In the Rockies today, salmon and sage grouse are at the top of the page.
High Country News takes an in-depth look at the ongoing debate about dams' effect on salmon and steelhead populations and if the opposition to removing four dams on the lower Snake River may be softening somewhat.
A new federal administration, renewable energy projects that produce nearly as much energy as the dams do, and a change in attitude of some parties that benefit from the dams are all cited as reasons for some dissipation of opposition to dam removal.
In Wyoming, the oil and gas industry, the Conservation Fund and a rancher are in the process of completing a couple of conservation easements that will protect critical habitat for sage grouse and mule deer near the Jonah Field, where thousands of natural gas wells have been drilled over the past decade.
Rockies today
Conservation effort protects sage grouse habitat in Wyoming
Natural gas development in Wyoming's Jonah Field has affected sage grouse in particular, but the energy industry and the Conservation Fund, along with a local rancher, have established one conservation easement and are working on another that will permanently protect 2,600 acres of ranchland that provides critical habitat for sage grouse near Big Piney.
Casper Star-Tribune; May 5
Salmon may be gaining ground in dam debate
Before the last of the four dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state were completed, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicted they would have a detrimental effect on salmon and steelhead populations, a prediction that has come true, and now it appears the ongoing debate about the dams' future may be shifting toward removal to clear the way for salmon to make their way to pristine habitat in central Idaho and northeast Oregon. An in-depth analysis.
High Country News; May 5
USGS study finds ammonia in coalbed methane water in Wyoming
A U.S. Geological Survey scientist said the discovery of ammonia in coalbed methane discharge water in one of the many drainage channels that flow into the Powder River in northeast Wyoming indicates that producers should tweak their discharge operations to address nitrogen, as ammonia is a form of nitrogen.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); May 5
Energy group sues Colorado over new drilling rules
The Colorado Oil and Gas Association filed a lawsuit last Friday, alleging that the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission didn't fully consider the financial impact new drilling regulations would have on the industry.
Denver Post; May 5
Wolf pack dens up near Mammoth in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park's lead wolf biologist, Doug Smith, said a wolf pack has denned up near the park's headquarters in Mammoth, Wyo., and the female has given birth to pups.
Billings Gazette; May 2
E. Blixseth testifies in trial over Montana resort's financial failing
Tim Blixseth has blamed his former wife, Edra Blixseth, for financial decisions that pushed the exclusive Yellowstone Club in Montana into financial failure, and on Monday, her testimony in Tim Blixseth's trial on fraud allegations and supporting financial documents submitted as evidence seemed to support Mr. Blixseth's position.
NewWest.net; May 5
Opinion
Congress mustn't ignore biomass in federal energy bill
The same week that biomass energy experts and advocates gathered in Oregon, the U.S. House passed energy legislation that ignores biomass in federal forests as a renewable energy source, an egregious omission given the amount of energy on the ground in Oregon and the economic stimulus harvesting that energy would have in a state that seriously needs jobs.
Portland Oregonian; May 5
Utah should let Montana's challenge to federal gun laws play out
Utah has one of the most liberal gun-carry laws in the nation, and now some Utahns are thinking about challenging the federal government's authority to regulate guns, but since the Montana Legislature just passed a law doing that, Utah should sit back and see how that law plays out before embarking on its own version of such a challenge.
Salt Lake Tribune; May 5
Beyond the Region
Nation's hardest hit housing markets show signs of recovery
In Nevada, Florida and parts of California where the housing market crashed the hardest, sales are up in cities such as Las Vegas, where sales increased 35 percent in March from a year ago, but the national market still contains ten months of unsold homes and experts in the industry disagree whether the market has hit bottom or not.
New York Times; May 5
Developer demolishes new California homes rather than finish them
A Texas bank that owned a stalled 16-home subdivision in southern California decided it was more cost effective to demolish the four model homes that had been built rather than forge ahead with the project in one of the areas hardest hit by the downturn in the housing market.
Los Angeles Times; May 5
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