Apache Stronghold sued the U.S. government under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to protect the place tribal members call Chi’chil Bildagoteel, an area dotted with ancient oak groves and traditional plants the Apaches consider essential to their religion. Some say it's the most important Native American religious liberty case in 15 years.

The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is taking action to address the realities of a rapidly approaching, drier future by donating water rights to the Great Salt Lake, replacing grass with rocks and water-wise landscaping around neatly manicured churches and reducing water use by more than one-third outside the headquarters in Salt Lake City's Temple Square.

The Murphy Site, which taps the La Cienegas Oil Field, is located in Jefferson Park, a neighborhood composed mostly of Black and Latino residents. Those living near the site display "significantly higher prevalence of wheezing, eye and nose irritation and dizziness" as well as reduced lung capacity. The site is not owned by an energy company, though, but by the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.