In the Rockies today, uranium mining is in the news again today.
As demand for uranium drives the price up around the world, mining claims for uranium skyrocket in two Colorado counties.
Although none of the 6,500 or so new claims filed in Colorado in 2007 are active as of yet, Denison Mining Corp., a Utah mining company, opened three new mines in San Miguel County in 2007.
That Utah company was denied permits to open two uranium mines in northern Arizona by that state's Department of Environmental Quality.
There has been some effort at the federal level to keep uranium mining out of that area around the Grand Canyon, but the state's denial of the mining permits is the most concrete obstacle to date.
Rockies today
Colorado senator proposes legislation to slow oilshale development
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar said Tuesday that he is working on legislation that would provide another year of research before opening 2 million acres of land in western Colorado, eastern Utah and southwest Wyoming to commercial oilshale development.
Aspen Times News; May 14
USFS plans to spend $1.9B fighting wildfires this year
Nearly half the U.S. Forest Service's operating budget is earmarked for wildfire fighting costs this year, and a Colorado Forest Service report released this year found that suppressing fires in the wildland-urban interface accounted for 85 percent of firefighting costs in the United States.
Denver Post; May 14
Number of uranium claims in Colorado explodes
The number of uranium claims filed in Colorado's Dolores County grew from 396 in 2006 to 5,399 in 2007, and in San Miguel County, the number of claims increased from 1,119 in 2006 to 2,633 in 2007.
Durango Herald; May 14
Groups face off over safety of lead ammunition
A study done by The Peregrine Fund, an Idaho-based group that works to protect birds of prey, and scientists from Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine found that 80 percent of deer killed in Wyoming by high-velocity lead bullets contained some metal dust, and 92 percent of the metal was lead, prompting the group to call for an end to the use of lead ammunition, a stance that prompted outrage from pro-hunting groups.
Idaho Statesman; May 14
USFWS begins process to protect New Mexico's state fish
The Rio Grande cutthroat trout, New Mexico's state fish, is a candidate for federal protection, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said they're waiting for funding to put federal biologists to work on a proposal to list the fish as either threatened or endangered.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); May 14
Closure of Bighorn River to fishing on Montana Game Dept.'s agenda
Continuing low flows on the Bighorn River forced the Montana Wildlife and Parks Commission to put possible closure of the river to fishing on its agenda for its meeting tomorrow; drought and the National Park Service's required minimum level for Bighorn Lake in Wyoming have led to lower levels of water in the Bighorn River.
Billings Gazette; May 14
Opinion
Kempthorne should pay off his own election debt
When former Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne was tapped to head up the Interior Department for President Bush in May 2006, he still owed about $26,000 for his successful 2002 gubernatorial run, and you'd think with his $191,300 annual salary now he'd be able to pay off the remaining $15,000, rather than resorting to a fundraiser scheduled next week in Idaho.
Twin Falls Times-News; May 14
University of Wyoming poised to take lead on wind energy
The University of Wyoming's announcement Friday that it had begun the process to build a wind energy research center, followed by Monday's Department of Labor report that said wind could provide up to 20 percent of the nation's power by 2030, perfectly positions the state to take the lead in this emerging field.
Casper Star-Tribune; May 14
Beyond the region
High oil prices, drop in consumption squeeze profits at refineries
Industry analysts said American oil refineries are caught between higher prices for crude oil and Americans' efforts to conserve, with some of the nation's smaller refineries posting losses for the first quarter of 2008.
New York Times; May 14
Oil-reserve vote slides through Congress
The U.S. Senate approved a bill Tuesday on a 97-to-1 vote to stop putting 70,000 barrels a day into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the remainder of 2008; and a similar bill was passed by the House on a 385-to-25 vote, and senators said the House bill would be approved by the Senate within a few days; a GOP-sponsored bill in the Senate to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling failed on a 56-to-42 vote.
New York Times; May 14
Colorado senator cast lone dissenting vote on oil-reserve suspension
U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, a Colorado Republican, was the only senator to vote against legislation to suspend deposits in the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the rest of this year.
Denver Post; May 14
USFWS uses volunteers to monitor burrowing owls in Washington state
Eighteen volunteers keep watch on the burrowing owl population near the Hanford Reach National Monument in Washington state, donating their time to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' study of the owls began in 2001.
Tri-City Herald; May 14
'Teach for America' to place 3,700 new teachers this fall
A nonprofit program that recruits top college graduates to teach for two years in public school districts that have trouble getting teachers, such as large inner-city and remote, rural schools, will place 3,700 teachers in 29 locations this fall, a 28 percent increase from the fall of 2007.
New York Times; May 14
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