In sorting out the implications of how the federal chaos is playing out in real, on-the-ground effects on things I think about as a New Mexican and westerner, there are a a few independent writers who I am finding invaluable right now.

There is a ton of D.C.-outward journalism being done right now about our issues, lots of it quite good. (Shoutout to Annie Snider, Jennifer Yachnin, and the team at Politico/E&E, thankfully UNM Law, where I have a modest part time position, pays to get me past at least part of their confusing paywall.)

I’m talking here about the view from out here in the west. The key is getting beyond the hair-on-fire show, which requires relying on folks who have been on the ground writing about these issues for a long time and understand the way the hair-on-fire part (because it’s really on fire!) connects with on-the-ground impacts:

Allen Best has been writing about resource issues in the West for a long time. Big Pivots is about, as he puts it, “energy and water transitions in Colorado and beyond,” and he’s been doing a great job of keeping his eye on his actual subject, rather than being so distracted by the DC chaos.

Jonathan Thompson writes sharply about the west’s public lands. Like Best, Thompson is starting from his subject matter and looking up from that to the hair-on-fire, wrecking ball stuff, to help explain the impacts.

Daniel Rothberg has long been one of my favorite western water journalists. Again, his starting point is western water, rather than the chaos.

RSS feeds are having a moment right now, as we try to reclaim our attention from social media and algorithmic feeds. That’s how I read these people. Like me, with my Buy Me a Coffee tip jar, these people have indie business models – support them if you can. But also, read them.