Water & Oceans

Battle Brews Over Forest Service Glyphosate Spraying Near Lake Tahoe

"Katherine Levy remembers a childhood deeply rooted in the natural offerings of Lake Tahoe – water skiing in the summer and working as ski instructor on the surrounding snow-covered mountains during winter months." "A US government plan to spray multiple types of herbicides – including the cancer-linked glyphosate weed killer – within national forest property that abuts the community’s cherished lake."

Source: The New Lede, 06/16/2026

Hoover Dam Approaches a Hydropower Cliff

"Some day in the next 12 months – maybe in late-August, maybe not until next spring – Lake Mead will drop below the critical threshold of 1,035 feet above sea level. That is the water-level elevation at which hydropower generating capacity at Hoover Dam, the largest in the Colorado River basin, will be cut by 70 percent."

Source: Circle of Blue, 06/16/2026

Pentagon Reviews Are Blocking Wind Farms, Putting Jobs At Risk: Lawsuit

"Renewable energy groups are suing the U.S. military because they say national security reviews for new wind farms on private land have been effectively frozen for months. The groups say this logjam jeopardizes $47 billion in investments and thousands of jobs in 21 states."

Source: AP, 06/16/2026

A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out!

The news has been full of warnings about a larger-than-normal El Niño, the periodic weather pattern that portends drastic fluctuations in everything from temperatures and precipitation to ocean currents and hurricanes. The latest Issue Backgrounder takes a step back to help explain exactly how this phenomenon works and what its impacts may be, while offering a parting thought on smart coverage.

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Catch-22 on the Baltic — Twilight of Poland’s Coastal Fisherman

Small-scale fisheries on the wane in an obscure region of the world, and a unique ethnic group trapped between being a tourist attraction and surviving a failing industry. Read how award-winning Polish journalist Tadeusz Michrowski turned this small, unsexy story into something bigger, a complex and nuanced portrait of a community of individuals in transition.

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July 12, 2026

DEADLINE: Tarbell Center for AI Journalism

Tarbell Center for AI Journalism is accepting applications for original reporting on AI and its impacts. Tarbell offers grants of $1,000–$20,000 to support original reporting published in established outlets, whether from freelancers or staff. Applications for this round close July 12, 2026.

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"Trump Opens Protected Pacific Waters To Commercial Fishing"

"The Trump administration struck down prohibitions on commercial fishing Thursday across more than 500,000 square miles of marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean, as environmental groups vowed to challenge the action in federal court." "The president has now signed orders to eliminate commercial fishing bans in all five national marine monuments."

Source: E&E News, 06/15/2026

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