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In the Rockies today, the sage grouse is being called the spotted owl of the energy industry.
Just as the spotted owl affected timber projects on public lands in Washington, Oregon and California, so too may the sage grouse affect wind projects in Oregon, Washington and other states where the sagebrush provides important habitat for declining populations of the greater sage grouse.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the number of wind turbines on sage grouse habitat have increased from 275 to 2,700 between 2003 and 2008, most of which were built on private lands.
Oregon currently uses standards developed for oil and gas projects to protect sage grouse mating grounds, recommending that no towers be built within three miles of leks.
To avoid the three-mile limit imposed by Oregon's state permitting process, many companies are opting to keep their projects under the 105-megawatt size that triggers a state review.
Rockies today
Sage grouse may alter wind-energy projects in the West
Debate on the effect oil and gas development has had on sage grouse populations in the West may soon transfer over to wind-energy projects in Oregon and other states.
Portland Oregonian; May 23
Across the U.S., renewable energy has many definitions
Quotas for renewable energy have been established by 28 states, and state lawmakers have been inundated with requests to include a wide range of technologies other than just solar, wind and geothermal power as renewable, such as in Nevada, where used tires are classified as a renewable fuel, provided they're microwaved first to break down their chemical structure.
New York Times; May 24
U.N. panel to hear petition on Montana-Alberta national park
The threat of mining and coalbed methane development in southeastern British Columbia prompted groups to petition the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to list the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which spans the border between Montana and Alberta, as a World Heritage Site in Danger, and that panel will hear the petition June 27.
Toronto Globe and Mail; May 26
Obama to headline event for Reid in Nevada city tonight
President Barack Obama will join Bette Midler and Sheryl Crow onstage tonight in Las Vegas at a "tribute concert" to Nevada U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; May 26
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Gibbons declines to meet Obama at Nevada airport
Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons said he declined the opportunity to meet President Barack Obama for a handshake meeting because Obama has yet to apologize for a remark made in February that corporations should not use federal bailout money to fund junkets to Las Vegas.
Reno Gazette-Journal (AP); May 26
Investors dive into the foreclosure market in Phoenix
Investors wanting to become landlords are snapping up foreclosed homes in Phoenix, and then offering the cash-strapped families living in them the opportunity to rent them for much less than their mortgage payments.
New York Times; May 23
Colorado national forest's travel plan halves roads open to ATVs
The White River National Forest is taking public comments on its updated travel plan for the 2-million acre forest in Colorado, and with the preferred option reducing the miles of travel routes available to off-road vehicles from 1,883 miles to 993 miles, the plan has stirred up the debate between motorized travel groups and other groups.
Grand Junction Sentinel; May 25
Opinion
Obama's selection for USDA undersecretary an unusual one
President Obama's nominee for U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary that oversees the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service is Homer Wilkes, who has been with the NRCS for 28 years, and hails from Mississippi, breaking the tradition of selecting a Westerner for the position, and disappointing those who wanted an environmental crusader.
NewWest.net; May 21
Cap-and-trade system best way to limit carbon emissions
As it stands, the proposed American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 points the U.S. in the right direction to mitigate climate change, but further concessions as the bill makes its way through the legislative process may change that.
Salt Lake Tribune; May 22
New rule allowing loaded guns in national park a mistake
President Barack Obama signed credit-card legislation into law on Friday, and the rider that changed the rule on guns in national parks went along for the ride, but this new ill-advised rule isn't needed and addressed a problem that didn't exist.
Denver Post; May 25
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A carbon tax may be more effective than a weak cap-and-trade system
America's proposed cap-and-trade bill is an encouraging shift from the Bush-era stance on climate change, but concessions have weakened the legislation and it may not do enough to mitigate the threat of climate change.
The Economist; May 21
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The Waxman bill: Handouts and loopholes galore
By implementing a cap-and-trade system rather than a carbon tax, climate change proponents have garnered unprecedented support for the American Clean Energy and Security Act, but that support has come at the cost of weakened and ineffective climate change legislation.
The Economist; May 21
Buses fastest fix for Idaho valley's mass-transit woes
Better bus service will provide the fastest, most economical solution to Idaho's Treasure Valley mass-transit needs, and once that expanded bus service is in place, officials can then turn their attention to commuter rail.
Idaho Statesman; May 22
Beyond the Region
Obama nominates N.Y. federal judge for Supreme Court seat
Tuesday morning President Barack Obama nominated federal judge Sonia Sotomayor, who is now on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, to be the next U.S. Supreme Court justice. She is well known for her 2007 opinion protecting fish from being sucked into power plant cooling systems--a ruling that was recently overturned by the Supreme Court.
Wall Street Journal; May 26
Watchdog wonders about Hanford schedule, $2B in federal funds
The federal government is sending $2 billion in stimulus money to help speed the cleanup work at the Hanford nuclear complex in Washington state, but Gerry Pollet, executive director of Heart of America Northwest, a Hanford watchdog group, said none of that money will be spent on the long-delayed cleanup of 177 leak-prone underground tanks filled with 53 million gallons of radioactive sludge.
Portland Oregonian; May 24
Sequim woman first to die under Washington's assisted-suicide law
Washington voters approved the Death with Dignity Act in November, making it the second state in the union to allow doctor-assisted suicide, and last week, a Sequim woman dying from pancreatic cancer was the first to die under that law.
New York Times; May 22
Possible "faulty floor mats" may make Toyota's Prius a dangerous ride
The Toyota Prius hybrid has helped lead American motorists toward energy independence, but a glitch that causes the car to accelerate out of control has led motorists through a brick wall, through trees, and into a river, although Toyota disputes the claim that an accelerator glitch is to blame and cited either driver error and possibly "faulty floor mats."
Westword News; May 22
Internships on organic farms a coveted summer spot this year
The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reported that 1,400 farms sought interns this year, and applications to serve as interns are on the rise as well.
New York Times; May 24
In depth
Construction of Utah's largest wind farm progressing
First Wind LLC, owner of what will be Utah's largest wind farm says it has already poured 20 foundations for turbines and is finishing up work on the farm's main transmission line, while they expect to have all 97 turbines up and running by the end of the year.
Salt Lake Tribune; May 25
Anschutz Corp.'s Wyoming wind project awaits BLM study
Power Company of Wyoming, an affiliate of Colorado-based Anschutz Corp., wants to build a 1,000-turbine wind farm at a cost of $4-billion to $6-billion south of Rawlins, but the Bureau of Land Management must first finish its environmental impact study on the ecological effects of the turbines, which is slated to be released by early 2011.
Casper Star-Tribune; May 25
Two Elk coal-fired power plant in Wyoming moves forward
After more than 10 years of struggling to obtain proper permits and financing to build a coal-fired power plant near Wright, Wyoming, the Colorado-based Two Elk Generation Partners say they are on track to have final construction contracts for the $750-million plant in Wyoming finalized by summer's end, although preliminary work for construction of an administrative building and a natural-gas turbine at the plant's site has already begun.
Casper Star Tribune; May 24
Canadian company to go forward on Alberta oilsands project
A recent study indicated that 13 oilsands projects in Alberta have been put on hold as costs billowed and profits fell with the price of oil, but on Monday, Canadian Imperial Oil Ltd. announced it was moving forward with its $8-billion Kearl surface mining operation northeast of Fort McMurray.
Calgary Herald; May 26
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Smurfit-Stone to call back 250 workers in Montana
Coffman warns Colorado Dems on Pinon Canyon bill
Biden to appear at town-hall meeting in Denver today
Chinese land managers tour American Prairie Reserve in Montana
Idaho's federal lawmakers skeptical about cap-and trade energy bill
Bug threatens Utah's agriculture and wild lands
Wyoming's jobless rate in April third lowest in nation
Sunday fire destroys buildings in Montana city's downtown
USFS plans fuel-reduction work on Nevada national forest
Nevada governor keeps promise, vetoes domestic-partner bill
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Exclusively
on Headwaters:
NewVoices/NewWest:
Culture
Clash: Can the federal No Child Left Behind Act coexist with Montana's
Indian Education for All?
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Regional Conferences
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June 3-5: Natural Resource Law Center's 30th annual summer conference: Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry, Boulder, Colo. Read a preview.
June 11-13: Greater Yellowstone Coalition's 26th Annual Meeting and Rendezvous: From Parks to Prairies, Jackson Lake Lodge, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
June 14-16: Western Governors' Association Annual Meeting, Park City, Utah
June 17-18: NewWest.net and Boise State University present "Planning in the West," Boise, Idaho
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Headwaters
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