In the Rockies today, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a Colorado mining company's lawsuit against the state of Montana over its ban on cyanide-heap leaching mining.
Colorado-based Atna Resources announced the denial Tuesday, and said it would no longer pursue its efforts on the Seven-Up Pete Venture, a proposed gold and silver mine near Lincoln, Mont.
A ban on cyanide heap leaching passed by Montana voters in 1998 stalled development of the mine, and resulted in state and federal lawsuits against the state, alleging that the ban resulted in an illegal taking of the company's assets.
Today in "On the Bookshelf," Barbara Theroux reviews Terry Tempest Williams' latest offering, "Finding Beauty in a Broken World."
Rockies today
U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Montana cyanide-mining case
After learning that the U.S. Supreme Court would not take up its appeal against the State of Montana, Colorado-based Atna Resources said it would no longer pursue its claim against the state that its voter-passed initiative banning cyanide-heap leaching mining resulted in an illegal taking of its proposed gold and silver mine near Lincoln known as the Seven-Up Pete Venture.
Mineweb.net; Oct. 8
Groups say Alberta not doing enough to protect grizzly bears
Last week's estimate that there may be fewer than 300 grizzly bears left in Alberta prompted an angry letter from a coalition of environmental groups to Premier Ed Stelmach, demanding that his government do more to protect grizzly bears, but Sustainable Resource Development spokesman Darcy Whiteside said the province may limit motorized travel in prime grizzly bear habitat by sometime next year, and the province could decide that the species is threatened or endangered by next year as well.
Calgary Herald; Oct. 8
GAO investigates BLM's energy leasing process in Utah
Government Accountability Office investigators said categorical exclusions have been used to approve energy leases thousands of times by Bureau of Land Management field offices in Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, and this week GAO investigators are in Utah, examining energy leases approved under that process.
Deseret News (AP); Oct. 8
The Wilderness Society protests BLM's oil-shale plans
Bureau of Land Management officials acknowledged that while protest periods for amendments made to 12 management plans in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado for oil-shale development were passed over to meet timelines mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, additional analysis required by the National Environmental Policy Act on oil-shale leases will be done.
Salt Lake Tribune; Oct. 8
Village at Wolf Creek map indicates plan for Colorado resort has shrunk
After a new map was found that indicated developers of the proposed Village of Wolf Creek had made substantial changes in their plans, the U.S. Forest Service decided Tuesday that it will ask B.J. "Red" McCombs and Bob Honts to submit a new application for their Colorado development that accurately depicts their plans.
Durango Herald; Oct. 8
Idaho governor pitches 'pay-as-you-drive' plan
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said one way Idaho could raise revenue to build and maintain the state's highways, roads and bridges would be to charge drivers for miles driven each year, and said mileage could be charted through the vehicle registration process.
Twin Falls Times-News (Idaho Falls Post-Register); Oct. 8
Montana landowners protest route of proposed power line
NorthWestern Energy Corp. wants to build a transmission line to ship power generated in Montana to Idaho, and the utility has released three proposed routes for the high-voltage power line, but landowners along the preferred route aren't thrilled with the concept of a power line going through the Boulder Valley.
Montana Standard; Oct. 8
Opinion
Economic bailout bill wrong vehicle for mental health reform legislation
Among the hundreds of items Congress threw into the $700-billion economic bailout bill to lard it up enough to squeeze through the House of Representatives was a bill that put mental-health coverage on parity with general health coverage, and although the mandate may be noble, the cost of implementing it could be astronomical, particularly in Nevada if providers are required to cover gambling addictions.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; Oct. 8
West's resorts will feel pinch of nation's economic downturn
The rush to snap up trophy homes and condominiums in some of the West's most scenic communities appears to have slowed, given the number of such communities that have fallen on hard times, and there is some indication that hotels in the West are following the trend set by the vacation-home markets.
NewWest.net; Oct. 8
Beyond the region
Report: Pipelines, refineries for Alberta oilsands will taint Great Lakes
The University of Toronto's Munk Centre released a report on Tuesday that said massive refinery expansions planned around the Great Lakes will use the Great Lakes as a cheap water supply for use in the refining process and those refineries will degrade air quality in the area as well.
Toronto Globe and Mail; Oct. 8
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Congress of Racial Equality marches into Alberta oilsands debate
Alberta's energy industry has been targeted by environmental groups and the oil pulled from those oilsands has been boycotted by California and a national organization of mayors of U.S. cities, prompting the Congress of Racial Equality, one of the oldest and largest civil rights groups in the U.S., to step into the fray to support Alberta's oil, which CORE says provides affordable energy to some of the United States' poorest citizens.
Toronto National Post; Oct. 8
UN food agency calls for a review of biofuel subsidies
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said that biofuel subsidies had significantly contributed to rising food prices and to an increase of hunger in poor nations, and said that current subsidies should be reviewed to protect poor farmers, keep in place the goal of world food security and ensure environmental sustainability.
New York Times; Oct. 8
Linen 'N Things asks bankruptcy judge for Oct. 14 auction date
Linen 'N Things has been in bankruptcy since May, and has closed 218 of its 589 stores over the past few months, but now the housewares retailer is asking the bankruptcy judge to auction its remaining 371 stores on Oct. 14, and to begin going-out-of-business sales two days after that.
Washington Post (Bloomberg); Oct. 8
Washington state reports a record number of registered voters
New voter registrations sent the number of registered voters in Washington state to a record 3,515,393, and a new record was set as well in Yakima County where the total number of registered voters is now 94,958, about 900 more than registered in 2004.
Yakima Herald; Oct. 8
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