In the Rockies today, greenhouse gases and mining waste are in the news.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency put six greenhouse gases on its pollutant list, opening the door to future regulation of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride.
The governor of Wyoming, where such regulations could have a considerable impact on industry, said that while he welcomed the debate on how to address such emissions, he would oppose a wholesale, one-step omnibus bill approach to regulation.
Mining waste will provide some economic stimulus in Colorado, where the federal government will spend $25 million to upgrade a water treatment plant at the former Summitville gold mine, where years of cyanide leaching have left a toxic threat to water.
And in Idaho, where decades of mining in the Silver Valley have left their mark on wetlands and marches, federal wildlife officials tally up the cost of the toxic past by the number of tundra swans killed each year by ingesting plants loaded with lead, which eventually kills the migratory birds.
Rockies today
EPA puts ball in motion on regulating greenhouse gases
On Friday, the federal Environmental Protection Agency declared carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride pollutants, setting in motion a 60-day comment period before any plans to regulate those greenhouse gases can be published.
New York Times; April 18
Proposed solar projects in Nevada raise water concerns
Water-cooled solar-power installations have been the most efficient thus far, but with new installations planned in water-poor parts of the west, solar-power project planners are examining systems that don't require water.
Santa Fe New Mexican (AP); April 20
U.S. gov't foots the bill for Canada mining company's toxic mess
When B.C.-based Galactic Resources began pulling gold out of the Summitville mine, the company's CEO hailed the use of cyanide leaching as a key component of the mine's success, but the cost of cleaning up the environmental disaster left behind by the mine has far outstripped the $80 million to $100 million worth of gold stripped from the Colorado mountaintop, and a new water-treatment plant is being built there, courtesy of federal stimulus funds.
Toronto National Post (Canwest News Service); April 20
Annual dead swan tally helps track toxic mine waste in Idaho
Mining waste left behind by a century of mining in Idaho's Silver Valley has washed into the Coeur d’Alene River system, turning marshes and wetlands toxic, and in particular near Rose Lake, a popular stopping off point for tundra swans on their way to Alaska, and each year federal wildlife agents tally up about 150 dead swans killed by lead waste.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; April 20
Interior Dept. will allow court order on guns in parks to stand
The Interior Department had until today to appeal a federal district court ruling that struck down a Bush administration rule that allowed visitors to national parks and refuges to carry concealed, loaded guns if the laws of the state in which the park was located allowed them to do so, and on Friday, the Obama administration announced it would not appeal the ruling but would instead do a full environmental assessment of the Bush administration regulation.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); April 18
Amtrak hires consultant to review revival of route through Idaho
Amtrak's Chicago-to-Seattle Pioneer Route stopped running 12 years ago, but with six continuous years of growth in rider numbers, higher gasoline prices and a drop in airline passengers in smaller cities, Amtrak is studying reviving the Pioneer Route.
Idaho Statesman; April 20
Opinion
BNSF needs to come clean about plans in Montana town
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad company needs to answer the questions raised by its efforts to quietly buy up a number of properties in Whitefish, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality should insist that it do so.
Missoulian; April 20
Idaho's bill on bighorn sheep could come back to haunt the state
Lawmakers who pushed a bill through the Idaho Legislature that mandates that the state either relocate or kill bighorn sheep that wander on to domestic sheep grazing allotments acknowledge that if the bill becomes law, and wildlife officers are photographed killing the bighorn sheep, the state will face a public-relations nightmare, but that's a chance fed-up lawmakers and the ranchers they represent, are willing to take. A column by Rocky Barker.
Idaho Statesman; April 20
Beyond the Region
AP investigation explores drugmakers' part in water pollution
The Associated Press continued its investigation of trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals in drinking water, by asking manufacturers and drug makers in the United States about release of active pharmaceutical ingredients from their manufacturing facilities, and found that no one tracks such releases.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP); April 20
Camera captures wolves killing lambs in Oregon
In the first documented loss of livestock to wolves since the species returned to Oregon, wildlife officials confirmed that wolves killed 23 lambs last week on a ranch in the Keating Valley.
KPIC.com; April 15
Water restrictions heighten rural-urban divide in California
Farmers in northern and central California have already had to leave their fields unplanted, due to federal and state cuts in irrigation water for the upcoming season, costing the state thousands of agricultural jobs, and for the first time in 18 years, 19 million southern Californians are facing water restrictions.
Christian Science Monitor; April 19
Exxon, Wal-Mart top of considerably poorer Fortune 500 list
In 2008, the Fortune 500 list experienced the biggest drop in overall earnings since the list was created 55 years ago, falling 85 percent to just $99 billion.
Toronto Financial Post (Reuters); April 20
Dust-up pending on Washington county's proposed ORV rules
Both opponents and proponents of new rules on off-road vehicle use in Washington's Yakima County are using property rights as the basis of their pro and con arguments about the rules.
Yakima-Herald Republic; April 19
Oracle slips into IBM's slot, bids $7.4B for Sun Microsystems
After IBM Corp. walked away from its bid for Sun Microsystems, Inc., rival Oracle Corp. offered $7.4 billion to buy the independent server and software maker.
Denver Post (AP); April 20
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