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In the Rockies today, the Environmental Protection Agency puts two sites in the West on its national priority list for cleanup; the three victims in Monday's crash of an air tanker in Nevada are identified; and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's speech rocked the Republican National Convention in Minnesota Wednesday evening.
Two of the six sites identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as priorities for cleanup are in the West: The Iron King Mine and the nearby Humboldt Smelter in Arizona and the Nelson Tunnel-Commodore Waste Rock Site in Colorado.
In Nevada, National Transportation Safety Board investigators are sifting through the wreckage of a Neptune Aviation air tanker that crashed and killed three crew members on Monday.
Two Montana men and a Utah man have been identified as the victims in that crash.
And, finally, Republican presidential candidate John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate stunned many Republicans, but Palin's speech Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention appeared to allay some concerns among the party faithful.
In our In-depth section, we provide regional coverage of Gov. Palin and the presidential campaigns.
Today in Headwaters News' "A Look Ahead," we provide a preview of the inaugural inaugural WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition scheduled Oct. 8-10 in Las Vegas.
Scheduled speakers include His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Ibn Al-Hussein of Jordan and noted climatologist Dr. Jonathan Overpeck.
Rockies today
EPA lists Arizona mine, smelter as Superfund sites
The Iron King Mine and the nearby Humboldt Smelter in Arizona were listed as a federal Superfund cleanup site, one of six new sites listed across the nation and the first for Arizona in more than 20 years.
Arizona Republic; Sept. 4
Mine in SW Colorado on EPA's Superfund list
The Nelson Tunnel-Commodore Waste Rock Site in southwest Colorado near Creede was listed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as one of the nation's top priority sites for environmental cleanup.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); Sept. 4
NTSB officials call tanker's crash in Nevada 'puzzling'
The Neptune Aviation air tanker that crashed on Monday, killing all three crew members aboard, had recently been inspected and was just 36 hours into a normal 100-hour inspection, and National Transportation Safety Board officials said the fire that engulfed the engine shortly after takeoff was unusual.
Missoulian; Sept. 4
USDA pulls Montana's brucellosis-free status
Following the discovery of brucellosis in a cattle near Yellowstone National Park twice in the past two years, Montana lost its brucellosis-free status and must wait until May 2009 before it can petition the federal government to reinstate it; ranchers must now test all cattle capable of breeding and older than a year and a half before the animals can be sent out of state.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Sept. 4
U.S. Labor Dept. asks for criminal investigation in Utah mine disaster
The Utah attorney general has been asked to conduct a criminal investigation into last year's Crandall Canyon mine collapse where two separate incidents killed nine men.
Deseret News; Sept. 4
Utah the only option for storage of low-level nuclear waste
International, national, state and local officials discussed future disposal of nuclear waste at a forum Wednesday in Nevada, where speakers from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the trade association for nuclear companies, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), discussed their thoughts about revamping current limits on mixing levels of nuclear waste.
Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 4
Analysts: Palin pick could help GOP in 5 Western states
According to recent polling data, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are within 7 percentage points in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada and New Mexico, and analysts said that McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may help boost his numbers in those states.
Grand Junction Sentinel; Sept. 4
Opinion
Wildfires in West must be managed, not suppressed
The catastrophic wildfires that have burned through Western forests over the past several years is the result of decades of aggressive fire suppression policies, and in order to prevent future catastrophic fires, Congress and state legislatures should dedicate steady streams of revenue to fuel reduction projects that will not only reduce the risk of wildfire but will also provide jobs in rural areas of the Western states where they're sorely needed. A perspective.
Science Progress; Sept. 4
Beyond the region
Report links power lines to 3 devastating 2007 California wildfires
The report issued by the California Public Utilities Commission this week concurs with an earlier report that blamed San Diego Gas & Electric and Cox Communications for not properly maintaining power lines, which led to three devastating wildfires in San Diego County in 2007.
New York Times; Sept. 4
Lockheed Martin wins $3B contract for work at Hanford nuclear campus
The Department of Energy announced Wednesday that a team led by Lockheed Martin won a $3 billion contract to provide support services at the Hanford nuclear complex in Washington state for up to 10 years.
Tri-City Herald; Sept. 4
Interest in small wind turbine installation on the rise
While wind turbines in large, commercial-scale wind farms are getting so large and more powerful, lowering the cost of the electricity they generate to the point they are giving natural-gas plants a run for their money, the small, home-based turbines have yet to prove they make sense, yet homeowners are rushing to install the turbines.
New York Times; Sept. 3
Boeing workers vote to strike
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and a federal mediator were able to get a 48-hour extension on the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' decision to strike, but union officials said if Boeing doesn't provide an acceptable contract offer by 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, 27,000 workers will walk off the job.
Washington Post; Sept. 4
In depth
Presidential campaign events set in New Mexico this week
Michele Obama will campaign for her husband, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, in New Mexico today, with events planned in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and the Republican presidential nominee and his running mate, John McCain and Sarah Palin, will be in Albuquerque on Saturday.
Santa Fe New Mexican; Sept. 4
VP pick takes on critics point by point
Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin addressed the Republican National Convention Wednesday night, where she launched a point-by-point defense of her experience and ability to perform the tasks necessary for second-in-command.
New York Times; Sept. 4
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Environmental groups, Palin at odds on many issues
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, now Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate, opposed the listing of the polar bear as an endangered species, defends aerial shooting of wolves to protect the state's moose and caribou herds for hunters, and has disputed that human activity has had a role in climate change.
Las Vegas Sun (AP); Sept. 4
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Palin's experience as Alaska governor unique
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's political experience is different than that of other governors in the United States because Alaska is a relatively young state, its economy is highly dependent on oil and federal spending, as well as its sheer size and the large number of indigenous people.
New York Times; Sept. 4
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Nevada delegates say Palin's speech was a winner
Republican vice-presidential pick Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's speech got glowing reviews from members of Nevada's delegation to the Republican National Convention, where all 34 delegates cast their votes for presidential nominee John McCain after delegates who supported Ron Paul were given the choice of casting their votes for McCain or abstaining.
Reno Gazette-Journal; Sept. 4
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Wyoming delegates support Palin, cite her energy experience
Wyoming delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minnesota said Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's energy experience and as leader of a Western state made her an excellent choice to be vice president.
Casper Star-Tribune; Sept. 4
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Utah governor says Palin does have international experience
During his speech before the Republican National Convention in Minnesota on Wednesday, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. scoffed at statements that vice presidential pick Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin lacked international experience, and said that Alaska's proximity to Canada and Russia provided Palin with plenty of international experience.
Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 4
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| "Her philosophy from our perspective is cut, kill, dig and drill."
John Toppenberg, director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, about Gov. Sarah Palin, whom Republican presidential candidate John McCain selected as his running mate.
- Las Vegas Sun (AP)
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Another company lays out mining plan for Canadian Flathead in B.C.
Texas film on fighting coal power will screen in Nevada, Utah
Bruce Willis offers Idaho land for airport
Idaho high court rules Rammell will stay on November ballot
Investors snap up stock in Canada's forestry companies
Federal appeals panel sides with BLM 'whistleblower' in Nevada
Denver reports fewer ozone violations this summer
Arizona company to manage Yellowstone Club in Montana
Vail Resorts spends $100M to upgrade Colorado, other ski resorts
Utah ski resorts race to complete upgrades
With primary over, Arizona legislative races heat up
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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. 11-12: Public Land Foundation's annual meeting: "Sustaining the Ecological, Economic and Social Vitality of the Public Lands," Park City, Utah. 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.
Oct. 8-9: Idaho Wildland Fire Conference, Boise, Idaho. Read a preview.
Oct. 8-10: The inaugural WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, Las Vegas, Nev. Read a preview.
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Headwaters
News is a project of the Center
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