Montana's local food movement: The Montana Food System Council works to advance the growth of a sustainable and self-reliant food system for the Big Sky State, Part II posted June 5
May 28, 2009
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Fact & Fiction sponsors a review of "One Square Inch of Silence, co-written by Gordon Hempton and John Grossmann.
May 22, 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
Two lawsuits filed over wolf management in Northern Rockies
Environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Montana on Tuesday that asked that federal protection of wolves be reinstated in Idaho and Montana, which could block planned hunts in those states this fall; and in Wyoming, the state filed a federal lawsuit seeking an order to clear the way for a wolf hunt in that state.
Helena Independent Record; 06/03/2009
Company plans oil-shale project on private land in Colorado
General Synfuels International, a subsidiary of Massachusetts-based Earth Search Sciences Inc., said it has obtained access to 500 acres of private land in western Colorado's Piceance Basin, and that it plans to use breakthrough technology to tap into an estimated 700 million barrels of oil or oil equivalents in oil-shale resources under that land.
Grand Junction Sentinel; 05/31/2009
Work begins on Wyoming's first oilshale project in 3 decades
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has signed an agreement with General Synfuels International to develop oilshale resources in on a small parcel of private land near Rock Springs in southwest Wyoming.
Casper Star-Tribune; 06/03/2009
Regional board appeals decision on Utah nuclear waste
The Northwest Interstate Compact on Low-level Radioactive Waste announced Tuesday that it would appeal a federal district court ruling that cleared the way for EnergySolutions to import foreign nuclear waste for disposal at its facilities in Utah.
Salt Lake Tribune; 06/03/2009
Wyoming loses request to have Montana water lawsuit tossed
The special master appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court in a lawsuit filed by Montana alleging that Wyoming is taking more than its share of the Tongue and Powder rivers than allowed by a 1950 water compact denied Wyoming's request that Montana's claim be dismissed.
Billings Gazette; 06/04/2009
U.S. Army cancels plan to add 5th brigade at Colorado base
As part of the Obama administration's cost-cutting measures, the U.S. Army officially canceled its plan to locate a fifth brigade at Fort Carson in Colorado, where the Army had already spent $198 million preparing for the additional brigade.
Denver Post; 06/03/2009
U.S. Army dumps plans for combat brigade at N.M. base
The U.S. Army did an about-face on Tuesday on its plan to put a Heavy Brigade Combat Team at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, citing budget constraints for the change. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; 06/04/2009
Judge approves sale of Montana's bankrupt Yellowstone Club
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approved a plan to reorganize the bankrupt Yellowstone Club after securing an agreement for Boston-based CrossHarbor Capital Partners to purchase the Montana development.
NewWest.net; 06/02/2009
Navajo Nation woman named to SBA post
Clara Pratte, an Arizona woman who formerly worked as a policy analyst and legislative liaison for the Navajo Nation, has been named to the post of national director of the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Native American Affairs.
Farmington Daily Times; 06/02/2009
Texas firm appeals EPA's decision on N.M. uranium mine project
Texas-based Uranium Resource Inc. asked the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to review a previous decision by a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court that found the uranium mine proposed by Uranium Resource Inc. was on Navajo Nation land in western New Mexico, where a ban on uranium mining is in place.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); 06/01/2009
Arizona city backs tribe's plan to build D-backs, Rockies training camp
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community's proposal to build a spring training camp for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies on its lands east of Scottsdale has the full support of the Arizona city.
Arizona Republic; 06/03/2009
Third Navajo Code Talker dies
A former U.S. Marine Navajo Code Talker from Arizona died after a battle with cancer Thursday, making him the third Code Talker to die in three weeks.
RezNet; 06/05/2009
Montana tribe celebrates launch of bus system
Residents of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana have the option of taking the bus to work, doctor's appointments, school and other commitments now that the tribe has a transit system in place.
Billings Gazette; 06/02/2009
Wyoming study explores effect of CO2 storage on soils
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Land Management and the University of Wyoming have teamed up to study the effect of carbon sequestration on soils in the sagebrush ecosystems of southwest Wyoming.
Casper Star-Tribune; 06/01/2009
USFWS launches study of critical habitat for Idaho caribou
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said there are only an estimated 45 woodland caribou roaming northern Idaho and northeastern Washington, and the federal agency settled a 2002 lawsuit earlier this week by promising to make a critical habitat decision for the caribou by 2011.
Idaho Statesman (Spokane Spokesman Review); 06/05/2009
Nevada mine closure part of struggle to keep mercury control local
The Nevada Environmental Protection Division's shutdown of the Jerritt Canyon Mine north of Elko because mercury controls had not been installed as ordered is part of the state's effort to keep regulation of mercury emissions at the state level.
Las Vegas Sun; 06/03/2009
Three free weekends offered at national parks, monuments
The National Park Service announced that no entrance fees will be charged on June 20-21, July 18-19 and August 15-16 at the 147 national parks and national monuments that charge such fees, including Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon and Arches national parks.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 06/03/2009
USFS gets $228M in stimulus funds for road work
More than half of the $228 million in federal stimulus funds for road work on U.S. Forest Service lands will go to five Western states, with Idaho getting $44 million; Oregon will get $32 million and Montana $31.5 million.
Helena Independent Record (AP); 06/03/2009
Sagebrush species on the front line of energy debate
Sage grouse, the pygmy rabbit and a high desert plant, slickspot peppergrass, are three species in Idaho getting federal scrutiny for possible protection under the Endangered Species Act, as their sagebrush habitat continues to be fractured with transmission lines and renewable energy projects the latest threats to that habitat.
Boise Weekly; 06/04/2009
NRC releases new rules on studies of in-situ uranium mines
After conducting a series of public meetings on new regulations on in-situ uranium mines--where chemicals are pumped into groundwater to free the uranium from ore and pump it to the surface for processing--the Nuclear Regulatory Commission released its final environmental study of the process it will use to review such mines.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); 06/05/2009
Region should listen to Idaho senator on salmon, dam breaching
U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo knows a lot about compromise and collaboration, and his acknowledgment last week that breaching--or not breaching--the dams on the lower Snake River must be part of the debate on saving wild salmon injects some common sense into the debate, and the other folks at the table should pay attention to the Idaho senator.
Idaho Statesman; 06/02/2009
Kudos to Boston firm for going it alone on Colorado oilshale project
Boston-based General Synfuels International says that it has the technology to pull oil from oilshale resources under 500 acres of private land in Colorado that will make the process "energy self-sustainable," a claim that yet to be proven, but if the company can actually pull oil out of its rocky bed and not cost the region too dearly in environmental and water impacts, more power to it.
Grand Junction Sentinel; 06/02/2009
Federal judges should toss wolf lawsuits in Montana, Wyoming
Lawsuits filed this week by the state of Wyoming and environmental groups over wolf management in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho should be summarily dismissed, and Wyoming should take immediate steps to put a wolf-management plan in place that makes sense.
Casper Star-Tribune; 06/04/2009
The "green movement" is superficial, already failing
Columnist George Will writes that the ABC channel's new animated comedy, "The Goode Family" tells us what journalists are reluctant to: the green bubble is already bursting.
Washington Post; 06/04/2009
Reality of clean coal differs from rhetoric
Carbon capture is a great concept, and could help the United States achieve energy independence, but the technology in unproven and its use raises some serious concerns, and even if scientists can get the carbon in the ground, what are the chances it will actually stay there?
Washington Post; 06/05/2009
Colorado congresswoman wants 'fracking' regulated
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included a ban on regulation of a drilling process called hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking,' that injects a stew of chemicals underground under high pressure, but Colorado U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette plans to submit legislation to regulate the process under the federal Clean Water Act.
Denver Post; 06/05/2009
Utah, Tennessee senators want taxpayers to get GM stock
Utah Sen. Bob Bennett and Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander have come up with a plan to divide the 60 percent of General Motors stock between U.S. taxpayers.
Salt Lake Tribune; 06/05/2009
Montana man tapped for Interior Dept. water post
John Tubbs has worked on water issues at the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation since 1990, and now he's headed to D.C. where he'll work as a deputy to Ann Castle, assistant secretary of the Interior for water and science.
Helena Independent Record; 06/03/2009
Idaho gubernatorial candidate files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Rex Rammell, who recently filed to run for the Republican nomination for governor in Idaho in 2010, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for his development business last week, and has put a "spec home" and a four-unit condominium development in Jackson, Wyo., up for sale.
Idaho Statesman (Standard Journal); 05/30/2009
Utah woman one of 2 appointed to USDA ass't sec'y posts
Robin Heard, who once served as assistant state conservationist in Utah for the Soil Conservation Service, and Alma Cobb Hobbs, were appointed to serve as deputy assistant secretaries who will work with U.S. Department of Agriculture assistant secretary Pearlie Reed.
Deseret News; 06/04/2009
Napolitano announces $60M in border-security grants
Nearly three-quarters of the $60 million allocated by the Department of Homeland Security for grants to states and tribes to beef up border security will go to states that share a border with Mexico, with Arizona to get $13 million.
Arizona Republic (AP); 06/05/2009
Four Northwest governors press Chu on BPA's hydropower plan
The governors of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington sent a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, urging him to study Bonneville Power Administration's proposal for "pumped storage" hydropower, where large amounts of water are held as potential energy, and can be sent downstream through turbines to produce electricity to offset the cycles of wind and solar production.
Portland Oregonian; 06/03/2009
Colorado
Colorado's new rules make rainwater harvesting legal
Colorado recently passed a law to allow certain homeowners to collect precipitation that falls on their roofs, but some (especially those downstream) call that stealing, and fear the trend of rainwater harvesting will proliferate as the resource becomes more scarce.
NPR; 06/01/2009
Colorado governor signs bill that bans texting while driving
As of Dec. 1, it will be against the law to send
emails or text messages while driving in Colorado, and drivers under
the age of 18 cannot use cellphones at all while driving.
Denver Post; 06/02/2009
Colorado governor signs Pinon Canyon land bill
Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill into law that prohibits Colorado from selling or leasing state land to the U.S. Army for its proposed expansion of its Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeastern Colorado.
Denver Post; 06/03/2009
Nevada
Nevada Legislature adjourns on time for the first time in a decade
Nevada lawmakers ended a tumultuous legislative session early Tuesday morning, with Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons setting records for vetoing bills and for having those vetoes overridden by lawmakers.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 06/02/2009
Montana mine officials monitor GM bankruptcy proceedings
All of the palladium and 70 percent of the platinum produced by Stillwater Mining Co.'s mine in Montana is committed by contract to General Motors Corp. and Ford, and Stillwater executives are monitoring GM's bankruptcy proceedings to see if those contracts will be honored.
SFGate.com (AP); 06/02/2009
U.S. Air Force, Utah university team up on algae-fuel project
The U.S. Air Force has poured millions of dollars into a research project at Utah State University's Energy Laboratory's Center for Biofuels to turn algae found in the Great Salt Lake into jet fuel.
Salt Lake Tribune; 06/04/2009
Idaho city, Hawaiian company ink deal on silicon plant
Pocatello is providing $15 million in tax incentives to Hawaii-based Hoku Scientific Inc. to build its $390-million polysilicon plant, which will manufacture silicon for solar panels in the Idaho city, providing at least 200 full-time jobs.
Portland Oregonian (AP); 06/04/2009
Developer to auction Arizona lands for solar projects
A developer who bought thousands of acres west of Phoenix with the intent to build houses on the land has been marketing the land to utilities as sites for solar-power projects, and on Saturday will auction off five such "solar-land" parcels; there are already 40 solar-power projects proposed in Arizona, and if all were approved, they would cover 725,000 acres and generate enough electricity for 25 million homes.
Arizona Republic; 06/04/2009
Plum Creek to close 1 Montana sawmill, cut production at another
Plum Creek Timber Co. officials said the national housing slump and lack of demand for wood products leave them no option but to indefinitely close down its Evergreen mill in Kalispell, putting 63 Montanans out of work, and production will be scaled back at its Columbia Falls mill.
Missoulian; 06/05/2009
Nevada gaming revenues post 7th consecutive double-digit decline
Gaming revenues in Nevada were down nearly 14.1 percent in April, the seventh month in a row that the state had seen a double-digit drop in such revenues.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 06/05/2009
Montana governor fights Oregon's request for more water
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer says the 2008 Biological Opinion for the Columbia River Power System provides sound science for flows of water from Montana to downstream interests, but Oregon and the National Wildlife Federation continue to seek higher flows than set by the 2008 accord, and now Schweitzer is asking the Obama administration to throw its support behind the 2008 "BiOp".
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; 06/01/2009
Idaho senator: All options in salmon-dam debate are on the table
At a meeting Friday of the Northwest Energy Coalition in Boise, Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo said that in order for the debate about salmon and the effect hydroelectric dams have on the species to be resolved, all options must be on the table, including breaching -- or not breaching -- those dams.
Idaho Statesman; 06/01/2009
Economists review effect of more efficient cars on miles driven
The Environmental Protection Agency now estimates that improved fuel efficiency for vehicles will result in a 5 percent increase in miles driven, a figure with which most economists agree, despite the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's estimate earlier this year that fuel efficiencies would boost miles driven by 15 percent.
Wall Street Journal; 06/02/2009
Northwest power consortium pursues nuclear-power option
Energy Northwest has asked each of its 25 member public utilities and municipalities to pitch in $25,000 to fund a feasibility study about building another nuclear reactor for electricity generation; the Washington state power consortium's last foray into nuclear power resulted in just one of the five plants being built.
Spokane Spokesman Review (AP); 06/05/2009
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