In the Rockies today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his department will review a number of changes made by the departing Bush administration, including those on oil-shale regulations, the Endangered Species Act, and opening federal lands near national parks to energy development.
The decision on releases of Colorado River water from Glen Canyon Dam through the Grand Canyon may also get another look, after the Washington Post unearthed a recent memo from the superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park that questioned the basis of that decision.
House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall is again trying to change the General Mining Act of 1872, with legislation submitted Tuesday that would impose royalties on hard-rock minerals pulled from federal lands.
Rockies today
Salazar lists recent Interior Dept. decisions to be reviewed
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday that a number of recent decisions made by the outgoing administration troubled him and that he intended to review those decisions, including one that opened lands near national parks for energy development.
Los Angeles Times; Jan. 28
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Oil-shale rules will undergo new review, Salazar says
Rules pushed through during the final days of the Bush administration to speed up development of oil-shale resources in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming will be reviewed and could be revamped, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday. Contains good background on the oil-shale issue.
Denver Post; Jan. 28
Rahall sponsors bill to close loophole in 1872 mining law
On the heels of a report from the Pew Campaign for Responsible Mining that said an exemption in the General Mining Act of 1872 could cost the nation $1.6 billion in royalties, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, the chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, submitted legislation designed to close that loophole.
Salt Lake Tribune; Jan. 28
Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon back in contention
The Washington Post obtained a Jan. 15 memo written by Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Steve Martin in which he takes issue with the Interior Department's decision to reduce water flows from Glen Canyon Dam at night when power demand dropped because that decision wasn't supported by science.
Washington Post; Jan. 28
USFS releases travel plan for Wyoming national forest
The travel plan for the Bridger-Teton National Forest released on Tuesday maps out 392 miles of roads and 88 miles of trails for motorized use in the Wyoming forest in a 255,830-acre area where such use had been unrestricted.
Jackson Hole New & Guide; Jan. 28
Environmental group wants fences flagged to save sage grouse
Based on a 2002 report by the Deseret Land and Livestock Wildlife Research that found fences caused 18 percent of unnatural sage grouse deaths in Utah, the Environmental Defense Fund wants federal agencies to flag fences to prevent such collisions.
Idaho Statesman; Jan. 28
Companies rush to tap N.M.'s briny aquifer
Companies seeking a share of the unappropriated, deep briny aquifer in New Mexico filed documents with the state engineer's office on Monday stating their intent to do so in advance of the state's effort to regulate that aquifer.
Santa Fe New Mexican; Jan. 27
Napolitano orders review of security on U.S.-Canada border
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ordered her department and agencies within it to complete a comprehensive review of security measures along the United States' 4,000-mile border with Canada and provide a final report on those measures by Feb. 17.
Arizona Daily Star (McClatchy Newspapers); Jan. 28
Opinion
National parks a good place for stimulus spending
Utah Rep. Jim Matheson is right on the money with his bid to direct stimulus funding into the nation's park system--the projects are vetted and shovel-ready and bolster tourism--a clean economic engine.
Salt Lake Tribune; Jan. 28
Beyond the region
U.S. House stimulus plan pumps up aid for the unemployed
The economic stimulus plan being debated in the U.S. House contains $127 billion for health care to individuals and states over the next two and a half years, allowing those who have lost their jobs to qualify for Medicaid, along with their families.
New York Times; Jan. 28
Canada proposes $40 billion economic stimulus plan
Infrastructure projects, tax breaks and aid for the unemployed are contained within the $40-billion economic stimulus plan presented Tuesday by Canada's federal government.
Financial Post (Toronto); Jan. 28
Washington state bill would limit groundwater for livestock
Dairy producers in Washington state said legislation proposed by Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, that would set a daily limit on groundwater used to water livestock was a direct attack on that industry.
Yakima Herald; Jan. 28
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