Over the last century, cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas transformed the American West by building coal plants, hydropower dams and nuclear reactors to fuel their stunning growth. Now those cities are on the verge of doing it again, only this time with solar and wind farms, long-distance power lines and open-pit lithium mines.
Clean energy projects are badly needed to fight climate change — but they can fuel intense opposition in the communities where they’re built. We’re spotlighting examples of that tension across the West, with an eye toward finding solutions.
the biggest wind farm
August 23, 2022
The billionaire owner of the Coachella music festival is building a stunningly large wind farm in Wyoming — and a 700-mile power line to carry the electricity to Southern California. Read the story
A Farming Empire
January 17, 2023
Replacing farmland with solar panels could help solve the West's energy and water crises. But powerful growers are fighting back. Read the story
Solar Sprawl
June 27, 2023
America needs lots of clean power, fast — and public lands in the Mojave Desert are ground zero for building it. But should solar panels be going on rooftops instead? Read the story
Red State Goes Green
September 26, 2023
Hydropower forms the backbone of the Gem State’s electric grid and has allowed Idaho Power to pledge 100% clean energy by 2045. It’s an unprecedented green ambition in a deep-red state — or a greenwashing sham, depending on whom you ask. Read the story
Coal’s Not Dead Yet
April 16, 2024
Los Angeles, Portland and other West Coast cities are still powered by faraway coal plants. Here’s why it’s been so hard to shut them down — and why blue states can’t solve the climate crisis on their own. Read the story
The story continues
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