Headwaters News: Week in Review

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The Rockies' Year in Review:
Top Stories in the Rocky Mountain West

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Headwaters News is on holiday this week, and in lieu of our daily postings we offer a look back at some of the happenings in 2007. You can check out the year's worth of Western Perspectives and other original columns, as well as the year's Weeks in Review here.

We'll see you back online on Jan. 2.

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Western Perspective

These are just a few of the original columns than ran as Western Perspectives in 2007. To see a full index, go here.

A Watershed Approach: There's a new homegrown democratic process at work in Montana and the West.
Jan. 4, 2007
Read the column and send us your comments (0)

Watering the West:
A new report helps fill in the missing link between land-use and water planning. A column by Sarah B. Van de Wetering at the
Public Policy Research Institute at the University of Montana.
March 15, 2007
Read the column and send us your comments

The West by design:
The Sonoran Institute's new project showcases what's right with development in the Northern Rockies
May 3, 2007
Read the column and send us your comments

How the West can Save:
The Center of the American West's new report examines how Westerners' relationship with energy is destined to change
June 14, 2007

Read the column and send us your comments

Western growth and its discontent:
A new book lays out strategies to direct growth, and save the special qualities of the region.
Aug. 16, 2007

Read the column and send us your comments.

Cabela's addresses land sales concerns in Montana
Cabela's, the leading retailer of hunting and fishing gear, has taken heat in Montana for a land sale conducted through the Cabela's Trophy Properties that resulted in the loss of public access not only to the block management lands on the Weaver Ranch in central Montana but also to the state and federal inholdings within those lands, a situation Mike Callahan, Cabela's Senior Vice President, vowed not to let happen again.
NewWest.net; 12/04/2007
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West's move to 'restoration economy' has a ways to go
A new report by Western Progress and Progressive States Network that follows eight western states' efforts to clean up lands ravaged by decades of extractive resources is an informative read, but if Montana and the other seven states want to truly embark on a tandem effort to rehabilitate the environment and recharge the economy, there's much work to be done. A perspective.
NewWest.net; 12/05/2007
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Montana development's conservation claims under scrutiny
Wade Dokken says his Ameya Preserve will be the "most sustainable community every built," allowing only 300 homes on 1,500 acres of land on a 9,500-acre parcel near Livingston, conserving the remainder acres for wildlife, but the development will also consist of second, and possibly third or fourth, homes for ultra-wealthy clientele, and the project has ignited a lot of debate in the Montana community. A perspective. Part of a four-part series. Read Parts Two, Three and Four.
NewWest.net; 12/20/2007
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West deals with the other water problem from climate change
While oceanside cities and nations around the world are contemplating rising waters caused by climate change, the Rocky Mountain West is starting to see what less water means. An indepth look at the future of freshwater supplies in the Rocky Mountain West.
New York Times Magazine; 10/21/2007
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Insurers want more wildfire-risk work done on homes in the West
Over the past year, some of the nation's top companies that issue homeowners' insurance have begun conducting inspections of homes in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Montana, requiring homeowners in wildfire-prone areas to clear brush and trees from around their homes and install fireproof roofs, or face cancellation of their policies.
Arizona Daily Star (AP); 05/21/2007
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Amtrak funding bill contains measure on southern Montana route
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., successfully amended the $10.8 billion Amtrak funding bill to include a measure that requires the corporation to study the feasibility of reopening the "North Coast Hiawatha Route” which runs through Missoula on its run from Chicago to Seattle.
Missoulian; 10/31/2007
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Arizona, developer settle land-damage claim for a record $12.1 million
A developer and his partners will pay $12.1 million for damage done by work on a proposed development in Arizona's Pinal County, the largest such environmental-enforcement settlement in Arizona's history according to Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.
Arizona Republic; 12/21/2007
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Tribes

Tribe will open Grand Canyon skywalk today
The Hualapai Tribe will open the $30 million, glass-bottomed skywalk that juts 70 feet beyond the Grand Canyon's edge today.
Arizona Daily Star (AP); 03/20/2007
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Land-rich tribes find cash in carbon-trading programs
The Montana-based National Carbon Offset Coalition has created an Indian tribe “carbon portfolio” that allows tribes to sell carbon sequestration credits for forests planted on their lands, and the Nez Perce in Idaho are turning farmland back into forest lands to help offset carbon produced by coal-fired plants and other industrial operations.
New York Times; 05/08/2007
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Report: Revenue from tribal gaming operations outpaces Vegas
In a federal report released Monday, tribal gaming operations in 28 states brought in $25.1 billion in 2006, up from $12.8 billion in 2001. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; 06/05/2007
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For thousands of Navajos, potable water a daily uncertainty
Tens of thousands of the 200,000 people who live on Navajo land must haul their drinking water, a fact of life that has made water-efficiency a way of life for many Navajo, who use as little as 10 to 15 gallons of water each day, while Phoenix residents average about 170 gallons per day.
Arizona Republic; 08/26/2007
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Mercury
Monitoring finds three kinds of mercury coming from Nevada mines
Regulators in Nevada said yesterday that new monitoring by a third party at five of Nevada's largest mines has found three kinds of mercury coming from mine smokestacks, including a gaseous form that can find its way into fish, and the findings help the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection tell mines what kind of pollution control technology to require at the mines.
Las Vegas Review-Journal (AP); 05/11/2007
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Study: Mercury from Nevada gold mine falls into Idaho
Tests conducted by the Nevada found that gold mines in that state emitted higher than expected mercury emissions that tended to fall to the ground closer to the emitting sources, and Idaho tests in 2005 found that airborne mercury levels in Twin Falls rose 40 percent when prevailing winds blew from an area of Nevada where five gold mines are located.
Idaho Statesman; 06/10/2007
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Public Lands
Congress puts new USFS chief on the hot seat
U.S. Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell made her first appearance before Congress on Tuesday, where she faced tough questions about President Bush's proposed budget, which would cut the U.S. Forest Service's budget by 2 percent and cut 2,100 positions for the fiscal year 2008.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 02/14/2007
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Idaho lawmakers reintroduce wilderness bills in U.S. Congress
Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson is reintroducing his Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act and Sen. Mike Crapo will also reintroduce his Owyhee Canyonlands bill, and together both bills would add 1,295 square miles of wilderness to the state, but some say the bills will still have a tough time being passed, despite now being presented to a Democratic Congress.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 03/06/2007
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BLM releases report on oil shale development in Colo., Wyo., Utah
According to the Bureau of Land Management's draft environmental study released Thursday on the effects of commercial oil shale development on 1.99 million acres of federal land in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, those states would get an economic shot in the arm from such development, which would supplant all other uses of the land including farming, recreational use and other oil and gas development.
Grand Junction Sentinel; 12/21/2007
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Colorado governor releases his recommendations for the Roan Plateau
Gov. Bill Ritter's recommendations on proposed energy development on Colorado's Roan Plateau included a 72 percent increase in federal lands off-limits to drilling, expanding the number of "environmentally critical" acres from 21,000 to more than 36,000 acres, and the creation of narrow corridors through those lands for companies to use to access drill sites.
Denver Rocky Mountain News; 12/21/2007
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Environmentalists warn Montana could become 'another Wyoming'
Montana sits atop considerable oil, natural gas and other natural resources, and while national parks and wilderness areas protects much of western Montana, energy companies are ramping up efforts in the central and eastern region of the state, and some environmental groups are afraid those regions will soon become much like Wyoming, with oil and gas operations creating urban conditions in rural reaches of the state.
Missoulian; 11/18/2007
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Energy development. recreation collide on West's public lands
The push to develop domestic sources of energy that began in 2001 has created industrial zones in some of the West's formerly wild places, and allowed oil and gas wells to be drilled just yards away from ancient sites. An in-depth look at the impact of energy development on public lands in the Rocky Mountain West.
Condé Nast Traveler (Concierge.com); 11/30/2007
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Ferocious wildfire season sparks questions
Seven firefighters died fighting wildfires this year that destroyed 400 homes, a sharp increase when compared to last year, and firefighters said they were frustrated by homeowners who took no action to reduce the risk of wildfire near their homes, but fire commanders said they were more likely to walk away from structures where no precautionary measures had been taken rather than put crews in danger to protect them.
Billings Gazette (AP); 10/03/2007
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Interior secretary says drought, wind to blame for Idaho wildfire
Countering criticism from Idaho's governor and U.S. senators, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne defended Bureau of Land Management firefighters' efforts on the massive Murphy Complex fire that burned more than 650,000 acres in Idaho.
Idaho Statesman; 08/02/2007
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Four Western states plan concerted attack on cheatgrass
Under an agreement signed Monday in Boise, the governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming plan to replant the hundreds of thousands of acres burned by wildfire in their states with native and fire-resistant plants in an organized effort to weed out cheatgrass, a fast-growing and highly flammable species the governors said provided fuel for the destructive wildfires.
Idaho Statesman; 08/07/2007
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U.S. wildfire officials would like to adopt Australian attitude
Many residents ignored Idaho Gov. Butch Otter's mandatory evacuation order, and U.S. wildfire experts agree that educating residents on how best to defend their homes and protect themselves may be a better route than forcing people from their homes--a policy based on Australia's "stay and defend or leave early," wildfire policy.
Idaho Statesman; 09/04/2007
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Wildlife
Species suits now have Interior Dept documents to back up claims
In the six lawsuits filed last week by the Center for Biological Diversity to press for listing species as endangered, the claims are supported by documents from the Interior Department and its Inspector General that revealed political interference with scientific recommendations on listing of species such as the Mexican garter snake and the loach minnow.
Christian Science Monitor; 11/20/2007
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USFWS will review 7 endangered species decisions
Citing improper influence by Julie MacDonald, the deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will take another look at seven of the eight decisions on endangered species where MacDonald's influence was questioned, including one on the Preble's jumping mouse, a habitat decision on Canada lynx, and one on the white-tailed prairie dog.
Denver Rocky Mountain News; 11/28/2007
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Wyoming board approves wolf-management plan
On Friday, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved a wolf-management plan for the state once the federal government removes the species from the federal endangered species list, but environmental groups said the plan does too little to protect wolves and their habitat; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must approve the plan before the wolf's status is changed.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 11/18/2007
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Montana game commission approves preliminary wolf hunt plan
If the federal government takes the wolf off the endangered species list in February 2008, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission has a preliminary plan in place that splits the state into three management units, establishes a minimum population of 100 wolves, and may allow up to 130 wolves to be removed a year in a hunting season that would run from Sept. 15 to Nov. 30; the plan may be changed somewhat after the conclusion of 44 town meetings next month.
Helena Independent Record; 12/21/2007

Canadian railway announces plan to help Banff grizzly bears
Over the past six years, Canadian Pacific Railway trains have killed four female grizzly bears feeding on spilled grain on railroad tracks that run through Banff National Park, leaving five yearling cubs behind that also died, and the railway company has said that it will inspect and repair hopper cars to keep grain from spilling onto the tracks.
Edmonton Journal; 05/04/2007
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Census finds fewer than 100 grizzly bears in Alberta province
A new census of grizzly bear populations in Alberta west and south of Calgary and south of Banff National Park found fewer than 100 bears, and bear experts fear that the bears may cease to exist over the next 50 to 100 years if action isn't taken.
Toronto Globe and Mail; 06/11/2007
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Banff officials use fences to help wolves, cougars prey on elk
In an effort to reduce the number of elk in Banff National Park, officials have installed wooden fences across highway underpasses in the Alberta park in an effort to trap the elk on the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway where they are more likely to fall prey to wolves and cougars.
Calgary Herald; 11/15/2007
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Opinion

Land stewardship, not ownership, should matter most in the West
Westerners need to get over the fact that wealthy out-of-staters are buying up lands in Western states, and acknowledge that what matters most in states such as Montana, is not who owns the land but how the owners of those lands care for them.
Writers on the Range; 04/05/2007
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Rocky Mountain states driving energy debate
Dependence on fossil fuels has caused the climate to warm, and alternatives are available, though so far national leadership isn't, but Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Montana have all adopted standards to lower reliance on fossil fuels and are helping to drive the national energy debate and create new energy economies. A column by Tom Daschle, former Democratic senator from South Dakota.
Arizona Daily Star; 05/29/2007
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EPA decision will help clean up old mines across the West
On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency released its “Model Good Samaritan Agreement” designed to ramp up volunteer efforts to clean up mining waste, a move that could have considerable effect in the West, where most of the half-million abandoned hard-rock mines are located. A guest column by Robert E. Roberts, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8.
Missoulian; 06/08/2007
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This year's wildfire season is harbinger of the future
This year's wildfire season burned across tens of thousands of acres in Montana and Idaho, during which the efforts of firefighters and the cooperation of the region's residents were truly appreciated, but conditions of the 2007 fire season will more than likely become the norm, which means the region much adapt its policies to reflect these changing conditions. A guest column by Tom Tidwell, U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester for the Northern Rockies Region.
Tom Tidwell, USFS Regional Forester; 09/11/2007
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Alberta needs to act quickly to save grizzly bears
Alberta officials should examine what worked for the United States on its remarkably successful Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan and institute similar measures immediately to save the province's rapidly disappearing grizzly bears.
Calgary Herald; 10/09/2007
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Give Yellowstone National Park's winter-use plan a chance to work
It seems no one is remotely happy with the National Park Service's winter-use plan for Yellowstone National Park but it deserves a chance to play out.
Casper Star-Tribune; 12/17/2007
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Politics

Grist compares presidential candidates' energy, environmental stances
Using interviews and other information, Grist providers readers with a quick rundown on where eight Democratic and four Republican presidential contenders stand on environmental and energy issues.
Grist; 12/06/2007
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Colorado congressman quits presidential run, endorses Romney
U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo bowed out of the race to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee in 2008, in part because he feared his candidacy may split the anti-illegal immigration vote, and the Colorado Republican threw his support behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney whom Tancredo said would be the best candidate to support his position on illegal immigration.
Denver Post; 12/21/2007
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Democratic candidates in Nevada focus on war, not West
Democratic presidential hopefuls, including all declared candidates except Barak Obama, met in Carson City, Nev., at a forum yesterday that some hoped would focus on regional issues, such as water and land use, but instead the forum focused mostly on the war as well as health care and union issues.
Denver Post; 02/22/2007
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Sportsmen ask Congress to keep drilling off Wyoming Range
Members of the Sportsmen for the Wyoming Range lobbied the state's members of Congress and U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey to consider allowing groups to buy back energy leases on the Wyoming Range, similar to the deal allowed for the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana.
Casper Star-Tribune; 02/16/2007
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Director of the federal Minerals Management Service retires
Johnnie Burton, a former director of the Wyoming Department of Revenue, announced that she will retire as director of the federal Minerals Management Service, an Interior Department agency that has been criticized for poor auditing, mismanagement and retaliation.
Casper Star-Tribune; 05/08/2007
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Freudenthal takes helm of WGA, promises work on climate change
The Western Governors' Association wound up its three-day annual meeting on Tuesday in South Dakota, with Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal assuming the post of chairman, who said future energy policy must consider that the nation must operate in a carbon-constrained environment and that costs of energy will only increase.
Casper Star-Tribune; 06/13/2007
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House passes overhaul of 1872 mining law by 58-vote margin
U.S. Sen. Harry Reid took a hard line on legislation passed by the U.S. House Thursday that revamps the 1872 General Mining Law and imposes royalties on hard-rock mining operations, and said that the bill as presented won't make it through the Senate and said he would support a royalty structure similar to that in Nevada, where royalties are calculated on net income rather than gross revenue.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 11/02/2007
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Legislature

Arizona employers fire hundreds as new immigration law looms
Hundreds, if not thousands, of workers who have been unable to provide their employers with missing information are losing their jobs in Arizona, as companies review workers' records to ensure they'll be in compliance with a new state law that takes effect Jan. 1 that requires employers to verify the legal status of all their workers or face sanctions.
Arizona Republic; 11/18/2007
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Colorado lawmakers ponder changes to conservation easement rules
Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, and Rep. Alice Madden, D-Boulder, are working together to write new rules for conservation easement designed to curb abuses of the Colorado program that grants generous tax credits to landowners who protect their land from future development.
Denver Rocky Mountain News; 12/20/2007
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Montana Legislature passed wildfire, groundwater bills
The ballyhoo over the budget garnered the most attention in the waning days of the Montana Legislature, but the lawmakers did pass some significant legislation that will affect most of Montanans in one way or another, including incentives for counties to write fire policies into their planning efforts and another allowing new groundwater permits in closed basins. A roundup.
NewWest.net; 05/01/2007
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N.M. governor signs eminent domain measure into law
Under legislation signed into law by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, local governments cannot use their power of condemnation to clear the way for economic development projects. You will have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; 04/05/2007
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Wyoming governor skeptical that tax break will fuel energy pipelines
The Wyoming Pipeline Authority is working with state lawmakers on legislation that would extend a limited severance tax break to energy producers in the hope that it will speed up investments in infrastructure to deliver natural gas produced in Wyoming to markets, and increase the price for that natural gas.
Casper Star-Tribune; 10/24/2007
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Wyoming lawmakers tread carefully on carbon-sequestration bills
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal has made carbon sequestration a priority, and lawmakers are working on bills that would regulate the storage of carbon dioxide underground, but the issue is complicated, particularly on the issue of who would own the "pore areas," where the carbon would be stored.
Casper Star-Tribune; 11/28/2007
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Report: Scenery, not energy Rocky Mountain West's best asset
The Wilderness Society released a report Thursday that said the Rocky Mountain West's scenery and recreational opportunities are a more stable economic driver than energy development, but energy industry officials cited the billions of dollars oil and gas pumps into states' economies and said there's no need for an either-or scenario as both economic sectors can co-exist.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 09/28/2007
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Coal-fired energy
Nevada senator confronts utility execs on coal-fired plants
At a Senate subcommittee hearing on forests and public lands at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas on Thursday, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid accused utility companies of using a "bait-and-switch" approach to get new coal-fired plants built in Nevada by promising they'll replace the coal-produced power with renewable resources later, an accusation an energy company official said was untrue.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 10/12/2007
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Utility's plans include more renewables, shuttering Colo. coal plants
Xcel Energy's required filing with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on the utility's forecast of consumer needs for the next seven years and how it intends to meet those needs has a much greater focus on renewable energy, and a proposal to shut down the Arapahoe Generating Station in Denver and the Cameo Generating Station east of Grand Junction.
Denver Post; 11/16/2007
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Wyoming company, British Petroleum sign coal-gasification deal
Casper-based GasTech Inc. and British Petroleum partnered up to find a way to develop in-situ, or underground, coal gasification technology in Wyoming's Powder River Basin.
Casper Star-Tribune; 12/18/2007
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Energy
B.C. forestry could shift toward bioenergy
An industry consultant in B.C. said yesterday that the province's terrible economic performance in the forestry sector in 2006 could indicate the province's industry is shifting toward one focused on bioenergy, instead of paper, pulp and lumber.
Vancouver Sun; 05/11/2007
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Montana company picks Havre as site for new biofuel plant
Allied Bio-Energies LLC, a Montana-based biofuel company its hometown as the site for a new biofuel plant because of Havre's central location in the state and its proximity to canola producers and to the Northern Agricultural Research Center south of Havre and Montana State University-Northern, institutions which share the company's mission.
Billings Gazette (AP); 10/10/2007
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Hundreds turn out to hear plan for Idaho nuclear-power plant
Bill Fehrman, president of MidAmerican Nuclear Energy Co., fielded some tough questions at a meeting Thursday night from some of the 400 or so people who attended the meeting in Payette to hear MidAmerican's plans to build a nuclear power plant in Idaho's Payette County.
Idaho Statesman; 12/21/2007
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Energy company plans 6 more wind farms in Montana
Mark Jacobson, director of business development for Chicago-based Invenergy, which operates the largest wind farm in Montana, was in the state on Tuesday to meet with landowners to discuss leasing ground for future wind farms, and said that the company plans to build six more wind farms, three of which will be located between Great Falls and the Canadian border.
Great Falls Tribune; 12/19/2007
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Energy transmission
Under DOE plan, Nevada would have most miles of corridors
Environmental groups concede that the latest proposals for energy corridors across 11 Western states put forth by the Department of Energy are an improvement over past attempts, but said the new plan doesn't address the impact of new, renewable energy projects. Another look.
Billings Gazette (AP); 11/16/2007
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NorthWestern announces plans for Montana-Idaho power line
A Montana Public Service Commission official said NorthWestern's plan to build a 400-mile transmission line from either Townsend or Garrison to southern Idaho could face serious opposition from western Montana residents who won't want a power line built near their homes.
Montana Standard (AP); 06/06/2007
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Texas company wants to build gas pipeline from Wyoming to Oregon
Spectra Energy's "Bronco Pipeline", would extend 650 miles from southwestern Wyoming to Malin, Ore., near the California border, and would increase natural gas exports out of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah by 12 percent.
Casper Star-Tribune; 11/06/2007
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Idaho Power, Rocky Mountain Power to build 650-mile transmission line
Gateway West, a 650-mile transmission line project proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power, will be the first such project in Idaho in three decades, and will help provide electricity to the state's fast-growing population; no route has yet been designated.
Twin Falls Times-News; 11/06/2007
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Public-private partnership considers new Rocky Mountain power line
A group of at least 10 government agencies and private groups have partnered up to study the possibility of building new transmission lines that would run from eastern Wyoming down through eastern Colorado and New Mexico, across southern New Mexico west to Arizona near Phoenix, and though no exact route has yet been selected, the project could provide a blueprint for other such regional transmission lines. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; 10/11/2007
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Housing
Smaller Western cities' housing markets keep their sizzle
Cities in Nevada and Arizona have been hit hard by the national housing slump, but the housing markets in some smaller Western cities, such as Orem-Provo in Utah and Grand Junction in Colorado, continue to appreciate in value according to a recent study by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight that said 15 of the 20 metropolitan areas where housing prices appreciated the most were in Washington, Idaho, Utah, Oregon, Colorado or New Mexico.
Deseret News (AP); 07/20/2007
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Canadians find much to like in U.S. housing market
The United States' mortgage meltdown and the rising value of the Canadian loonie have combined to make housing in the U.S. a lucrative market for moderate-income buyers who are flocking to Phoenix, Las Vegas and other cities to snatch up land and homes.
Denver Post (AP); 12/16/2007
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Timber management a tangled equation in Montana
A month ago, hundreds of people turned out for a meeting sponsored by a group that wants to increase timber production in the Bitterroot National Forest, yet requests for bids on a timber sale in the Flathead Forest just a hundred of miles or so north of there went unheeded, a solid indication of just how difficult managing forest lands can be. First in a series.
Missoulian; 11/22/2007
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Beyond the region