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In the Rockies today, public lands in Montana are the focus.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is working on legislation to designate new wilderness in Montana, although his office is releasing few other details about the legislation.
The bill is based on decades of work done on previous proposals, and Beaverhead County commissioners said they've been working with the Democratic senator on a plan to designate half a million acres in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in the Big Sky State.
Also in Montana, there's a new management plan in place on the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, and Bureau of Land Management officials are urging critics of the plan to take a walk around to see how it's playing out on the ground.
And in our In-depth section, a couple of articles about the climate-change and energy legislation--one that plumbs the depths of the Waxman-Markey legislation passed by the U.S. House, and another about what the Senate's version of the bill may look like.
Rockies today
Montana senator works on new wilderness proposal
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is working on legislation to designate a new wilderness area in Montana, although the senator is not releasing details about his bill at this time.
Missoulian (AP); July 5
Jobless rate in Idaho in June hits 25-year high
Idaho's statewide unemployment rate hit 8.3 percent in June, with Canyon County reporting a 12.2 percent rate, the highest in the state, and Owyhee County's 3.5 percent jobless rate the lowest.
Idaho Statesman (AP); July 2
Western lawmakers fuel hope for Idaho 'downwinders'
Victims of radioactive fallout from nuclear tests performed in the Nevada desert in the 1950s and 1960s fear that they may die before the federal government extend coverage of the the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to them, but Idaho Republican Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Montana Democratic Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus are on their side, sponsoring legislation to extend the act's reach to fallout victims in Idaho and Montana.
Twin Falls Times-News; July 6
Federal judge tosses Idaho panel's report on bighorn sheep
U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled last week that an report from an advisory panel on transmission of disease from domestic sheep to bighorn sheep is invalid because the process used by the U.S. Forest Service to form the committee was flawed.
Portland Oregonian (AP); July 3
Missouri Breaks' monument in Montana has new management plan
The Montana Wilderness Association has filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management over its new plan for the Missouri Breaks National Monument in Montana, alleging that the plan allows too much multiple use.
Great Falls Tribune; July 5
Opinion
Lack of consistent rules could stall Wyoming's wind-power industry
As the situation in Sweetwater County clearly shows, Wyoming needs to adopt some consistent guidelines for wind-power development in the state or risk losing such projects to states with more certain rules.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 6
Wyoming national parks need mass-transit systems
In July and August, Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks become more like major cities with their congested roads rather than parks, and it's time for these Wyoming parks to put bus systems in place similar to that found in Zion National Park in Utah.
NewWest.net; July 6
Utahns have a voice in depleted-uranium disposal debate
The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold workshops in Salt Lake City in September on developing rules for the disposal of depleted uranium, but Utahns can get involved now to help set the agenda, and while they're at it, they should state their opposition to the disposal of this radioactive material, which gets hotter as it decays, in our state.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 3
Beyond the Region
U.S. high court's last term 'worst ever' for environmentalists
The U.S. Supreme Court heard five environmental cases in the term that ended last week, and environmental groups lost every one of them, including one that allowed a company to dump mining waste in an Alaska lake.
New York Times; July 4
Palin's decision to resign driven by family concerns
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday that she was leaving office on July 26, a decision that appears to have been directed by personal concerns although her statements over the weekend suggest she may still be mulling a run for national office.
Washington Post; July 5
Chinese company injects $1.74B into Canadian mining company
Canada-based Teck Resources Ltd. didn't absolutely require the $1.74 billion in cash from China Investment Corp. (CIC), but the opportunity to build a foundation with the country that is the most important for any commodity producer was too great an opportunity to pass up.
Financial Post; July 3
Out of cash, California pays debts with I.O.U.'s
California state controller, John Chiang, began issuing i.o.u.'s, or warrants, to pay vendors, taxpayers and local governments, the second time since the Great Depression The Golden State has had to do so.
New York Times; July 3
In depth
Deconstructing the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill
The U.S. House-passed climate-change and energy bill runs about 1,400 pages, and contains loopholes and concessions to key legislators and industries, and in this question-and-answer format, the Washington Post analyzes the bill.
Washington Post; July 5
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Climate-change bill battle moves to the U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate begins work on the landmark climate-change and energy bill that squeaked through the U.S. House late last month, and among the issues the Senate must address that the House didn't: giving the federal government broad powers to create corridors for transmission lines to carry solar- and wind-generated power to coastal cities.
Los Angeles Times; July 6
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