Brandon Loomis
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Brandon Loomis
@brandonloomis.bsky.social
970 followers 170 following 64 posts
Senior environment reporter at The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com, covering the Colorado River, natural resources, wild things and people of the Southwest.
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brandonloomis.bsky.social
Could AI and data centers rekindle nuclear power and drive demand for Western uranium?

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Could AI and data centers rekindle nuclear power and drive demand for Western uranium?
Western politicians and tech companies are pushing a "nuclear renaissance" to deliver power for artificial intelligence and data centers.
www.azcentral.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:14 PM
brandonloomis.bsky.social
Arizona governor urges feds to protect Colorado River users as states struggle to finish water plan

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Hobbs urges feds to protect Colorado River users as states struggle to finish water plan
As it became clear the seven Colorado River states still had no shortage-sharing agreement, Gov. Katie Hobbs urged feds to act.
www.azcentral.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:54 PM
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Doubts persist about deal to allow uranium trucks on the Navajo Nation

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Doubts persist about deal to allow uranium trucks on the Navajo Nation
People who live along the uranium transport route say they want assurances that they are not at risk.
www.azcentral.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:01 PM
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In mine-scarred Native communities, residents worry about trucks moving uranium ore

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
In mine-scarred Native communities, residents worry about trucks moving uranium ore
The deadly legacy of Cold War uranium mines looms over better regulated operations near Navajo Nation land in Arizona.
www.azcentral.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by Brandon Loomis
ianjames.bsky.social
A major shift in where L.A. gets water: The city will double the size of a project to transform wastewater into purified drinking water, producing enough for 500,000 people. The recycled water will allow L.A. to stop taking water from creeks that feed Mono Lake. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Los Angeles will nearly double recycled water for 500,000 residents
Los Angeles is set to double the size of a planned facility that will transform wastewater into purified drinking water, recycling enough water to meet the needs of 500,000 people.
www.latimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:27 PM
brandonloomis.bsky.social
Former Interior Sec. Bruce Babbitt still dreams of skiing 40+ miles to Grand Canyon’s North Rim, but fears a push to plow the road could ruin the experience. How Dragon Bravo Fire’s destruction reopened an old debate.
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
A rebuilt Grand Canyon Lodge could draw visitors year-round. Not everyone thinks it should
The Dragon Bravo Fire destroyed Grand Canyon Lodge and with it one reason the North Rim closes in winter. What happens if it's open year-round?
www.azcentral.com
October 5, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Brandon Loomis
lisalsong.bsky.social
Holy shit:

Stateline spoke to nearly a dozen firefighters, agency staffers and contractors, who said that top officials assigned to the fire deployed the crews to a remote location under false pretenses so federal agents could check their immigration status.

www.hcn.org/articles/fir...
Firefighters question leaders’ role in ICE raid near Bear Gulch Fire - High Country News
Firefighting veterans believe the management team overseeing fire crews played a key role in handing team members over to immigration authorities.
www.hcn.org
September 3, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Brandon Loomis
debkrol.bsky.social
Read it here first: tribes fire back to Trump's comments about Oak Flat mine opponents being "anti-American" www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Arizona tribal leaders fire back after Trump calls Oak Flat foes 'Anti-American'
Arizona tribal leaders reacted angrily after President Donald Trump said their opposition to a copper mine was un-American.
www.azcentral.com
August 20, 2025 at 11:47 PM
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www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
The Colorado River used to be predictable as a water supply. What happens when it's not?
As Colorado River states race to finish a deal, water users face a resource altered by drought and climate change.
www.azcentral.com
July 21, 2025 at 7:53 PM
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Fire belongs in the forest, experts say, urging caution in probes of Grand Canyon fire

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Fire belongs in the forest, experts say, urging caution in probes of Canyon fire
Political leaders seek an investigation into the Dragon Bravo Fire, but experts urge careful thought.
www.azcentral.com
July 15, 2025 at 7:30 PM
brandonloomis.bsky.social
Gnaw and order: An imperiled Arizona river gets help from relocated beavers

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Gnaw and order: An imperiled Arizona river gets help from relocated beavers
A pair of relocated beavers are helping restore disappearing wetland habitat along the San Pedro River in a new project by Arizona Game and Fish.
www.azcentral.com
July 8, 2025 at 9:04 PM
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Mexican gray wolves are moved from Cochise County as locals seek end to species protection

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Mexican gray wolves are moved from Cochise County as locals seek end to species protection
After the only known Mexican wolves were removed from Cochise County, calls for the species to be removed from federal protection are growing.
www.azcentral.com
July 1, 2025 at 3:51 PM
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The megadrought is unrelenting, so Arizona water users have a lot to figure out among themselves even if the state can reach a deal with the other Colorado River states. The Arizona Republic’s Austin Corona explains.
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Can Arizona come together to share Colorado River cuts? Talks have begun
Arizona is tussling with other states over how much of the Colorado River it should receive. But how will Arizonans divide its share internally?
www.azcentral.com
June 24, 2025 at 5:02 PM
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The idea is to link annual Colorado River water use to a rolling three-year average of what the Rocky Mountain snowpack actually pours downstream. Can it break the deadlock between the states?
www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
New Colorado River plan spreads the pain, shares water based on reality of shrinking flows
The Southwest and Rocky Mountain states are reviewing a plan that could split Colorado River water based on actual flows, not storage.
www.azcentral.com
June 18, 2025 at 6:13 PM
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How many Chiricahua leopard frogs has the Phoenix Zoo sent into the wilds? Try 30,000

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How many Chiricahua leopard frogs has the Phoenix Zoo sent into the wilds? Try 30,000
The Phoenix Zoo, with three government agencies, has sent 30,000 Chiricahua leopard frogs into wild habitat.
www.azcentral.com
June 16, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Reposted by Brandon Loomis
azcentral.com
Tensions over the Colorado River have been red hot, but officials say heads have cooled and progress is resuming toward a shortage-sharing agreement.
A deal in sight? Colorado River talks are moving again, officials say
Tensions over the Colorado River have been red hot, but officials say heads have cooled and progress is resuming toward a shortage-sharing agreement.
bit.ly
June 7, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Brandon Loomis
azcentral.com
As drought conditions sear Arizona, the state provides millions of gallons of water to wildlife in places where there is none.
It's a thirsty world for Arizona wildlife. How a state agency keeps water basins full
As drought conditions sear Arizona, the state provides millions of gallons of water to wildlife in places where there is none.
bit.ly
May 27, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Reposted by Brandon Loomis
debkrol.bsky.social
#oakflat news: SCOTUS turns Apache Stronghold's appeal away. www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Supreme Court refuses to hear Oak Flat case, clearing a roadblock for huge copper mine
The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down a request by Apache Stronghold to hear a case over a proposed copper mine at Oak Flat.
www.azcentral.com
May 27, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Brandon Loomis
azcentral.com
People who live near Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah fear that the Trump administration will open land to energy development.
What will happen to Bears Ears monument under Trump? Tribes fear loss of sacred spaces
People who live near Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah fear that the Trump administration will open land to energy development.
bit.ly
May 26, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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“We’re failing” at protecting Grand Canyon, a river guide advocate told me. Hydropower advocates, meanwhile, see the cost of flooding the canyon as too steep.

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Feds won't flood the Grand Canyon this spring. What that will mean for the Colorado river
Dam maintenance and non-native fish reduction efforts led the government to reject environmentally restorative flood in Grand Canyon.
www.azcentral.com
May 23, 2025 at 9:53 PM
brandonloomis.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/u...
The Great Salt Lake Is Drying. Can Utah Save It?
www.nytimes.com
May 11, 2025 at 2:07 PM
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Fight fire with fire? Thinning forests is a start, but experts say it's time to burn more

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Fight fire with fire? Thinning forests is a start, but experts say it's time to burn more
As destructive as the West's biggest fires are, their flames still reach fewer places than wildfires touched historically. That's a problem.
www.azcentral.com
May 11, 2025 at 1:32 PM
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Federal judge temporarily halts land swap at Oak Flat copper mine site

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Federal judge temporarily halts land swap at Oak Flat copper mine site
A federal judge said the argument over allowing a land swap to proceed "tips sharply" in favor of the opponents of a copper mine at Oak Flat.
www.azcentral.com
May 10, 2025 at 1:45 AM
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Arizona's wildfire forecast is ... complicated. Drought, climate change disrupt rhythms

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Arizona's wildfire forecast is ... complicated. Drought, climate change disrupt rhythms
A series of March storms may have delayed peak wildfire season by a few weeks, but experts still expect a hot, smoky summer.
www.azcentral.com
April 26, 2025 at 3:23 PM
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Check out this article from AZCentral:

Feds 'mistakenly' kill collared and possibly pregnant Mexican gray wolf in Arizona

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...
Feds 'mistakenly' kill collared and possibly pregnant Mexican gray wolf in Arizona
The accidental killing of a Mexican gray wolf in Greenlee County has advocacy groups calling for transparency and accountability.
www.azcentral.com
April 23, 2025 at 2:29 AM