Regional

Water managers and officials on the Rio Grande are hopeful more federal money will reach their communities and bring attention to the challenges facing one of North America's longest rivers. With $4 billion in the Biden administration's climate measure to address drought, some officials argue cities and farms in the Rio Grande basin have been overlooked while facing just as many problems as others in the drought-stricken West.

Authorities have been searching for days for an Arizona woman reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters in Utah's Zion National Park as strong seasonal rain storms hit parts of the U.S. Southwest.

Dire consequences could result if states, cities and farms across the American West cannot agree on how to cut the amount of water they draw from the Colorado River. Hydroelectric turbines may stop turning. Las Vegas and Phoenix may be forced to restrict water usage or growth. Farmers may have to stop planting some crops.

Advocates for wild horses accuse federal land managers of illegally approving plans for the largest U.S. holding facility for thousands of mustangs captured on public rangeland in 10 Western states.

The rush to build wind farms to combat climate change is colliding with preservation of one of the U.S. West’s most spectacular predators — the golden eagle — as the species teeters on the edge of decline.

A federal judge has reinstated a moratorium on coal leasing from federal lands that was imposed under former President Barack Obama and then scuttled under former President Donald Trump. Friday's ruling from U.S. District Judge Brian Morris requires government officials to complete a new environmental review of the leasing program before they can resume coal sales. It marks a major setback for the already struggling coal industry. Few leases were sold in recent years as coal demand shrank drastically. But coal from existing leases remains a major contributor of planet-warming emissions. The industry's opponents had urged Morris to revive the moratorium to ensure coal can't make a comeback as climate change worsens.