Justin Higginbottom
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The northern skies of the Navajo Nation are clearer after the closure of the coal-powered Navajo Generating Station. But the region also lost jobs and tax revenue. A proposed pumped storage hydropower plant that uses the generating station’s transmission lines could help area transition. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a preliminary permit for the project last year. Justin Higginbottom reports on the legacy of coal-fired power on the Navajo Nation and what comes next.
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Coal-producing Emery County is one of the only regions in Utah to have seen a drop in population in the last decade. And those that remain have lost good paying jobs as the state transitions away from coal. A new research facility wants to bring back revenue and jobs by experimenting with a number of new technologies. From KZMU in Moab, Justin Higginbottom looks at one of those projects: a type of nuclear reactor some think could be the future of power.
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The Environmental Protection Agency has ruled the White Mesa uranium mill in Southeastern Utah can no longer accept radioactive waste from Superfund sites. The mill sits just a few miles away from the Ute Mountain Ute community of White Mesa. KZMU's Justin Higginbottom speaks with a lawyer who fought for this decision about the mill’s future.
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Builders at Utah State University’s Blanding campus have been working on a traditional Native American Hogan since May. It’s finally ready. KZMU’s Justin Higginbottom reports on the structure’s importance for students and the community.
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An organization in Moab helps build affordable and efficient housing with grants from the USDA's Mutual Self Help Program. Along the way they’re educating builders and providing more space for future homeowners. Justin Higginbottom reports for KZMU.
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Sagebrush Empire is a new book from western writer Jonathan Thompson. It details the fight over public lands in Southeastern Utah. KZMU’s Justin Higginbottom speaks with the author about the roots of this conflict over land, and what to expect after a restoration of Bears Ears National Monument.