Nine months ago, as the coronavirus-related lockdowns and slowdowns were reaching their peak, we made some predictions (for High Country … More
Tag: Energy
The Big Breakdown of coal, illustrated by one chart
After World War II, the federal government, utilities, and developers embarked on a project to build dams, mines, power plants, … More
OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE: The Sacred and the Revolution (by Ian M. Thompson, 1975)
Editor’s Note: While going through a bunch of my father’s old writing, I came across a copy of the Deep … More
About that “drilling surge”…
The U.S. Department of Interior recently sent out a flurry of press releases announcing a major upswing in energy development … More
Methane madness and economic anxiety in northwest New Mexico
The meeting room was packed with people, many of them wearing the “I Stand With Oil And Gas” t-shirts that … More
Musings on the pro-nuke movement
Preface: In December, High Country News published a story of mine titled, Is nuclear energy the key to saving the … More
Map: Why the Chaco protection bill is just a first step
On May 22, Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both Democrats from New Mexico, introduced the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area … More
Photo gallery: Chaco-region oil and gas development
The San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado has been a hydrocarbon extraction hotspot since the 1920s. … More
Dataviz: Life in the Energy Sacrifice Zone
Read my High Country News story about the fight against drilling in the Greater Chaco Region. Shortly after 10 p.m. … More
New Mexico oil bounty comes with costs
In 2017, New Mexico moved into third place in the nation for oil production, pumping some 16 million barrels from … More
Jonathan P. Thompson 