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This year’s wildfire season is one of the worst and most expensive. With the combination of climate change, an extended fire season, and drought, catastrophic fires are becoming the new normal. Some people are starting to call the U.S. Forest Service the “U.S. Fire Service,” since fighting fires has become their main responsibility and their biggest cost. It costs more than $150 million a week to fight fires, which is more than the Forest Service can afford. FEMA and the U.S. Forest Service have been battling over spending, but there are doubts Congress will increase the budget this year.
Story Length: 3:45
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August 19, 2014
4:29
Lakes, rivers,and oceans are places we normally see water, but most of the water on Earth is actually stored underground. This groundwater supply is vital to food production and providing drinking water for American cities. A new study shows that the groundwater of the Colorado River Basin is disappearing at a shocking rate. Listen to this public radio story to learn more about the impacts of this disappearing water supply and the ways that it can be slowed.
Read MoreJanuary 31, 2014
2:50
A third of the country's produce is grown in California, but more than half of the state is under severe drought conditions. The financial loss is huge since land cannot be planted and produce is not grown and sold. Listen to this story to learn who else a drought affects.
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