Courthouse News
![Study: Australian brush fires triggered El Nino in North America](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2018/03/rain.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Study: Australian brush fires triggered El Nino in North America
La Niña changes the winters across North America. Canada and northern America get colder, the southwest U.S. gets hotter and drier, and the Pacific Northwest gets wetter.
![Experts signal cautious optimism amid mixed drought recovery in West](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2023/05/attachment-water-calfornia-2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Experts signal cautious optimism amid mixed drought recovery in West
While California's water outlook saw marked improvement in the short term, climatologists say years of worsening conditions across the West will take far more than this winter's storms to recuperate.
![Judge orders dam operator to pay $1 million for polluting Puyallup River](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2023/05/attachment-River-washington.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Judge orders dam operator to pay $1 million for polluting Puyallup River
Approximately $745,000 of the $1 million sentence will go to the Puyallup Tribal Fisheries, which has been actively cleaning the river since the Electron Hydro’s faulty project went awry in 2020.
![Lower Colorado River water users anticipate dry 2024, deep federal cuts to usage](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2021/03/LbLNg0NvQ22N0Lm4Jnn1w-scaled.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Lower Colorado River water users anticipate dry 2024, deep federal cuts to usage
Following one of the wettest years since the drought began, officials say next year won’t be so lucky.
![Climate change may spell disaster for Arizona’s iconic saguaro](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2023/05/attachment-Arizona-Cactus.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Climate change may spell disaster for Arizona’s iconic saguaro
Experts say there’s been no major regeneration events for the saguaro cactus in at least the last 20 years. Dry winters and early monsoons may be significant factors.
![Feds sued over pesticide use in critical habitats](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2022/09/attachment-Goldenrod-bees.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Feds sued over pesticide use in critical habitats
Four years ago, environmentalists asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ban the use of pesticides in critical habitats of threatened and endangered species. The agency never responded.
![Colorado commission unanimously approves plan to reintroduce wolves](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2020/04/Gray-wolf.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Colorado commission unanimously approves plan to reintroduce wolves
Voters narrowly passed a ballot initiative in 2020 tasking the state with bringing the apex predator back to Colorado by the end of 2023.
![Oregon Republicans stage walkout of state Senate](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2023/01/attachment-Oregon.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Oregon Republicans stage walkout of state Senate
Oregon Republicans walked off the state Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, leaving the legislative body without a quorum to consider Democrat-led bills involving reproductive health, gender-affirming care and gun safety laws.
![California pushes forward with landmark zero-emission mandate for trains and trucks](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2023/04/attachment-rail-trains.jpg?w=980&q=75)
California pushes forward with landmark zero-emission mandate for trains and trucks
The new rules will cut pollution from diesel trains and trucks in low-income communities near the ports and rail yards and are projected to save the state tens of billions in health costs.
![Lawsuit aims to reduce horses’ hoof print in Tonto National Forest](http://townsquare.media/site/1098/files/2023/04/attachment-Arizona-open-space.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Lawsuit aims to reduce horses’ hoof print in Tonto National Forest
Environmentalists say the Salt River horse herd puts excessive stress on the environment and the endangered species that inhabit it, but horse advocates argue perceived damage isn't the herd's fault.