Searching for the soul of America: Report highlights challenges to National Landscape Conservation System, recommends actions to address those challenges
Aug. 20, 2009
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Keeping Safe: On Montana's Blackfeet Reservation, the Po'ka Ranch looks beyond bars and walls to help troubled youth.
June 18, 2009
University of New Mexico Law Professor Denise D. Fort reviews Robert Glennon'sUnquenchable: America's water crisis and
what to do about it
Sept. 10, 2009
Alternative Energy Resources Organization's Montana Energy Tours:
Oct. 12-13: NewWest.net's 4th annual
Real Estate and Development in the
Northern Rockies
Utah's 'Red Rock' wilderness bill gets its day in Congress
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act was first introduced by the late Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah, in 1989, and has been introduced each year since then, but the bill that would designate 9.4 million acres in southern Utah as wilderness has never had a hearing or been voted on until this year, and on Oct. 1, a House Natural Resources subcommittee will hold a hearing on the bill.
Salt Lake Tribune; 09/18/2009
Bingaman, Udall introduce N.M. wilderness bill
On Thursday, U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall submitted their Organ Mountains Desert Peaks Wilderness Act, which would designate 259,000 acres in the New Mexico mountains as wilderness, and protect another 100,000 acres as a conservation area.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); 09/18/2009
Montana group releases details of Rocky Mountain Front bill
The Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act crafted by the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front targets lands along the Montana Front sandwiched between wilderness areas on the west and development on the east.
Great Falls Tribune; 09/17/2009
Nevada decision on gun permits draws Utah gun owners' ire
The Nevada Sheriffs' and Chiefs' Association, which sets the standards for that state's gun permit recognition, decided on July 1 to drop Utah from its list of states whose concealed-weapon permit holders can legally carry guns in the Silver State, because Utah does not require permit holders to pass a live-fire proficiency test on a shooting range.
Salt Lake Tribune; 09/15/2009
Lehman Brothers forecloses on Montana ski resort
As expected, Lehman Brothers filed court documents necessary to complete its foreclosure action on Montana's Moonlight Basin, a private ski and golf development in the Madison Mountains.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; 09/15/2009
Blixseth fires round of document subpoenas at Credit Suisse
In the latest round of litigation involving the founder of the Yellowstone Club in Montana, Tim Blixseth filed subpoenas directed at 31 Credit Suisse officials demanding documents that he said would expose the Swiss bank's "predatory lending practices."
NewWest.net; 09/15/2009
Utah congressman asks DOE to suspend depleted-uranium shipments
After a split decision from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission designed depleted uranium as a Class A low-level waste, a decision that opened EnergySolutions' Tooele County facility up to store the waste, Utah U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson asked the U.S. Energy Department to hold off on shipping 14,800 barrels of the waste to Utah until scientists can further study the effects of long-term storage of the waste, which becomes more radioactive as it ages.
Salt Lake Tribune; 09/17/2009
Partnership revives Colorado ski-train route
Iowa Pacific Holdings LLC, a company that operates seasonal and excursion routes in Colorado, and Amtrak are partnering up to revive the Ski Train between Denver and Winter Park, with trains scheduled to run between Dec. 26 and March 28.
Denver Post; 09/18/2009
Tribes get bond authority under the federal stimulus act
Fifty-eight tribes in the United States will share $1-billion in bonding authority under the federal stimulus package, and three New Mexico pueblos are among those 58.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); 09/16/2009
Another tribe bans uranium mining on its N. Arizona lands
Most of Arizona's uranium is in the northwest region of the state where much of the land is owned by tribes, and the Hualapai Tribe recently renewed its ban on uranium mining on its lands, joining the Navajo, Havasupai and Hopi tribes that have enacted similar bans.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); 09/17/2009
Echo Hawk vows action on stalled Navajo irrigation project
During a tour of the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, a large farm operation on the Navajo Nation near Farmington, N.M., Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk vowed to inject new momentum--and funding--into the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, which manages the irrigation project and was authorized by Congress in the 1960s, but has stalled over the past two decades.
Farmington Daily-Times; 09/18/2009
GAO report criticizes BLM's use of categorical exclusions
The Government Accountability Office released a report that said the Bureau of Land Management's use of categorical exclusions in 2006-2008 was frequently out of compliance with federal law, and recommended that the use of the process, which streamlines the environmental review of energy projects, be brought into line with federal law.
Casper Star-Tribune; 09/17/2009
Salazar announces Interior Dept.'s climate-change initiative
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Monday that his department will create "regional climate change response centers" that will create strategies to respond to the changes in climate, including exploration of methods to sequester carbon and finding ways to cut the Department's greenhouse gas emissions.
Washington Post; 09/15/2009
Montana bear managers capture 5 grizzlies near Dupuyer
After a Montana rancher near Dupuyer reported a cow was killed by a grizzly bear on Saturday, state bear managers set four snares near the carcass to capture the bear responsible for the kill, and on Monday, when they checked the snares, they found five bears.
Great Falls Tribune; 09/17/2009
Alberta completes 5-year grizzly bear study
Alberta's five-year study of grizzly bear numbers in the Canadian province estimated there are 581 bears in the area south of Grande Prairie to the Montana border, but the estimate does not cover most of Jasper and Banff National Parks, the Swan Hills area or northwestern Alberta, and the study will be used in an independent, scientific review of the bear's status in the province, which is scheduled to be completed in 2010.
Edmonton Journal; 09/18/2009
Groups won't appeal decision on Idaho, Montana wolf hunts
The 14 environmental and conservation groups that sought a preliminary injunction on wolf hunts in Idaho and Montana said they won't appeal the Montana federal district court decision that rejected that request, and will instead focus on their case seeking the species' return to the federal endangered species list.
Missoulian; 09/15/2009
Report: Emissions from Alberta's oilsands surpass some nations'
A new report to be issued today, "Dirty – How the Tar Sands are Fueling Global Climate Change," said that emissions from Alberta's oilsands operations already exceed that of Estonia and Lithuania, and if development contains on pace, those emissions will exceed that of Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Denmark by 2020.
Toronto Globe and Mail; 09/14/2009
Federal appeals court says Asarco land swap in Arizona illegal
A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an Arizona land exchange between the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Tucson-based Asarco LLC that would allow Asarco to expand its Ray copper mine 85 miles east of downtown Phoenix is illegal.
Arizona Republic (AP); 09/15/2009
There is no 'change' in USDA's new agenda
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack laid out the Obama administration's agenda for managing forest and grasslands last week, unfortunately most of the methods proscribed are the tried and failed of previous administration.
High Country News (The Grange); 09/12/2009
Reprocessing nuclear waste not a solution but a dangerous detour
With the proposal to site a nuclear-waste repository in Nevada's Yucca Mountain nearly dead, the U.S. must develop a plan to handle its spent nuclear fuel, but reprocessing that fuel is not the answer, since the process simply raises the cost of the fuel and still results in concentrated recycled plutonium that still needs to be stored. A guest column by physicist Frank von Hippel, who is a professor of public and international affairs at Princeton University and co-chairs the International Panel on Fissile Materials.
Los Angeles Times; 09/15/2009
Cedar Breaks deserves to be Utah's new national park
Cedar Breaks National Monument's 1,600-year-old bristlecone pines, its who's who of Utah mammals and the area's colorful, mineral-stained rock formations provide more than enough reasons to turn the monument into a new national park.
Salt Lake Tribune; 09/17/2009
Those who dream of breaching Snake River dams need reality check
Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington state would bear the brunt of the economic consequences of breaching the Snake River dams, and until the federal government and the environmental groups pressing for this scenario can pay the tab for their Holy Grail project, the dam-breaching should remain just a fantasy.
Twin Falls Times-News; 09/17/2009
Utah should adopt Nevada's standard on concealed-gun permits
Nevada requires people who want to carry a concealed weapon to pass a firearms safety course and qualify to carry the weapon they wish to carry under the permit, a reasonable standard, and since Utah has no such requirement, the Silver State won't recognize Utah carry permits--a decision that has raised the ire of Utah gun owners, but a simple--and logical--solution would be for Utah to raise its standards to that of Nevada.
Salt Lake Tribune; 09/18/2009
U.S. Justice Dept. investigates former Interior Sec'y Norton
During the waning months of the George W. Bush administration, the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General launched an investigation into whether Gale Norton discussed employment with Royal Dutch Shell PLC at the time she was Interior Secretary and when the Interior Department awarded that company three oil shale leases in Colorado, and now the matter has been referred to the U.S. Justice Department for a criminal investigation.
Los Angeles Times; 09/17/2009
Interior secretary ends royalty-in-kind program
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Wednesday that it would end its controversial royalty-in-kind program, which allowed energy companies to pay royalties in actual oil and natural gas.
Denver Post (AP); 09/17/2009
- Wyoming governor wants to audit MMS royalty-in-kind payments
Royalty-in-kind payments pay federal energy royalties in the form of actual oil and natural gas, with Wyoming's royalty-in-kind the largest onshore program in the country, and after a review of the Minerals Management Service's administration of the RIK program indicated the MMS wasn't collecting all the revenues it should, Gov. Dave Freudenthal asked the MMS to let the state conduct an audit of three years of natural gas payments to the state under the program.
Wyofile.com; 09/17/2009
Baucus' health care bill receives lukewarm support
Not one Republican senator spoke in support of Montana U.S. Sen. Max Baucus' $774-billion health care reform bill, and Democrats weren't wild about it either, but the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office did forecast that the bill would generate enough revenue to expand coverage and reduce budget deficits by nearly $50 billion over the next ten years.
Washington Post; 09/17/2009
Utah senator's bill would add citizenship status to Census survey
Utah U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett introduced legislation Thursday that would require Census Bureau workers to inquire about citizenship status during the 2010 census.
Salt Lake Tribune; 09/18/2009
Wyoming Realtors want to make transfer tax unconstitutional
The Wyoming Association of Realtors wants to amend the state constitution to make a transfer tax on real estate unconstitutional, a measure Rep. Keith Gingery, R-Jackson, said goes too far.
Jackson Hole News & Guide; 09/16/2009
Montana's Rocky Mountain Front to sprout another wind farm
When the 210-megawatts Glacier Wind Farm goes online in a few weeks in Montana, it will enjoy a short-lived distinction as the state's largest wind farm, as NaturEner unveiled its plan for a second, 309-megawatts facility just 25 miles away from Glacier Wind Farm.
Great Falls Tribune; 09/13/2009
Utah's geothermal power plant loses steam
Raser Technology Inc. began producing electricity at its geothermal plant in Utah six months ago, but the company is buying nearly as much electricity to keep the plant going as it is producing as the water the plant is using is hovering around 180 degrees, a temperature Raser said would be hot enough to drive its technology but isn't proving to be.
Salt Lake Tribune; 09/18/2009
Alberta company on the hunt for oil, gas in Idaho basin
There is currently no natural gas nor oil production in Idaho, but Alberta-based Bridge Resources Corp. has filed for four drilling permits in the Treasure Valley near New Plymouth and Payette, an area that hasn't seen drilling activity for more than two decades.
Idaho Statesman; 09/14/2009
Adobe Systems bids $1.8B for Utah's largest high-tech company
Omniture Inc. of Orem is Utah's largest high-tech company, and if Adobe Systems, Inc.'s $1.8-billion bid is accepted, the company will become a new sector of Adobe but will remain headquartered in Utah.
Salt Lake Tribune; 09/16/2009
Largest gold producer in U.S. focuses on Nevada resources
The chief executive of Denver-based Newmont Mining Co. said Thursday that the nation's largest gold producer will focus on its existing mines in Nevada to bolster its reserves.
Denver Post; 09/18/2009
NTSB: Firefighting copter in fatal 2008 crash was overloaded
The National Transportation Safety Board's report on a 2008 helicopter crash in northern California that killed seven wildland firefighters, as well as the pilot and a Forest Service inspector pilot, was 2,000 pounds heavier than U.S. Forest Service guidelines recommend, which led to the copter's crash and the nine deaths.
Portland Oregonian; 09/17/2009
Obama salmon plan renews dam-removal option
On Tuesday, the Obama administration largely endorsed the salmon recovery plan put in place by the preceding administration that calls for improved river habitat for the fish throughout Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho, including safe passage around dams on those rivers, although the Obama plan renews the option of removing dams should the species decline further.
Portland Oregonian; 09/16/2009
Former Oregon researcher takes lead on salmon argument
Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, has the task of convincing U.S. District Court Judge James Redden that changes proposed by the Obama administration to the preceding administration's salmon plan will improve survival of 13 species of threatened and endangered salmon.
Idaho Statesman; 09/16/2009
B.C. questions Canada's fisheries program after dismal salmon run
Canada's Department of Fisheries and Ocean's forecast that 10.6 million sockeye salmon would make their way to the Fraser River in British Columbia this year, but only about 1.37 million fish actually returned, and British Columbia officials are demanding an investigation into the federal agency's forecasting process.
Toronto Globe and Mail; 09/18/2009
Hawaii's resources provide living laboratory for renewable energy
Each of Hawaii's six main islands have at least one renewable source of energy being tapped: in Maui, it's wave energy; on Lanai and Molokai, it's wind energy; solar panels provide power in Oahu; a biomass project is underway Kauai, and on the Big Island, seawater is being turned into electricity.
New York Times; 09/15/2009
Algae is all the rage on California's 'biotech beach'
An area of San Diego is known as Biotech Beach due to the nearly 200 companies that have set up shop there to conduct research into turning algae into oil, and now national energy companies are converging on that area of California as well.
Los Angeles Times; 09/17/2009
U.S. BuRec announces study of river basins in the West
At a meeting in New Mexico Thursday of the Colorado River stakeholders, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor announced that his agency would study the Colorado River Basin, the the Milk and St. Mary River systems in Montana, and the Yakima River basin in Washington state over the next two years to assess future demands, supplies and how climate change may affect water resources in those basins.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); Sept. 18
Idaho develops system to track water consumption of land parcels
A method developed by the Idaho Department of Water Resources and the University of Idaho uses surface temperature data from government satellites, air temperature and a system of algorithms to measure how much water is used on a parcel of land via evapotranspiration, which is basically the amount of water that is returned from the land to the atmosphere.
Washington Post; 09/14/2009
New USFS study on Northwest river run-off concerns scientists
U.S. Forest Service scientists reviewed changes in the flows of 43 rivers and streams across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and western Montana since 1948, and found that during particularly dry years, river flows decreased as much as 50 percent.
Portland Oregonian; 09/15/2009
NYT finds national increase in Clean Water Act violations
The Clean Water Act is nearly four decades old, and states have laws in place to protect water quality as well, but an extensive New York Times' review of water pollution records finds that many violators are not punished. Contains a searchable database of violations.
New York Times; 09/13/2009
Runoff from dairies, farms befoul communities' drinking water
Agricultural runoff is the largest source of pollution in rivers and streams in the United States, but many farms and dairies aren't subject to federal regulation and many that are don't comply with self-reporting regulations, and state and local ordinances either don't go far enough or don't exist at all.
New York Times; 09/18/2009
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