In the Rockies today, it appears more certain today that U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar will get nominated to be Interior secretary in the Obama administration.
The Colorado Democrat interviewed for the position last week, and Democratic sources said he has agreed to accept the nomination, which is expected to be made this week.
In other news concerning the Interior Department, Congress received a report Monday criticizing 20 questionable decisions made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the role Julie A. MacDonald, a former deputy assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, played in 13 of those decisions.
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Rockies today
Colorado senator reportedly accepts Interior nomination
Multiple sources told the Denver Post on Monday that Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar had accepted the nomination to be President-elect Barack Obama's Interior secretary, pending the outcome of background checks.
Denver Post; Dec. 16
Reid says Obama's energy pick opposes Yucca Mountain
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Steven Chu, President-elect Barack Obama's nominee to head up the Energy Department, raised safety concerns about the federal government's plan to build a nuclear waste repository in Nevada's Yucca Mountain.
Salt Lake Tribune; Dec. 16
Report: Interior Dept. official interfered in species decisions
A report delivered to Congress on Monday by the Interior Department Inspector General Earl E. Devaney details problems with 15 decisions on species where Julie McDonald, then-deputy assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, influenced decisions, including one that reduced the number of streams designated as critical habitat for bull trout.
Washington Post; Dec. 16
USFS halves stretches of proposed wild, scenic Utah rivers
Advocates were disappointed to learn that the U.S. Forest Service cut the stretches of Utah rivers it would propose for designation under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to 10 stretches covering 108 river miles.
Salt Lake Tribune; Dec. 16
Montana releases proposed plan for Smith River
The Smith River is the only river in Montana where permits are required to float the river, and on Monday, the state Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department released its proposed updated management plan.
Great Falls Tribune; Dec. 16
Wild-horse advocates criticize roundup in Nevada
Advocates are criticizing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's plan to remove 2,000 wild horses from range in Nevada when the BLM's holding facilities are already overcrowded, but BLM officials said horses will starve to death if the herds aren't reduced.
Washington Post (AP); Dec. 13
Colorado ski resorts envision future with less snow
A study by a Colorado geology professor and a scientist at Boulder-based Stratus Consulting Inc. explored how climate change could affect operations at Aspen and Park City, Utah, and predicted that ski seasons will be shorter in the future and the snow line will climb higher on the mountains.
Denver Post; Dec. 16
Opinion
Colorado senator a good choice for Interior post
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar is exactly the right person to head up the Interior Department, given his experience with public lands and energy, although Colorado will miss having an experienced hand in the U.S. Senate.
Denver Post; Dec. 16
Idaho city's 4-day workweek a plan worth imitating
Nampa officials said the Idaho city can save $60,000 a year by shutting down offices on Friday and extending office hours Monday through Thursday, and the plan is one other Idaho cities should consider.
Twin Falls Times-News; Dec. 16
Beyond the region
B.C. aerospace company plans facility at Washington airport
Cascade Aerospace USA, an offshoot company of British Columbia's Cascade Aerospace, will bring its aircraft maintenance and modification business to Spokane International Airport in Washington state, providing hundreds of new jobs over the next five years.
Yakima Herald-Republic (Spokane Spokesman-Review); Dec. 16
U.S. high court declines Hanford contractors' appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the an appeal of Hanford contractors raising settlement hopes of the hundreds of plaintiffs who lived downwind of Hanford in Eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and north Idaho at the end of World War II and the early years of the Cold War that may have been exposed to radiation from the nuclear campus.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; Dec. 16
Obama names energy, climate team
At a press conference Monday, President-elect Barack Obama named Carol M. Browner his White House coordinator for energy and climate, and sources close to Obama confirmed that Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar would be nominated as secretary of interior.
New York Times; Dec. 16
Housing markets begin to stir in California
Foreclosures in some areas of California have drove prices down to a level that has spurred new activity in the markets, and real estate agents are reporting a new surge in first-time buyers and investors.
Christian Science Monitor; Dec. 16
Washington state board hands out $2 million for salmon work
Twelve projects in three central Washington state counties will share $2 million in funding from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board to improve salmon habitat.
Yakima Herald-Republic; Dec. 16
In depth
Former BLM official discusses why he left in 2003
Rodger Schmitt resigned from his post as national recreation director for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in 2003, and he tells High Country News why he did so.
High Country News; Dec. 12
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