Interview with Mark Rey: Martin Nie talks with the former undersecretary of Agriculture about some of the hot-button issues during his tenure in office
April 22, 2009
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Fact & Fiction sponsors a review of Christopher Preston's "Saving Creation: A biography of Holmes Rolston III, the "father of environmental ethics"
April 24, 2009
June 11-13: Greater Yellowstone Coalition's 26th Annual Meeting and Rendezvous: From Parks to Prairies, Jackson Lake Lodge, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
June 14-16: Western Governors' Association Annual Meeting, Park City, Utah
June 17-18: NewWest.net and Boise State University present "Planning in the West," Boise, Idaho
Utah counties, oil companies sue Interior over canceled leases
Impact Energy Resources of Colorado, Peak Royalty of Utah and Questar Exploration and Development of Texas, as well as Uintah, Carbon and Duchesne counties in Utah filed lawsuits against the U.S. Interior Department, alleging that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar broke the law when he canceled 77 leases sold by the Bureau of Land Management at its December auction.
Salt Lake Tribune; 05/15/2009
Montana opens public comment on wolf hunt
Montana wildlife commissioners met Thursday to discuss setting a quota for a planned wolf hunt later this year, and gave preliminary approval to setting quotas between 26 and 165 wolves, and will take public comment on those quotas with a final decision slated for July 9.
Helena Independent Record; 05/15/2009
Idaho city a good setting for judging shape of U.S. economy
Nearly 600,000 people live in the metro area in and around Boise, which grew by leaps and bounds over the past five years, and the stagnant housing market has hit the city hard, but there are small signs that it's bouncing back.
New York Times; 05/11/2009
Montana judge sends Credit Suisse to end of line in resort case
In a partial ruling on the financial meltdown of the Yellowstone Club in Montana, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Ralph B. Kirscher ruled Tuesday that Credit Suisse's secured claim to $232 million take a backseat to vendors, contractors and others having unsecured claims.
NewWest.net; 05/13/2009
- Montana judge lays ground rules for Credit Suisse bid on resort
At a protracted hearing Wednesday before U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Ralph Kirscher in Montana on how to auction off the exclusive Yellowstone Resort, Kirscher told Credit Suisse counsel that the Swiss banker would have to set aside $8 million to pay the people and companies who have kept the resort running and another $44 million in cash to keep the resort running if it wants to bid on the club.
Billings Gazette; 05/14/2009
Experts: Commuter rail in Idaho an unlikely option
For decades, the concept of commuter rail service between Boise and Nampa has been tossed around, but on Thursday at a forum hosted by the Urban Land Institute in Boise, three national train and transportation experts were blunt in their assessment that too many obstacles lay in the path of commuter rail service in Idaho's Magic Valley.
Idaho Statesman; 05/15/2009
Montana senator urges federal agencies to unite to help Libby
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health and Human Services should collaborate on cleaning up asbestos contamination in Libby and addressing health-care concerns of the residents of the Montana town exposed to that asbestos.
Missoulian; 05/14/2009
Army walks away from expansion plans in Colorado
The U.S. Army has shifted the $17 million it had allocated for land acquisition in fiscal 2010 to other projects, an action that indicates it is abandoning its efforts to expand its Pinon Canyon training site in Colorado in the short term.
Denver Post; 05/14/2009
In Cobell appeal, federal government says it owes nothing to tribes
The federal government, as well as the plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit over management of tribal assets, appealed a lower court decision that ruled tribes were due $455 million rather than the $47 billion or more tribes said they were owed, and in documents filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals Monday, the federal government said it owed the tribes nothing.
Missoulian (AP); 05/12/2009
First Nations tell Canada to protect water in oilsands country
At one of several scheduled hearings on the oilsands industry and water quality, several First Nations leaders told members of a federal environment committee that they were tired of unchecked oilsands development trampling on their constitutionally protected right to hunt, fish and trap.
Edmonton Journal; 05/13/2009
Congress tries again on apology to Native Americans
Resolutions apologizing to Native Americans for injustices against them have been considered in Congress in 2005 and 2007, and this year's House version of the resolution have omitted the phrase "and the mismanagement of tribal trust lands" included in earlier versions of the resolution.
Missoulian; 05/11/2009
Tribes in 3 Western states get bulk of BIA's $500M federal stimulus money
The Bureau of Indian Affairs got a $500 million slice of federal stimulus funds for schools, roads and job development, and Utah tribes will receive $3 million; New Mexico tribes will share $25 million; and Arizona tribes will get $170 million.
Farmington Daily Times; 05/12/2009
Former Idaho AG one vote away from BIA post
On Thursday, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee voted to back Larry EchoHawk, a Brigham Young University law professor who served as attorney general in Idaho in the early 1990s, to become the next head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; his confirmation faces a final vote before the full U.S. Senate.
Salt Lake Tribune; 05/15/2009
Judge's ruling keeps grazing lawsuit in 6 western states intact
U.S. District Judge B. Linn Winmill handed the Western Watershed Project an initial victory in a lawsuit filed by the Idaho-based conservation group alleging 18 of the the Bureau of Land Management's plans in Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Montana and northern California should have considered a no-graze option or contemplated the cumulative effects grazing and climate change is having on sage grouse, or both.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 05/12/2009
U.S. Attorney gets evidence from Utah ATV protest ride
While the hundreds of all-terrain and off-road vehicle riders were splashing in the Paria River in Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Kane County. Bureau of Land Management agents were jotting down license numbers, taking pictures and videos, and all that information is now in the hands of the U.S. Attorney's office.
Salt Lake Tribune; 05/12/2009
BLM puts out the call for pasture for older wild mustangs
The Bureau of Land Management's holding facilities for wild horses and burros taken from their range are maxed out, and now the federal agency has put out a call for bids for range for 6,000 wild horses.
Salt Lake Tribune; 05/13/2009
Fuel-reduction projects keep Montana loggers in the forest
Projects to remove fuels from forests in Montana are keeping log-truck drivers and sawyers at work.
Missoulian; 05/13/2009
Montana senator presses U.N. panel to protect the N. Fork Flathead
Glacier National Park in Montana is already a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site, but groups in Montana and Canada are pressing the UNESCO to designate the North Fork of the Flathead as a world heritage site in danger to help stop plans in Canada to mine in the headwaters of the Flathead River, which flows through Glacier National Park.
Hungry Horse News; 05/14/2009
Group files notice of suit against BLM, USFWS on Nevada land plan
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent to sue on Wednesday against the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over land plans in east-central Nevada that would calls for the sale of public lands to build the White Pine Energy Station, Toquop Energy Project and Ely Energy Center, all coal-fired power plants.
Las Vegas Sun; 05/13/2009
Obama on the right track to close oil, gas tax loopholes
President Barack Obama's plan to close "unjustified tax loopholes," for the oil and gas industry will generate quite a fight in Congress, where lawmakers from energy-producing states such as Utah will fight hard to keep those subsidies flowing, but closing them could help fund alternative energy projects.
Salt Lake Tribune; 05/12/2009
Mining industry needs to pay its fair share of taxes in Nevada
Changing Nevada's tax structure to ensure mining industries pay their fair share won't be easy, but it's time lawmakers step up and change the state's outmoded tax structure.
Las Vegas Sun; 05/12/2009
U.S. Senate vote on guns in parks shows who's in charge
The gun lobby's reach was apparent in Tuesday's vote in the U.S. Senate where that august body allowed a rider be attached to legislation needed to protect credit-card users that will allow loaded guns in parks, and the senators need to saddle up and find the courage to strip the gun amendment from the credit-card bill before its final vote.
New York Times; 05/14/2009
Utah senator's blockade of Interior nominee shows he's running scared
Utah Sen. Bob Bennett has spent most of his career finding middle ground, but his hold-up of the confirmation of David Hayes as the deputy undersecretary of Interior suggests that the Republican senator has moved far to the right in an effort to survive an upcoming primary battle.
Ray Ring's West (High Country News); 05/14/2009
Judge made the right decision in sage grouse lawsuit
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill's decision rendered earlier this week to keep a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management over 18 resource management plans in six states intact was a good one, since the lawsuit is aimed at regional protection of sage grouse and its habitat, which once stretched over all six western states.
Salt Lake Tribune; 05/14/2009
U.S. Senate passes bill to allow loaded guns in parks
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted 67 to 29 to pass legislation attached as an amendment to an unrelated bill that would overturn a federal law requiring visitors to national parks and wildlife refuges to unload and store their guns.
Los Angeles Times; 05/13/2009
U.S. Senate, House consider bills to reform 1872 mining law
New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman and West Virginia U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall have each sponsored legislation designed to overhaul the General Mining Law was passed in 1872, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has said he is committed to reforming the 137-year-old law.
Idaho Statesman (AP); 05/13/2009
Senate votes with Utah senator to block Interior nominee
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fell three votes short in the cloture vote Wednesday to overcome Utah Sen. Bob Bennett's continued fight over confirmation of David Hayes to be deputy secretary of Interior, although Democratic senators vowed to bring Hayes' confirmation to another vote within a week.
Salt Lake Tribune; 05/14/2009
Rammell launches gubernatorial run in Idaho
Rex Rammell, a former elk rancher in Idaho, announced Wednesday he would seek the Republican nomination for governor; he had earlier announced he would run against Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, who is serving a sixth term as representative of Idaho's 2nd Congressional District.
Idaho Statesman (AP); 05/14/2009
Freudenthal nominates wife for federal judgeship in Wyoming
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal said he decided his wife shouldn't be penalized for marrying him and named her as one of three potential candidates to be the next federal judge in the state; District Judge Norman E. Young of Lander and Rock Springs lawyer Ford T. Bussart are the other two candidates on the list submitted to President Obama for his consideration.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 05/15/2009
Arizona
Arizona House lawmakers pass bill to expand gun rights
Attendees of the National Rifle Association's annual convention that kicks off today in Phoenix will be greeted with the news that the Arizona House passed legislation that will allow people to keep their guns locked in vehicles in parking garages and other parking areas.
Arizona Republic; 05/14/2009
Montana
Montana reappraisal bill becomes law without governor's signature
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer allowed a bill passed this past legislative session that shields most homeowners from large increases in their property taxes to become law without his signature, along with six others.
Missoulian; 05/12/2009
Montana governor signs budget, federal stimulus spending bills
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer used his line-item veto power to excise $4.6 million from the state's $880 million federal stimulus spending bill, although he signed the state's $8.2-billion budget bill into law without change.
Helena Independent Record; 05/15/2009
Utah home-foreclosure rate sixth in the nation
In RealtyTrac's most recent report, nearly a dozen states reported more than a 100 percent year-over-year increase in foreclosure rates, including Utah, which reported a 120 percent increase in foreclosures between April 2008 and last month; Nevada led the nation in foreclosure filings; Arizona ranked fourth, Idaho fifth, Utah sixth and Colorado ninth.
Salt Lake Tribune; 05/14/2009
Five Wyoming dealerships on Chrysler's closure list
Covello Motor Company in Torrington, Kotby Motors in Laramie, Riverton Chrysler Dodge Jeep, Teton Motors in Jackson and Great Western Autoplex in Rock Springs all learned Thursday that they were among the 789 dealerships in the United States that Chrysler wants to close by June 9.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 05/15/2009
Peabody, Australian company launch joint venture in Wyoming
St. Louis-based Peabody Energy Co., which operates three coal mines in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, and Australia-based White Energy Co. announced that they will build a plant in Wyoming to process and upgrade coal from one of Peabody's mines in Wyoming; White Energy Co. announced earlier this year that it was building a similar plant at another mine in Wyoming.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 05/15/2009
Wyoming's coal research plant will be built in Laramie County
On Friday afternoon, the The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees approved Cheyenne as the location for the new $100-million pilot plant built jointly by the state of Wyoming and General Electric Co. to find new uses for coal produced in the state.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 05/09/2009
Turbines erected at Arizona's first wind farm
The first of 30 wind turbines have been planted along a little-used highway between Heber and Holbrook in what will be the first of many wind farms in Arizona as utilities in the state develop the renewable energy resource.
Arizona Republic; 05/12/2009
AT&T buy of Verizon assets in Montana brings iPhone option to state
The pending sale of Verizon's assets in rural areas of Montana and several other Western states to AT&T won't affect consumers who currently have Verizon service, but once the sale is approved by federal officials, and AT&T has completed site upgrades, Alltel customers can buy and use Apple's iPhone.
Great Falls Tribune; 05/12/2009
Idaho saw mills scale back production to hang on in lean times
Low demand and prices have kept production at Idaho saw mills down, with many mills running at half capacity or less, and Idaho Forest Group decided not to reopen the Laclede mill as planned this month.
Coeur d'Alene Press; 05/15/2009
Salazar allows polar bear, climate-change rule to stand
On Friday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the federal government would allow a rule put in place in the waning days of the Bush administration that said the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act would not be used to restrict emissions of greenhouse gases.
New York Times; 05/09/2009
Packaging companies report rebound in orders
One factor economists look at to gauge the state of the economy is sales of packaging, which can indicate consumer demand is picking up, and at boxmaker Packaging Corp. of America, demand is at a level the company hasn't seen in months.
Salt Lake Tribune (AP); 05/11/2009
West Coast's largest ethanol producer teeters near bankruptcy
Pacific Ethanol, the largest producer of ethanol on the West Coast, has already shut down operations at three plants this year, although it is still producing corn-based ethanol at its Oregon plant in Boardman, but company officials warned that it may have to resort to bankruptcy if it cannot restructure its debt.
Portland Oregonian; 05/13/2009
Oregon, Washington postpone chinook, steelhead fishing season
Fish managers in Washington and Oregon ratcheted estimates of the spring chinook run on the Columbia River down to 120,000 to 150,000, down from earlier estimates of 300,000, and fishing seasons in both states set to open May 16 were postponed.
Portland Oregonian; 05/14/2009
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