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Rating the Rockies, Part III: West has the renewable energy resources to power the region, now it needs the leadership to take the helm
May 20, 2008
Fact & Fiction and the Bookstore at the University of Montana offer a review of Dorothy Handsaw Patent's "When the Wolves returned: Restoring Nature's Balance in Yellowstone."
June 7: National Trails Day. The American Hiking Society helped organize more than 1,000 events across the nation to celebrate National Trails Day.
June 29-July 1: Western Governors' Association Annual Meeting; Wildlife corridors, climate change, energy and managing water on agenda, Stetson Village
Jackson Hole, Wy. Read a preview
Opponents of energy work on Montana Front now target state leases
In December of 2006, Congress approved a permanent ban on energy leases on federal lands along Montana's Rocky Mountain Front, and since that time millions of dollars have changed hands to buy back those leases from energy companies, but the state has continued to sell mineral leases on state lands, and now the groups that fought leasing on federal lands are revving up attempts to fight leases on state lands.
Billings Gazette (AP); 06/05/2008
Utah transfers county's Colo. River rights to farmer
Utah State Engineer Jerry Olds said his decision to transfer Wayne County's right to 50,000 acre-feet per year of Colorado River to a farmer was done to keep the water right in Utah, as Wayne County wasn't putting the allocation to use, and he said he'll do more such transfers if that's what it takes to keep Utah's allocation of the river.
Salt Lake Tribune; 06/01/2008
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Water proposal could slow development in Utah county
Fearing an over-allocation of water rights in Tooele County, the Utah State Engineer has suspended water rights transfers within the Utah county while it considers a proposal to divide the county into three regions and prevent the transfer of water rights from one region to another.
Salt Lake Tribune; 06/02/2008
Groups endorse streamside setbacks in Montana county
Representatives from local chapters of Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, Flathead Wildlife and Montana Backcountry Hunters & Anglers signed off on a letter to the Flathead County Planning Board, indicating their groups' support of proposed riparian setbacks for subdivision regulation in the Montana county.
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; 06/02/2008
Federal judge awards $926M to neighbors of Colorado's Rocky Flats
Under an order issued Monday, two former contractors at the Rocky Flats nuclear plant in Colorado must pay a group of homeowners $925 million for chemical contamination claims that affected their property values.
Denver Post; 06/03/2008
Companies sue N.M. county over energy drilling moratorium
Approach Oil and Gas Inc. and Approach Operating, LLC have sued Rio Arriba County and its commissioners over a recent decision to impose a four-month moratorium on drilling operations on private land within the New Mexico county, and the county has taken a legal step of its own, filing a challenge to Approach's drilling permits with the state Oil Conservation Division.
Farmington Daily Times; 06/01/2008
Montana students head east to bring Native history home
Funded by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution, five Native American students will spend the month of June in Washington, D.C. tracking down and recording all the information the Smithsonian has regarding tribes in Montana.
Missoulian; 06/01/2008
National elections on agenda of tribes' meeting in Nevada
The 2008 National Congress for American Indians Mid-Year Conference kicks off in Sparks today, with about 600 representatives from 360 tribes expected to attend the Nevada conference.
Reno Gazette-Journal; 06/02/2008
Colorado, tribes reach deal on returning ancient remains to tribes
The Colorado Historical Society, Ute tribes, the state Commission on Indian Affairs and 45 regional tribes have reached a deal to expedite the process by which ancient remains inadvertently discovered on private and nonfederal public lands.
Denver Post; 06/04/2008
NPS, Wyoming, counties strike deal to keep Sylvan Pass open
The National Park Service, Wyoming and Cody and Park counties have reached a compromise that will keep Sylvan Pass, a gateway from Wyoming to Yellowstone National Park, open to snowmobile and snowcoach travel, from Dec. 22 through March 1 of each year, a slightly shorter season than previous years.
Casper Star-Tribune (Billings Gazette); 06/04/2008
Federal judge orders USFWS to reconsider Idaho peppergrass decision
A federal judge issued an order Wednesday requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reconsider its decision not to list the slickspot peppergrass, a plant with tiny white flowers find almost exclusively in Idaho's Snake River Plain and on the Owyhee Plateau, as an endangered species.
Twin Falls Times-News; 06/06/2008
Federal judge limits snowmobiling season in Montana national forest
U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy issued a ruling last week that ends snowmobiling season on the Flathead National Forest on March 15 to protect grizzly bears emerging from hibernation, and found that the an amendment to the Montana forest's travel plan that allowed snowmobiling in some parts of the forest until May 31 was flawed.
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; 06/04/2008
Energy company wants to build plant on elk habitat in Wyoming
The Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners must decide whether to allow Colorado-based Climax Energy Co. to build a gas processing and carbon sequestration plant on a parcel of state school trust lands, which would generate $24 million annually for Wyoming schools, but would impact the largest wintering herd of elk in Sublette County.
Casper Star-Tribune; 06/06/2008
Montana conference focuses on limiting beetles' impact on forests
More than 150 people attended a one-day conference in Missoula to discuss what can be done to lessen the economic, ecological and wildfire threat the pine bark beetle infestation has had on forest lands in Montana and across the Rocky Mountain West.
Missoulian; 06/06/2008
BLM officials say they need another 10 years on OHV plans
At an oversight hearing before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday, Bureau of Land Management officials said they'll need at least another decade to complete local travel plans, but Committee Chairman New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman said the agency must get the resources to get plans in place sooner than that.
Billings Gazette; 06/06/2008
Environmental groups sue National Elk Refuge over feedgrounds
A coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming to end the practice of feeding wild elk during the winter, a process the groups said make the elk susceptible to chronic-wasting disease.
Casper Star-Tribune; 06/04/2008
If USFS, Plum Creek deal is good for Montana, why the secrecy?
It appears Plum Creek Timber Co. may be getting some taxpayer-funded benefit from negotiations with the Forest Service over road easements, and money from the Farm Bill may be used to buy some of the company's lands in Montana, so why isn't the public entitled to some information in exchange for all that tax money?
Missoulian; 06/01/2008
EPA right to curb drilling on Utah's Nine Mile Canyon
The Environmental Protection Agency is to be commended for its decision to stop further energy development on Utah's West Tavaputs Plateau, which includes Nine Mile Canyon and its miles of petroglyphs, until a more accurate environmental assessment can be completed.
Salt Lake Tribune; 06/04/2008
Colorado high court's Telluride decision goes too far
The Colorado Supreme Court's decision that gave Telluride domain over its valley floor went too far, giving home-rule cities eminent domain power to reach beyond their borders to condemn land for open-space purposes.
Denver Post; 06/04/2008
Debate on Senate's climate change off to a stormy start
The U.S. Senate began its debate on sweeping climate change legislation with a complete reading of the 492-page bill, followed by lengthy discourse by Oklahoma Sen. James M. Inhofe who refused to yield the floor to an exasperated Sen. John Kerry from Massachusetts.
New York Times; 06/05/2008
Presidential candidates well versed in Native issues
Both Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama are advocates of Native Americans, a crucial voting bloc that will be well-served no matter the outcome of November's election.
Indian Country Today; 06/06/2008
Bill to extend timber payments to rural counties fails in the U.S. House
Although a majority of representatives voted in favor a measure to extend payments to rural counties in Oregon and other states where timber revenues from federal lands are declining, special House rules that did not allow amendments led to the demise of the bill, sparking another round of angry words between Oregon's Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio and his Republican counterpart Rep. Greg Walden.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); 06/06/2008
Montana, Idaho senators team up on federal water bill
Montana Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus, along with Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, are co-sponsors of the Cooperative Watershed Management Act, federal legislation that would create a funding program for cooperative efforts on water management projects.
Billings Gazette; 06/06/2008
Nevada governor, U.S. Sen. Reid vow to fight Yucca Mountain plan
Just hours after the Bush administration filed the formal application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to build a nuclear waste repository in Nevada's Yucca Mountain, Gov. Jim Gibbons and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid both issued statements vowing to keep the dump out of Nevada.
Washington Post (AP); 06/04/2008
Wyoming GOP adopts platform, says no to wild, scenic rivers
At their state convention Friday and Saturday, Wyoming Republicans adopted a platform endorsing year-round access on Sylvan Pass, opposing the adoption of any legislation related to the concept of "man-made climate change," and opposing the designation of any of the state's waterways under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers program.
Casper Star-Tribune; 06/01/2008
Green group courts Nevada Hispanics to pump up anti-coal effort
The Natural Resources Defense Council is hosting a free concert featuring Latin Grammy winners Jesse and Joy tonight in Las Vegas in an effort to attract Hispanics to the group's campaign against three proposed coal-fired power plants in Nevada.
Las Vegas Sun; 06/04/2008
Five incumbent Montana state lawmakers lose in Tuesday's primary
Three of the five incumbent state lawmakers who lost in Tuesday's primary were Republicans who had been targeted by conservatives within their party.
Billings Gazette; 06/05/2008
Governor: Carbon rules needed before Montana taps into coal reserves
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said development of the state's coal reserves, the largest in the United States, will have to wait until the nation has a carbon law.
Reuters; 06/03/2008
Colorado company in the race to develop cellulosic ethanol
As criticism over the use of corn to produce ethanol increases, there are at least 30 cellulosic ethanol refineries in some sort of the planning and construction stage, including Colorado-based Range Fuels' cellulosic ethanol plant in Georgia designed to turn logging waste into ethanol using a thermochemical process.
Christian Science Monitor; 06/05/2008
Montana board says coal-fired plant must meet PM2.5 standard
The Montana Board of Environmental Review issued an order on Friday that will require a proposed coal-fired power plant near Great Falls to meet a PM2.5 emissions standard, which stands for particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller, before the project can proceed.
Great Falls Tribune; 05/31/2008
High gold prices add 6 years to life of Montana mine
The Golden Sunlight Mine in Montana near Whitehall was slated to close this year, but mine managers said the high price of gold ensured the mine would continue operations until 2015.
Montana Standard; 06/03/2008
German company to build wind-research center in Colorado
German conglomerate Siemens Energy announced Thursday that it will build a wind-turbine research and development center near Boulder, and said the proximity of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the National Wind Technology Center and universities helped bring the center to Colorado.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); 06/06/2008
Luxemburg pours $200M into Arizona's biotech industry
Luxemburg government officials sought out Arizona scientists and two Washington-state groups to help the European nation advance its efforts to improve health care and improve its economy, and launched a $200-million research effort with Arizona's TGen and the newly created Partnership for Personalized Medicine.
Arizona Republic; 06/06/2008
FERC: California utility can challenge Arizona's denial of power line route
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Southern California Edison can challenge Arizona's denial of the utility's request to build a power transmission line between Phoenix and Palm Springs, Calif.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); 06/02/2008
Washington state dedicates its new federal wilderness area
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen and Sen. Patty Murray helped unveil the sign Friday at the dedication ceremony for the Wild Sky Wilderness on the banks of the North Fork of the Skykomish River, Washington state's newest federal wilderness area.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; 06/03/2008
Washington state ready for wolves if, when they arrive
Washington state's Department of Fish & Wildlife Commission is reviewing a conservation plan to manage wolves when they return to Eastern Washington.
Idaho Statesman (Tri-City Herald); 06/03/2008
Lead poisoning kills 1 California condor, sickens 6 others
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official said the likely source of lead poisoning that killed one endangered California condor and sickened six others in Southern California was lead from carcasses of animals killed by hunters, and said that the sick birds represented about 20 percent of the population in that area of the state.
New York Times (AP); 06/04/2008
Obama wins popular vote, superdelegate support in Montana
Shortly after the polls closed on Tuesday, Gov. Brian Schweitzer, joined by U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, Montana Democratic Party chairman Dennis McDonald of Melville and vice chair Margarett Campbell of Poplar jointly announced they would cast their superdelegate votes for Sen. Barack Obama.
Billings Gazette; 06/04/2008
- Obama promises Montanans he'll fight B.C. coal mine
On the day Montanans went to the polls to cast their votes in the state's primary election, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama threw his support behind the state's effort to stop a proposed coal mine in southeastern British Columbia in the headwaters of the Flathead River.
Toronto Globe and Mail; 06/03/2008
Democratic voter rolls shoot up in Montana
The battle for the Democratic Party's nomination pumped up voter registration rolls for the party in Montana, with unofficial tallies showing a 95 percent increase between 2004, when 93,543 Democrats voted in that presidential primary, and this year's primary with 181,986 Democratic ballots were cast.
NewWest.net; 06/05/2008
Schweitzer, Brown will battle for Montana gubernatorial post
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer ambled to a victory in the Democratic gubernatorial primary over his two opponents, as did Republican challenger state Sen. Roy Brown, who easily won his party's nomination to challenge Schweitzer in November.
Billings Gazette; 06/04/2008
Lujan, East will face off in November for N.M. congressional seat
Ben Ray Lujan beat out five Democratic contenders to face Republican Dan East and at least one independent candidate, Carol Miller of Ojo Sarco, in November in the race for New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District, a seat left open by U.S. Rep. Tom Udall's decision to run for New Mexico's open U.S. Senate seat.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); 06/04/2008
Pearce declared winner of GOP primary for U.S. Senate race in N.M.
Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce won the GOP primary over U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson by about 2 percentage points, matching him against Democrat Tom Udall in November for the open U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico.
Santa Fe New Mexican; 06/05/2008
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