In the Rockies today, water and energy development are in the news.
The era of dam-building in the American West ended nearly 50 years ago, but with the region's increasing population driving water needs up, new dams are under consideration, such as a couple of projects on Colorado's Yampa River and a proposal to rebuild the Teton Dam in Idaho.
Energy development is also increasing in the West, and states are scurrying to get regulations in place to guide the development.
In New Mexico, Santa Fe County enacted a yearlong moratorium on energy development to allow the county time to craft regulations, and Colorado's comprehensive approach to regulating drilling operations is being watched by other Western states.
And in Beyond the region, four multimillion-dollar homes in a northern suburb of Seattle were set on fire early this morning, and local officials said a sign left at the fires claimed the Earth Liberation Front was responsible.
Rockies today
West's water needs build support for new dams
Increasing population and dwindling water resources have Western states considering new dams, including Southern Nevada Water Authority's proposal for a new reservoir to capture Colorado River water; two new projects under consideration for Colorado's Yampa River; and increased support for rebuilding the Teton Dam, which collapsed 32 years ago, in Idaho.
Deseret News (AP); March 3
Western states consider new rules as energy development ramps up
Other Western states are watching Colorado's comprehensive approach on regulating energy development as drilling operations increase across the region.
Denver Post; March 2
Water an issue in energy development in New Mexico basin
The energy company that wants to drill for oil and gas in New Mexico's Galisteo Basin has promised to conduct its operations in an environmentally sound manner, but concerns remain about the environmental impacts of the work. First in a series about energy development in Santa Fe County.
Santa Fe New Mexican; March 3
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Energy inspectors in New Mexico deal with vast spaces, few workers
There are 99,000 active and abandoned oil and gas wells in New Mexico, and 18 inspectors to monitor them, and the agency responsible for monitoring those wells said employees are hard to come by and even harder to keep, with state salaries far below those paid by energy companies.
Santa Fe New Mexican; March 3
Federal appeals court will review case on Idaho timber sale
After federal appeals court Judge Milan D. Smith Jr. criticized his colleagues on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for decisions that Smith said went way too far and led to the decimation of the Northwest's logging industry, the justices of the top federal court in the West responded by voting to have a full panel of judges review what would otherwise be a routine timber sale case involving an effort to block the Mission Brush sale in northern Idaho.
Portland Oregonian; March 3
Danish company opens Colorado facility to make wind-turbine blades
Wind farms are popping up all over Colorado, and on Wednesday, the state will get its first wind-energy manufacturing facility when Vestas Wind Systems opens its plant in Windsor to manufacture wind-turbine blades.
Denver Post; March 3
Loophole in Colorado law restricts probe into conservation easements
Efforts to investigate questionable conservation easements in Colorado where tax credits are traded for protection of land from development have been hindered because the state Division of Real Estate doesn't have jurisdiction over subdivisions involving fewer than 20 parcels, and counties don't have jurisdiction over parcels larger than 35 acres.
Denver Post; March 3
Opinion
West's lawmakers appear bound to fossil fuels despite renewables' promise
Legislation to extend tax incentives for renewable energy projects passed in the U.S. House last week, but it did so without the support of Montana's Rep. Dennis Rehberg, Colorado's Marilyn Musgrave, and Arizona's Reps. Rick Renzi, Jeff Flake, John Shadegg and Trent Franks, votes that are out-of-step with those states' efforts on renewable energy. A guest column for the Missoulian by Tom Kenworthy, a senior fellow at Western Progress.
Missoulian; March 3
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With record-setting oil prices, Senate can nix industry's tax breaks
The U.S. House has once again passed legislation that would extend incentives to spur investment in renewable sources of energy, and pay for the program by ending similar incentives for the oil and gas companies, and once again, the Republican members of the U.S. Senate are complaining that the end of tax breaks for oil companies will shackle domestic oil and gas production, but the top five domestic oil companies earned a collective $145 billion last year, and could surely afford to give up $1.7 billion in annual tax breaks.
New York Times; March 3
Energy industry needs to act on Wyoming's ozone problem
Energy production in southwest Wyoming has pushed ozone levels in the sparsely populated area of the state beyond that found in most urban areas, and the Bureau of Land Management and the energy industry need to heed the warnings and address the state's air-pollution problem.
Casper Star-Tribune; March 3
Beyond the region
Earth Liberation Front sign found near burning luxury homes in Seattle
Firefighting crews reportedly found signs of the Earth Liberation Front in an upscale suburb of Seattle where it appeared four multimillion-dollar homes under construction were intentionally set on fire.
Denver Rocky Mountain News; March 3
EPA explains why California's waiver on emissions was denied
On Friday, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson issued the justification for the denial of a waiver for California's 2002 law designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, a move that will now allow the state's federal lawsuit against the agency to move forward.
Los Angeles Times; March 1
Winter's cold weather fuels skepticism on global climate change
This year's unusually harsh winter has foes of the concept that human activity is spurring a change in the earth's climate chiding those who believe the earth's climate is warming up.
New York Times; March 3
Energy companies scramble to get leasing rights on new B.C. find
Analysts said recent reports about massive natural gas reserves in northern British Columbia will likely spur the kind of massive land grab that occurred in Alberta during the oilsands binge.
Toronto Globe and Mail; March 3
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