Turns out $2 million is the pricetag for getting a GOP governor to endorse data centers with their massive energy & water use. Fun fact: Nevada is home to what will likely be the first data center on US public lands. www.levernews.com/nevada-gover...

Nevada Governor Backed Data Centers Days After $1 Million Donation

AI-linked donors poured $2 million into Republican Joe Lombardo’s reelection campaign as he championed data centers that could consume enough water for 150,000 households.

levernews.com

Seasonal changes in late summer are less celebrated than those of spring or fall, but no less a part of the cycle that keeps ecosystems functioning. Here are some signs of seasonal change from yesterday's walk in the woods.

Today's species: Lazuli Bunting, Lolo National Forest, Montana, 2015. One of the most exquisitely beautiful songbirds in North America, I feel lucky to have spotted this one. I'm highlighting a species every week as a reminder of Earth's fragile, beautiful biodiversity. Photos are mine.

Republicans, the party who uses "the debt" to justify cutting social programs, control all branches of the government. They can pass fiscal policy with a simple majority in Congress if they want to. They sat back as the debt reached $40 trillion, and now they own it. www.cnbc.com/2026/08/19/u...

U.S. government debt passes $40 trillion, more than doubling in a decade

cnbc.com

Today's species: Vine Maple, Olympic National Park, 2026. While not as grand as larger maple species, this is one of our most beautiful and distinctive PNW forest shrubs. I'm highlighting a species every week as a reminder of Earth's fragile, beautiful biodiversity. Photos are mine.

Great coverage from @heatmap.news of the growing data center resistance. A key quote: "Earlier this year, a JPMorgan report warned that 60% of data center capacity slated to open in 2027 had yet to start construction as of early June." heatmap.news/politics/dat...

Exclusive: Over 530 Local Laws Now Seek to Ban or Restrict Data Centers in U.S.

The overwhelming majority of the ordinances were enacted this year, a Heatmap Pro review shows. They’re helping to drive an unprecedented surge of data center cancellations.

heatmap.news

Glacier Bay National Park, July 2026. Three million acres of wilderness that are about as wild and beautiful as it gets.

Far from being pests, cicadas are fascinating insects worthy of celebrating. medium.com/@nick-engelf...

In Celebration of Cicadas

Summer is cicada season in much of the U.S. In honor of that I’m posting this essay I wrote two years ago, after visiting one of the most…

medium.com

This week's species: moss campion, Juneau, AK, 2026. These flowers grow in beautiful pink mats in the PNW alpine areas. They are "nurse plants," creating habitat for many other species. I'm highlighting a species every week as a reminder of Earth's fragile, beautiful biodiversity. Photos are mine.

It's hot right now across much of the US. Here are some tips for how to stay safe: -Make fossil fuel companies pay for climate damages, and fund resilient communities. -Transition to clean energy so climate change stops getting worse. -Enact data center moratoriums to fight spiking energy demand.

The exquisite Salish Sea, as viewed from Mount Constitution, Orcas Island.

Last week in Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. The world is still a beautiful place.

The heat dome crushing Europe right now isn't a fluke or a "natural" disaster. It's climate change, and it's the result of decades of decisions by world leaders who sided with the fossil fuel industry. www.cnn.com/2026/06/22/c...

France restricts public drinking as Europe swelters under a ‘heat-dome driven furnace’ for the second time in two months | CNN

Temperatures have spiked above 104 degrees Fahrenheit across multiple countries, bringing dangerous conditions to a continent where air conditioning is rare.

cnn.com

This week's species: western spotted orb weaver, Antelope Island, UT, 2025. Though found across much of the Southwest, these spiders reach peak abundance around Utah's Great Salt Lake. I'm highlighting a species every week as a reminder of Earth's fragile, beautiful biodiversity. Photos are mine.

Just imagine if we spent $300 billion investing in OUR country.

This has to be one of the most important stories I've covered recently. The grassroots movement against data centers is surging nationwide, taking on some of the world's most powerful companies--and winning. Read more: wagingnonviolence.org/2026/06/the-...

The data center backlash that’s uniting America

The passage of New York's statewide moratorium marks the speed at which the movement is growing and winning in both blue and red parts of the country.

wagingnonviolence.org

Solar is now the third-biggest source of electricity in the US, behind only gas and nuclear. ember-energy.org/latest-updat...

Today's species: bitterroot, a beautiful flower and an edible, culturally significant plant for Indigenous Nations from the Rocky Mountains to the Cascades. Missoula County, MT, 2015. I'm highlighting a species every week as a reminder of Earth's fragile, beautiful biodiversity. Photos are mine.

I'm re-starting my species profile post series, but as a weekly affair. This week's species: Anise swallowtail butterfly, Mount Baker, WA, 2016. I'm highlighting a species every week as a reminder of Earth's fragile, beautiful biodiversity. Photos are mine.

Gen Z has grown up being told they have no future. It shouldn't be a surprise if they act like it. medium.com/@nick-engelf...

Many Gen Z-ers Seem Uninterested in a Healthy Old Age. It’s Not Surprising.

I’ve noticed a trend of publications putting out articles alleging that members of Gen Z, now young adults, are disregarding longstanding…

medium.com

It's almost like the climate scientists who warned us about rising global temperatures for thirty years knew what they were talking about.

Bogachiel River Trail, Olympic National Park.

Elaine Harvey is one of the most important voices for Indigenous sovereignty and land rights in the Pacific Northwest today. It was an honor to interview her for this piece: magiccanoe.org/in-yakama-te...

In Yakama Territory, Elaine Harvey Is Fighting to Give Tribes a Seat at the Table - Magic Canoe

While advocating for the Yakama Nation’s treaty-protected foods and practices, Harvey has become a leading voice for Indigenous sovereignty.

magiccanoe.org

The global energy crisis is supercharging Canada's EV sales. globalnews.ca/news/1184987...

EV, hybrid sales 75% higher than March 2025 as gas prices near records - National | Globalnews.ca

One segment of the market that has grown is zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), a category which includes both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

globalnews.ca

Solar is growing faster than almost anyone thought was possible even just a few years ago, partly because of the energy crisis sparked by the Iran War. reneweconomy.com.au/solar-will-b...

Solar will be largest power generator in "much changed" world by 2032, but battery storage is the big mover

BNEF's latest annual New Energy Outlook details a "much changed" global market, spurred by energy security and huge uptake of cheap solar and batteries.

reneweconomy.com.au

The US generates tens of millions of tons of toxic coal ash every year, and the Trump admin is attacking a Biden-era plan to clean it up. For this story, I spoke to folks at the heart of this fight: www.sierraclub.org/sierra/india...

Indiana Communities Suffer Under Trump’s Coal Ash Rollback

A rule proposed this spring threatens decades of progress cleaning up coal’s toxic byproducts

sierraclub.org

Gas in Bellingham, WA this morning. So much winning.

Coal exports on the Columbia River? A Utah-based coalition and a shadowy port company want it to happen, but they're going to have a fight on their hands. In this story, I dive into it: