In the Rockies today, the removal of federal protection for wolves in three Western states is challenged, a Wyoming county has an ozone pollution problem and a Montana coal-fired power project won't get federal funding.
First up, a coalition of environmental groups is making good on a promise to challenge the decision to remove gray wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming from the federal endangered species list.
On Wednesday, eleven organizations filed a notice of intent to sue the Interior Department over the delisting decision, the first step required for litigation under the Endangered Species Act.
In Wyoming, energy development in Sublette County is being blamed for the county's first ever ozone alert.
Ozone alerts usually happen in the summertime, and usually in big cities, but this year's heavy snowpack in Wyoming, air inversions and intense energy operations in the Upper Green River Basin are cited as reasons the ozone levels moved to the "unhealthy" stage.
Finally, in Montana, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it just doesn't have the money to help fund a coal-fired generation plant proposed near Great Falls.
Company officials said they're not surprised, nor worried, by the decision and said they should have new financing lined up in a few months.
Rockies today
Groups file notice of intent to sue over decision to delist wolves
Eleven groups, including the Sierra Club and the U.S. Humane Society, filed a notice of intent to sue the Department of Interior over its decision to remove the gray wolf in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming from the federal endangered species list.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Feb. 28
Energy company backtracks on B.C. energy decision
Just a week after a BP Canada official declared it would abandon coalbed methane development in British Columbia just north of Montana's Glacier National Park, B.C. officials said the company would continue to collect baseline environmental data in the area in the event the company can prove coalbed methane work can be done without serious downstream effects.
Missoulian; Feb. 28
Wyoming DEQ issues first-ever ozone warning in Sublette County
Ozone pollution is usually a summertime problem in big cities, but complete snow cover and an inversion in Wyoming's Upper Green River Basin bumped ozone levels to 122 parts per billion, well above the 85- to 105-parts-per-billion range considered "unhealthy" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and state officials said oil and gas development in the region were to blame for the high ozone level.
Casper Star-Tribune; Feb. 28
Freudenthal testifies before Senate panel on Wyoming Range bill
The Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests heard testimony from five people, including Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, on legislation designed to end energy development on the Wyoming Range.
Jackson Hole News & Guide; Feb. 28
USDA says it can't help finance Montana coal-fired power plant
Southern Montana Electric Generation & Transmission officials said the U.S. Department of Agriculture's denial of funding for the 250-megawatt coal-fired Highwood Generating Station proposed near Great Falls wasn't a surprise and that the company should know by summer if new financing for the project can be arranged.
Great Falls Tribune; Feb. 28
EnergySolutions' plan to import n-waste from Italy to Utah under fire
EnergySolutions officials said just 8 percent of the 20,000 tons of low-level nuclear waste from Italy would actually be stored at its facility in Utah, as most of the material would be recycled or incinerated in Tennessee, but critics of the proposal said the plan creates a precedent that could turn the U.S. into the world's dumping ground for radioactive waste.
Christian Science Monitor; Feb. 28
Montana counties tackle streamside setback issues
Ravalli, Flathead and Missoula counties are all working on regulations on development along waterways in their Montana counties, while other counties in the state have put such regulations in place. A good roundup of what's happening on this issue.
NewWest.net; Feb. 28
Opinion
Idaho's record on corporate tax incentives is a poor one
The Idaho Legislature is considering legislation to give a French company a package of tax breaks to entice it to build a $2-billion uranium enrichment plant in the eastern part of the state, but a look back at recent incentive packages given to Micron and Albertsons should tell lawmakers that such incentives don't always pan out.
Idaho Statesman; Feb. 28
Beyond the region
U.S. House passes extension of renewable energy credits
The U.S. House approved a $17-billion package of tax credits and other incentives to spur development of renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power, and to promote energy conservation, but since the legislation is funded by ending tax breaks for oil and gas producers, the legislation will likely fail in the U.S. Senate for the fourth time.
New York Times; Feb. 28
U.S. Humane Society sues USDA over slaughterhouse rules
On Wednesday, the U.S. Humane Society filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, alleging that an amendment made in 2007 to the 2004 ban on slaughtering downer cows created a financial incentive for livestock producers to slaughter unhealthy animals.
New York Times; Feb. 28
U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on Exxon Valdez damages
Exxon attorneys told the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that the company had paid enough for the environmental damage caused when its tanker hit a reef off the coast of Alaska, causing one of the worst manmade environmental disasters on record.
Washington Post; Feb. 28
Canadian minister rebukes Obama, Clinton on NAFTA remarks
After Democratic presidential contenders Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama pledged to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement if elected to office, Canadian Trade Minister David Emerson reminded them that Canada is the largest supplier of energy to the United States, and that Canada would have its own list of priorities should the trade pact be opened up for changes.
Toronto Globe & Mail; Feb. 28
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