In the Rockies today, reform of the 1872 hardrock mining law, grazing and bighorn sheep are in the news.
There are a couple of pieces of legislation currently before Congress that address hardrock mining, including a bill that would rework the General Mining Act of 1872.
Opponents of a proposed silver mine in the Kootenai National Forest in Montana's Cabinet Mountains say the mine provides a perfect example of why that 137-year-old law needs to be reworked.
But opponents of the legislation said targeting an industry that provides some of the highest-paying jobs in Western states that need them the most doesn't make sense in these economic times.
Moving on to the grazing debate, lawyers for the federal government were in court on Thursday in Idaho, arguing that a lawsuit that challenges Bureau of Land Management plans in six western states should be split along those state lines.
The lawsuit, brought by Western Watersheds Project, alleges that the 16 BLM management plans all share a common flaw: the BLM didn't consider a no-grazing option to protect sage grouse habitat, providing a solid basis for keeping the lawsuit intact.
And in Idaho, state lawmakers sent legislation to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter that would require state wildlife officers to either relocate or kill bighorn sheep that wander onto allotments where domestic sheep are grazing.
Rockies today
Proposed mine in Montana 'poster child' for reworking 1872 law
A silver mine proposed in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area in the Kootenai National Forest in extreme Northwest Montana is being offered as Exhibit A in the battle to rework the 1872 hardrock mining law, but the mining industry says this is not the time to impair companies that provide good-paying jobs in states that need them.
New York Times (Greenwire); April 16
BLM asks federal judge to split grazing suit between 6 states
Attorneys for the Bureau of Land Management argued Thursday in Boise that a federal lawsuit challenging 16 separate BLM management plans across six states should be split among those states, but the lawyer for Western Watersheds Projects, which filed the lawsuit, said the plans' common defect--that the BLM never considered a no-graze option to preserve grouse habitat--provide the basis to keep the lawsuit intact.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); April 17
Wyoming brucellosis panel examines federal proposal
At a meeting Thursday, members of the Wyoming Brucellosis Coordination Team and others reviewed the federal government's proposal to declare most of the nation outside a zone around Yellowstone National Park "brucellosis free," and another plan to allow bison from Yellowstone National Park to be transferred to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.
Billings Gazette; April 17
Idaho House sends bighorn sheep grazing bill to governor
Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter holds the fate of bighorn sheep that wander onto domestic-sheep grazing allotments in his hands, after the House sent legislation to him that mandates state wildlife officials either relocate the wild sheep or kill them.
Idaho Statesman (AP); April 17
Wyoming governor has his doubts about Flaming Gorge project
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal said he'll give the proposal to divert the state's unallocated water from the Green River to Colorado's Front Range a fair review, but also said he's never been a fan of trans-basin water diversions and said he's concerned that this water project could raise the same concerns that were raised in the dispute between Wyoming and Nebraska over North Platte River water.
Casper Star-Tribune; April 17
Researchers link expanded grizzly bear range to higher mortality rate
Researchers said that the increased number of grizzly bears being killed by hunters in the areas surrounding Yellowstone National Park can be attributed to the bears' expanded territory and climate changes that are keeping the bears out of their dens later in the fall, when they are more likely to encounter hunters.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); April 17
Report tracks recession's effect on nation's illegal immigrants
A study released this week by the Pew Hispanic Center found that workers in this country illegally were more likely to be unemployed than either citizens or legal immigrants, and in the West, where illegal immigrants found work in the construction and service industries, many have decided to either leave the region or return to their home country.
NewWest.net; April 17
Opinion
Congress must pass Clean Water Restoration Act
Thanks to a couple of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that muddied the nation's Clean Water Act, seasonal streams and remote wetlands have been left unprotected, and in order to restore federal protection of these waterways and wetlands, Congress should pass the Clean Water Restoration Act and President Obama should be prepared to add his political heft to get that done.
New York Times; April 17
Beyond the Region
California utility wants to shut down power during fire-friendly events
San Diego Gas & Electric is asking California regulators to allow it to shut down power to thousands of rural customers in northeastern San Diego county when the weather is extremely hot, moisture is low, and the wind is blowing at least 35 miles an hour.
New York Times; April 17
Timber, renewable energy topic of Northwest U.S. House confab
The U.S. House Energy and Environment Subcommittee will travel to Vancouver, Wash., Monday, where Washington U.S. Reps. Brian Baird and Jay Inslee, along with Oregon U.S. Rep. Greg Walden will oversee a field briefing on developing renewable energy sources from timber.
Portland Oregonian; April 17
Oregon-B.C. high-speed rail corridor on Obama agenda
On Thursday, President Barack Obama rolled out his funding plan for 10 high-speed rail corridors, including one that would run between Eugene, Ore. and Vancouver, B.C.
Portland Oregonian; April 17
Washington valley gets $44M in federal money for water projects
Three water projects in Washington state's Yakima Valley will share in $44 million of federal stimulus funds, with $39 million going to two irrigation projects and $5 million allocated for modifications on the Roza Dam to allow fish easier passage around it.
Yakima Herald-Republic; April 17
Desperate for safety, food producers hire their own inspectors
In order to reassure consumers, and to fill a void in U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy, some food producers in California and Arizona are paying other government agencies to do inspections to assure food safety.
New York Times; April 17
EPA orders pesticide makers to test 67 chemicals
The federal Environmental Protection Agency ordered pesticide makers to test the effect 67 chemicals may have on human and animal endocrine systems.
Washington Post; April 17
Obama's Latin American trip begins with stop in Mexico
President Obama's first day of a four-day swing through Latin America began with a stop in Mexico on Thursday, where he promised to press the Senate to act on a long-stalled treaty designed to curb illegal arms trafficking, but stopped short of reviving a ban on assault weapons, which Mexico President President Felipe Calderon appeared to want and which President Obama said was politically impossible.
New York Times; April 17
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