In the Rockies today, the news is all about federal land decisions and local reaction.
In Utah, the Bureau of Land Management announced it will auction oil and gas leases on a record 444,000 acres on May 16.
Conservation groups protested the sale, and said nearly two-thirds of the parcels proposed for leasing had been pulled from previous sales due to appeals or other issues.
In Wyoming, Gov. Dave Freudenthal was unsuccessful in his request to have parcels in the Bridger-Teton National Forest pulled off the auction block.
U.S. Forest Service officials said the agency provided for ample public comment before putting 20,000 acres on the auction block.
And in Colorado, the Forest Service approved two access roads proposed to the controversial Village at Wolf Creek Development.
Opponents of the development said they'll push for an investigation of that decision, but an agency official said the law requires granting access to private inholdings.
Rockies today
BLM announces largest-ever lease sale in Utah
Bureau of Land Management officials said an almost insatiable demand for domestically produced energy helped pump up the acreage to be auctioned for leasing to 440,000 acres on 296 parcels, and nearly two-thirds of the parcels being offered had been pulled from previous auctions because of protests or unresolved issues.
Salt Lake Tribune; April 4
Federal, county officials team up on Nevada road case
The U.S. Forest Service and Elko County have fought for years over which entity owns a road in Nevada near the Idaho border, but now they've teamed up to ask a federal court to approve a settlement that gives the right of way to the county, a move environmentalists are protesting because they say the road poses a threat to bull trout habitat.
Salt Lake Tribune (AP); April 4
USFS tells Wyoming governor lease sale will go forward
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal had asked U.S. Forest Service officials not to auction oil and gas leases in the Bridger-Teton National Forest until appeals of a previous auction of leases had been resolved, but Forest Service officials said public comment had been considered on the sale and that it would proceed.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); April 4
Forest Service OKs roads to controversial development in Colorado
Opponents to the Village at Wolf Creek demanded an investigation into the Forest Service's decision to allow the construction of two access roads to the Colorado development, but an agency official said the law requires allowing access to private inholdings.
Denver Post; April 4
Weed fix in Montana has mouse population booming
In a textbook example of unintended consequence, Montana officials said efforts to combat knapweed with gall flies hasn't stopped the weedy scourge, but has led to an explosion in the population of deer mice, which feed on the fly and carry hantavirus, exacerbating a human health problem.
New York Times; April 4
Arizona GOP lawyers defend English-learner bill
Arizona Republican lawmakers were in court yesterday to defend a law that adds $32 million for schools next year to improve instruction for students learning English because some say the law violates federal rules that prohibit the use of federal money to pay for state obligations.
Arizona Republic; April 4
Utah researchers uncover fossil of feathered raptor in Utah
Scientists from the University of Utah and the Utah Museum of Natural History announced the latest discovery in the fossil-rich Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: a feathered raptor known as Hagryphus giganteus.
Salt Lake Tribune; April 4
After protests, developer pulls golf course from Idaho plans
Eagle residents had protested initial development plans for a high-end subdivision west of their Idaho city that included plans for a members-only golf course, so the developer pitched a new plan that substituted 200 additional homes in lieu of the golf course.
Idaho Statesman; April 4
Opinion
Closing urban Indian health clinics is a bad move
With nearly 60 percent of American Indians and Alaska natives living in urban areas, the Bush administration's plan to eliminate all the funding for urban Indian health centers seems ill-timed and will surely overwhelm other health care centers.
Salt Lake Tribune; April 4
Montana senator's bill would fund rural schools, curb tax scofflaws
Legislation proposed by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., would providing funding for rural schools without selling federal lands by withholding a percentage of government contracts for taxes, which apparently usually go unpaid, so the bill's a win for public lands, public schools and the tax-paying public.
Helena Independent Record; April 4
Beyond the region
Feds say they'll go it alone on spotted owl recovery
Industry officials said they were concerned about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to tackle the creation of a recovery plan for the spotted owl in Oregon, California and Washington because the federal agency had a poor track record for meeting deadlines.
Houston Chronicle (AP); April 4
Regional EPA directors find fault with proposed emissions plan
The Environmental Protection Agency's proposed plan on emissions from oil refineries and other industrial operations was sharply criticized by regional directors of the federal agency, who said they were not consulted about the changes and that the changes would harm the environment.
New York Times; April 4
For some lawmakers, immigration debate is personal
During the Senate debate on immigration reform policy last week, New Mexico Sen. Pete V. Domenici and other lawmakers recounted personal experiences that have made them passionate champions of a guest-worker program.
New York Times; April 4
Former House Majority leader calls it quits
U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, the Texas lawmaker who helped lead Republicans to power in the U.S. House, said he'll resign his seat in May or June, but denied his resignation had anything to do with an ongoing criminal investigation.
New York Times; April 4
In depth
Federal agency ranks Utah last in per-capita student spending
New U.S. Census Bureau figures showed Utah was 51st in the nation in per-pupil school spending; the Beehive State spends $5,008 for each student and Idaho, which ranked 50th, spends $6,028; highest in the nation was New Jersey at $12,981 per student.
Salt Lake Tribune; April 4
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