the Atlantic Ocean. Biologist Jane Provancha says the newborn Kemp's ridley sea turtles did well after their release. About 700 sea turtle nests -... more »

• Leaking oil in siphon tube cut by half

  May 24, 2010 9:53 AM

  The amount of oil siphoned by the mile-long tube inserted into the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico has dropped dramatically. BP spokesman John Curry said that the tube collected 47,000 gallons of oil on Sunday. That's down from 57,000 gallons on Saturday and 92,000 gallons on Friday.... more »

• Power line flap leads Xcel Energy to rethink solar

  May 5, 2010 9:58 AM

  Xcel Energy says it might have to reduce the amount of solar power it planned to buy because approval of a power line to transmit renewable energy has been delayed by a landowner opposed to it. The utility expressed the concerns in a request Tuesday to cancel a hearing on... more »

• Federal judge upholds drilling in southwestern Colorado

  May 4, 2010 8:58 AM

  A federal judge has upheld approval of gas wells in parts of the southwestern Colorado mountains, rejecting arguments by environmentalists that the plan doesn't adequately protect sensitive areas and wildlife. The ruling issued Monday by U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch (maych) says any flaws in the plan authorizing about 140... more »

• EPA ramps up air quality monitoring for oil spill

  May 2, 2010 11:28 AM

  The Environmental Protection Agency says it's stepping up air quality monitoring on the Gulf Coast. There are concerns that vapors from the oil and controlled fires might cause health problems for people living in the region. An oil smell could cause headaches or nausea, but EPA spokesman Dave Bary said... more »

• Environmentalists call oil spill a "game changer"

  April 30, 2010 12:24 PM

  The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is raising questions about the risks of offshore drilling. And environmentalists are mobilizing around the issue, calling the disaster "a game changer." It's too early to know the full impact of the spill, but a consultant to Defenders of Wildlife... more »

• Colorado Senate passes uranium bill

  April 28, 2010 12:42 PM

  The state Senate has passed a bill requiring uranium mines and mills to clean up nuclear waste before accepting more radioactive material. The Senate voted 24-9 in favor of the bill Wednesday. It now heads back to the House, where backers hope lawmakers will agree with changes made in the... more »

• Official: Interior secretary to OK nation's first offshore wind farm

  April 28, 2010 11:27 AM

  A government official briefed on the decision confirms that the U.S. Interior Secretary has approved what would be the nation's first offshore wind farm, off Cape Cod. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the person was not authorized to speak publicly ahead of the... more »

• Coast Guard will start burning some Gulf slick oil

  April 28, 2010 10:04 AM

  Authorities will begin burning some of the thickest oil in a massive slick from a rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana. A Coast Guard spokesman says the burn is expected to begin Wednesday morning. Petty Officer 2nd Class Prentice Danner says fire-resistant containment booms will be used to corral... more »

• El Paso County buys waterfall near Manitou Springs

  April 26, 2010 10:10 AM

  El Paso County has purchased a waterfall outside Manitou Springs, and a cleanup campaign is planned. The county acquired Rainbow Falls last week for $10 from Mansfield Development Corp., which owns nearby land. The waterfall was once a tourist draw, but officials say it's now frequented by drug users and... more »

• Salazar brothers promote Mesa Verde changes

  April 25, 2010 11:34 AM

  The Salazar brothers are headed to Mesa Verde National Park to promote better campgrounds and roads coming from stimulus money. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Rep. John Salazar are headed to the park Sunday morning to visit the site of a future visitors' center. Mesa Verde is getting about $10.1... more »

• 'Oceans' takes jaw-dropping plunge into sea

  April 25, 2010 10:03 AM

  Fish that look like rocks - or scarves, or a jeweled brooch, or anything but fish - are among the fascinating underwater creatures that inhabit "Oceans." This stunningly beautiful documentary is the second in a series from the new Disneynature label, which gave us "Earth" exactly one year ago... more »

• Colorado spending $25 million for energy projects

  April 21, 2010 11:11 AM

  Gov. Bill Ritter says Colorado is one of several states selected for Recovery Act funding for energy efficiency building projects. The state is partnering with Boulder, Denver and Garfield counties and Xcel Energy to spend $25 million as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's $452 million nationwide Retrofit Ramp-Up... more »

• Bark-beetle damage aimed in bill

  April 21, 2010 8:46 AM

  Sen. Mark Udall is sponsoring a bill aimed at helping Colorado and other Western states to deal with the damage by tiny beetles that have killed millions of acres of pine trees across the region. The Colorado Democrat will join state Sen. Dan Gibbs on a conference call with reporters... more »

• Hydrogen tries to catch up in green car race

  April 19, 2010 12:08 PM

  Hydrogen, one of Earth's most abundant elements, once was seen as green energy's answer to the petroleum-driven car: easy to produce, available everywhere and nonpolluting when burned. Hydrogen energy was defeated by a mountain of obstacles - the fear of explosion by the highly flammable gas, the difficulty of... more »

• Ritter to sign power plant bill

  April 19, 2010 10:10 AM

  Colorado is about to require its largest utility to cut emissions at some of its coal-fired power plants to help head off new federal emissions rules. Gov. Bill Ritter plans to sign a bill Monday targeted at Xcel Energy's power plants along the northern Front Range. Xcel would have to... more »

• China overtakes Germany in wind power

  April 12, 2010 12:01 PM

  Global wind energy producers say China last year overtook Germany as the world's second largest producer of wind power behind the United States. The Global Wind Energy Council, which represents companies that make and manage wind power stations, says China's rapid drive to install wind turbines brought its total power... more »

• Colorado to dole out $18M for energy-saving measures

  April 6, 2010 9:02 AM

  The Governor's Energy Office is kicking off a campaign making $18 million in rebates available for Coloradans to buy energy-saving appliances and make their homes more energy efficient. Energy Office Director Tom Plant will discuss the "Recharge Colorado" program Tuesday at the Sears store in Denver's Cherry Creek neighborhood. The... more »

• Australia rushes to contain Barrier Reef oil spill

  April 5, 2010 10:16 AM

  Workers are hurrying to contain an oil spill today from a coal-carrying ship grounded on Australia's ecologically sensitive Great Barrier Reef. A tugboat has been sent to stabilize the vessel so that it would not break apart and further damage the fragile coral beneath. Traveling at full speed, the Chinese-registered... more »

• Study shows US refineries have bad safety record

  April 3, 2010 10:53 AM

  A study shows U.S. oil refineries have an ongoing problem with accidents that turn deadly, losing four times as much money from such incidents than refineries in the rest of the world. The insurance company report was obtained Friday by The Associated Press. Federal officials say the problem is highlighted... more »

• Udall, Bennet both talking about energy and jobs

  April 3, 2010 10:12 AM

  Energy and jobs are on the agenda for Colorado's Democratic senators over the next few days. Sen. Mark Udall planned to visit an electricity plant in Granby on Saturday that uses pellet fuel for energy. Udall also plans to sit down with Granby businesses for a talk about the economy.... more »