Disasters

Warm, Dry Spring Has US Forecasters Worried About Upcoming Wildfire Season

"Most of the United States is expected to see warmer-than-average temperatures this spring, federal forecasters say, with dry conditions likely in the West. That's raising concerns about wildfires, especially in parts of the Southwest, Great Plains, and the Upper Mississippi River Valley, said Jon Gottschalck, operations branch chief at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center."

Source: NPR, 03/25/2024

"Oil Executives, Meeting in Texas, Cast Doubts on ‘Fantasy’ Energy Transition"

"To some, it felt like the oil executive blurted the quiet part out loud. “We should abandon the fantasy of phasing out oil and gas,” said Amin Nasser, head of what is, by far, the world’s biggest oil producer, Saudi Aramco."

Source: NYTimes, 03/20/2024

The U.S. Needs Wildland Firefighters More Than Ever, but Is Losing Them

"Black Butte is an inactive volcano that rises from the high desert in eastern Oregon. In May 2022, a turboprop plane approached its pine-blanketed slopes, carrying about 10 men wearing bulky Kevlar outfits. They were smokejumpers with the United States Forest Service, the agency that directs the majority of the nation’s efforts to manage wildfires."

Source: ProPublica, 03/19/2024

"An Oregon Bill to Cut Millions in Timber Taxes Is Dead, Despite Backing"

"The legislation aimed to reformulate how Oregon funds the rising costs of fighting wildfires. It sparked debate within the Democratic-controlled Legislature about who should pay: taxpayers or big timber owners, who won steep tax cuts in the 1990s."

Source: ProPublica, 03/19/2024

Wildfire Preparedness Is a Story Worth Telling — Before ‘Fire Season’

Wildfires in the Texas Panhandle are a good reminder that wildfire season now stretches across much of the year, so environmental journalists would do well to look for ways to localize their reporting on wildfire preparedness. The latest TipSheet offers 10 story ideas and half a dozen reporting resources to tell the story of your community’s wildfire risk.

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