The Trump administration wants to end a rule that prevents road construction on nearly 59 million acres of U.S. Forest Service land — including more than 1 million acres in Arizona
The move has received pushback from conservation groups and the public.
The rule from 2001 prohibits road construction and timber harvesting on sensitive Forest Service land. It was designed to prevent erosion and the fragmenting of forests.
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The project to clean up sediment and soil in the Rio Sonora comes more than a decade after what Mexico considers the worst environmental mining disaster in its history. Some say the government and Grupo México could have done more and demand transparency. -
The Perseids are active from July 17 through almost the end of August, but Aug. 12 and 13 are considered the peak of the shower, because it's when Earth passes through the densest part of the tail. -
![Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren [left] Gov. Katie Hobbs and Hopi Chairman Lamar Keevama sign a memorandum of understanding for coal-impacted communities at the Desert Botanical Garden on Aug. 11, 2026.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7ad88d7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4158x2317+0+505/resize/280x156!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa5%2F46%2F67ddb3664347bcd872157bbfffaf%2Fnavajo-hopi-az-agreement-cg-20260811.JPG)
The six-page MOU is being touted as a blueprint for cooperation between the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and the state of Arizona — all of which are “vulnerable to future coal mine and generating station closures.” -
Senate Democrats say the examination undermines Congress' role in identifying wilderness areas for protection. -
A new study says the tiny alpine streams that feed rivers like the Colorado are seeing less groundwater-fed streamflow. That could have a cascading effect.
![Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren [left] Gov. Katie Hobbs and Hopi Chairman Lamar Keevama sign a memorandum of understanding for coal-impacted communities at the Desert Botanical Garden on Aug. 11, 2026.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bcf9baa/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4158x2317+0+505/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa5%2F46%2F67ddb3664347bcd872157bbfffaf%2Fnavajo-hopi-az-agreement-cg-20260811.JPG)
