In the Rockies today, wind, wolves and President Obama's tour of the West is in the news.

Wyoming's first symposium on wind power ended last week, with counties asking a new state law giving them authority to regulate wind-energy projects.

And a panelist at that symposium said Wyoming's lack of a mandate for a percentage of power to be obtained from renewable resources has held back the wind-energy industry in the state.

Idaho is expected to set a quota for a planned wolf hunt in that state today, a move conservation groups will watch carefully and their response could affect Montana's plan for a wolf hunt this fall.

President Obama winds up his tour of the West today, with a stop in Arizona to give a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix.

In our In-depth section, we provide coverage of the president's town hall meetings in Montana and Colorado, as well as the Obama family's trip to Yellowstone National Park.

Rockies today

Obama family tours Grand Canyon on Sunday
After making stops in Montana and Colorado for town hall meetings on Friday and Saturday on health care, President Obama and his family toured the Grand Canyon on Sunday; President Obama will address the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention today in Phoenix.
Arizona Republic; Aug. 17
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Vilsack shares vision for USFS at Seattle speech
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke Friday in Seattle, where he said the U.S. Forest Service would not appeal a recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that struck down forest rules put in place by the Bush administration, and that the agency would appeal a decision to maintain the 2001 rules on logging and road building on federal roadless forest lands.
Los Angeles Times; Aug. 15
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Colorado tribe brews up biofuel from algae
Solix Biofuels, a start-up company co-founded by a Colorado State University professor, is using algae to make biofuel using carbon dioxide emissions from an adjacent natural gas processing plant on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in southwest Colorado.
New York Times; Aug. 17
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Wyoming county commissioners want state wind-energy laws
A task force of Wyoming county commissioners said the state needs regulations for siting wind-energy facilities.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Aug. 15
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• Panelist: Wyoming hobbled by lack of renewable-energy goals
  Dr. Sadrul Ula, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and director of the UW Utility Consortium, spoke at the first Wyoming Wind Symposium on Friday, and he said the state's lack of a renewable-energy goal has pushed the state down the ranks in wind-energy development.
  Casper Star-Tribune; Aug. 17
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• Read more on the Nevada-Utah water deal in Community
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• Old Faithful sticks to schedule on Obama visit to Yellowstone
  The Obama family took a tour of Yellowstone National Park on Saturday that included a helicopter flight to Old Faithful, which erupted almost right on schedule for the White House family.
  New York Times; Aug. 16
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