A federal court panel said the government did not violate environmental law when it failed to subject annual plans for Glen Canyon Dam operations to a thorough environmental review. Read more»

Federal officials said Wednesday they will review whether two plants near the proposed Rosemont Copper mine are threatened, the second time in as many weeks they have put species near the mine under review. Read more»

Arizona is tired of waiting for the federal government to act on the state’s proposed air-quality plan and “very well may” sue the Environmental Protection Agency if action is not taken soon, a state official said Thursday. Read more»

U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Glendale, this week defended his call for an investigation into the influence of Muslim groups on government organizations, even as the proposal came under more fire. Read more»

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that it will begin a review to determine whether the Sonoran talussnail is threatened, specifically by the proposed Rosemont Copper mine. Read more»

Apache County’s forest-stewardship agreement with the U.S. Forest Service was held up at a congressional hearing Friday as a model for other governments trying to tame the growing problem of wildfires. Read more»

Tempe-based US Airways does not need to merge with American Airlines to remain viable, but consolidation would create a stronger competitor than either business can be on its own, US Airways CEO Doug Parker said Wednesday. Read more»

Seasonal hotshot firefighters will be able to buy into the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, the same program that offers health insurance to federal full-time employees, the White House announced Tuesday. Read more»

“Health care companies keep taking a huge share of profits, and they are going to ruin the system eventually,” said Phoenix resident George Pauk, who joined hundreds of chanting, sign-waving protesters waiting for the court’s decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (with photo gallery) Read more»

The Supreme Court cleared the way for Arizona police to begin enforcing the “papers, please” portion of the SB 1070 immigration law, but how it would take effect was unclear to some agencies Monday. Read more» 1

Arizona is one of several Western states with a higher-than-normal likelihood for large wildfires this summer based on unseasonably dry weather conditions, according to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Read more»

The House voted Tuesday to relax environmental restrictions in a 100-mile buffer along the nation’s land borders, to make it easier for Border Patrol agents to do their jobs. Critics derided the bill as an overreach that would create a 100-mile “drone zone” of government surveillance around the country. Read more» 1

The Federal Emergency Management Agency re-emphasized its support Thursday for legislation to let federally recognized tribes seek emergency and natural disaster declarations directly from the president instead of having to go through their states’ governors. Read more»

The U.S. Forest Service and Apache County have launched a first-of-its-kind management plan to thin more than 90,000 acres of forest in hopes of preventing catastrophic fires like last year’s record Wallow Fire. Read more»

For the third time in six years, two environmental groups are suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to get endangered species protection for the Sonoran Desert population of the bald eagle. Read more»