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In the Rockies today, changes in federal legislation and what they could mean to the Rocky Mountain West.
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne went to Washington with a history of working across the aisle and bringing together industry and environmental groups.
In fact, when the Idaho Republican was a U.S. senator he worked on a compromise bill to reform the Endangered Species Act in 1996 and 1997.
The legislation then had the support of lawmakers from both parties and from the Clinton administration, but never made it through Congress.
But the political atmosphere in Washington is much different these days, and Interior Secretary Kempthorne is facing an uphill battle on similar proposed changes to the species act.
And on the public lands front, Utah Congressman Rob Bishop is sponsoring legislation to create a mechanism to allow states to use five percent of the federal lands contained within their borders to fund public education.
The legislation would give Western states that have an overabundance of federal lands more funding for schools and education.
Rockies today
Kempthorne tried changing ESA when he was Idaho senator
The changes proposed by the Bush administration to the federal Endangered Species Act are similar to reforms championed by Dirk Kempthorne when he served as Idaho's U.S. senator more than a decade ago, and although that legislation had support from both sides of the aisle in Congress, the political environment today means an uphill battle for Interior Secretary Kempthorne.
Idaho Statesman; Aug. 17
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Conservationists unsure how ESA changes will affect Utah species
There are more than 40 species in Utah that are covered by the federal Endangered Species Act, and conservationists are unsure what proposed changes to the act will mean for species such as the black-footed ferret or Winkler cactus.
Salt Lake Tribune; Aug. 15
Utah, Idaho congressmen team up on federal lands legislation
At a meeting of government and education officials in Idaho Monday, Utah Congressman Rob Bishop and Idaho U.S. Rep. Bill Sali discussed legislation crafted to reflect the Council of State Governments-West's Action Plan for Public Lands and Education initiative, which would allow states to use up to 5 percent of federal lands contained within their borders to fund public education.
Coeur d'Alene Press; Aug. 19
Former President Clinton chides Nevada for lack of wind power
At a conference on renewable energy at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas on Monday, former President Clinton said the United States should take the lead in developing renewable energy resources.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; Aug. 19
Evacuations complete, search is on for missing Grand Canyon hikers
Bureau of Indian Affairs and National Park Service personnel are searching for 11 hikers who are unaccounted for following Sunday's flood in the Havasu Canyon area of the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Arizona Republic; Aug. 19
Montana official defends road easement talks with Plum Creek
Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Director Mary Sexton said that for every mile of road easement the state granted to Plum Creek Timber Co. the state gained four miles of access to isolated parcels of state lands, but some groups said the DNRC's easements means Plum Creek will be able to develop wildland-urban interface lands which ultimately may cost taxpayers.
Great Falls Tribune; Aug. 19
Asarco files $2.4-billion plan to settle environmental, asbestos claims
Arizona-based Asarco LLC, the world's third-largest copper producer, filed its bankruptcy reorganization plan on Monday that would settle the $8.7 billion it owes for environmental and asbestos claims for $2.4 billion; Asarco's parent company Grupo Mexico is expected to file a competing plan, and a federal bankruptcy court and the company's creditors must still sign off on any reorganization plan.
Arizona Republic; Aug. 19
Utah pushes conservation to meet new demand for water
Nevada is second only to Nevada in per-person water use, and Utah water officials are pushing residents to conserve the precious resource, especially in the Salt Lake Valley, where 1 million Utahns have about 11 years before demand outpaces supply.
Salt Lake Tribune; Aug. 19
Opinion
Utah should consider fee for building in disaster-prone areas
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to impose a 1.4 percent surcharge on insurance premiums on homes and commercial property built in disaster-prone areas and use the money to pay for firefighting and rescue services, an idea Utah may want to consider.
Salt Lake Tribune; Aug. 19
Beyond the region
Wildfires burn thousands of acres in 2 Washington state counties
A lightning-sparked wildfire has burned more than 3,000 acres in Washington state's Whitman County, while another wildfire burned across 18,000 acres of Creston County on Monday afternoon.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; Aug. 19
Resource nationalism keeps big oil companies out of new fields
Last quarter, the five largest publicly traded oil companies reported a decline in production, the fifth consecutive quarter production fell, and with most oil reserves in the hands of state-owned companies like Russia’s Gazprom and Iran’s national oil company, there's a new oil world order.
New York Times; Aug. 19
Cheney aide in line for Energy post
F. Chase Hutto III, a senior policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney and staunch opponent to new regulations on industry, is said to be under consideration for the post of assistant secretary for policy and international affairs in the Department of Energy.
Washington Post; Aug. 19
Trade official reminds U.S. of Canada's role as energy supplier
At the Americas Competitive Forum in Atlanta Monday, Canadian Industry Minister Jim Prentice reminded an American audience that $1 billion worth of energy, in the form of oil, natural gas and electricity produced in Canada, flows south into the United States each year.
Calgary Herald; Aug. 19
Russia's proposed tax on log exports could boost B.C. forestry sector
Russia exports 40 percent of the world's supply of raw logs, and its proposal to raise the export tax on those logs from 25 percent to 80 percent on Jan. 1, 2009, will have global repercussions, and China has already begun shopping for a new supplier in British Columbia.
Vancouver Sun; Aug. 19
Wisconsin dairy farmers head to Mexico to learn about workers' lives
A Spanish teacher in a small town in Wisconsin and a man who provides management classes to farmers formed Puentes/Bridges in the late 1990s, an exchange program that gives dairy farmers a chance to travel south to Mexico to spend time in the communities from which they draw their workers.
Christian Science Monitor; Aug. 19
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Wildfire roars across 10,000 acres of BLM land in Idaho
Wyoming primary today
Arizona residents pack public hearing on tranmission line's route
Wind pushes Montana wildfire across 600 acres in 4 hours
Montana judge puts two gravel mining permits on hold
Montana residents push for more info on Plum Creek, town talks
Oklahoma company seeks permit for seismic mapping in Wyoming
Obama set to announce running mate, perhaps by Wednesday
N.Y. billionaire donates $1 million to Democratic convention
N.M. Senate cuts governor's rebate plan by more than 50 percent
Drought in Idaho, California drive up demand for Wyoming hay
Public invited to Montana lawmakers' meeting on wildfire suppression
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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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Sept. 8-11: The U.S. Geological Survey's Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds, Estes Park, Colo. Read a preview.
Sept. 15-17: Headwaters Summit: Re-visioning how we use water in a changing climate, Missoula, Mont. Read a preview.
Sept. 22-24: The 32nd Annual Public Land Law Conference, "A Federal Lands Agenda for the 21st Century," Missoula, Mont. Read a preview.
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Headwaters
News is a project of the Center
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