Stories - AZPM

Rush Dougherty looks on as Leaf owner David Gebert checks out his electric car. Both men are members of TEVA, the Tucson Electric Vehicle Association.

No 'pain at the pump' for a small percentage of Arizona drivers

Electric vehicle owners aren't shocked by gasoline prices.

A sprawling swath of the West is in drought, with more than 20 years of dryness in the Colorado River basin. Researchers say nearly every indicator of drought is heading in the wrong direction.

Western drought worst in 1000 years

Scientists say this is the worst case scenario.

A solar array used by Tucson Electric Power to add renewable energy to the grid, August 2019

Arizona utility regulators again reject clean energy rules

The rules would have required the state’s utilities to get 50% of their power from sources that do not emit carbon dioxide by 2035.

Bill would turn Chiricahua monument into national park

A popular national monument in southern Arizona could become a national park under a new bill introduced in Congress.

John Farley, director of fire test operations at the Naval Research Laboratory, tests the effectiveness of aqueous film-forming foam by spraying it on a gasoline fire. The test took place at the laboratory in Chesapeake Beach, Md. Oct. 25, 2019.

PFAS water pollution pilot project opens in Tucson

State funded project is designed to combat ground water pollution north of Air Force base.

In Central Arizona, the future of homes and farms relies on water stored underground. Some experts say that supply can't sustainably meet demand in the long term, especially as the population grows and the total water supply shrinks.

With less water on the surface, how long can Arizona rely on what's underground?

Some experts say aquifers are overtaxed and shouldn’t be seen as a long-term solution for a region where the water supply is expected to shrink in the decades to come.

These endangered jaguars are part of a breeding population located near in Sonora, Mexico .

Wildlife of Southern Arizona

This week The Buzz talks with experts studying bats, Gila Topminnows and jaguars, and others who focus on how animals move from place-to-place.

The proposed site of the Rosemont Copper Mine.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife rejects Rosemont Copper petition to shrink critical jaguar habitat

Canadian mining company Hudbay Minerals sought to deem a portion of the Santa Rita range no longer essential for jaguars.

A Border Patrol vehicle drives along a section of fence at the Organ Pipe National Monument, west of Lukeville, Arizona, on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018.

Federal judge says Customs and Border Protection broke environmental law

Lawsuit accused the agency of failing to assess how ramped up border enforcement would impact the borderlands and endangered species that live there.

The Central Arizona Project moves water from the Colorado River to southern Arizona. July 2021

Arizona faces cut in water supplies as shortage is declared on Colorado River

Arizona will lose 18% of its share of Colorado River water next year, with cuts falling largely on farmers.

Lake Pleasant, north of Phoenix, is a major reservoir for Colorado River water. Each summer the lake is pumped down to send water to Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties. July 2021

Water cutbacks coming to Arizona

A decades-long drought means less water from the Colorado River.

This five day precipitation forecast map released by the National Weather Service on July 21, 2021 shows that much of the state's midsection is expected to get at least one inch of rainfall, with some areas receiving up to three inches, by Saturday night. Nearly all of the state is under a flash flood watch through 11:00 p.m. Saturday.

Flash flood watch through Saturday

NWS predicts 2006-style rainstorms into the weekend.

Scorched saguaros and desert landscape from the Telegraph Fire that started June 4, 2021 and spread across areas of Pinal and Gila counties. June 2021.

Ducey left out of White House wildfire meeting

The White House kept Governor Ducey off the list to talk about wildfires

The Bureau of Land Management used prescribed burns across many of its properties for habitat improvement and to reduce the risk of severe wildfires.

Evacuation orders expand as wildfires continue to burn in Arizona

Hot weather and severe drought are driving an active fire season

Tucson city lights are visible at sunset from the Catalina Mountains.

Fear of wildfires forces forest closures across Arizona

Nearly all the national forests in the state will be fully closed this week as firefighting resources run thin and fire danger remains high

Chiricahua National Monument could get an upgrade

A bill moving through Congress would make the popular spot into a national park.

More Arizona Environment News Stories