In the Rockies today, Congress is debating legislation that would elevate some iconic U.S. Bureau of Land Management holdings to the same level as national park or national forest lands.
The measure, which would permanently designate 26 million acres of Western lands for conservation, and protect 800 properties in the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System, awaits the full vote of the U.S. Senate, and a parallel bill in the U.S. House is scheduled for committee hearings.
The Ironwood Forest monument and Vermilion Cliffs in Arizona, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, and the Lewis and Clark Trail in Idaho are some of the 15 national monuments, 14 national conservation areas, 161 wilderness areas, 10 historic trails and 38 wild and scenic rivers covered by legislation.
The bill provides no new funding nor does it automatically suspend mining, grazing or other uses in targeted areas, but proponents said it will serve as the groundwork for future protective efforts.
Rockies today
Legislation would put BLM areas on same level with NPS, USFS lands
Environmental groups and U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials are working together on federal legislation that would permanently designate 26 million acres of land in the Western United States under management by the BLM for conservation.
Arizona Republic; March 3
Enthusiasm for new coal-fired power plants wanes
According to a report issued by Global Energy Decisions, a Colorado-based energy information supplier, natural gas and renewable energy projects each have 70,000 megawatts under development, while coal-fired projects under development account for 66,000 megawatts of electricity.
Christian Science Monitor; March 4
-
Federal officials explain why they denied Montana coal-fired project
Rural Utilities Service Administrator James Andrew said rising costs, legal challenges and other concerns that could have delayed the coal-fired Highwood Generating Station proposed near Great Falls prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture agency to decline funding for the Montana project, but Billings-based Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission officials said they're talking with international banking firms about financing.
Great Falls Tribune; March 4
NPS at odds with USGS, BuRec over plans to 'flush' Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park Supt. Steve Martin said he was given one day to comment on a cursory environmental assessment of the proposal from the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to release millions of cubic feet of water from Glen Canyon Dam to simulate a spring flood, and said that the Park Service's $80-millon, ten-year research project indicated the releases would harm the park's resources and ecology.
Los Angeles Times; March 4
BLM document says CBM work in Wyoming led to more gas seeps
Documents provided by the Bureau of Land Management in litigation challenging increased coalbed methane development in Wyoming's Atlantic Rim contained a document prepared by a petroleum engineer that said when BLM officials toured the area, they found that the number of gas seeps within the immediate area of development had "increased dramatically" since such work began.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); March 4
EPA approves Montana water-quality regulations
Montana crafted new water-quality regulations to protect farmers from poor-quality water discharged during coalbed methane operations, including those across the border in Wyoming, and those regulations were approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, although with a federal lawsuit pending between the two states on the water-quality issue, it's not clear how far Montana will go to enforce the regulations.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); March 4
German company breaks ground on solar plant in N.M.
German-based Schott AG hopes to have its plant in Albuquerque producing photovoltaic panels and receivers for solar thermal power plants by the spring of 2009; the New Mexico facility is expected to provide 350 jobs initially and could provide up to 1,500 jobs as demand for solar power expands.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); March 4
Group sues BLM to stop fence-building, grazing on burned Idaho lands
Hailey-based Western Watersheds Project is suing the Bureau of Land Management to stop the federal agency from building fences and allowing grazing on the 500,000 acres of public land in Idaho burned by the Murphy Complex wildfire last year.
Twin Falls Times-News; March 4
Opinion
Nevada lawmakers could learn lesson from Arizona's immigration laws
Arizona's Republican legislators and Democratic governor had the political will to pass the nation's toughest immigration law in 2007, which went into effect on Jan. 1, and from all reports is having the intended effect of sending illegal immigrants packing--and Nevada voters should ask their legislative candidates this election year if they have such political will.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; March 4
Arizona should do more to ensure its night skies remain dark
Arizona has already proven itself a leader in protecting the night's dark skies, but more needs to be done to keep reckless lighting from depleting the state's important natural resource.
Arizona Republic; March 4
Beyond the region
NOAA links 2005 low salmon runs to shift in current patterns
NOAA Fisheries Service oceanographer Bill Peterson said a shift in the jet stream in 2005 that prohibited an upswelling -- which churns ocean water from the bottom to the top and kick-starts the ocean food web -- left the juvenile salmon that entered the Pacific Ocean with very little food.
Seattle Times (AP); March 4
Investigators call torching of luxury homes in Seattle suburb 'terrorism'
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, and the Snohomish County sheriff's Office are working together to find who set fires in four unoccupied luxury homes in the Maltby area of Washington's Snohomish County, where a spray-painted sign at the scene contained the acronym for the Earth Liberation Front and challenged the builder's statement that the homes were environmentally friendly.
Seattle Times; March 4
Buffett tells Bush, Bernacke: It's a recession
Warren Buffett, who is one of the world's richest people, said Monday that despite President Bush's and Fed Chief Ben Bernanke's assertions to the contrary, the United States is in a recession, even though the nation hasn't quite reached the technical definition of the economic condition.
Salt Lake Tribune; March 4
Oil prices spurt to a new high on Monday
The per-barrel price of oil hit $103 briefly on Monday, before closing at $102.45, ensuring that fuel costs would bite deeper into consumers' pockets.
Deseret News (AP); March 4
|
