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In the Rockies today, a carbon sequestration project in New Mexico may provide important answers about efforts to curb that greenhouse gas.
The San Juan Basin that stretches from Colorado south into New Mexico contains geological formations that make the basin particularly promising when it comes to carbon sequestration, according to Colorado Geological Survey personnel.
Tests show that carbon dioxide absorbs into the coal that lies too deep under the basin to be mined, forcing the methane out.
Although the pilot project currently underway in New Mexico's Pump Canyon won't make a dent in the total greenhouse gas emissions of the Four Corners area, it will help determine if the process is one worth pursuing.
Rockies today
Basin in Colorado, N.M. shows potential for carbon sequestration
ConocoPhillips, the Colorado Geological Survey, Brian McPherson, head of the Southwest Partnership on Carbon Sequestration and the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory have teamed up on a carbon sequestration pilot project in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico.
Durango Herald; June 23
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States race to get carbon sequestration policies in place
As efforts ramp up to capture and store carbon dioxide underground, states are scrambling to resolve legal questions, such as who owns the underground space where the carbon dioxide will be stored and who carries the liability if something goes awry after the carbon dioxide is pumped underground.
Durango Herald; June 23
Nevada senator surprised by BLM's moratorium on solar projects
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he'll ask the head of the Bureau of Land Management just why Reid had to learn about the BLM's decision to put a 22-month moratorium on solar projects in the southwestern United States, which includes Reid's home state of Nevada, from the newspaper.
Las Vegas Sun; June 23
Meetings on Colorado's proposed oil, gas regulations begin today
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will hold public meetings this week in Denver on new proposed regulations on drilling operations, and officials said they anticipate hundreds of people will attend the meetings.
Seattle Post Intelligencer (AP); June 23
Groups base N.M. lease auction protests on global warming effects
Seven environmental groups are challenging the entire slate of energy leases set to be auctioned by the Bureau of Land Management in New Mexico until the agency can assess the effect development of those leases will have on global warming; similar protests have been filed on leases in Colorado and Montana.
Farmington Daily Times; June 23
More cattle in Wyoming herd test positive for brucellosis
A Wyoming rancher got disheartening news when an additional 13 head of his 327 cattle herd tested positive for brucellosis; testing will continue today.
Casper Star-Tribune; June 21
Montana county prepares for life without Secure Schools funding
If Congress doesn't reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Act, which provides payments to counties hit hard by declining federal timber payments, Granite County officials said they'll either have to raise taxes in the Montana county or make deep cuts in services such as road maintenance and plowing.
Montana Standard; June 23
Opinion
U.S. Senate should follow House's lead on mining law reform
As rising prices for copper, silver, gold and uranium drive up the prospects for mining on the West's public lands, the need to reform the flimsy 1872 General Mining Law increases, and New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman needs to get a bill similar to the good one passed by the U.S. House to do just that drafted and before the U.S. Senate.
New York Times; June 23
Beyond the region
NASA climatologist to repeat decades-old global warming warning today
Two decades ago, NASA climate scientist James Hansen testified before a Senate committee that he was "99 percent" certain that human activity was causing the planet to warm, a warning he will repeat Monday when he testifies before the U.S. House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, with the added caveat that it is almost too late, but not quite, to start curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
New York Times; June 23
Amtrak rider numbers skyrocket
Some Amtrak routes have already sold out this summer, including the Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. route on July 5, and Amtrak officials said they're starting to reach capacity, but expansion is no easy task with the number of "passenger miles" on the nation's rail system down by two-thirds since 1960 and manufacturers of passenger rail cars few and far between.
New York Times; June 22
Nation eyes CRP lands for crops as nation's farmlands flood
On Friday, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release contracts on tens of thousands of acres set aside for natural habitat and allow them to be tilled and planted to replace flooded croplands.
New York Times; June 23
White House declines to provide documents on EPA decision
On Friday, the White House used executive privilege to avoid turning over documents relating to the Environmental Protection Agency's decision not to give California a waiver on regulating vehicle emissions.
Los Angeles Times; June 23
Water transfers in Washington state worry local officials
Local officials in Washington state's Okanogan County said that they're concerned that if farmers continue to sell their water rights to landowners down river, the county will dry up, but farmers say the rights are theirs to sell.
Seattle Post Intelligencer (AP); June 23
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| "It's a property, like a truck or a cow, and you should have the right to do as you wish with it."
Ray Colbert, a Washington state farmer, about his decision to sell his water rights in the Okanogan River, a tributary to the Columbia River.
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP)
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Wyoming judge tosses coalbed-methane water lawsuit
Montana PSC may consider NorthWestern dividends in rate case
Wyoming wind-power producers line up to bid for room on power line
Proposed molybdenum mine in British Columbia gets needed permit
Idaho mining company sells Venezuela holdings
Sales of suburban homes stall in Utah as condo craze hits SLC
Demand for water outstrips supply in Utah valley
Wyoming congresswoman's bill would expand nation's refinery capacity
Tribe in Montana to vote Tuesday on constitutional overhaul
Humane Society, Idaho lawmakers at odds over horse-slaughter bill
Arizona lawmakers push for economic stimulus package
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Exclusively
on Headwaters:
NewVoices/NewWest:
Culture
Clash: Can the federal No Child Left Behind Act coexist with Montana's
Indian Education for All?
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Regional Conferences
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June 29-July 1: Western Governors' Association Annual Meeting; Wildlife corridors, climate change, energy and managing water on agenda, Teton Village
Jackson Hole, Wyo. Read a preview.
Sept. 8-11: The U.S. Geological Survey's Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds, Estes Park, Colo. Read a preview.
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Headwaters
News is a project of the Center
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