Embracing the green economy: Making homes more energy efficient, renewable-energy industries could provide a threefold benefit to Montana, the Northwest
Nov. 6, 2009
- Federal stimulus program for energy efficiency stumbles along
The extra scrutiny of programs designed to make buildings more energy efficient stalled community efforts to do that, and most groups awarded federal stimulus money for the work are just getting started.
Washington Post; 11/07/2009
- CLIMB Wyoming trains single moms for 'green jobs'
CLIMB Wyoming has always had the mission of training single mothers for jobs in higher-paying and nontraditional fields, and now the groups is training the women for jobs in renewable energy fields, and several women have already graduated from the wind technician program offered at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.
Casper Star-Tribune; 11/08/2009
Fact & Fiction offers a review of Timothy Egan's "The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire
That Saved America"
Nov. 12, 2009
- Timothy Egan will read from "The Big Burn" and sign copies at Fact & Fiction, 220 N. Higgins Ave., Missoula, Mont., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m.
The National Parks Conservation Association and the Big Sky Institute at Montana State University hosts a series of lectures at the Bozeman Public Library on Montana's Changing Climate and You
T. Boone Pickens heralds natural gas as U.S. fuel of choice
During a discussion with the editorial board of the Calgary Herald, Texas oil baron T. Boone Pickens said the conversion of more than seven million heavy trucks and vehicles to cleaner-burning natural gas would help wean the United States off foreign oil.
Calgary Herald; 11/12/2009
Rocky Mountain pipeline completes run from Colorado to Ohio
The final leg of the Rockies Express Pipeline, a $6.7-billion pipeline that stretches 1,700 miles from its origin in Meeker, Colo., through Wyoming and then east to its terminus in Clarington on Ohio’s eastern border is now done.
Grand Junction Sentinel; 11/12/2009
Wyoming natural gas producers optimistic about 2010
Expanded pipeline capacity has helped keep natural gas prices for Rocky Mountain producers in line with other regions, and producers in Wyoming said they'll increase production just a bit in 2010, over 2009 levels.
Casper Star-Tribune; 11/09/2009
Colorado natural gas producer adds 3 drilling rigs
Williams, the largest regional producer of natural gas in Colorado, said it would add three drilling rigs to its operations in the Centennial State, although other operators were less enthusiastic about 2010 markets.
Grand Junction Sentinel; 11/09/2009
USGS study ranks Utah 2nd in nation in per-capita water use
The U.S. Geological Survey's latest report on per-capita water use ranked Nevada first in the nation in municipal and industrial water use per person in 2005, and Utah ranked second with 245 gallons per capita daily water use; Idaho was right up there, too, with 244-gallons per capita; Arizona reported 204 gallons and Colorado 198 gallons.
Salt Lake Tribune; 11/10/2009
Colorado reservoir south of Denver under construction
Taking a "if we build it, it will come" stance on future water supplies, the Parker Water and Sanitation District is building a reservoir south of Denver, but as yet has not secured the water rights to fill the reservoir, which is 180 feet deep and covers 1,400 acres.
Denver Post; 11/10/2009
Nevada presses federal gov't to test aquifers for radioactivity
Nevada embraced its role as the testing ground for the federal government's Cold War-era nuclear weapons, but now that the Silver State is outgrowing its water resources, the state wants the federal government to find the extent that the nuclear testing contaminated its aquifers.
Los Angeles Times; 11/13/2009
Monitoring center says 75% of the country out of drought
The National Drought Mitigation Center began tracking lack of moisture across the nation 10 years ago, and the United States now has the smallest area affected by drought in all of that time.
USA Today; 11/13/2009
Report: Arizona leads the nation in CO2 pollution
Just as Arizona was at the forefront of population growth numbers in the nation over the past two decades, a new report indicates that the state led the nation in carbon dioxide pollution increases as well.
Arizona Republic; 11/13/2009
Report: CO2 emissions drop in Nevada
The amount of carbon dioxide emissions in Nevada decreased 12.5 percent between 2004 and 2007, and Environment Nevada attributed a good portion of the decrease to the shuttering of a coal-fired power plant near Laughlin.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 11/13/2009
Scientists: Storage of depleted uranium in Utah 'absurd'
Three scientists, two from Brigham Young University in Utah, said the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision that allows surface storage of depleted uranium is absurd and puts residents of Utah at risk.
Salt Lake Tribune; 11/09/2009
Navajo Code Talkers will be in NYC's Veterans Day parade
For the first time ever, Navajo Code Talkers, an elite Marine unit that used their native language to thwart the Japanese in World War II, will participate in the nation's largest Veterans Day parade in New York City.
Los Angeles Times (AP); 11/10/2009
Montana tribes' wolf plan is based on wolves' behavior
The wolf management plan put in place by the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Reservation in Montana isn't based on population numbers, but rather the policy that well-behaved wolves won't be removed, and those that kill livestock or excessive numbers of big game animals or other wildlife, or conflict with people, will be killed.
Missoulian; 11/13/2009
N.M. pueblo's housing development wins national award
The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development named the Ohkay Owingeh Housing Authority's newest residential development in New Mexico's Chico Valley as one of the 10 Honoring Nations award winners for 2008.
Santa Fe New Mexican; 11/10/2009
Roundtables on plight of urban Indians set in Montana
A roundtable in Great Falls Tuesday will address challenges encountered by Native Americans who leave Montana reservations to live and work, giving up their federal and tribal benefits to do so; another roundtable will be held in Billings within the next two months.
Great Falls Tribune; 11/11/2009
Montana tribes receive agricultural award
The Polson Chamber of Commerce awarded the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Lands Department its annual 'Agricultural Business of the Year."
Char-Koosta News; 11/13/2009
EPA study finds elevated levels of toxins in fish in 48 states
The Environmental Protection Agency studied fish tissue samples taken from 500 randomly selected lakes and reservoirs across the contiguous United States, including 16 in Montana, and the results found concentrations of toxins such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, although the levels found in fish in Montana weren't considered dangerous.
Great Falls Tribune; 11/12/2009
Project puts the meander back into Nevada river
The $7.8-million project in Nevada at the Mustang Ranch, the former site of the state's first legal bordello, will restore the Truckee River's meander on its way to Pyramid Lake, and is just one of several projects across the nation to return rivers to their natural, winding paths.
Reno Gazette-Journal; 11/09/2009
BLM nominates stretch of Utah canyon for historic designation
The Bureau of Land Management nominated 63 sites along Utah's Nine Mile Canyon for the National Register of Historic Places, and the federal agency has plans to nominate more than 800 sites in the petroglyph-rich canyon for listing in the future.
Salt Lake Tribune (AP); 11/12/2009
Montana's Blackfoot Valley project gets final infusion of federal cash
The recently signed 2010 Interior appropriations bill contained $8.4 million to finalize land purchases in Montana's Blackfoot River Valley for wildlife habitat and to protect those lands from development.
Missoulian; 11/09/2009
BLM defers sale of geothermal leases in Colorado
The Bureau of Land Management had planned to offer geothermal leases in Colorado at auction this month, but decided to hold off until January to give the agency more time to hammer out details on management of such leases.
Grand Junction Sentinel; 11/07/2009
Wyoming's beetle-killed forests could close areas near Yellowstone
The Forest Service has allocated $49 million to remove beetle-killed trees next year in areas of Colorado and Wyoming where they present a public safety problem, an effort that may close dozens of campgrounds around Yellowstone National Park next summer.
Casper Star-Tribune; 11/13/2009
Coalition sues USFS, NPS over Yellowstone-area bison
A coalition of individuals, American Indian tribes, and conservation groups including Buffalo Field Campaign and the Western Watersheds Project, filed a federal lawsuit in Montana against the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, alleging those federal agencies violated their policies by hazing and slaughtering bison that wander out of Yellowstone National Park into Montana.
Jackson Hole Daily; 11/10/2009
- Yellowstone bison may be headed to Ted Turner's Montana ranch
Montana and federal officials recommended a dozens of bison held in quarantine after they wandered out of Yellowstone National Park be relocated to Ted Turner's 113,000-acre Flying D Ranch in Montana.
Montana Standard (AP); 11/12/2009
- Alberta's not crazy about Canada's bison-in-Banff plan
The recently released draft management plan for Banff National Park calls for the reintroduction of bison into the park in Alberta, but Alberta officials are concerned about the plan and what will happen when the bison start to wander out of the park.
Toronto National Post; 11/10/2009
Montana hunters have killed 57 wolves so far this season
Montana hunters have taken about 75 percent of the state's 75-wolf quota for this hunting season.
Montana Standard; 11/10/2009
- With quota met, Idaho shuts down wolf hunt in McCall-Weiser zone
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game closed the wolf hunt in the McCall-Weiser zone on Monday because the 15-wolf limit had been met in the west-central region of the state; across the state, hunters have killed 97 of the 220 wolves allowed during this hunting season.
Idaho Statesman (AP); 11/10/2009
Feds made good call on Lubchenco as spokesperson for salmon plan
Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will represent the federal government at the U.S. District Court hearing on Nov. 23 on the government's plan for endangered salmon, a good decision given her reputation and experience. A column by Rocky Barker.
Idaho Statesman; 11/09/2009
Colorado must take hard look at solar power, transmission plan
The Western Governors Association has identified Colorado's San Luis Valley as an area with a high potential for a solar-power project, but the project and the transmission lines needed to carry the power to market will have considerable impact on the scenic valley, and state and federal officials must take a long, hard look at all the options before making a final decision.
Denver Post; 11/09/2009
Montana, N.M. senators' bill on open space funding a good idea
Montana Sen. Max Baucus and New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman have proposed legislation that would protect the annual $900-million appropriation for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an allocation that has been raided for deficit reduction nearly every year since it was set by Congress in 1977, and given Americans' enthusiasm for protecting open spaces, Congress should pass the bill.
New York Times; 11/10/2009
Wyoming's split-estate law appears to be working as planned
When legislators passed the Wyoming Split Estates Act in 2005, some predicted the state would get buried in appeals of bonds required for developers of sub-surface mineral leases, but four years later, only 11 such objections have filed, providing proof that the state's law was done just right.
Casper Star-Tribune; 11/10/2009
Montana Farm Bureau meets in Missoula, opposes climate bill
At the Montana Farm Bureau's annual meeting in Missoula Monday, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman explained his group's opposition to climate-change legislation currently under debate in Congress, and most of the 500 or so attendees signed their names on ball caps to protest the cap-and-trade legislation.
Missoulian; 11/10/2009
GOP candidates for Colorado U.S. Senate seat meet, debate
Ken Buck, Jane Norton, Cleve Tidwell and Tom Wiens, four Republicans seeking their party's nomination for Colorado's U.S. Senate seat now held by Sen. Michael Bennett, met for their first debate on Tuesday in Lakewood, and all four blamed Washington for the nation's current economic situation.
Durango Herald; 11/12/2009
Colorado Republican announces he's running again for Congress
Scott Tipton, a Cortez Republican who challenged Democrat John Salazar for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District in 2006, announced he'll challenge incumbent Salazar in 2010.
Grand Junction Sentinel; 11/11/2009
Colorado legislator ends gubernatorial run
The Washington Post reported Monday that Colorado state Sen. Minority Leader Josh Penry had decided to end his bid for the Republican nomination for governor, and may be entering the U.S. House race challenging Democratic incumbent Rep. John Salazar.
Durango Herald; 11/10/2009
- Tancredo tells reporter he'll run for governor in Colorado
Former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo told a reporter for Westword on Thursday that he "fully intends to run" for governor, putting him in contention with former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis and Evergreen businessman Dan Maes for the Republican Party's nomination.
Denver Post; 11/13/2009
In Idaho congressional race, Roberts out, Labrador in
Just 90 minutes after Idaho state Rep. Ken Roberts announced Tuesday he would not seek the Republican Party's nomination in the state's 1st District congressional race, GOP Rep. Raul Labrador of Eagle said he would make a formal announcement of his candidacy next week.
Idaho Statesman; 11/13/2009
Wyoming legislators get 'how-to' book on regulating wind industry
The Wyoming Wind Energy Task Force has assembled and delivered to state legislators a 78-page report on how state and local officials could regulate the wind industry.
Casper Star-Tribune; 11/12/2009
Utah tax board joins call to reinstate sales tax on groceries
Just two years after Utah cut sales taxes on groceries, the Utah Tax Review Commission advised reinstating the 1.75 percent grocery tax.
Salt Lake Tribune; 11/13/2009
N.M. governor approves cutting 84 appointed jobs
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson vetoed legislation that would have eliminated 102 appointed state positions, but did say he would eliminate 84 such jobs, but did not indicate which jobs would be cut.
Santa Fe New Mexican; 11/13/2009
RealtyTrac: Nevada, Arizona, Idaho in Top 5 for foreclosures
Despite Nevada's recent legislative efforts, the Silver State remains top in the nation for home foreclosures, according to RealtyTrac's report for October, with California, Florida, Arizona and Idaho, filling out the top five states for foreclosures; Utah came in 10th in the nation.
Salt Lake Tribune; 11/12/2009
Idaho counties' unemployment doubled over past year
An over-reliance on the tourism, construction and real-estate industries was cited by officials of Idaho's Blaine and Lincoln counties, where the unemployment rates more than doubled over the past year.
Twin Falls Times-News; 11/07/2009
Canadian, Irish companies propose new Montana transmission line
Officials of Ireland-based Gaelectric and Toronto-based Tonbridge Power Inc., which is already building the Montana-Alberta Tie Line, a transmission line between Lethbridge, Alberta, and Great Falls, Mont., want to extend the reach of that transmission line from Great Falls to the Bonneville Power Administration's 500-kilovolt Colstrip line west of Townsend or at Garrison, or possibly both, to provide transmission capability for wind-produced electricity.
Great Falls Tribune; 11/07/2009
Singapore-based company opens destination resort in Utah
Singapore-based Amanresorts opened Amangiri, a destination resort in southern Utah in tiny Big Water on Oct. 15.
Salt Lake Tribune; 11/09/2009
- Proposed Mount Holly resort in Utah on the auction block
The plan to turn Elk Meadows ski area into the Mount Holly Club, Utah's version of Montana's Yellowstone Club--an exclusive resort with a private ski area and golf course--has vaporized and the property is now on the auction block.
Salt Lake Tribune; 11/10/2009
Mining companies again populate list of B.C.'s best
Again this year, British Columbia's best businesses are mostly miners, with Eldorado Gold, which moved up from 18th last year, No. 1 on the list.
Vancouver Sun; 11/10/2009
Montana camelina growers applaud FDA decision
The federal Food and Drug Administration approved camelina meal for cattle feed on Monday, a decision that was expected and applauded by Montana growers of the omega 3-rich oilseed.
Billings Gazette; 11/10/2009
EPA warns 2 staff lawyers about critical YouTube video
Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel, two Environmental Protection Agency lawyers who are married and based in San Francisco, were told by the EPA to make changes to a YouTube video they had posted that criticized proposed cap-and-trade legislation favored by the Obama administration.
New York Times; 11/10/2009
Report ranks Canada's boreal forest as top carbon storehouse
A report released recently by Canadian and American researchers said that Canada's boreal forest, which stretches from Newfoundland across to the Yukon holds 208 billion tons of carbon, about 26 years' worth of emissions.
Calgary Herald (Canwest); 11/11/2009
Gold prices invade new record territory
The price of gold continued its climb into record territory today, reaching $1,123.40 an ounce.
Seattle Times (AP); 11/12/2009
Pfizer walks away from landmark eminent domain property
In New London's push to entice Pfizer to build its research headquarters in the Connecticut city, officials created a package of incentives and cleared an area by using eminent domain, an effort that resulted in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision known as the Kelo decision, which said eminent domain may be used to clear the way for private development, and now Pfizer is walking away from its offices.
New York Times; 11/13/2009
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