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In the Rockies today, a federal lands agency releases its plan to develop oil shale deposits in three Western states, Alberta oilsands operators showcase their efforts to reclaim former mining lands, and Western Republicans say the McCain-Palin ticket will play well in their states.
The Bureau of Land Management rolled out its plan Thursday to develop oil shale deposits underlying 1 million acres in Wyoming, 631,000 acres in Utah and 360,000 acres in Colorado.
The plan has been criticized by some as overzealous since even the companies working on test projects say commercial-scale development is years away.
In Alberta, where oilsands operations have been blasted for their environmental impact, companies are taking the media on tours of their reclamation projects.
And on the political front, Arizona Sen. John McCain accepted the Republican Party's nomination for president Thursday night at the GOP national convention, and New Mexico Republicans said the Arizona senator and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are just the ticket the party needs to win in November.
Rockies today
German 'Mogs' muscle up firefighting arsenal in Nevada
Fighting wildfires in the driest state in the nation requires another option rather than water, and the Bureau of Land Management has found Unimogs, 15-and-a-half-ton, four-wheel-drive vehicles with a two-ton blade mounted on their noses, built by Mercedes craftsmen in Germany, to be the vehicle of choice.
High Country News; Aug. 25
BLM releases plan for oil-shale deposits in 3 western states
The plan released Thursday on developing oil-shale deposits on Bureau of Land Management lands in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah was a month late, and even though the BLM acknowledges it doesn't know what kind of technology will be used to pull the oil from its rocky bed, Congress is beginning to push to get production going.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Sept. 5
Federal judge allows 3 groups to intervene in Utah, BLM roads lawsuit
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society were allowed in as defendants in a federal lawsuit filed by Utah and Juab County against the Bureau of Land Management over who owns three roads in the Utah's Deep Creek Mountains.
Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 5
Study says grazing not a factor in destructive 2007 Idaho wildfire
A new peer-reviewed study from the Bureau of Land Management, the University of Idaho, as well as other state and federal researchers, found that extreme temperatures and other weather factors made the 2007 Murphy Complex Fire the destructive force that it was, but it did say that while grazing or the lack of it wasn't a factor in that fire, grazing should remain in the federal agency's fire-management "toolbox."
Twin Falls Times-News; Sept. 5
Oilsands operators reshape Alberta landscapes to reclaim them
Under Alberta's environmental laws, oilsands companies must return lands disturbed by mining operations to a productive capability that is the same or better than it was before, and near Fort McMurray, one such project is under way, although the Gateway Hill lands used to be rich wetlands and now the parcel is more hilly uplands. Part of a series on Alberta's oilsands.
Edmonton Journal; Sept. 4
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Alberta oilsands operators in uphill public-relations battle
Companies mining oilsands in Alberta have been deluged with a lot of negative publicity, and the companies' efforts to limit the amount of water used during their operations and to scrub sulfur dioxide from their emissions don't get as much attention as incidents such as one in July when hundreds of waterfowl died in a tailings pond. First in a series.
Edmonton Journal; Sept. 3
New Mexico Republicans say McCain, Palin ticket will play well there
New Mexico Republicans said the John McCain-Sarah Palin ticket will appeal to voters in their and other Western states because of the pair's experience with public lands and oil and gas development issues. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; Sept. 5
Opinion
Idaho city should ban cedar-shake roofs in fire-prone areas
Last month's wildfire that killed a woman in a Boise southeast neighborhood is the needed impetus for the Idaho city council to ban cedar-shake roofs on houses in neighborhoods that abut open space.
Idaho Statesman; Sept. 5
Beyond the region
Federal judge orders former lobbyist Abramoff to prison for 4 years
Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff was sentenced by a federal judge to spend four years in prison for corruption and tax offenses for bilking Indian tribes out of millions of dollars in an influence-peddling scheme that tainted some Republican leaders in Congress; Abramoff has already served about two years on unrelated fraud charges involving cruise ships.
New York Times; Sept. 5
EPA's error on Idaho phosphorus limits stalls Washington state's efforts
The Washington Department of Ecology was on the verge of issuing final discharge permits to Washington companies when the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced it had made a mistake in calculating phosphorus limits in permits for Idaho cities that discharge treated wastewater into the Spokane River, which means Washington state needs to start its process over again as its permitting process was tied to the federal limits for the Idaho cities.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; Sept. 5
Washington state high court upholds Hanford whistleblowers' award
A 2005 state district court award of $4.8 million to 11 pipefitters who said they were fired after reporting safety concerns at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation was upheld by the Washington Supreme Court.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Sept. 5
EPA tightens emission rules for lawn mowers, boat engines
Under new regulations issued Thursday, small gasoline engines on lawn mowers, weed trimmers and boats will have to have catalytic converters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Washington Post; Sept. 5
Oregon, California have immigrant-related measures on Nov. ballot
Now that both presidential candidates have indicated they support measures to put those in the United States illegally on a path to citizenship, the battle over illegal immigration has moved to the states, and in Oregon, an initiative to limit English as a Second Language classes is on November's ballot, and in California, there is a ballot initiative that would deny bail to illegal immigrants charged with violent crimes.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); Sept. 5
In depth
McCain speech fires up party faithful in Idaho
Kootenai County Republicans said John McCain's nomination as the GOP's presidential candidate was just what the Idaho party needed to get back on track.
Coeur d'Alene Press; Sept. 5
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Nevada delegates celebrate McCain's 'perfect' speech
The Nevadans who represented their state at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota said GOP presidential nominee John McCain's speech accomplished what it needed to do: appeal to those voters who had yet to make a decision on their pick in November.
Reno Gazette-Journal; Sept. 5
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Utah delegates aboard McCain bus
Utah Republicans had hoped that Mitt Romney would be on stage Thursday night at the GOP national convention accepting their party's nomination for president, but last night they were standing together in their support for John McCain, who accepted the Republican Party's nomination for president last night.
Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 5
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Nighthorse Campbell part of Indian country's supporters for McCain
On Sept. 3, Republican presidential nominee John McCain announced the roster of leaders of the American Indians for McCain Coalition, which included former Colorado Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell a Northern Cheyenne.
Indian Country Today; Sept. 5
Palin put oil windfall taxes in place that McCain opposed on federal level
During Gov. Sarah Palin's two years at the helm of Alaska, she raised taxes on oil companies' profits and returned the cash to consumers, led the charge for a licensing process to build a multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline that the state's major oil companies opposed so much they refused to bid on the project, and is in a fight with oil companies over drilling rights to one of the state's richest natural gas deposits.
Toronto Globe and Mail; Sept. 5
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| "It's basically people moving a lot of dirt with their heads down and their butts up."
Ian Bardwell, trail manager for the Lewis and Clark National Forest's Rocky Mountain Ranger District in Montana, about restoration work done on trails burned over by 2007 wildfires.
- Great Falls Tribune
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New study supports leaving B.C.'s old-growth forests standing
Uranium, wind workers wanted in Wyoming
Wyoming governor asks NRC to stick to uranium study deadline
Federal agents remove cattle-killing wolves in NW Montana
Rehab work on trails burned over in Montana wraps up for season
Developers take Utah county to court over incorporation battle
Arizona tribe orders man to stop putting out water for illegal border-crossers
Democratic VP candidate to visit Montana on Sunday
Fearing split vote, Idaho GOP asks candidates to bow out of Senate race
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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
for the Rocky Mountain West at the University
of Montana. |
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