In the Rockies today, Plum Creek lands in Montana, endangered caribou in British Columbia, and Wyoming's warming waters are in the news.
The Government Accountability Office is investigating closed-door talks between Plum Creek Timber Co. and the U.S. Forest Service on road easements in Montana, and the timber company has launched an all-out campaign to clarify the company's intentions in that state.
In British Columbia, a deal is expected to be announced today that will protect thousands of acres just north of the B.C.-Idaho border, to help provide habitat for the endangered South Selkirk mountain caribou.
And in Wyoming, a new report said that water in some of the state's best trout fisheries was warming up, endangering the fish and the tourism industry it feeds.
And in Western Perspective, a similar report with similar findings was recently released by the Clark Fork Coalition that examined data in Montana's Clark Fork River Basin.
We invite you to read the column on the "Low Flows, Hot Trout" report and give us your thoughts.
Rockies today
Huge tract of B.C. forest to be protected for caribou
British Columbia Environment Minister John Baird and the president of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, John Lounds, are expected to announce today the protection of what is thought to be nearly 136,000 acres of private forest land in southeastern British Columbia to help protect the South Selkirk mountain caribou population, one of a dozen endangered herds in the Canadian province.
Toronto Globe and Mail; July 24
Plum Creek reaches out to Montana communities, media
Plum Creek Timber Co. officials are meeting with local officials and Montana media to clarify the company's intentions in the state, but at least one conservation group dismissed its efforts, calling the meetings a "propaganda strategy."
Missoulian; July 24
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USDA, Plum Creek respond to GAO probe on Montana road talks
The Government Accountability Office is investigating closed-door talks between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Plum Creek Timber Co. on road easements in Montana, and Mark Rey, the Agriculture undersecretary involved in the talks, and Plum Creek officials said they have been in contact with GAO officials.
Helena Independent Record (AP); July 24
N.M., Air Force, cities team up on push for renewable energy
New Mexico, the U.S. Air Force and three cities in the state have signed memoranda of understanding to create renewable energy projects in the state which could supply electricity to the Air Force's three military bases.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); July 24
Western states, Canadian provinces release emissions plan
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski released a draft plan on Wednesday designed to gradually lower greenhouse gas emissions that has been proposed by Oregon, Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Washington, as well as British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec in Canada.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); July 24
Groups warn warmer Wyoming waters will hit fish hard
A report issued by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Trout Unlimited said that water temperatures in Wyoming's trout fisheries have already increased by 2 degrees, and if they continue to increase, fishing opportunities could be halved in the state over the next 90 or so years.
Jackson Hole Daily; July 24
Report details dismal state of Canada's forestry sector
A report released Wednesday by PricewaterhouseCoopers that examined the world's 100 largest forest, paper and fiber-based packaging companies in the world said that losses among Canada's 13 largest lumber companies, six of which are located in British Columbia, increased 560 percent between 2006 and 2007.
Vancouver Sun; July 24
Opinion
Interior Dept.'s oil-shale royalty plan OK, but should wait on leases
There is still too much uncertainty about the technology and effect oil-shale development will have on the land and water quality in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming for the Interior Department to move forward on leasing lands for such development, but a proposed royalty plan will give interested companies a starting point on figuring out the economic side.
Grand Junction Sentinel; July 24
Report shows Indian Health Service can't help itself let alone patients
The Indian Health Service has proven time and again that it cannot provide timely or adequate health care to Native Americans, but the latest report that detailed the agency's loss of nearly $16 million worth of equipment over the past few years proved that the agency isn't capable of even running itself.
Helena Independent Record; July 24
Armed with report, Colorado, Utah tell U.S. 'pay attention to us'
At the debut of the Brookings Institution's new report "Mountain Megas: America’s Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper," this week in Colorado, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter urged the federal government to show some leadership on issues such as immigration and climate change.
NewWest.net; July 23
Beyond the region
Energy giants join the quest to turn waste into fuel
The concept of turning wood chips, forage or even garbage into fuel for vehicles is not new, scientists have known it was possible for decades, but now that fuel prices have surpassed $4-a-gallon, the processes make more sense economically, and Honeywell, Dupont, General Motors, Shell and BP are wading into the effort to wring fuel out of biomass. Another in a series.
New York Times; July 24
USGS: Arctic may contain 90 billion barrels of oil
The U.S. Geological Survey spent four years surveying the Arctic's energy potential, and its report issued Wednesday said that there may be as much as 90 billion barrels of undiscovered oil reserves, and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
New York Times; July 24
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