Journal
Journal
The Cold-Storage Fire and What’s in the Smoke
A 500,000-square-foot Lineage cold-storage warehouse in Boyle Heights has been burning for six days. PurpleAir sensors across the LA basin are reading PM2.5 in the unhealthy and very-unhealthy range. The combustion products are not what wildfire smoke contains.
June 22, 2026
The Ice Age We Cancelled
Earth was supposed to be cooling. Instead, we did something unprecedented in 4.5 billion years of planetary history. The snowpack, the fires, the drought, and the 50,000-year delay we engineered.
May 15, 2026
California vs. Everyone
California nearly doubled its fire budget to $3.8B and doubled prescribed burns. The federal government halved both. A state-by-state comparison.
May 13, 2026
The Recall
The federal government fired thousands of wildfire workers, then recalled them when fire season arrived. A state-by-state accounting of the damage.
May 13, 2026
Nevada's Insurance Betrayal
Nevada now allows insurers to exclude wildfire from homeowner policies entirely. The state has no FAIR Plan and no backstop. California passed 9 new laws.
May 13, 2026
Lake Powell at 13%
Lake Powell is receiving 13% of normal inflows, lowest on record. Hydropower could cease by September. The Colorado River compact is unraveling.
May 13, 2026
The 121-Year Dismantling
The most sweeping USFS reorganization in 121 years: 57 research stations closing, 4,800 employees lost, and Congress zeroed out the replacement agency.
May 13, 2026
Paradise Lost
A century of policy, a decade of drought, and the slow death of the American alpine. Mt. Rainier's Paradise meadows have lost 98.7% of healthy vegetation in four summers.
March 31, 2026 · Updated April 9, 2026
The Forest Service Is Being Dismantled
Analysis of the USDA restructuring order and what it means for wildfire management across the western corridor.
April 2, 2026