In the Rockies today, energy and the environment are at the top of the page.
On Wednesday, an Italian company dedicated the world's largest geothermal power plants -- and they're both in Nevada's Churchill County.
The Stillwater and Salt Wells plants will generate 65 megawatts of electricity annually, enough to power 40,000 homes.
And in New Mexico and Arizona, a transmission line project to carry power produced by solar and wind energy in New Mexico to markets in Arizona has raised concerns about the power line's effect on wildlife, and in particular, birds.
The SunZia transmission line traipses through grasslands, passes alongside two national wildlife refuges and crosses the Rio Grande, all areas that teem with wildlife.
The project reflects a rising concern that policymakers have widely underestimated renewable-energy projects' impact on the environment and wildlife.
And in our In-depth section, we provide a round-up of Tax Day protects staged around the West.
Rockies today
N.M.-Arizona power line reflects renewable-energy dilemma
A 460-mile power line that would stretch between solar- and wind-energy plants in New Mexico and markets in Arizona, and carry 3,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to keep a handful of coal-fired power plants offline and will allow utilities to meet mandated green energy requirements, also passes through wildlife rich habitat.
Washington Post; April 16
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Obama taps N.M. man to head up Interior Lands agency
The Obama administration named Ned Farquhar deputy assistant secretary of the Land and Minerals Management for the Department of the Interior last week; Farquhar spent a decade working on energy initiatives for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and was an adviser to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on environmental issues.
Wilcox Range News (Wick Communications); April 16
Italian company opens world's largest geothermal plants in Nevada
Italy-based Enel Green Power dedicated the world's largest geothermal plants on Wednesday, both located in Nevada's Churchill County.
Lahontan Valley News; April 16
In-situ Alberta oilsands project raises environmental concerns
ConocoPhillips's Surmont production site is being called the new face of Alberta oilsands operations, with strip mining a method of the past, but the underground process that pumps 305-degree Celsius steam into oilsands deposits, reducing the bitumen to a creamy consistency which is then pumped to the surface, but the new process requires much more energy than strip mining, raising the carbon footprint of the oil produced.
New Scientist; April 16
Wyoming residents sound off about Colorado water plan
Colorado businessman Aaron Million got an earful Tuesday night at a meeting in Green River, where Wyoming residents told him they're not interested in his plan to pump water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir south to Colorado's Front Range cities.
Casper Star-Tribune; April 16
Wolf that wandered from Montana to Colorado found dead
Ed Bangs, gray wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, said that the cause of death has not yet been determined for Wolf 341F, a young female that was part of a pack in Montana that ranged between Livingston and Gardiner, but 341F had wandered to Colorado, where she was found dead last week.
NewWest.net; April 15
Report warns logging set to begin in West's roadless forests
A new report from Environment America, "Quietly Paving Paradise," warns that logging projects are set to commence in previously undeveloped forests in Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska.
brightgreenblog (Christian Science Monitor); April 15
Opinion
There are better ways to protect Montana wilderness than BDP
Local newspapers are urging Montana's congressional delegation to get the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership legislation through Congress, but if this bill is Montana's only chance to get wilderness designated in decades, then the state should opt out because the status quo is better than this bill. A column by Bill Schneider.
NewWest.net; April 16
Western states should be ashamed of record on insuring kids
Six of the Rocky Mountain States have the highest amount of uninsured children in the nation, and in Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado, the decline in private health insurance coverage of children is among the sharpest in the nation, and those states should take advantage of federal stimulus money and do something to keep kids covered. A column by former Montana Congressman Pat Williams.
High Country News (Writers on the Range); April 16
Wyoming needs lots of answers about Flaming Gorge proposal
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has just begun its environmental assessment of a project to ship water from Wyoming's Flaming Gorge Reservoir to Colorado's Front Range cities, and Wyoming should allow that process to proceed but should also ensure that any questions it has are answered by that study.
Casper Star-Tribune; April 16
Beyond the Region
Canada's PM hires former White House spokesmen for media push
In an effort to get Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper some media coverage, his office signed temporary contracts with Mike McCurry, a former press secretary to Bill Clinton, and Ari Fleischer, who held the same job during George W. Bush's first term, to wrangle interviews with American newspapers and other news outlets.
Toronto National Post; April 16
In depth
Largest tax protest in Arizona held at Capitol
On April 15, there were 18 anti-tax "Tea Party" protests staged in Arizona, the largest of which was held at the state Capitol, where public-safety officials estimated more than 5,000 rallied.
Arizona Republic; April 16
Baker's dozen worth of tax protests held in Colorado Wednesday
According to the website Taxdayteaparty.com, there were at least 13 rallies held around Colorado on Wednesday to protest federal spending, including one at the state Capitol, which drew more than 5,000.
Denver Post; April 16
Thousands turn out for 'Tea Party' protest in Boise
A Tax Day protest in Idaho's capital city drew 2,500 or so people, despite cold, wet weather.
Idaho Statesman; April 16
Hundreds protest federal spending in Montana city
More than 500 people gathered outside the federal courthouse in Missoula at noon on April 15 to protest federal spending; similar protests were held in at least four other Montana communities.
Missoulian; April 16
Nevada rally against federal spending draws thousands
More than 2,000 Nevadans showed up Wednesday at a rally in the Silver State's capital city to protest federal spending.
Reno Gazette-Journal; April 16
Tax protesters shout down former N.M. lawmaker at Santa Fe rally
Former New Mexico state Sen. John Grubesic riled up the hundreds of folks who gathered in Santa Fe for a Tax Day rally to protest federal spending when he spoke in favor of taxes and said that U.S. citizens pay far less in taxes than residents of other developed countries.
Santa Fe New Mexican; April 16
Hundreds attend Tax Day protest in Utah capital
Wet, chilly weather didn't deter the 2,000 or so people who showed up to protest federal tax policy at a Tax Day event in downtown Salt Lake City, just one of several similar protests held around Utah on Wednesday.
Salt Lake Tribune; April 16
'Tea bag' protests held in 9 Wyoming communities
Protests against federal taxes and spending were held in Cheyenne and eight other Wyoming communities on April 15.
Casper Star-Tribune; April 16
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