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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
- Poll: Westerners willing to pay more for renewable energy
A poll of 400 likely voters in each of six Western states, commissioned by the Las Vegas-Review Journal, the Denver Post and the Salt Lake Tribune, found that 64 percent of the 2,400 respondents were willing to pay more for energy created from wind, solar or other renewable resources, and in a related issue, 69 percent of those polled said they support drilling for gas and oil on public lands, and 47 percent said they favored energy development over protecting public lands from environmental damage.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 08/26/2008
- Lack of transmission capacity tangles Idaho's push for wind power
Idaho may rank 13th in the nation for potential wind power, but the state has lagged behind others with less potential in harnessing the renewable energy, due in part to the state's lack of a mandate on renewable energy, but also to a lack of transmission capacity to carry the power produced to market.
Boise Weekly; 08/20/2008
Water
- Poll finds Nevadans, Utahns most open to water restrictions
A survey jointly commissioned by the Review-Journal, the Denver Post and the Salt Lake Tribune of 400 likely voters each in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming found that Arizonans were most confident in their belief that climate change is a "scientifically established reality," while Wyoming residents were most skeptical about climate change, and that half the Nevadans polled would support water restrictions in light of dwindling supplies caused by climate change.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 08/26/2008
- Report: Climate shift under way in increasingly drier Southwest U.S.
University of Arizona researcher Stephanie McAfee's research on rainfall data in the Southwest United States found that the jet stream, which brings winter storms to that area of the U.S. have shifted north, taking much-needed rainfall with it. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; 08/24/2008
Fact & Fiction and the Bookstore at the University of Montana offer a review of offer a review of Stephen Trimble's Bargaining for Eden: The Fight for the Last Open Spaces in America
Aug. 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. 11-12: Public Land Foundation's annual meeting: "Sustaining the Ecological, Economic and Social Vitality of the Public Lands," Park City, Utah. Read a preview.
Sept. 15-17: Headwaters Summit: Re-visioning how we use water in a changing climate, Missoula, Mont. 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.
Xcel's deal with New York will disclose global warming risk
New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo subpoenaed five companies last September to determine if their efforts to build new coal-fired power plants presented risks they were not disclosing to investors, like future regulations of greenhouse gas emissions, and on Wednesday, Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy agreed to make such disclosures to its investors, a move Cuomo hopes will lead to similar agreements with Peabody Energy, AES Corporation, Dominion and Dynegy.
New York Times; 08/28/2008
As big-box stores close, communities make use of the space
A former Wal-Mart store in Laramie is now a charter school in the Wyoming city, another in Wisconsin is now a senior center, and as more major retailers close stores, cities and towns across the nation are either finding new uses for the large spaces or passing laws that require the retailers to tear them down or find new uses for them.
USA Today; 08/26/2008
New schools greet students in three Idaho cities
Two new schools opened in Meridian on Monday to help relieve overcrowding in the Idaho city's schools; five new schools opened in Boise and two in Nampa.
Idaho Statesman; 08/26/2008
Utah company earns a spot on EPA's Superfund list
U.S. Magnesium has long been ranked first on the list of the nation's worst polluters, and next week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to put the Utah company's Tooele County processing plant on its priority cleanup roster.
Salt Lake Tribune; 08/28/2008
Arizona's English-language classes post impressive results
Arizona Department of Education numbers released this week showed that, in the three districts that adopted English immersion programs to teach students for whom English is a second language, the number of students who tested proficient in English more than doubled, but officials cautioned the state will need a few more years of data before it can determine if the classes are truly effective.
Arizona Republic; 08/29/2008
Flood-devastated Havasupai community seeks emergency funding
The Havasupai Tribal Council declared a state of emergency to help tap into disaster relief funds to help the village of Supai recover from an Aug. 17 flood that washed away trails and roads that provide primary access routes to the Arizona village.
Arizona Republic; 08/26/2008
CDC report: Alcohol a factor in 12 percent of Indian deaths
A new report released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said that, between 2001 and 2005, 11.7 percent of deaths among American Indians and Alaska Natives were alcohol-related, and that a third of those alcohol-related deaths occurred in the Northern Plains, where reservations are often remote and desolate.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 08/29/2008
Coeur d'Alene Tribe questions Idaho water adjudication process
Idaho's plan to begin a water adjudication process across Coeur d'Alene and the Spokane River Basin was put on hold after the Coeur d'Alene Tribe questioned an amendment made this summer to the state's adjudication process that allows small domestic and stockwater right holders, or those who use less than 13,000 gallons per day, to opt out of the adjudication process.
Coeur d'Alene Press; 08/29/2008
Arizona tribes ask for more time on bald eagles ESA decision
After the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed federal Endangered Species Act protections for bald eagles in 2007, Arizona tribes and conservation groups sued and a federal judge ordered the federal agency to revisit the decision by Dec. 5, but on Wednesday tribes asked that the deadline be extended to October 12, 2009, to give the tribes more time to document the eagles' historic range.
Arizona Republic; 08/29/2008
Alberta study unravels mystery of bat deaths near wind turbines
University of Calgary researchers discovered that a sudden decrease in air pressure near wind turbine blades on a wind farm in Alberta caused severe injury to bats' respiratory system that resulted in hundreds of bats dying on the newly opened wind farm near Pincher Creek.
Toronto Globe and Mail; 08/27/2008
Montana Superfund work results in mixed results for river
The latest data on the dam and mining sediment removal near Milltown indicate that while the work is revitalizing one stretch of the Clark Fork River in Montana, it is also spreading mining contamination down river at levels much higher than anticipated.
Missoulian; 08/24/2008
As costs rise, federal, state governments rethink firefighting policies
The rising cost of fighting wildfires is most evident in California, where the state has already spent $285 million this fiscal year fighting fires, including $13 million in one day, long before the fall-winter season has arrived, and lawmakers are considering new incentives to local governments for adopting model land-use regulations designed to reduce the risk of wildfire in the wildland-urban interface.
Christian Science Monitor; 08/28/2008
- Perfect conditions fueled firestorm that burned Idaho neighborhood
It took just two minutes for Boise firefighters to arrive at the Oregon Trail fire that killed a BSU professor and burned nine homes in the Oregon Trail neighborhood and another in the adjacent Columbia Village in the southeast area of the city, but high winds drove the wildland fire upslope through sagebrush into the subdivision at an amazing speed.
Idaho Statesman; 08/27/2008
- Effort to quell Wyoming wildfire escalate
After letting the Gunbarrel fire burn its way through miles of beetle-killed trees in the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming, crews now are mounting a massive attack on southwestern and eastern flanks to keep it away from homes and businesses; the fire has burned 92 square miles and has cost $8 million to fight thus far.
Billings Gazette; 08/29/2008
- Colorado wildfire on the run
Wildfires in Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado funneled smoke along Colorado's Front Range on Thursday, and while there are no fires burning along the Front, lightning-sparked wildfires are on the move in the northwestern part of the state, with the Mayberry fire near Craig reported at 27,000 acres, the Meeker fire at more than 5,000 acres, and the Jordan fire, which is threatening structures near Meeker, at 500 acres.
Denver Post; 08/29/2008
- Lightning-sparked Utah wildfire burns 2,000 acres near Moab
While fire crews made progress on three Utah wildfires, a wildfire thought to be ignited by lightning early Wednesday afternoon burned quickly across 2,000 acres and forced the evacuation of two campgrounds and structures in the Miner Basin near Moab.
Salt Lake Tribune; 08/28/2008
Candidate who captures swing voters will win the West
The Rocky Mountain West provides a fine laboratory for presidential candidates to hone their skills on rallying their parties around them, while still appealing to the maverick independent voters. A fine essay by Patty Limerick, the chairwoman of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Wall Street Journal; 08/24/2008
Montana must mix land-use policies into firefighting policy
The report from Headwaters Economics presented to an interim committee of the Montana Legislature put a price tag on what it costs to save homes built in areas of the state where forests meet subdivisions, and while the report held few surprises, it highlighted the need for land-use policies that could reduce the state's cost of fighting wildfires.
Great Falls Tribune; 08/27/2008
Election-year politics fueling drive to end ban on offshore drilling
The effort afoot in Congress to end a ban put in place in 1981 on offshore drilling has been embraced by federal lawmakers as a way to end the United States' dependence on foreign oil, but it's no coincidence that this push is occurring during an election year as politicians increase their pandering to Big Oil. A column by former Montana Congressman Pat Williams, a Senior Fellow at the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, of which Headwaters News is a project.
Pat Williams, O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West; 08/27/2008
Arizona's plan to fight invasive species a good start
Arizona's plan to fight invasive species, such as the crayfish, quagga mussels and buffelgrass, to name a few, is a little light on the solution side, which comes as no surprise given the state's dire financial situation, but time is of the essence in a battle to keep the invasive species from establishing a firmer foothold in the state.
Arizona Republic; 08/28/2008
Obama camp must prove 'I have a dream' extends to Indian Country
Hillary Clinton's plans on universal health care and rural economic development resonated with Native Americans, drawing many of them into the political arena, and both Barack Obama and John McCain must address issues of importance in Indian Country, and Natives must do their part by registering to vote and casting their vote on Nov. 4.
Indian Country Today; 08/29/2008
McCain names Alaska governor as vice presidential pick
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was named by two GOP strategists close to John McCain's campaign as the Republican presumptive presidential nominee's running mate.
Denver Rocky Mountain News (AP); 08/29/2008
Obama accepts Democrats' nomination at Denver convention
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama made history Thursday night as the first African-American to receive a presidential nomination from a major political party, and in his acceptance speech, the Democratic nominee toggled between sweeping themes and detailed policies.
Denver Post; 08/29/2008
Hunters, anglers say their presidential votes up for grabs
Sportsmen said their political agenda includes more than gun rights, and many hunters and anglers are waiting to hear what the presidential candidates say about such issues as climate change, open space and public lands before casting their votes.
Aspen Times (AP); 08/29/2008
Poll: Westerners prefer giving illegal immigrants legal route to citizenship
A telephone poll commissioned by the Review-Journal, the Denver Post and the Salt Lake Tribune earlier this month of 400 likely voters in each Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming found that 53 percent of those polled believed undocumented immigrants working in the United States should be provided a legal path to citizenship rather than be deported, and 71 percent of those polled supported stronger security measures at the country's borders.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 08/25/2008
Obama camp assures Wyoming delegates coal part of power mix
Wyoming delegates to the Democratic National Convention had breakfast Monday with Obama energy adviser Julie Anderson, who told them that the Democratic presidential candidate's long-term energy goals include development of solar and wind sources for power, but also considers coal a critical part of the nation's energy picture.
Casper Star-Tribune; 08/26/2008
Nader unloads on coal in Wyoming
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader traveled to the nation's top coal-producing state to declare that he believes future generations will believe that burning coal to produce electricity constitutes a crime against humanity.
Billings Gazette (AP); 08/29/2008
New Mexico, 11 other states sue EPA over refinery emissions rules
Twelve states and two cities have sued the Environmental Protection Agency, charging that the federal agency is violating the Clean Air Act by refusing to institute new performance standards for refineries, which the suit alleges are responsible for 15 percent of carbon-dioxide emissions.
New York Times; 08/26/2008
Wyoming governor again presses for property-tax exemption
Gov. Dave Freudenthal told lawmakers he would again try to get some property tax relief for Wyoming homeowners struggling with higher energy and food costs, and lawmakers said they're already working on a similar plan.
Casper Star-Tribune; 08/27/2008
Utah lawmakers urged to stay the course on illegal immigration bill
At the third of eight hearings scheduled by the Utah legislative Immigration Interim Committee on SB81, legislation passed in 2008 but not scheduled to take effect until July 1, 2009, which allows state law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws and holds companies accountable for hiring undocumented workers, lawmakers heard a variety of views on the law.
Salt Lake Tribune; 08/28/2008
Colorado county pushes for statewide tax on lift tickets
Eagle County Commissioner Peter Runyon asked Colorado Counties Inc. to lobby for a tax on lift tickets, which are exempt from sales taxes, to help pay for roads, housing or other public works.
Vail Daily; 08/29/2008
Burst of renewable energy bumps into lack of transmission capacity
A wind farm in New York state was forced to shut down because there was no available transmission line capacity to carry the electricity generated to where the demand for it is, a scenario that is repeated throughout the nation as more renewable energy projects come on line.
New York Times; 08/27/2008
Washington utility declines to buy coal-fired power from Montana plant
The proposed coal-fired Highwood Generating Station planned near Great Falls lost another customer, and the Grant County Public Utility District in Washington state said public criticism of coal-fired power was the only reason stated for its decision to not buy power from the as-yet unbuilt Montana plant.
Great Falls Tribune; 08/29/2008
Rio Tinto posts $6.9 billion profit
The record first-half profit posted by the owner of Utah's Kennecott operations is due to Rio Tinto's purchase of Alcan, a Canadian company, in October of 2007, as well as strong demand for the company's iron ore from Asian steelmakers.
Salt Lake Tribune; 08/26/2008
Grupo Mexico subsidiary files competing Asarco reorganization plan
Montana has a dog in the hunt for environmental remediation money from Asarco, which operated a smelter in East Helena for decades and mines elsewhere in the state as well, and on Tuesday a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico, which bought Asarco LLC nearly 10 years ago, filed a competing reorganization plan that would pay $2.7 billion in cash for environmental cleanup; Asarco which has been fighting to regain control of the company from Grupo Mexico, filed its plan last week.
Helena Independent Record (Arizona Daily Star); 08/28/2008
Natural gas production on the rise in the U.S.
Oil production in the United States has been declining since the 70s, with a 21 percent decline in the last decade alone, but new technology has pumped up production of natural gas, sending prices nationally down 42 percent since July as supplies far outpace demand.
New York Times; 08/24/2008
Steelhead numbers rebound in Oregon river
After seven years of sub-par half-pounder runs of steelhead in Oregon's lower Rogue River, the river is teeming with the fish these days.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Medford Mail Tribune); 08/26/2008
Alaska voters shoot down water-quality initiative
With more than 84 percent of the votes counted early Wednesday, a ballot initiative designed to impose new water-quality standards on new mining operations in Alaska appeared headed for defeat, with 57 percent of the votes rejecting the initiative.
Seattle Times (AP); 08/27/2008
California catches mussel-covered boat before Lake Tahoe launch
A boat encrusted with quagga mussels was quarantined before it could be launched into Lake Tahoe, in what officials are calling the first "close call" for the lake; the quagga mussels rapidly reproduce and quickly disrupt lakes' ecological system.
Reno Gazette-Journal; 08/28/2008
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