In the Rockies today, the weeklong debate on Colorado's proposed oil and gas rules begins; a high court ruling on an asbestos case in Montana clears the way for a criminal trial; and another case of mad cow disease is reported in British Columbia.
In Colorado, where the state is considering new rules on energy operations designed to protect water, wildlife and public health, hundreds turned out on Monday to express their opposition to -- or support of -- the rules.
Also on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the appeal of W. R. Grace in a criminal case filed against it by the government that alleges the company forged ahead on vermiculite mining in Montana despite the known health threat the asbestos in the vermiculite posed to Libby residents.
That decision clears the way for the case to go to trial.
And in British Columbia, another case of mad cow disease has been confirmed, but Canadian officials said there is no danger to the public as no part of the cow entered the human food chain.
Rockies today
Boy Scouts pull the plug on Wyoming forest restoration project
Since the Rainbow Family gathering will take place in the same general area where the Boy Scouts' Order of the Arrow had planned a major forest restoration project in Wyoming's Wind River Range, Boy Scouts officials said they'll work with the U.S. Forest Service to find another place to do restoration work.
Billings Gazette (Casper Star-Tribune); June 24
N.M. congressman's public lands bill riles conservation groups
U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce's Dona Ana County Planned Growth, Open Space and Rangeland Preservation Act, which would eliminate "wilderness study area designations" for eight areas in the New Mexico county and allow the sale of up to 60,000 acres of federal lands in that county, is in direct opposition to a measure unveiled last year by the Dona Ana County Wilderness Coalition and local homebuilders that sought more protections for lands around Las Cruces. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; June 24
Report: Cows, cars pump up Idaho's carbon footprint
A new report ordered by Idaho Gov. Butch Otter found that greenhouse gas emissions increased 30 percent between 1990 to 2005 -- twice the national average -- with transportation accounting for 27 percent of such emissions in 2005 and agriculture accounting for 25 percent.
Idaho Statesman; June 24
Hundreds turn out for meeting on Colorado's proposed energy rules
More than 800 Colorado residents, energy representatives and government officials attended Monday's meeting in Denver on the state's new proposed oil and gas regulations, with opponents of the rules sporting "Don't Rule Us Out" stickers and proponents wearing "Protect Colorado's Wildlife" stickers.
Denver Post; June 24
County officials: Montana AG's opinion an 'upheaval of land-use law'
Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath's opinion that voters in a county's incorporated areas should have a right to vote on land-use measures for unincorporated parts of a county runs counter to a ruling by Ravalli County Attorney George Corn that prohibited voters living in towns from casting votes on two countywide zoning referendums in the county's 2006 general election.
Ravalli Republic; June 24
Idaho developer headed for jail after U.S. high court denies appeal
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear his appeal, an eastern Idaho developer who was found guilty of violating the federal Clean Water Act for not obtaining a permit to reshape a creek that flowed through a subdivision he was building will now have to serve an 18-month prison sentence handed down in 2005.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); June 24
Another case of 'mad cow' disease confirmed in B.C.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the third case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in as many years in British Columbia does not suggest a widespread problem, but rather proves the agency's vigilance in keeping a handle on the disease.
Toronto Globe and Mail; June 24
U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear W. R. Grace appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear the appeal of the government's criminal case against W.R. Grace and that of the company's executives, over asbestos releases from Grace's vermiculite mine in Montana, clears the way for the matters to go to trial.
Washington Post; June 24
Opinion
Fundamental changes in energy are closer than they appear to be
The fastest way to spark innovation on the global energy front would be to impose a proper tax on carbon, which would level the playing field of other alternative sources of energy.
The Economist; June 24
Rainbow Family should respect USFS request, move Wyoming gathering
For a group that promotes peace and understanding, the Rainbow Family isn't living up to its creed in refusing to relocate the annual gathering to an area in Wyoming better suited to handle the thousands who will show up for next week's gathering, and displace Boy Scouts who sought and secured U.S. Forest Service permits for their planned event.
Casper Star-Tribune; June 24
Energy companies' fear mongering may work on Colorado residents
The energy industry's campaign against the state's proposal to expand regulations on drilling operations has a good chance of succeeding given Colorado residents' lack of knowledge about the facts, the campaign's appeal to "Western" identity and its support of individual property rights, but the campaign fails to mention there's a whole lot of drilling going on in the state and that the rules would just protect wildlife, water and residents' health. A column by Susan Greene.
Denver Post; June 24
Beyond the region
Canadian officials ask U.S. for some leeway on polar bear hunts
Representatives of Canada's Northwest Territories were in Washington D.C. on Monday, where they asked U.S. Interior Department officials to ease prohibitions on hunters bringing polar bear hides back into the United States now that the bear has been listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); June 24
Oregon governor says timber-dependent counties won't get state help
Dozens of timber-dependent counties in Oregon that depend on federal payments to shore up budgets won't be getting state help when those payments lapse.
Portland Oregonian; June 24
Colorful diverters used to help birds avoid death by power lines
A study being conducted in North Dakota has found that the use of diverters -- coil-like, colorful devices designed to spin or move in the wind -- that give birds a visual cue to avoid the power lines helps decrease the number of birds killed by power lines.
USA Today; June 24
Tower demolition at Hanford nuclear complex goes as planned
Washington Closure Hanford personnel demolished two towers at Hanford's N Reactor complex in Washington state over the weekend, an ongoing effort to tear down the last of Hanford's nine plutonium-production reactors to operate during the Cold War to its radioactive core which will then be sealed off for 75 years to allow the radioactivity to cool down so further work can be done.
Tri-City Herald; June 24
In depth
Study challenges stream restoration efforts
River and stream restoration is big business in the United States, with one 2005 study estimating $1 billion was spent annually on such projects, but many projects are done without a full understanding of the waterways and most waterways aren't adequately monitored after restoration to see if the project was a success.
New York Times; June 24
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