In the Rockies today, wolves in Idaho and Wyoming and uranium on Navajo Nation lands are in the news.
At a meeting Thursday, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission said it would allow up to 428 wolves to be removed from the state's population this year, either through hunting, natural deaths or removal actions.
In Wyoming, the Game and Fish Department rolled out its proposal for wolf hunts in the northwest region of the state, the only area where wolves are classified as trophy animals.
As interest in uranium mining increases, many residents of the Navajo Nation are concerned about efforts to reopen uranium mines on those lands in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Decades after the first uranium boom, hundreds of uranium mines pockmark Navajo lands, and one researcher said she believes exposure to uranium may increase the risk of breast cancer.
Rockies today
Navajo researcher explores link between uranium, breast cancer
Stefanie Raymond-Whish, a molecular biologist at the University of Northern Arizona, watched her grandmother and mother struggle with breast cancer, and the Navajo woman and the team of researchers with whom she's working have discovered that uranium in low doses can act like estrogen, increasing the risk of breast cancer.
High Country News; May 23
Idaho sets wolf limits, statewide hunting season
At its meeting in Jerome on Thursday, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission said 428 of the state's 1,000 or so wolves would be allowed to be removed from the population, either through a statewide hunt set to run from Sept. 15 through the end of the year, or through natural deaths or removal actions.
Idaho Mountain Express (Sun Valley); May 23
Wyoming opens wolf-hunt plan for public comment
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department plans a series of public meetings to gather input on its proposal to set a quota of 25 wolves to be taken by hunters in the northwest part of the state, where wolves are classified as trophy animals under the state's management plan.
Jackson Hole News & Guide; May 23
Colorado oil, gas commission approves new industry regulations
Despite persistent lobbying efforts by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, the Colorado Petroleum Association, several energy companies, some counties and the Colorado Association of Home Builders to delay new rules on drilling operations in the state, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission voted 6-3 to implement two laws passed last year that add weight to public health, environmental and wildlife concerns when making decisions about energy development.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); May 23
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Wyoming conference addresses balance between energy, wildlife
At the Responsible Energy Development Symposium at Jackson Lake Lodge, about 170 people discussed ways that energy development could continue on public lands in the American West and the rest of the nation, without endangering wildlife and the environment.
Casper Star-Tribune; May 23
Arizona city expands immigration enforcement
Under a new policy announced Thursday, Phoenix law enforcement officers may contact Immigrations and Customs Enforcement if they suspect a person they arrest may be in the country illegally, a policy change that is anticipated to result in an increase of the number of illegal immigrants deported from Arizona.
Arizona Republic; May 23
Opinion
The United States doesn't need foreign nuclear waste -- period.
At a U.S. House subcommittee hearing on legislation that would ban the importation of foreign nuclear waste, Michigan Rep. Fred Upton painted the bill as a "not-in-my-backyard" measure, but Upton is wrong, it is legislation that will keep nuclear waste in the country where it is produced and for that reason alone, Congress should pass it.
Salt Lake Tribune; May 23
Montana city needs to take a new look at coal-fired power project
Much has changed since Great Falls decided to partner with five electrical co-operatives on the proposed Highwood Generating Station northeast of the Montana city, including the nation's attitude toward coal-fired power, and the city should take a new look at the project and its participation in it.
Great Falls Tribune; May 23
Beyond the region
U.S.-Canada accord may use $30M to buy out B.C. salmon fleet
The newly negotiated Pacific Salmon Treaty between the U.S. and Canada calls for a 30 percent reduction of salmon catch off the coast of Vancouver Island and a 15 percent reduction of the catch in Alaska, and the president of the West Coast Trollers Association criticized the deal which she said will use the $30 million to buy out British Columbia's commercial fisheries fleet.
Toronto Globe and Mail; May 23
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Washington governor praises U.S.-Canada salmon pact
The agreement reached between the United States and Canada on reducing salmon fishing to help boost salmon numbers earned the endorsement of Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, Native officials and environmental groups, although some groups said the treaty didn't go far enough.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; May 23
Italy announces plan to return to nuclear energy
Two decades after a definitive public referendum shuttered all of Italy's nuclear power plants, the Italian government announced it would begin building new nuclear power plants, although the country has yet to develop a plan to rid itself of the 235 tons of spent nuclear fuel left over from its last nuclear age. Editor's note: EnergySolutions is seeking clearance to import nuclear waste from Italy for disposal at its facility in Utah.
New York Times; May 23
Gov. Palin wants $500M to subsidize Alaska-Canada pipeline
Gov. Sarah Palin campaigned on a promise to complete of the 1,715-mile natural gas pipeline from Alaska's gas fields on its North Slope to Alberta, Canada, where it would hook into existing pipelines that carry gas to Canada and the United States, and on Thursday she proposed providing $500 million in matching funds to TransCanada to build the pipeline.
New York Times; May 23
Congress overrides president's veto of Farm Bill
The U.S. Senate voted 82 to 13 to override President Bush's veto of the $307-billion, five-year Farm Bill on Thursday.
Washington Post; May 23
In depth
National housing index shows Utah divide in housing prices
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's latest report released Thursday said that the national home-price index reported its sharpest decline in its 17-year history in the first quarter of 2008; that Wyoming had the greatest year-over-year increase in prices of 6.34 percent, and Utah reported an overall increase of 5.58 percent during the first quarter, even though the region around St. George saw an 3.65 percent decline in prices between the first quarter of 2007 and the same period in 2008.
Deseret News; May 23
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Index: Colorado city second in nation in home-price increases
The housing-price index maintained by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight is generally considered the most comprehensive in the nation, and Thursday's report found that Colorado's housing market fared better than the nation's as a whole, with Grand Junction posting the second highest pricing appreciation among U.S. cities in the nation.
Denver Rocky Mountain News; May 23
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Flagstaff bright spot in Arizona housing market
The report issued Thursday by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight found that the average price of a home in Arizona fell 5.5 percent during the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same period a year ago, but the value of homes in Flagstaff fell just 1.8 percent during that time.
Arizona Daily Sun; May 23
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