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Smoke and flames from the Carpenter 1 fire are seen along a ridgeline in the Spring Mountains range early on July 6th, 2013, in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Nevada.

More Utilities Plan to Use Blackouts to Prevent Wildfires

A Nevada utility company is joining utilities in other western states in implementing a new measure to reduce the risk of wildfire.

Maxine Speier

PG&E crews repair power lines that were destroyed by the Camp Fire on November 21st, 2018, in Paradise, California.

California Passes a $21 Billion Wildfire Victims’ Fund to Protect Utilities From Damage Claims

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law Friday, changing how the state will pay for wildfire damage.

Maxine Speier

Linesmen from Pacific Gas and Electric repair power lines after the Valley Fire swept through the town of Middletown, California, on September 16th, 2015.

Environment

California’s Largest Utility Resorts to Blackouts to Prevent Wildfires

Outages were intended to be a last resort in PG&E's wildfire mitigation plan, but it has already used them twice during the first weekend of California's wildfire season.

Kate Wheeling

President Donald Trump speaks with Gavin Newson, who was lieutenant governor of California at the time, as they view damage from the Camp fire in Paradise, California, on November 17th, 2018.

The Federal Government Won’t Pay Back California’s Firefighting Costs. What Happens When the Next Fire Hits?

California says it's owed $9.3 million for fighting fires on federal lands. The Forest Service says the state is overbilling.

Emily Moon

Ashen hills in Carpinteria, California, after the Thomas fire.

Environment

Wildfire Is Ruining California’s Air

California's cities have long been plagued by smog, but now some of the state's cleanest air is being polluted by smoke from climate change-fueled wildfires.

Kate Wheeling

Environment

Researchers Uncover Just How Damaging Fires and Logging Are to Forest Soil

Forest soils recover from disturbances slowly over many years—up to 80 years following a wildfire and as many as 30 years after logging, much longer than previously thought.

Mike Gaworecki

The Lede, Issue #27: A Dispatch From Border Country, Finding Climate Change Clues in Ancient Ice, the Next Generation of ISIS, and More

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