Amy Joi O'Donoghue

Salt Lake City

Environment Reporter at Deseret News

Deseret News reporter. Utah/national. I cover critical land, air, energy & water issues. PM 2.5. Climate. EIS geek. Dinos. Wolfhound mom. [email protected]

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Articles

Granite community of about 1,100 people in Salt Lake County wants to become a city

3 days ago | ksl.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

GRANITE — There is a corner on 2700 East in the community of Granite where longhorn cattle graze in one pasture, and teenage bison forage in another. Some residents in Granite — an unincorporated area located in southeast Salt Lake County near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon — want to preserve the community by becoming a new city. They want to keep the rural and distinct flavor of the area forged by early pioneers mining for the rock to be used in construction of the Salt Lake Temple.
The race is on to capture the ‘heat beneath your feet’

5 days ago | yahoo.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

Geothermal development, which seeks to tap the heat deep below the Earth’s surface, is hot right now. The clean, renewable energy is tapped from heat continuously produced inside the Earth and used for bathing, heating buildings and generating electricity. Scientists have discovered that the temperature of Earth’s inner core is about 10,800 degrees, as hot as the surface of the sun.
Lawsuit asserts new nuclear development is untenable due to feds

6 days ago | deseret.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

In the United States, only three commercial nuclear reactors of any size have been built in the last 28 years. A lawsuit filed by Texas, Utah and a nuclear startup company called Last Energy, and joined this week by Louisiana, targets the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, arguing the lack of nuclear reactor development is by design.
Trump moves to rescind public lands conservation rule

6 days ago | deseret.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

The U.S. Department of Interior is rescinding the public lands rule, much to the harsh criticism of environmental groups. The rule put conservation and ecosystem restoration on the same footing of other uses of federal public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Western states and industry were harshly opposed to the Biden administration rule.
They’re not the prettiest, but they survived 2 extinction events

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

Garbage in, garbage out. High protein, low fat. Cut the carbs and stay hydrated. It turns out it does matter what you eat, especially to crocodylians — crocodiles, alligators and gharials — a species researchers say persisted despite two mass extinction events because they adapted their diet and the places where they found food.
Longhorn steer and buffalo. Why tiny Granite wants to be its own city

1 week ago | deseret.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

There is a corner on 2700 East in the community of Granite where longhorn cattle graze in one pasture and teenage bison forage in another. Some residents in Granite - an unincorporated area located in southeast Salt Lake County near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon - want to preserve the community by becoming a new city. They want to keep the rural and distinct flavor of the area forged by early pioneers mining for the rock to be used in construction of the Salt Lake Temple.
Wildfires are ravaging the West. Can new bipartisan legislation help?

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

After a deadly year of wildfires, including the California fires that devastated the area around Los Angeles, lawmakers are looking at ways to reduce their number and spread. Last year, Utah logged 1,244 reports of wildfires, the highest number recorded since 2020. Nationally, the total acres burned rose from 2.7 million acres in 2023 to nearly nine million in 2024, a 231% increase. To that end, Sen.
Iron Mine announces suspension of operations

2 weeks ago | deseret.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

Iron Mine announced it was suspending mining operations, affecting more than 100 employees. The mine has been in operation off and on since World War II. One worker blamed the suspension on President Donald Trump's new export tariff on China. Utah Iron announced Thursday it was suspending mining operations that will affect more than 100 employees as one of the county's largest employers.
Iron Mine announces suspension of operations

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

Utah Iron announced Thursday it was suspending mining operations that will affect more than 100 employees as one of the county’s largest employers. The company cited “significant fluctuations in global markets that have created an unusual and strenuous amount of uncertainty for buyers and sellers.”Officials noted, “We are navigating unchartered waters with unfamiliar and seemingly insurmountable risks.
Utah’s reservoirs in great shape; no threat of flooding

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Amy Joi O'Donoghue

Amy Joi O'DonoghueThu, April 10, 2025 at 10:25 PM UTC3 min readMuch of Utah got through this last water year with near normal conditions for snowfall and precipitation, but there was an early melt of snow at lower and mid-level elevations, which will bring a runoff in the coming months with little threat of flooding.