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These are just a few of the original columns than ran as Western Perspectives in 2008. To see a full index, go here.
Sea change for West's Water: Climate change, population growth challenge
traditional western water policies, by Sarah Bates of Western Progress
March 8, 2008
Rating the Rockies: The 2008 State of the Rockies Report Card provides
talking points for counties' officials, West's residents, by David Havlick and Christopher B. Jackson of the Colorado College
May 8, 2008
WGA on energy, water: As Chairman of the Western Governors' Association, Utah governor lays out agenda on energy and water
Aug. 14, 2008
Mountain Megas: Intermountain West emerges as the economic, political New American Heartland
Oct. 14, 2008 Harvesting forests' energy: Forest Guild report provides case studies on 45 biomass projects across the United States
Nov. 6, 2008
Livestock and wolves: Defenders of Wildlife's proactive guide provides ranchers, land managers ways to protect stock -- and save wolves
Dec. 14, 2008
- Study: Lake Mead could run dry by 2021
A new study by scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that if demand for water remains the same and if climate changes follow the moderate forecasts that predict lower average river flows, Lake Mead which is a primary source of water for Phoenix and Las Vegas, has a 50 percent chance of becoming unusable within the next 13 years.
New York Times; 02/13/2008
West's 'megapolitan' areas and future challenges detailed in report
The Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution's latest report details the challenges facing the Intermountain West's fastest-growing megapolitan areas: Colorado's Front Range; Utah's Wasatch Front linking Ogden, Salt Lake City and Provo; Arizona's Sun Corridor linking Tucson, Phoenix and Prescott; Greater Las Vegas; and Northern New Mexico linking Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos and Rio Arriba counties.
Denver Post; 07/21/2008
Maine warns Montana community to be ready for Plum Creek
Three years ago, Plum Creek Timber Co. presented a massive development plan for Maine's Moosehead Lake, but that state's development regulations forced Plum Creek to scale back those plans, and residents around Montana's Whitefish Lake, where Plum Creek has substantial holdings, are wondering if their lake is next in line for the company's development plans.
Missoulian; 10/05/2008
Judge rules $455M due Native Americans in Cobell trust case
Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against the federal government alleging decades of mishandling funds held in trust for tribes, said she was disappointed in U.S. District Judge James Robertson's decision that $455 million was owed, and said she is now considering an appeal.
Washington Post; 08/08/2008
- Federal court gives nod to appeal of Cobell award
Elouise Cobell, the original plaintiff in the class action lawsuit filed in 1996 challenging the federal government's handling of tribal assets applauded a decision granting tribes the green light to appeal the $455.6 million judgment awarded in August to Native landowners.
Missoulian; 09/06/2008
Federal gov't gives NW tribes $980M to bow out of salmon fight
Environmental groups and tribes have often banded together to oppose the federal government's management of the Snake and Columbia rivers and the hydroelectric dams on those rivers in the Pacific Northwest, but on Monday federal officials said they'd reached an agreement to pay four tribes $900 million to improve fish habitat and manage hatcheries over the next decade in exchange for the tribes' withdrawal from the litigation.
New York Times; 04/08/2008
Joseph Kennedy plans wind-power project on Navajo Nation
Citizens Energy, a nonprofit headed by Joseph Kennedy, has teamed up with Dine Power Authority to build what will be the Navajo Nation's largest renewable-energy project. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal (AP); 04/24/2008
Solix Biofuels to build algae-fuel plant on reservation in Colorado
Solix Biofuels, a spinoff company formed in 2006 from Colorado State University research, announced plans to open an algae fuel plant on Southern Ute land in southwestern Colorado to produce oil feedstock that can be refined into diesel fuel.
Durango Herald; 11/12/2008
N.M. laboratory, tribe sign historic $65-million contract
Los Alamos National Laboratory and TSAY Construction and Services LLC, a company owned by Ohkay Owingeh, a New Mexico pueblo, will sign a $65 million contract today, the largest ever contract between the laboratory and a Native American company.
Santa Fe New Mexican; 10/16/2008
Climate Change
Public Lands
Massive lands bill will protect hundreds of miles of rivers in the West
If the U.S. Senate lives up to Majority Leader Harry Reid's promise given last week, a massive lands bill that would add 852.8 miles of rivers in Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon and Massachusetts to the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers system, will come up for a vote in November.
Idaho Statesman; 10/06/2008
Federal study finds high levels of pollution in western national parks
The $6-million Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project found high levels of contaminants in 20 national parks and monuments, including Glacier National Park in Montana, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Billings Gazette (AP); 02/27/2008
USFS releases final plan for Idaho's 9.3 million acres of roadless lands
The Wilderness Society and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition oppose the U.S. Forest Service's final plan on Idaho's 9.3 million acres of federal roadless areas because it opens some areas, including lands in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, to mining and logging, although the Idaho Conservation League and Trout Unlimited supported the plan, which allows only temporary roads in areas to be logged to reduce fire hazards.
Idaho Statesman; 10/17/2008
GAO investigates USDA, Plum Creek road deal in Montana
On Friday, the Government Accountability Office released a letter that questioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture's deal with Plum Creek Timber that expanded the purpose of U.S. Forest Service roads beyond timber management to include development in Montana.
Missoulian; 10/11/2008
German 'Mogs' muscle up firefighting arsenal in Nevada
Fighting wildfires in the driest state in the nation requires another option rather than water, and the Bureau of Land Management has found Unimogs, 15-and-a-half-ton, four-wheel-drive vehicles with a two-ton blade mounted on their noses, built by Mercedes craftsmen in Germany, to be the vehicle of choice.
High Country News; 08/25/2008
Grizzly bear study finds 765 bears in NW Montana
The U.S. Geological Survey's five-year, $4.8 million study of the grizzly bear population in northwestern Montana used DNA testing to determine that there are 765 grizzly bears roaming that region of the state, more than double the number estimated.
Great Falls Tribune; 09/17/2008
Idaho biologists say first sockeye salmon have reached the state
Biologists have counted 814 sockeye salmon at the Lower Granite Dam near Lewiston so far this year, and with wild sockeye salmon numbers reportedly high in the Columbia and Snake rivers, Idaho hopes hundreds more will soon follow.
Idaho Statesman; 07/28/2008
T. Boone Pickens' wife to adopt 30,000 wild horses from BLM
At a public hearing in Nevada on Monday, Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, announced that she intended to adopt most or all of the 30,000 or so wild horses and burros the Bureau of Land Management is holding in facilities, and that she is looking for land in the West for their new home.
Washington Post; 11/18/2008
Nation needs a federal siting authority for power lines
Lack of electrical transmission capacity is hindering the development of renewable resources in Wyoming and across the nation, and the best way to get that transmission capacity built is to create a single federal board to select the routes for those transmission lines.
Casper Star-Tribune; 07/07/2008
Congress now has 90 billion reasons to dump Yucca Mountain
The federal government has spent $9 billion on studies that again and again indicate that Nevada's Yucca Mountain is no place for a national nuclear waste repository, but still it presses on, and now with the project's costs estimated to be $90 billion, it's time for Congress to completely pull the plug on this ill-advised proposal.
Las Vegas Sun; 07/17/2008
Arizona governor accepts Homeland Security nomination
Gov. Janet Napolitano made it clear that she'll stay at the helm in Arizona until she's confirmed as Homeland Security secretary, which means she'll preside over an anticipated special session of the Legislature to be called to address the state's ever-widening budget gap.
Arizona Republic; 12/02/2008
N.M. governor accepts nomination as Obama's commerce secretary
At the press conference Wednesday in Chicago where New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was officially nominated to be President-elect Barack Obama's commerce secretary, Richardson vowed to create technology jobs, revitalize the United States' manufacturing sector and promote sustainable development. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; 12/04/2008
Outgoing administration issues 61 'midnight regulations'
Changes made to federal rules and policies expected to have more than a $100-million annual impact must be made 60 days before President Bush leaves office, and before Nov. 21, the president issued 61 such "midnight regulations," including changes to the Endangered Species Act and rules on oil-shale development, and a new regulation on Congress' ability to halt mining, logging and energy development on public lands is expected before the end of Bush's term.
Washington Post; 11/29/2008
- Rule change on guns in national parks takes effect in January
The Bush administration successfully overturned a 25-year-old federal rule that restricted loaded guns in national parks and a new rule will take its place that bases rules on guns in parks to mirror the rules on guns in the states in which the parks are located.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 12/06/2008
- EPA drops effort to change air-pollution limits near parks
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it would not pursue proposed changes that would have made it easier to build coal-fired power plants near national parks and changed when power plants must install antipollution devices.
Washington Post; 12/11/2008
- Interior Dept. moves ahead on ESA rule change
A proposed change to the federal Endangered Species Act that will allow federal agencies to move forward on construction projects without first getting an independent review of the effect such projects may have on endangered species is expected to publish in the Federal Register today, putting in motion a 30-day comment period.
New York Times; 12/12/2008
House panel puts uranium mining near Grand Canyon on hold
Using a rare procedure not invoked for 20 years, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee voted 20-2 to temporarily halt any new uranium leases on 1 million acres of land near the Grand Canyon for up to three years, although the resolution would not affect the more than 10,000 uranium mining claims already leased by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management on those agencies' lands near Grand Canyon National Park.
Washington Post (AP); 06/26/2008
Kempthorne vows quick action on MMS investigation
The director of Minerals Management Service promised Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne that immediate action would be taken to address abuses reported by the Interior Inspector General at the MMS's office in Colorado, including random drug testing of employees at the Lakewood office.
Denver Post; 09/12/2008
Appeals court upholds Arizona's employer-sanction immigration law
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that Arizona's law that allows the state to pull the licenses of businesses that knowingly hire undocumented workers is legal, and that states can use licensing laws to enforce immigration-related policies.
Arizona Republic; 09/18/2008
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
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
Nevada, Colorado exurbs new battlegrounds in presidential race
The far-flung, fast-growing exurbs in Nevada, Colorado and other states have been hit hardest by the nation's economic downturn, putting many of the areas at play in the presidential race.
Washington Post; 10/20/2008
Arizona
Incumbents retain their seats in Arizona congressional races
Democrats picked up one U.S. Congressional seat in Arizona, with Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick winning the race for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, and giving Democrats majority control of the state's U.S. House delegation for the first time in more than 40 years.
Arizona Republic; 11/05/2008
Colorado
Democrats stage a rousing victory in Colorado
Colorado Democrats helped vote Barack Obama into the U.S. presidency, Mark Udall in the state's open U.S. Senate seat, helped re-elect Democrats U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette, John Salazar and Ed Perlmutter, and helped Betsy Markey unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave.
Denver Post; 11/05/2008
Idaho
Republican Risch easily wins race for Idaho's open U.S. Senate seat
Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch easily defeated Democrat Larry LaRocco in the race for Idaho's open U.S. Senate seat, leaving Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter the task of appointing a new lieutenant governor.
Idaho Statesman; 11/05/2008
Democrat Minnick wins Idaho congressional race
Democrat Walt Minnick was declared the victor in the race for Idaho's First Congressional District, narrowly defeating incumbent Republican Bill Sali.
Idaho Statesman; 11/06/2008
Simpson wins sixth term in Idaho's 2nd Congressional District race
Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson held a commanding lead over his Democratic challenger for Idaho's 2nd Congressional District, capturing 70 percent of the votes with 55 percent of the precincts reporting.
Twin Falls Times-News (AP); 11/05/2008
Montana
Montana voters return Democrat Baucus to U.S. Senate
Montana U.S. Sen. Max Baucus easily won his re-election bid on Tuesday, picking up 78 percent of the vote.
Billings Gazette; Nov. 5
Montana congressman easily wins his re-election bid
Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg coasted to victory in the race for his fifth consecutive term as Montana's lone congressman.
Billings Gazette; 11/05/2008
Montana governor skates to an easy victory
Incumbent Democrat Brian Schweitzer easily defeated Republican Roy Brown in the race for Montana governor.
Missoulian; 11/05/2008
Nevada
Nevada state senator defeats Porter in 3rd Congressional District race
Democratic state Sen. Diane Titus ousted Republican incumbent Jon Porter in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District race; Democratic U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley easily won her bid to retain her 1st Congressional District seat, and Republican Congressman Dean Heller held a double-digit lead over his Democratic challenger Jill Derby, although Derby had yet to concede.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; 11/05/2008
Democrats win majority in Nevada state Senate
Republican state Sens. Bob Beers and Joe Heck lost their races against Democratic challengers Tuesday, giving Democrats a 12-9 majority in the Nevada Senate for the first time since 1991, while Democrats in the Assembly picked up another seat to give the party a supermajority in that chamber.
Las Vegas Sun; 11/05/2008
New Mexico
Following Obama's lead, N.M. Democrats sweep state races
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama won New Mexico; Democrat Tom Udall easily defeated Republican Steve Pearce to win the U.S. Senate seat left open by retiring New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici; and Democrats won all three of the state's U.S. Representative races as well, with Martin Heinrich winning the 1st District, Harry Teague the 2nd, and Ben Lujan the 3rd District.
Santa Fe New Mexican; Nov. 5
Utah
Utah governor says re-election a 'mandate' for his agenda
Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. easily won his re-election race, capturing more than two-thirds of the Utah vote.
Salt Lake Tribune; 11/05/2008
Democrat defeats Utah House Speaker, but GOP retains majority
Utah House Speaker Greg Curtis lost his re-election bid to Democrat Jay Seegmiller, but Republicans retained their two-thirds majorities in both the 75-member House and the 29-member Senate.
Deseret News; 11/05/2008
Wyoming
Wyoming voters return Republican U.S. senators to Washington
Both Wyoming Republican U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso easily won their bids to stay in the U.S. Senate.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 11/05/2008
Republican Lummis wins race for Wyoming's lone Congressional seat
Republican Cynthia Lummis handily defeated Democrat Gary Trauner in the race for Wyoming's open Congressional seat, winning 52 percent of the vote to Trauner's 43 percent and Libertarian W. David Herbert's 5 percent.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 11/05/2008
As expected, Arizona governor vetoes greenhouse-gas emissions bill
Gov. Janet Napolitano said legislation passed this year that prevented Arizona agencies from participating in regional agreements to curb greenhouse-gas emissions and to regulate the fuel economy in cars, trucks and SUVs was premature and vetoed the legislation.
Arizona Republic; 05/16/2008
Colorado governor signs uranium mining bill into law
Companies that mine uranium in Colorado must now clean groundwater to pre-mining quality once mining operations cease after Gov. Bill Ritter signed House Bill 1161 into law; the governor has not yet acted on Senate Bill 228, that increases state oversight of all mining operations.
Greeley Tribune; 05/22/2008
Wyoming lawmakers send land regulation bill to governor
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal has long been a supporter of legislation that would allow counties to regulate developments larger than 35-acres, and he is expected to sign the legislation into law.
Casper Star-Tribune; 03/06/2008
Wyoming governor signs carbon sequestration, regulation bills
On Tuesday, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed legislation that gives surface owners of land ownership of underground formation that could eventually be used to sequester carbon emissions and another that establishes a state framework of regulations for carbon sequestration.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); 03/05/2008
Alberta paper mill to turn beetle-killed trees into newsprint
Canada, Alberta, the Alberta Research Council, the Alberta Newsprint Company and Woodlands County launched a joint, three-year project to test new sensors developed at the Edmonton-based Alberta Research Council designed to detect blue taint from beetle-infested timber and adjust for darker wood destined to become paper by injecting more water, heat or bleach as needed.
Toronto National Post; 09/09/2008
Salt Lake City airport will benefit from Delta, Northwest merger
Delta Airlines got the go-ahead to complete its $2.8 billion deal to buy Northwest Airlines, creating the world's largest air carrier, and Salt Lake City will serve as the westernmost hub for the airline.
Salt Lake Tribune; 10/30/2008
Kempthorne rolls out geothermal leasing plan for 12 Western states
On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced that 190 million acres of federal land would be made available for development of geothermal energy, with Idaho leading with 20 leasing sites, having 20 such sites, Utah 18, and Wyoming 13.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); 10/23/2008
Western governors meet in Utah, team up on renewable energy
At the first meeting of the Western Governors' Association's Western Renewable Energy Zones project on Wednesday in Salt Lake City, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. outlined the group's core mission: tapping into the West's renewable energy resources and adding them to the nation's power grid.
Deseret News; 05/29/2008
Most wells drilled in U.S. over past 7 years were natural gas, not oil
Since President Bush took office, the number of well-drilling permits issued on federal lands is more than three times higher than the number of permits issued during the last six years of the Clinton administration, and according to federal data, oil production during the Bush administration is 12 percent below average levels seen during the Clinton administration.
New York Times; 08/04/2008
Spanish company set to build Montana's largest wind farm
Naturener, the Spain-based developer of what will be Montana's largest wind farm, said construction on the McCormick wind farm 85 miles north of Great Falls will begin this spring and will produce 210 megawatts of electricity after the first two phases of the project are built, but could produce more if transmission line capacity in the area expands.
Great Falls Tribune; 02/24/2008
Danish company to build 2 wind-energy plants in Colorado city
Vestas Wind Systems, the Danish company that is the world's largest wind-energy manufacturer, announced today that it will build two plants in Brighton, adding 1,350 new jobs to the Colorado city's economy; one plant will manufacture wind turbines and the other will assemble turbine housings.
Denver Post; 08/15/2008
BLM, DOE to team up on solar-power study in 6 Western states
Bureau of Land Management officials announced Thursday that the agency will work with the Department of Energy to conduct analyses of solar-power projects on federal lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); 05/30/2008
Montana couple share in prize for wind-power innovation
A wind-turbine system designed to create electricity during low winds earned a Montana couple and two Washington state engineers third place in a ConocoPhillips Energy contest designed to spur innovation in energy.
Great Falls Tribune; 10/25/2008
Areva plant will be one of Idaho's largest construction projects
Idaho officials said the construction phase of Areva's planned uranium enrichment plant will provide 1,000 jobs over the five years it will take to build the plant, and will provide 250 high-paying jobs once it is operational.
Idaho Statesman; 05/07/2008
Politics, turf battles muddle efforts to integrate wind power into Montana grid
As more wind farms are poised to go online in Montana, the Public Service Commission is working on a formula to integrate the power produced by those wind farms into the power grid, but determining the costs of integration and who should pay those costs is mired in politics and energy-interest power struggles. An analysis.
Missoulian; 04/21/2008
Landowners appeal route of Montana-Alberta Tie Line
Four Dutton-area landowners are protesting the proposed route of the Montana-Alberta Tie Line, a high-voltage transmission line between Great Falls and Lethbridge, and on Canada's side of the line, several Alberta landowners have challenged the route as well.
Great Falls Tribune; 12/05/2008
Pipeline projects spiderweb their way across the West
Landowners in the path of the various pipeline projects designed to carry natural gas produced in the Rocky Mountain West to markets east and west of the Rockies say their land will take years to recover from the construction process.
Missoulian (AP); 12/11/2008
Nation's mortgage crisis slams West's high-end developments
Utah's Promontory, an exclusive development in Park City that offered second homes for the wealthy, has joined the ranks of Idaho's Tamarack Resort, Montana's Yellowstone Club and Lake Las Vegas golf resort, high-end developments that face an uncertain future.
Salt Lake Tribune (AP); 06/24/2008
Economy stalls work on Colorado mountain developments
The nation's economic slump has hit Colorado's high-end mountain developments hard, with construction on Orvis Shorefox, an 1,553-acre project along the Colorado River in Grand County proposed by the Vermont-based Orvis fishing company, in arrears on payments to its primary lender.
Denver Post; 12/09/2008
Phoenix leads nation in housing price drop
A report issued Tuesday said Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Francisco had the largest decrease in housing prices in October, ranging from 33 percent to 31 percent, and that Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore., reported their first double-digit annual decline in housing prices in October.
Arizona Republic (AP); 12/31/2008
In 5 Western states, new rush to mine uranium
The number of uranium mining claims in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming grew from 4,333 new claims in 2004 to 43,153 in 2007.
Los Angeles Times; 05/04/2008
U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Montana cyanide-mining case
After learning that the U.S. Supreme Court would not take up its appeal against the State of Montana, Colorado-based Atna Resources said it would no longer pursue its claim against the state that its voter-passed initiative banning cyanide-heap leaching mining resulted in an illegal taking of its proposed gold and silver mine near Lincoln known as the Seven-Up Pete Venture.
Mineweb.net; 10/08/2008
Arizona's unemployment rate rises to 6.1 percent
The Arizona Department of Commerce reported Thursday that the state's unemployment rate in October was the highest reported in five years.
Arizona Republic; 11/21/2008
Unemployment
Unemployment in Idaho at 5.6 percent in November
Idaho Department of Labor Director Roger Madsen said unemployment in the state inched up from 5.4 percent in October to 5.6 percent in November, and Madsen predicted that the rate would top 6 percent in early 2009.
Idaho Statesman; 12/04/2008
Economist: Montana a bright spot in nation's economy
A state economist said Montana's natural resource-based economy has helped the state avoid many of the job losses seen across the rest of the nation, although the state's unemployment rate has been creeping up this year.
Billings Gazette; 09/06/2008
Texas oilman launches $58M campaign to wean nation off foreign oil
T. Boone Pickens, legendary oilman turned hedge-fund manager, said he'll spend $58 million of his own money to cut the nation's dependence on foreign oil more than a third over the next decade, with "The Pickens Plan," based on the installation of thousands of more wind turbines in the center of the country to boost wind-generated electricity supplies and using natural gas for transportation fuel.
Denver Post; 07/09/2008
Firefighting disaster reflects USFS's reliance on private contractors
Only one of the nine people killed in the crash of a helicopter ferrying fire crews from a remote site in northern California earlier this month was a U.S. Forest Service employee; seven were privately contracted firefighters and the eighth was a pilot from a private contractor as well.
New York Times; 08/18/2008
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
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