In the Rockies today, a new dismal report on climate change's effect in the American West will be released today.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's report doesn't contain new dire consequences, but rather confirms and clarifies predictions made five years ago.
Hotter, drier weather means larger, more destructive wildfires and warmer rivers that won't support trout and other cold-water species.
The report focuses on changes forecast over the next few decades, and how those changes will affect the forests and rangelands of the Interior West.
Today in Headwaters News' A Look Ahead, we offer readers a preview of the Western Governors' Association annual meeting scheduled for June 29 to July 1.
The meeting, hosted by Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal in Jackson Hole, offers plenary sessions on protecting wildlife corridors in the West, managing water in the West and the expansion of the nation's energy grid and how that will affect the West.
Early registration closes June 6.
Rockies today
USDA report on climate change paints a grim picture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to release its report today on the effects of climate change in the United States, and although the report's projections aren't new, they do show the profound effect climate change will have on the American West.
Salt Lake Tribune; May 27
Colorado county considers per-well fee to cover impact of energy work
Some counties in Colorado already impose an impact fee on new subdivisions and businesses to make development pay its own way, but Rio Blanco County would be the first to impose a per-well fee on energy development to help the county deal with the increase of population, traffic and law enforcement calls brought by drilling operations.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); May 27
Plum Creek ready to sell 300,000 acres in Montana
Montana Sen. Max Baucus announced a deal last week with Plum Creek Timber Co. to conserve 300,000 acres of the company's land in Montana as working forests, using funding from the latest Farm Bill and from The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land.
Missoulian; May 24
Plum Creek submits zoning designations to Montana county
Plum Creek Timber Co. owns more than 7,000 acres of land in Montana's Ravalli County, and earlier this month the company submitted its own zoning designations for that land to the county to be included in its countywide zoning process.
Ravalli Republic; May 27
Montana's stalemate with Rey on Plum Creek documents continues
U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey says he's not sure when, or if, documents underlying a year's worth of discussions between the U.S. Forest Service and Plum Creek Timber Co. about road easements in Montana will be released to the public, but lawyers representing Montana counties and public landowners said they'll go to court to get access to the documents.
Missoulian; May 24
Miners head back to Idaho's Silver Valley
Mining is making a comeback in Idaho's Silver Valley, fueled by skyrocketing prices for silver and other metals, and miners who left the state decades are coming back, and finding that tourism has changed the housing market considerably.
Twin Falls Times-News (AP); May 27
Alberta's campaign promoting oilsands, investigations collide
Just as Alberta launches a $25-million, three-year branding campaign, a portion of which promoting the development of the Canadian province's oilsands resources as environmentally sustainable, the province is wading into more than a dozen investigations of leaks, regulatory lapses and environmental consequences of tapping into the oilsands.
Calgary Herald; May 24
Opinion
Utah's tourism too important to economy to be drilled under
Utah's landscape, wildlife and outdoor recreational opportunities are too important to the state's economy to fall victim to the federal government's relentless push to drill for whatever pittance of energy may underlie our public lands.
Salt Lake Tribune; May 24
Tribes, U.S. salmon deal less historic than 'business as usual'
The recent agreement between Northwestern tribes and the federal government on salmon management on the Columbia River and its largest tributary, the Snake, that provided more than $1 billion in federal funds for salmon projects allows four hydroelectric dams to remain in place, which means not much will change for the salmon over the next ten years. A guest column by Mike Barenti, a former Yakima Herald-Republic reporter and the author of "Kayaking Alone: Nine Hundred Miles from Idaho's Mountains to the Pacific Ocean."
Yakima Herald Republic; May 27
Oregon county voters right to rebuff 'destination resorts'
Last week, the voters in Crook County voted nearly 2-to-1 to pass a citizen's initiative that could effectively stop massive destination resorts from being built in the central Oregon county, although three currently under development will be allowed to go forward.
Portland Oregonian; May 27
Beyond the region
Ethanol is losing its luster
Complaints that ethanol is putting the squeeze on food prices have spurred a call for Congress to rollback its biofuels mandate, although analysts say it's unlikely that any action will be taken before November's election since the 10 states that produce 80 percent of the nation's ethanol have among them nearly half the 270 electoral votes needed to win a presidential election.
Salt Lake Tribune (AP); May 25
Exxon pricing station operators out of business
Exxon Mobil keeps operators on a tight rein, carefully monitoring every detail of the stations that bear its name down to the location of candy bars on the shelves, but the company is now raising the rent on some stations, and operators are calling it quits.
Washington Post; May 25
Tiny California town wants to jump ship, join Arizona or Nevada
The residents of Needles, a tiny town on the Colorado River in eastern California, want to leave the Golden State and its disadvantageous business climate and become a part of either Nevada or Arizona.
Los Angeles Times; May 27
Wall Street analysts say Weyerhauser must change or die
Weyerhauser is the nation's last, major integrated timber company, and some analysts fear the $182-million tax break tucked in the Farm Bill--a measure sponsored by Montana Sen. Max Baucus that also provided tax relief to Plum Creek and other timber companies that converted their timberlands into real estate investment trusts--may not be enough to save the company, which owns about 2.2 million acres of land in Washington and Oregon.
Portland Oregonian; May 27
In depth
Obama, McCain criss-cross 3 Western states
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama and the Republican Party's presumptive nominee Arizona Sen. John McCain are slugging it out in the Interior West, where both candidates plan campaign stops in New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado.
Yakima Herald Republic (AP); May 27
McCain, Bush plan joint appearance in Arizona Tuesday
President Bush will be in Arizona on Tuesday, where he will appear with Sen. John McCain, the Republican Party's presumptive nominee, at a private fundraiser in Phoenix; the president will also make an appearance in Mesa, where he plans to give a speech on the economy.
Arizona Republic; May 27
Veterans focus of presidential candidates' N.M. speeches
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama held a town hall meeting with veterans in Las Cruces on Monday, and the Republican Party's presumptive nominee John McCain was in New Mexico as well, where he visited a veterans memorial. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Tribune (AP); May 27
Sen. Clinton plans campaign stops in Montana today
Democratic presidential contender Sen. Hillary Clinton will be back in Montana today, with stops planned at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo and at Metro Park in Billings.
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; May 27
Clinton promises Montana tribes she'll work on health care, housing
During a teleconference on Friday, Sen. Hillary Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for president, rolled out a nine-point agenda for Montana tribes, that included addressing housing, health care and education concerns.
Billings Gazette; May 24
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