Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD)

"Wildfires burn nearly 775,000 acres in Nebraska. Land is a grazing resource for about 40,000 cows."

"A new analysis links high use of the weed killer glyphosate to elevated rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), particularly in the Midwest, reinforcing years of research linking cancer to the weed killer made popular by Monsanto."

"High along the Southwind Nature Trail, the tallgrass prairie waves in all directions, a mix of present-day reality and historical mirage stretching to the horizon much as it did more than 150 years ago." "Today, the vast majority of what was an estimated 140 million to 170 million acres of tallgrass prairie is gone, plowed under by 19th century agricultural sprawl and the development that followed."

"A North Dakota judge on Friday finalized a $345m judgment against Greenpeace in a lawsuit pursued by pipeline company Energy Transfer over the environmental group’s role in protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline."

"Facing staunch local opposition and federal roadblocks, a new wind project in Iowa is teetering on the brink, despite growing power demand."

"On paper, the public power district serving much of eastern Nebraska has been trying to quit coal at its North Omaha plant since 2014. That June, its board voted to retire three of the plant’s five coal units in 2016 and convert the final two to natural gas in 2023."

"The state’s environmental agency has the authority to investigate and issue fines for illegal spills, but lacks sufficient staff and resources."

"For over a century, a smelter and other plants polluted Omaha with 400 million pounds of lead. The city now has the largest residential lead cleanup site in the U.S."