Judy Fahys | Colorado Public Radio

Judy Fahys

Judy Fahys is KUER’s reporter for the Mountain West News Bureau, a journalism collaborative that unites six stations across the Mountain West, including stations in Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana to better serve the people of the region. The project focuses its reporting on topic areas including issues of land and water, growth, politics, and Western culture and heritage.

Fahys has reported in Utah for two decades, covering politics, government and business before taking on environmental issues. She loves covering Utah, where petroleum-pipeline spills, the nation’s radioactive legacy and other types of pollution provide endless fodder for stories. Previously, she worked for the Salt Lake Tribune in Utah, and reported on the nation’s capital for States News Service and the Scripps League newspaper chain. She is a longtime member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors. She also spent an academic year as a research fellow in the Knight Science Journalism program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In her spare time, she enjoys being out in the environment, especially hiking, gardening and watercolor painting.

KRCC
New Index Gives Mountain West States High Ranking For Social And Economic Qualities
Originally published on May 22, 2018 10:12 am You’ve probably heard about the GDP or those “best places to live” rankings. The Family Prosperity Index also factors in family life as a measure of well-being. And the latest rankings show Mountain West states doing pretty well. Utah tops the latest index, followed by Idaho.
By Judy Fahys
KRCC
Faces Behind The Fires: What It Takes To Lead Wildland Firefighters
Originally published on May 29, 2018 5:50 pm Rowdy Muir started fighting fires on the front lines when he was 27. “I came up the hard way,” said Muir, the son of a forester. “I learned how to swing a Pulaski. I ran a chainsaw in ’88 [at the Yellowstone fires] for 30-some days.
By Judy Fahys
KRCC
Who’s Being Heard In Washington? Governors Have Different Takes
Originally published on May 16, 2018 4:43 pm The governors of neighboring Western states shared a stage Tuesday to talk about energy. Utah Republican Gary Herbert and Colorado Democrat John Hickenlooper agreed about many issues — until they were asked afterward about the Trump administration.
By Judy Fahys
KRCC
Interior Department Plan For Streamlining Environmental Reviews Gets Mixed Response
Originally published on May 7, 2018 1:56 pm The Trump administration’s plans to cut red tape on environmental projects is getting predictably mixed reviews. The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, requires government agencies to minimize the harm federal projects have on the land, air, water and people.
By Judy Fahys
KRCC
New EPA Policy Could Undermine Pollution Studies
Originally published on April 26, 2018 9:29 am What we know about air pollution and health has roots in the mountain valleys of Utah. Winter smog episodes here are legendary. “The pollution would be so bad that you could hardly see two or three blocks away,” said C.
By Judy Fahys
KRCC
Zinke Goes West, Then What?
Originally published on April 13, 2018 9:29 am Too many decisions about the West get made in Washington, D.C. At least, that’s what the Secretary of the Interior thinks. Ryan Zinke plans to move thousands of the department’s employees out west to manage water, public lands and energy from there.
By Maggie Mullen, Rae Ellen Bichell, Kaiser Health News, and Judy Fahys
KRCC
Utah And Colorado Are Parched As Spring Begins
Originally published on April 2, 2018 11:59 am Drought has basically divided the Mountain West into two separate regions this year. Storms kept Idaho, Montana and Wyoming wet over the winter, and the national Drought Monitor shows no drought in those states. But high pressure dogged Utah and most of Colorado this winter.
By Judy Fahys
KRCC
This Is No Reality Show: Federal Employees Reassigned In The Politically-Charged Trump Era
Originally published on March 19, 2018 12:02 pm Matthew Allen used to lead the communications team at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management‘s Washington headquarters a couple of blocks from the White House. Then he got demoted. “Leadership,” said Allen, “had asked for my head on a platter.”
By Judy Fahys