In the Rockies today, the coal mining pendulum continues its swing west from the Appalachians to the Rockies.
In Montana, a Kentucky inventor and businessman said he's ready to take his coal de-moisturizing process from the experimental stage to broader industrial use.
The process has been tested on a small scale in Wyoming for the past seven years, but is now ready for a larger processing plant in Montana, close to the poor quality but plentiful Powder River coal supplies.
The inventor also claims the process can more than triple the worth of the coal.
Another story illustrating the swing comes from the U.S. Senate. A Senate committee has agreed to extend a law that charges companies a per-ton fee to clean up abandoned mines, which is set to expire next year.
The request for the extension comes from Wyoming and several East Coast states, who are working out differences born from the fact that Wyoming is now the largest coal producer, and thus paying the most into the clean-up fund, while the Eastern coal states have many more abandoned mines.
Upcoming in Headwaters News: Tomorrow we'll offer an exclusive first look at Colorado College's 2006 State of the Rockies Report Card on our Western perspective page. Stay tuned.
Rockies today
Inventor says his he can triple the value of Montana's coal
A Kentucky inventor and his company have created a way to remove the moisture for low grade but plentiful Powder River coal and have tested the process on a small scale in Wyoming, but are now ready to take the process to a larger plant in Montana.
Billings Gazette; April 5
Montana senator tells Interior nominee he'll fight BLM land sale
Montana Sen. Max Baucus met with Interior Secretary nominee and current Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne to request Kempthorne not allow the proposed sale of Bureau of Land Management lands to happen, but if he did, the Montana Democratic lawmaker vowed he'd fight it.
Missoulian; April 5
Decades-old water disputes draws to a close in New Mexico
Members of the Taos Pueblo, the town of Taos, community-water associations and acequia associations in the Taos Valley said they have finally agreed on how to share the valley’s limited water supply, ending a 16-year process, but success hinges on whether they can find almost $125 million in funding.
Santa Fe New Mexican; April 5
Farm-state senators attach $4 billion to Katrina aid bill
Senators from farm states, including Montana, attached a provision to a Katrina relief bill that includes $4 billion in agricultural relief funds for droughts and floods.
Billings Gazette (AP); April 5
Coal mining law extended until disputes are resolved between states
A Senate committee has agreed to extend a coal mining clean-up law set to expire next year so that Wyoming and east coast coal producers can work out their differences sparked by the shift in the coal industry from the east to the Rockies.
Billings Gazette; April 5
Idaho asks for permission to kill wolves preying on elk herd
Idaho wildlife officials have requested permission from the federal government to kill a pack of wolves believed to be preying on a herd of elk on Lolo pass near the Idaho, Montana border, and federal officials said they would immediately begin a scientific review.
Helena Independent Record (AP); April 5
Property-tax showdown set in Idaho
A property-tax bill that shifts the way Idaho schools are funded by raising the property tax exemption and possibly the sales tax to compensate for that loss is expected to pass the Idaho House today, but the Senate will likely determine whether those big changes happen this year or next year, when the state has a new governor and a new set of legislators.
Idaho Statesman; April 5
Mediator sought to help end Denver transit strike
The latest developments in the Denver transit strike include: the transit authority and the union have agreed to find a federal mediator; Gov. Bill Owens denied a request by the union to consider binding arbitration and instead said the transit authority should privatize more of its routes if workers don't return; and the transit authority will spend $500,000 to hire security guards.
Denver Post; April 5
Opinion
Compromise offered for stalled immigration vote is no good
The U.S. Senate was on its way to passing sweeping immigration reform, but was just shy of enough votes to avoid a filibuster by Republicans who say the legislation as amnesty for immigrants, and the "compromise" offered by two GOP senators is a weak idea that doesn't go far enough.
New York Times; April 5
-
Illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from Nevadans
Much of the rhetoric on the need for a "guest-worker provision" in federal immigration policy reform assumes illegal immigrants take jobs Americans won't, but a review shows that employment among Nevada's youngest workers, who arguably compete with immigrants for entry-level jobs, decreased 10 percent between 2000 and 2004.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; April 5
Guest column:
Trust is the backbone of our Republic
The Unabomber and the Freemen, both of whom made their stand here in Montana, rebelled against what they thought was an erosion of the public trust, but it was that trust in our Republic that helped us move beyond them, and that's worth remembering today. A column by Pat Williams, a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Rocky Mountain West, of which Headwaters News is a project.
Pat Williams, Center for the Rocky Mountain West; April 5
Beyond the region
Massachusetts passes bill that requires all to have health care
The Massachusetts Legislature passed a bill requiring all adults to have health insurance, similar to its law that all drivers must have auto insurance, and the state will help by providing many more low-cost options.
Washington Post; April 5
Alberta sawmills shut down, cite high dollar, softwood dispute
Over the past two years, Alberta has lost four sawmills, and given the pressures of the high Canadian dollar, a lack of employees and the softwood lumber dispute, the Alberta Forest Products Association warns more may close this year.
Calgary Herald; April 5
Company bids $193 million for land for Vancouver Olympics site
Vancouver officials said the Millennium Group's $193 million bid for the 2.6-hectare site where the 2010 Olympics athletes' village will be built was far in excess of anything they anticipated, and set a record price for land in both Vancouver and in Canada.
Vancouver Sun; April 5
Colorado a haven for political advocacy groups
So-called "527" political advocacy groups were created to circumvent political campaign contribution limits and are now changing the election landscapes for both parties, and Colorado has become a hot spot for such groups with 15, many of which are working on the November elections.
Stateline.org; April 4
In depth
The border patrol is becoming the next big agency
As the U.S. employs more people and technology to patrol and close the border with Mexico, illegal immigrants are becoming more sophisticated and clever, and in turn the border patrol is increasingly large and unwieldy.
Christian Science Monitor; April 5
GOP split on immigration stalls Senate vote
The divide among Republicans has lead to a stalled vote on immigration reform in the U.S. Senate while leaders try and find a compromise, but the delay is angering Democrats, who are trying to force an immediate vote.
New York Times; April 5
-
Immigration reform rallies continue in Utah
Latino activists and immigration reform advocates, including many high school students, are planning a series of marches in Salt Lake City to coincide with national marches next Monday, while other groups who want tougher immigration standards will also partake in rallies.
Deseret News; April 5
-
Phoenix officials expect 100,000 at pro-immigration march
A pro-immigration reform march planned in downtown Phoenix on Monday is part of a larger, nation-wide coordinated event to bring attention to immigration reform legislation in front of the U.S. Senate.
Arizona Republic; April 5
|
