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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
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
New this week:
Lecture Series: "Montana’s Changing Climate: Science, Solutions & You:", Flathead Valley Community College, Kalispell, Mont.
enerG Magazine's Sept./Oct. edition is published. Read a preview of the leading North American publication on alternative energy.
Oct. 8-9: Idaho Wildland Fire Conference, Boise, Idaho. Read a preview.
Oct. 8-10: The inaugural WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, Las Vegas, Nev. Read a preview.
Housing reports indicate West bucking the national trend
A report from the National Association of Realtors said that housing sales in the 13-state region of the Western United States were up about 1 percent in August when compared to August of 2007, although Seattle, Portland, Albuquerque and Salt Lake City were among the top five cities in the West where housing sales decreased the most; another report indicated home sales were surging in Las Vegas where buyers were taking advantage of foreclosure sales.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); 09/25/2008
Montana county proposes changes to rural subdivision regulations
At its meeting on Thursday, the Butte-Silver Bow planning commission will consider new regulations for rural subdivisions in the Montana county that would require developers to submit fire protection plans before submitting a primary plat application, as well as water and infrastructure needed for fighting fires, and the regulations would address design and construction material rules to mitigate fire risk.
Montana Standard; 09/24/2008
Riverside development in Wyoming hits another snag
The Sporting Club, formerly the Canyon Club, a 359-acre golf community proposed along the Snake River fifteen miles south of Jackson, has a history of financial problems dating back to its inception in 2003, and now the development's new owners are facing foreclosure threats from Wyoming's Teton County.
Jackson Hole News & Guide; 09/24/2008
Idaho city fire department issues $15K bill for saving rural home
Gary Campbell developed the rural subdivision in the Foothills overlooking Boise, but the subdivision lacks a common fire protection system and the lack of a major water source for either fire hydrants or in-house sprinklers, and Campbell may be the first homeowner outside the Idaho city limits ever billed by the Boise Fire Department for firefighting services.
Idaho Statesman; 09/25/2008
Idaho businesses tackle air-quality problems one tailpipe at a time
Vehicle emissions are the primary source of air pollution in Idaho's Treasure Valley, and businesses are offering employees a wide range of incentives to leave their cars at home.
Idaho Statesman; 09/26/2008
Idaho court decision keeps Boise River winter flows in place
An Idaho district court judge ruled that the Idaho Department of Water Resources acted within its authority when it issued a 2002 decision that maintained Boise River winter flows through Lucky Peak should remain at 300 cubic feet per second, ruling against irrigators who had argued they held the rights to the water.
Idaho Statesman; 09/25/2008
Cobell: Reports prove MMS work on tribal contracts needs scrutiny
Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit seeking an accounting of funds collected and management on behalf of tribes, said a new, three-part inspector general report on the Minerals Management Service of the Interior Department that laid bare the agency's accounting problems proves that the federal judge in the Cobell case should have looked at MMS records.
Billings Gazette (Missoulian); 09/20/2008
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes join federal, state, tribal salmon pact
The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have asked the Bonneville Power Administration to join an agreement the BPA has struck with federal regulators, Idaho, Montana and other tribes to abandon litigation over salmon in the Columbia River Basin in exchange for money for salmon recovery.
Idaho Statesman (AP); 09/22/2008
NBA star campaigns for Obama in Indian Country
Derek Fisher, the Los Angeles Lakers point guard, volunteered to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, and on Thursday he appeared at two events on the Blackfeet Reservation, where he emphasized the importance of the Native American vote this election.
Great Falls Tribune; 09/26/2008
USFWS asks federal court to vacate wolf order
Attorneys for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were back in federal court in Montana on Monday, where they asked U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy to put wolves in the Northern Rockies back on the federal endangered species list.
Great Falls Tribune; 09/23/2008
Western states, Canadian provinces roll out emissions proposal
The Western Climate Initiative, an alliance of Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, California, Oregon and Washington, along with the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, released a draft plan on Tuesday to curb greenhouse-gas emissions by 15 percent by 2020.
New York Times; 09/24/2008
Federal government drafts new brucellosis regs for Yellowstone region
The federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is working on new regulations for brucellosis for the three states that share Yellowstone National Park land, which may include a provision that creates a brucellosis management zone around the park that would prevent a case of brucellosis in that zone from causing the entire states of Montana, Idaho or Wyoming from losing its brucellosis-free status.
Billings Gazette (AP); 09/22/2008
Colorado panel approves protection of wildlife from energy operations
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission provisionally adopted a package of about 100 new rules covering a range of measures designed to protect the state's drinking water, wildlife, air and water quality from drilling operations.
Denver Post; 09/24/2008
Study to probe link between beetle-killed timber, temperature increases
The National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado has begun a four-year study of the effect beetle-killed forests from Southern Wyoming to Northern New Mexico may have on the weather in that region.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); 09/25/2008
Beetles unleashed on thirsty invader in Arizona
Tamarisk, or salt cedar, is a water guzzling plant that has taken over many riverbanks in the Southwest, and ecologists are using Diorhabda elongata, a beetle that eats just the tiny, scaly green leaves of the tamarisk, to eradicate the thirsty invader.
Christian Science Monitor; 09/25/2008
Differing opinions on sediment toxicity have Montanans wondering
Environmental Protection Agency and Montana Department of Environmental Quality officials said that while sediment washing down the Clark Fork River from the largest Superfund complex in the nation tested higher than projected for levels of arsenic, lead, zinc and copper, those levels presented no threat to human health and safety, but some University of Montana professors dispute that.
Missoulian; 09/21/2008
Official: EPA backed away from decision on Montana town due to cost
At a hearing Thursday about the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to not declare a public health emergency in Libby due to asbestos contamination, an EPA official admitted that the federal government decided against declaring such an emergency because it feared it would spark a costly, countrywide asbestos cleanup.
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; 09/26/2008
Congress must ensure $700B bailout comes with strict oversight
Lack of accountability and responsibility got the nation's financial sector into the mess it's in now, and the $700-billion bailout, which comes to about $2,000 from each and every man, woman and child in the United States, must come with strict oversight from Congress.
Salt Lake Tribune; 09/23/2008
- Federal government about to see what $700 billion will buy in public anger
No matter how acrimonious negotiations on the bailout of Wall Street gets, taxpayers can be assured that rescue in some form will be forthcoming, and given Detroit automakers' recent trips to Washington, it may not be the last, but the most costly aspect of the financial fiasco may be the loss of public trust in the federal government.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 09/26/2008
Nuclear power developer needs to come clean on Idaho project
Idaho residents have every right to know every detail about how Don Gillispie intends to fund his $5-billion nuclear power plant he wants to build in Elmore County.
Idaho Statesman; 09/24/2008
Debate over federal roadless forest lands treks along
In the years since the Clinton administration's proposal to put 58 million acres of federal forest lands off-limits to development, there have been five court rulings on the proposal, and the latest will surely be appealed, but Idaho's plan for its 9.3 million acres of such lands may provide a road map for other states to deal with the issue. An essay by Rocky Barker.
High Country News (Writers on the Range); 09/25/2008
Group presses for congressional probe of environmental lobbyists
After Utah Rep. Rob Bishop announced last week that the Interior Department's inspector general was investigating whether environmental lobbyists had improperly worked with National Landscape Conservation System officials, the Americans for American Energy, a pro-energy group, called for a congressional inquiry into the matter.
Deseret News; 09/25/2008
U.S. Senate-passed bill extends timber payments, renewable-energy breaks
On a 93-2 vote late Tuesday, the U.S. Senate sent a bill that reauthorizes for four years the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, which provides federal funds to rural counties hit hard by a cutback in logging on federal forest lands, and extends tax credits for renewable energy projects set to expire at the end of this year; the bill now moves on to the U.S. House for action.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); 09/24/2008
Federal judge orders N.M. county sheriff to end immigration raids
A federal district court judge in New Mexico issued an injunction to end raids conducted by the Otero County Sheriff's Department in poor Chaparral neighborhoods with the sole purpose of arresting illegal immigrants. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; 09/23/2008
Montana governor to serve on Obama's Clean Coal Task Force
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, along with seven other lawmakers from coal-rich states and the head of the United Mine Workers, make up Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's task force on the development of clean-coal technology.
Great Falls Tribune; 09/25/2008
Colorado, businesses team up on immigration-reform ad campaign
The state of Colorado and a coalition of business leaders are funding a television ad urging Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that began airing in Denver, Phoenix, Albuquerque and Las Vegas, and on Thursday Gov. Bill Ritter and a group of interfaith religious leaders launched a drive to distribute information in Denver churches calling for immigration reform.
Denver Post; 09/26/2008
Wyoming legislative leaders to meet, discuss USFWS's wolf decision
Following the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to return wolves in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho to the endangered species list, Wyoming lawmakers announced that a special meeting of the joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee would be scheduled soon to consider the state's options now.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 09/25/2008
Utah governor, lawmakers strike a deal on budget cuts
After lawmakers agreed to keep Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s plan to give self-employed Utahns a tax break to help them pay for health insurance, a new leaner budget was in place and it is expected the Legislature will pass it today on the second day of the special session called to address a projected $272-million budget shortfall.
Deseret News; 09/26/2008
Federal regulators seize Seattle-based Washington Mutual
Washington Mutual was seized by federal regulators late Thursday, a move that represents by far the largest bank failure in U.S. history, and sold virtually all the assets of the Seattle-based savings-and-loan to J.P. Morgan.
New York Times; 09/26/2008
Shareholders of Delta, Northwest approve merger
The merger of Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. met with shareholder approval on Thursday, and now awaits approval from the U.S. Justice Department.
Salt Lake Tribune (AP); 09/26/2008
Montana mill lays off nearly half its workforce
Tricon Timber's market has dried up, forcing the largest private employer in Montana's Mineral County to lay off 40 workers.
Missoulian; 09/23/2008
Plum Creek ends operations at Montana plant for remainder of 2008
Poor prices were cited by Plum Creek Timber officials as the reason for shutting down operations at its finger-joint stud manufacturing plant in Kalispell for the rest of this year, forcing the layoff of 24 workers on Sept. 30 at the Montana plant, just one day after layoffs at the company's Columbia Falls plant idles 35 workers.
Missoulian; 09/24/2008
Unemployment rate in Utah's Washington County highest in 4 years
The national economic downturn has hit Washington County hard, with the county reporting a 5.1 percent unemployment rate in August, considerably higher than Utah's 3.7 unemployment rate, and double the rate reported in August 2007.
St. George Spectrum; 09/23/2008
Idaho company's plans will bring dozens of new jobs to Mackay
Blackfoot-based Premier Technology Inc. announced Thursday that it plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Mackay to produce material for the U.S. Department of Defense, and that the facility will employ up to 50 people in the small Idaho town when it opens its doors.
Twin Falls Times-News; 09/26/2008
FBI's investigation of AIG began months ago
In March, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating American International Group in March to see if the mammoth insurance company had knowingly concealed massive losses.
Washington Post; 09/25/2008
GOP lawmakers balk on financial rescue plan
After a series of meetings on Capitol Hill on Thursday, it appeared Congress and President Bush were close to brokering a deal on the $700-billion plan to shore up the nation's financial industry, but negotiations stalled later in the day.
Toronto Financial Post; 09/26/2008
EPA to announce decision on perchlorate in drinking water
Career scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House and Pentagon officials have engaged in a six-year battle over establishing limits of perchlorate, an ingredient in rocket fuel that has been linked to thyroid problems in children and pregnant women, and an advance copy of the EPA's "preliminary regulatory determination" indicates that the EPA will not regulate perchlorate.
Washington Post; 09/22/2008
Washington state releases Oregon spotted frogs into the wild
Oregon spotted frogs were once found in a wide swath of territory between southern British Columbia and northern California, but the frog now exists in just two counties in Washington state, and state officials are hoping a program of raising frogs in captivity and releasing them into the wild will help restore the population.
Seattle Times; 09/23/2008
Census data links dip in immigration to nation's slowing economy
New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday said that the number of immigrants moving to the United States in 2007 was about half the number who came in 2006, and said that the nation's faltering economy was a factor in the lower immigration rate.
Denver Post (AP); 09/23/2008
Washington state couple explores turning milfoil into biofuel
Eurasian milfoil, an invasive water plant, clogs up lakes and rivers in the Northwest and hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent annually to beat back the feathery invader, but a couple from Elk are using a $8,000 grant from the Washington state Department of Ecology to find out if the plant could be a good source of biofuel.
Spokane Spokesman Review; 09/24/2008
Report: Carbon emissions in 2007 outpaced most dire predictions
The Australia-based Global Carbon Project, an international consortium of scientists that tracks emissions, released a report Thursday that said carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels and from manufacturing cement increased 2.9 percent over 2006 levels.
Washington Post; 09/26/2008
Conservationists worry that solar projects will blanket Mohave Desert
John Hiatt, a Las Vegas-based environmental activist, said BrightSource Energy, Inc.'s plan to blanket 3,400 acres of California's Ivanpah Valley with hundreds of thousands of mirrors to generate 400 megawatts of solar-powered energy puts the golden eagle, American badger, and the desert tortoise in peril, and with dozens of other such projects under consideration in California, Hiatt warned that habitat for those species and others may rapidly be overtaken.
Christian Science Monitor; 09/26/2008
U.S. refineries spend billions to upgrade to process Alberta oilsands
Not only are refineries across the United States upgrading their facilities to handle oilsands from Alberta, but those oilsands are the driving force behind the construction of a refinery in South Dakota, which is the first refinery to be built in the United States in three decades. Another in a series about Alberta's oilsands.
Billings Gazette; 09/23/2008
Environmental concerns about Alberta oilsands operations pile up
Environmental groups are concerned about Alberta's oilsands operations, not only for the sheer scale of the work which pulls thousands of tons of oil-soaked sands from under the land each day, but also for the millions of gallons of water the operations need for the work, the amount of electricity operations pull off the grid, and the amount of greenhouse gases the processes emit. Another in a series, which contains a photo gallery of oilsands operations.
Billings Gazette; 09/22/2008
Alberta's oilsands operations fastest-growing oil operation in the world
Canada ranks second only to Saudi Arabia when it comes to oil reserves, and Alberta's oilsands operations are pumping oil and money into Montana refineries. Another in a series.
Billings Gazette; 09/22/2008
Credit crunch mothballs upgrader project in Alberta
Calgary-based Value Creation Inc. quietly shut down construction on its partially completed oilsands upgrader project near Fort Saskatchewan in Alberta, citing rising costs of the project and the company's inability to obtain needed financing in the ever-tightening global credit market.
Edmonton Journal; 09/25/2008
Canadian energy lobbyist predicts U.S. will soften environmental stance
Dave Collyer, the head of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said that as the economy of the United States worsens, the country will back down from its environmental standards.
Toronto National Post; 09/23/2008
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