Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
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landdesk.bsky.social
Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
@landdesk.bsky.social
810 followers 240 following 46 posts
journalist, editor, trail runner, cyclist, runs the Land Desk newsletter covering lands and communities of the Western U.S.-Four Corners Region.
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landdesk.bsky.social
Nope. The rains raised the lake level by one foot. Meaning it's still 30 feet below last year's level at this time.
October 19, 2025 at 2:30 PM
landdesk.bsky.social
Must be? The visitors center was closed due to the shutdown, so I couldn't ask!
October 19, 2025 at 2:53 AM
landdesk.bsky.social
Thanks. Some big water!
October 13, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
sammyroth.bsky.social
I also talked with Western environmental journalist Jonathan P. Thompson, author of the @landdesk.bsky.social newsletter, for this week's Boiling Point podcast. Great conversation about the Colorado River, coal plants and national parks. Listen in: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The Colorado Plateau at a Crossroads
Podcast Episode · Boiling Point · 08/14/2025 · 39m
podcasts.apple.com
August 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
riogranderift.bsky.social
Appreciate @landdesk.bsky.social covering the transition from fossil fuels to renewables -- oh, wait, I mean efforts to extend the life of antiquated coal-fired power plants & build new fossil methane pipelines to meet growing power demand from energy-intensive data centers.
Screenshot of text from article linked in first post reading: "The coal-burning extension is part of the state’s largest utility’s plan to shift its climate goal from becoming zero carbon by 2050 to carbon neutral. While that sounds like a mere semantic switch, its on-the-ground effects will be significant. Along with the coal plant news, APS and the state’s other largest utilities are going in on a new natural gas pipeline from the Permian Basin so it can increase fossil fuel generation rather than pivoting entirely to solar, wind, battery energy storage, and other carbon-free sources. APS officials say the shift is necessary to meet growing power demand. While population growth and increasingly hot temperatures play a role in the ever-larger load on the grid, the crop of new energy-intensive data centers sprouting in the Phoenix area is a principle driver. The utility is also likely reacting to the Trump administration’s fondness for fossil fuels and disdain for renewables."
August 12, 2025 at 3:27 PM