In the Rockies today, a trio of stories on mining.
In Nevada, a federal judge ruled that work on a gold mine on Mount Tenabo can proceed, after environmental groups and tribes lost their request for a temporary injunction on the work.
Tribes oppose the mine on grounds it will destroy a sacred landmark, and environmental groups are challenging the Bureau of Land Management's environmental assessment of the project.
Also in Nevada, the federal Environmental Protection Agency's investigation into two gold mines are raising questions about the state's monitoring of mines.
Newmont Mining officials deny there are safety issues at its Eureka County mine, and said the mine sells most of its mercury byproduct rather than contain it onsite.
And in British Columbia, the province reports that it has found two new potential sources of gold, silver and copper in the Cariboo region.
Rockies today
Judge rejects request for injunction on Nevada mine
U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks ruled Monday that tribes and environmental groups failed to present enough evidence to halt Barrick Gold Corp.'s work on a gold mine at the Cortez Hills mine on Mount Tenabo in Nevada, and rejected a request for a temporary injunction.
San Francisco Gate (AP); Jan. 27
B.C. officials say 2 new mining areas discovered in province
British Columbia's Geological Survey Branch said two areas in the Cariboo region of the province may have considerable copper, silver and gold deposits.
Edmonton Journal (Vancouver Sun); Jan. 27
EPA probe of 2 Nevada mines drives concerns about others
Environmental groups said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's allegations that operators of two mines in Nevada improperly disposed of hazardous contaminants, including mercury, concern them because the Nevada Environmental Protection Division has been inspecting those mines for years and made no note of such violations.
Las Vegas Sun; Jan. 27
B.C. orders workers to stay on the job at Mackenzie pulp mill
B.C. officials ordered unpaid workers at the idled MacKenzie pulp mill to stay on the job to ensure tanks containing 15 tons of deadly chlorine dioxide do not rupture.
Edmonton Journal; Jan. 27
Interest in expanding U.S. passenger rail service on the rise
Rising energy costs and increased environmental concerns are driving renewed interest in putting more Americans on board passenger trains.
High Country News; Jan. 27
Groups sue to limit motorized travel in Arizona national monuments
A coalition of environmental groups sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Monday, alleging that the agency allowed too much motorized access in the Grand Canyon-Parashant and Vermilion Cliffs national monuments in Arizona.
Arizona Daily Sun; Jan. 27
Montana House advances stream-access bill
A bill to clarify access to Montana's waterways from public bridges was approved by the House on a 95-5 vote on Monday; the bill faces a second vote before the House before it can move to the Senate for action.
Helena Independent Record; Jan. 27
Creditors force Yellowstone Club World into involuntary bankruptcy
Tim Blixseth imagined his Yellowstone Club World as a system of timeshares around the globe for the ultra-rich, with properties like the golf community adjacent to the famed St. Andrews course in Scotland or the Tamarindo resort in Mexico open to members who paid the $10-million fee for access to the exclusive properties, but his plans stalled, and on Sunday four creditors filed a petition to force the YCW into involuntary bankruptcy.
NewWest.net; Jan. 27
Opinion
PETA's 'sea kitten' campaign goes too far
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has done important work to improve the lives of farm and research animals, but its latest campaign to rework the image of fish as kittens, and its web site designed to rebrand fish in the eyes of young consumers as such is simply wrong and flies in the face of science, which has proven that eating fish is vital to children's health and intelligence.
The Economist; Jan. 27
Fossil-fuel industry's economic theory doesn't pencil out
In some states in the West, legislators are pushing to expand drilling and mining operations to expand revenue streams, but a study completed last year by Headwaters Economics (no relation to this news service) indicates that the economic performance of the 26 of the 414 counties in the West where fossil-fuel production was the focus underperformed when compared to peer counties. A guest column by Ben Alexander the associate director of Headwaters Economics, an independent, nonprofit research group in Bozeman, Mont.
Billings Gazette; Jan. 27
Beyond the region
President's energy plan hits a 'brown-green' divide
Congressional Democrats needed by President Obama to carry out his mandate on global warming are warring over emissions regulations, with lawmakers from the Midwest and Plains States, which depend heavily on manufacturing and coal, opposing the measures. Contains a graphic tracking use of coal-generated power in 2006.
New York Times; Jan. 27
Scientists warn it will take centuries to reverse global warming
An analysis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said that it will take a thousand years to reverse the changes triggered by current levels of carbon dioxide, and warned that the Southwest United States, as well as other areas of the world, will experience droughts similar to that in the 1930s.
Los Angeles Times; Jan. 27
U.S. Senate approves 4-month delay for TV changeover
Congress could pass a 4-month extension of the nation's switch to digital television as early as today.
Seattle Times (AP); Jan. 27
In depth
Monday's announced lay-offs will idle 35,000
Caterpillar, Sprint Nextel and Home Depot all announced lay-offs on Monday, idling a combined total of 35,000. Contains a sidebar detailing corporate lay-offs since Jan. 1.
USA Today; Jan. 27
Corning to cut nearly 5,000 jobs
Slowing demand for glass used in televisions and computer models cut New York-based Corning, Inc.'s quarterly profits, and Corning officials said they would cut approximately 4,900 jobs.
Washington Post (Reuters); Jan. 27
Nevada's unemployment rate hit 9.1 percent in December
Statistics released Monday by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said the state's unemployment rate in December was 9.1 percent, the highest reported in 25 years.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; Jan. 27
Arizona-based mining giant reports $13.9B 4th-quarter loss
A year after Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. reported a fourth-quarter profit of $414 million, the international mining company reported a $13.9-billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Arizona Republic; Jan. 27
Weyerhauser to shut down 2 SW Washington mills
Weak market conditions were cited as the reason Weyerhauser Co. decided to permanently shut down its sawmill and its Pacific Veneer mill in Aberdeen in southwest Washington state, cutting 221 jobs.
Yakiman Herald; Jan. 27
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