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WGA on energy, water: As Chairman of the Western Governors' Association,
Utah governor lays out agenda on energy and water
Aug. 14, 2008
Energy
- Alberta approves Montana-Alberta transmission line
The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board approved the Alberta portion of a 215-mile electricity transmission line that will run between Lethbridge and Great Falls, although the $150 million, 230-kilovolt line still needs approval for the 130-mile portion in Montana from that state's regulators, as well as the approval of the federal government.
Great Falls Tribune; 08/14/2008
- Nuclear energy company asks Idaho county to rezone plant site
Eagle-based Alternate Energy Holdings Inc. took the first step in the process to build a nuclear power plant in Idaho by asking the Elmore County Commission to rezone the 1,400 acres of land where the plant will sit from agricultural to industrial.
Twin Falls Times-News; 08/14/2008
- N.Y. firm puts fuel-cell technology to the test at Montana university
Montana State University-Billings was chosen as a site to test four platinum and four palladium fuel cells made by Plug Power of Latham, N.Y. in order to see how the batteries perform in cold weather, and is part of the Montana Palladium Research Initiative, which has been online since November and has performed slightly better than required for funding by the Department of Energy.
Billings Gazette; 08/15/2008
- Montana officials gather in Butte to celebrate biofuel plant
AE Biofuels opened its research facility in Butte on Monday, where the California-based company will refine methods of making cellulosic ethanol, a biofuel made out of the non-food portions of wheat and corn plants.
Montana Standard; 08/12/2008
Water
- N.M. court approves water accord with pecan farmers
A state district court has approved a settlement reached in February between the State Engineer John D'Antonio and the New Mexico Pecan Growers Association that sets how much water hundreds of pecan growers can use each year in the lower Rio Grande basin. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal (AP); 08/12/2008
Fact & Fiction and the Bookstore at the University of Montana offer a review of offer a review of Courtney White's Revolution on the Range: The Rise of a New Ranch in the American West
July 28, 2008
Sept. 8-11: The U.S. Geological Survey's Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds, Estes Park, Colo. Read a preview.
Sept. 22-24: The 32nd Annual Public Land Law Conference, "A Federal Lands Agenda for the 21st Century," Missoula, Mont. Read a preview.
Bush administration proposes letting agencies make ESA decisions
The Bush administration proposed changes Monday to the Endangered Species Act that would allow federal agencies to decide whether actions planned by them, such as highways, dams and other federal construction projects would imperil protected species, rather than have an independent review by the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service now mandated by the Act.
Washington Post; 08/12/2008
Firefighting funds burned through, USFS suspends contracts, projects
With less than half of the fire season over, the U.S. Forest Service has burned through its firefighting funds, and last week, Chief Gail Kimbell sent a letter to all field offices, suspending all contracts and projects and indicated that $30 million for fuel-reduction projects was now being diverted to fight fires.
Portland Oregonian; 08/11/2008
Federal judge in Wyoming again tosses Clinton-era 'roadless' rule
U.S. District Court Judge Clarence Brimmer again ruled that the ban on building new roads in undeveloped areas of U.S. Forest Service lands put in place by then-President Bill Clinton violated two national environmental laws and prohibited forest managers from doing their jobs, and he had some choice words for the magistrate judge in San Francisco who tossed an alternative law in 2006.
New York Times; 08/13/2008
Report: Western states lead nation in decrease in miles driven
According to a new Federal Highway Administration report, the number of miles driven by U.S. residents fell by 12.2 billion miles in June, compared to the same month a year ago, and that some of the biggest drops in driving occurred in popular vacation states, with a 7.7 percent decrease reported in Idaho, a 6.9 percent in Washington, a 6.8 percent in Wyoming and 6.7 percent in Nevada.
Spokane Spokesman-Review (AP); 08/13/2008
Colorado begins study of high-speed rail along I-25, I-70 corridors
The Colorado Department of Transportation launched its $1.5 million study of a proposal to build high-speed rail lines along the Interstate 25 corridor to link Wyoming and New Mexico, and another rail line along Interstate 70 to link Denver to mountain communities to the West.
Denver Post; 08/13/2008
Arizona land of opportunity for water-poor Nevada developers
Two Nevada developers want to add another 80,000 homes to Kingman, an area of Arizona just about an hour's drive away from Las Vegas, which would add about another 150,000 residents to the Arizona community, where it is said there is a 100-year supply of water for the developments.
New York Times; 08/10/2008
Landowner donates $3.9M to protect Montana valley
Roger Lang owns a 19,000-acre ranch in southern Madison County, 95 percent of which is currently covered by a conservation easement, and now the former Silicon Valley executive donated $3.9 million to the Trust for Public Land to protect more of the Montana valley from development.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; 08/13/2008
Federal appeals court OKs Ariz. resort's snowmaking plan
Navajo Nation Joe Shirley, Jr., along with other Indian groups who sued to stop an expansion of the Arizona Snowbowl Resort on the San Francisco Peaks, which many tribes consider to be sacred, vowed to appeal a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision that clears the way for the expansion and the use of wastewater to make snow on its 777-acre resort.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); 08/11/2008
President signs bill that will funnel $1 billion to tribal water projects
President Bush signed legislation on Wednesday that will provide $2 billion in funding for tribal water, health and law enforcement projects.
Indian Country Today (AP); 08/15/2008
BLM auction of leases on Colorado plateau breaks record
Bureau of Land Management officials said the $114 million generated by the auction of leases on Colorado's Roan Plateau was the most generated by such an auction in the lower 48 states ever, but industry officials said protests lowered the prices paid for the leases.
Denver Post; 08/15/2008
Off-road conflicts on the rise on federal lands
As backcountry trails become more crowded with hikers, mountain bikers, off-road vehicle riders and others, conflicts are on the rise, and while violent confrontations are rare, federal land managers warn they are increasing.
Washington Post; 08/12/2008
Report details hard-rock mining threat to Colorado River
The Environmental Working Group has compiled a list of 5,500 hard-rock mining claims located within 10 miles of the Colorado River, 1,200 of which are within five miles, detailing the risk of contamination to the river which provides drinking water for more than 25 million people in Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and California.
Arizona Republic; 08/11/2008
Wyoming researchers say CWD not a big concern for elk herds
Wyoming Game and Fish scientists said they're not sure when chronic-wasting disease, a slow, degenerative disease that kills deer and elk, will get to the 20 state-run elk feed grounds in the northwest corner of Wyoming, and since the disease affects elk differently, they're unsure how it will affect those elk herds, but hunters and outfitters are more concerned that the disease will decimate herds and impact the local economy. Second in a series.
Jackson Hole News & Guide; 08/13/2008
Group effort restores Bonneville cutthroat in 4 Western states
Bonneville cutthroat used to swim the waters in a large part of Utah and smaller portions of Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada, and after years of effort by federal and state agencies, along with nonprofit conservation groups like Trout Unlimited, genetically pure strains of the fish are returning to their historic waters.
Salt Lake Tribune; 08/14/2008
BLM's new rules designed to protect sage grouse in Wyoming basin
New rules released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will reduce the number of natural gas well pads allowed in Wyoming's Powder River Basin from eight per square mile to just one, unless companies can prove higher density will not harm the sage grouse.
Casper Star-Tribune; 08/14/2008
Idaho environmental group, Canadian co. reach accord on cobalt mine
Idaho's largest conservation group, the Idaho Conservation League, said it will not challenge the U.S. Forest Service's approval of Formation Capital Corp.'s plan for a cobalt mine in central Idaho after the group reached a deal with the Canadian mining company to take steps beyond what is required to improve and enhance the upper Salmon River watershed.
Idaho Statesman; 08/15/2008
Wyoming's study of high-speed passenger rail right on track
The proposal to build high-speed rail to carry passengers from Wyoming, along Colorado's Front Range and into New Mexico is gaining steam as the cost of building highways and the price of fuel rises, and while Wyoming is making good progress on its feasibility study, Colorado needs to catch up and New Mexico is in the lead, having already purchased an existing right of way between Belen, about 40 miles south of Albuquerque, up to Trinidad, Colo.
Casper Star-Tribune; 08/11/2008
BLM's plan for Utah counties an outright gift to off-roaders
The Bureau of Land Management's proposed plan for six Utah counties allows off-road vehicle use on 90 percent of the 2.1 million acres and energy development on 80 percent of the land, which makes the proposal less about multiple use and more about the removal of protection for public lands, even those that contain a treasure trove of archaeological ruins, relics and rock art.
Salt Lake Tribune; 08/12/2008
Endangered Species Act changes should be made by Congress
The 35-year-old Endangered Species Act probably does need to be changed a bit, but Congress needs to do it, and the Bush administration should dump its effort to circumvent Congress and let lawmakers do their jobs and make whatever changes are needed.
Casper Star-Tribune; 08/13/2008
Conflict only certainty in oil-shale projects in the Rocky Mountain West
The Bureau of Land Management's estimate that the rocky shale in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado contains 2 trillion barrels of oil is viewed with skepticism by most people involved in energy production or analysis, but the federal government must believe, with the right subsidies, older methods of extraction can successfully pull oil out of the rock. A perspective.
NewWest.net; 08/13/2008
Montana governor one of six governors to speak at Dem convention
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is one of six Democratic governors chosen to speak at the Democratic National Convention later this month in Denver, and Schweitzer said he'll likely use the occasion to share his views on energy; Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano will also speak.
Billings Gazette; 08/14/2008
Women achieve parity in government leadership posts in Mont., Nevada
A new report by the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society at the University at Albany found that the number of women in state government leadership positions are on the rise across the nation, and that in Montana, Nevada, Alaska, Connecticut, Vermont and Washington, the number of women in such posts is roughly even with the percentage of women in the population of those states.
Los Angeles Times; 08/12/2008
Entrepreneur ousts Colorado state lawmaker in congressional primary
Former state Sen. Joan Fitz-Gerald lost her bid to be the Democratic Party's nominee in Colorado's 2nd Congressional District race to Jared Polis, an Internet millionaire who spent $5.3 million of his own money on the campaign.
Denver Post; 08/13/2008
Colorado sec'y of state wins GOP race for 6th Congressional District
After winning the Republican primary on Tuesday, Colorado Secretary of State Michael Coffman is the heavy favorite to win the race for Colorado's 6th Congressional District left open by Rep. Tom Tancredo's decision not to run for re-election.
Denver Post; 08/13/2008
Nevada congressman easily wins Republican primary
U.S. Rep. Dean Heller won 85 percent of the vote in the Republican primary for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District, and he will again face Democrat Jill Derby in November; Heller won against Derby in 2006 by 12,500 votes.
Reno Gazette-Journal; 08/13/2008
Porter, Titus skate to wins in Nevada congressional primary races
U.S. Rep. Jon Porter won 82 percent of the vote in Tuesday's Republican primary for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District, and Democratic state Sen. Dina Titus easily won her party's primary with 85 percent of the vote, pitting her against Porter in November's general election.
Las Vegas Sun (AP); 08/13/2008
Ralph Nader qualifies to be on presidential ballot in Montana
Montana Secretary of State Brad Johnson said supporters of Ralph Nader collected enough qualified signatures to put the independent candidate for president on the ballot in November.
Billings Gazette; 08/15/2008
Property-tax cap initiative qualifies for Nevada ballot
The Nevada Secretary of State said the state's version of California's Proposition 13, which would put a cap on property tax increases, has qualified to be on the ballot in November.
Reno Gazette-Journal (AP); 08/15/2008
Nevada voters oust incumbent in state races
Assemblywoman Francis Allen of Las Vegas and Assemblyman Bob Beers of Henderson both lost Republican primaries on Tuesday, although Nevada Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio of Reno won a close race with Sharron Angle, a former assemblywoman.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 08/13/2008
As windfall drops to $208M, N.M. governor scales back rebate plan
A special session of the New Mexico Legislature convenes today, with health care coverage for children and a rebate for taxpayers among the agenda items, but as the estimated state's windfall continues to fall, Gov. Bill Richardson is expected to trim the rebate taxpayers will received.
Santa Fe New Mexican; 08/15/2008
Danish company to build 2 wind-energy plants in Colorado city
Vestas Wind Systems, the Danish company that is the world's largest wind-energy manufacturer, announced today that it will build two plants in Brighton, adding 1,350 new jobs to the Colorado city's economy; one plant will manufacture wind turbines and the other will assemble turbine housings.
Denver Post; 08/15/2008
Groups challenge EPA decision on N.M. coal-fired power plant
Seven environmental groups filed a formal challenge of the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to grant an air permit for Desert Rock, a coal-fired power plant proposed on Navajo Nation land in New Mexico's Four Corners area.
Farmington Daily Times; 08/15/2008
Arizona seed bank sows solutions to global food crisis
Native Seeds/SEARCH, an Arizona nonprofit, has been collecting and providing seeds of rare and endangered food crops native to the Southwestern United States that could provide a natural solution to the rising threat climate change poses to the globe's food supply.
Arizona Republic; 08/11/2008
Stimson puts last Montana plant on indefinite closure
Stimson Lumber Co. laid off its last dozen workers in Montana on Tuesday when it shut down its finger-joint plant in Libby, and while company officials said the plant could start up again if the national housing market recovers, Libby officials and local union officials said they doubted the plant would re-open, given the company's decision to permanently shut down its mill in Bonner.
Missoulian; 08/13/2008
CO2 plant will inject new life in Wyoming oil field
Devon Energy Corp.'s carbon dioxide pipeline and injection facility under construction near Riverton isn't the first facility designed to use carbon dioxide to pump up production in aging oil fields in Wyoming, but it is the first of its kind in Fremont County.
Casper Star-Tribune; 08/14/2008
Study: California condors' survival hinges on lead ammo ban
A scientific study by a blue-ribbon panel of the American Ornithologists' Union found that the small population of California condors that live in the wilderness require so much human intervention to keep them alive, they are tantamount to zoo animals, and said that in order for condors to survive in the wild, lead ammunition must be banned in the species' western ranges.
Los Angeles Times; 08/11/2008
Federal fisheries scientists name 3 pesticides that threaten salmon
A panel of federal fisheries scientists said chloripyrifos, also known by trade names that include Dursban and Lorsban; diazinon, which is also known as Knox Out, Spectracide and other brand names; and malathion are increasing the likelihood that more than 2 dozen salmon species could become extinct.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; 08/13/2008
Spotted owls continue to decrease despite ESA protections
Fourteen years after logging was banned in most old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest to protect the northern spotted owl which was listed as endangered in 1991, the number of the owls continues to decline, and some researchers said barred owls that are moving into spotted owl territory are to blame.
Seattle Times; 08/13/2008
- USFWS cuts spotted owl critical habitat designation by 23 percent
The number of northern spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest continues to drop about 4 percent per year, but on Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it was reducing the federal forest lands in Oregon, Washington and northern California designated as critical habitat for the owl by 23 percent.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); 08/13/2008
Oregon farmers' irrigation screen saves fish, makes them money
A 1996 flood in Oregon's Mount Hood area destroyed water intakes in the Hood River Valley and put the farmers in the valley on a mission: build a better fish screen that saves fish, diverts debris and still gets water where it needs to go, and now they have a patented system that's inviting international attention.
Portland Oregonian; 08/14/2008
Two solar plants in California will cover 12.5 square miles
Two companies plan solar plants in California's San Luis Obispo County that together will cover 12.5 square miles and in the middle of a sunny day, will generate 800 megawatts of electricity, about the same generated by a coal-fired power plant or a small nuclear plant.
New York Times; 08/15/2008
As fossil fuel prices rise, drilling and mining increase in the U.S.
The Rocky Mountain West isn't the only region to see ramped up energy development; Pennsylvania is on pace to issue 7,000 oil and gas permits this year, and coal mines are also expanding.
Washington Post; 08/15/2008
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