In the Rockies today, grizzly bears in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are again under federal protection.
U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy issued an order Monday that returns the 600 or so bears in the Greater Yellowstone area to the endangered species list.
The federal judge in Montana said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision in 2007 appeared to be at odds with the science the agency relied upon to make the decision.
Molloy also said the states' plans for managing the big bruins lacked any real enforcement provisions, and also cited threats to whitebark pines, an important food source for the bears, as a reason to return the bears to protection.
Rockies today
Judge orders grizzly bears back onto endangered species list
In a ruling issued Monday, grizzly bears in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming were put back under federal protection, with U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy indicating there was a "disconnect" between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to delist the bears and the science relied upon to make that decision and the judge also cited the decline in whitebark pine, an important food source for the bruins, as a reason for reinstating federal protection.
Jackson Hole Daily; Sept. 22
Pine beetles run their course in B.C. forests
A British Columbia official said the pine-bark beetle has run its course in the province's forests and has run out of trees to infest, and warned that unless protected areas are opened up for logging, more sawmills will close; a position environmental groups said was unconscionable.
Vancouver Sun; Sept. 22
Natural gas prices keep drillers on hold in Colorado
Natural gas prices are at about $3.25 per million British Thermal Units (BTU), and for Colorado drillers to again start up their rigs, the price must climb to $4.50 or $5 to $6 BTUs -- depending upon which company CEO you ask.
Grand Junction Sentinel; Sept. 22
U.N. scientists tour Montana national park
A panel of scientists from the United Nations is in Montana this week to assess the threat posed by proposed mining activities in British Columbia to Glacier National Park, which was listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1995 along with adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta.
Missoulian; Sept. 22
Yellowstone Park sets Dec. 15 as opening day for winter season
Yellowstone National Park officials said they will allow 318 snowmobiles and 78 snow coaches through the gates of the park beginning Dec. 15.
Billings Gazette; Sept. 22
New round of plaintiffs sue to stop snowmaking at Arizona resort
After tribes lost their lawsuit to prevent snowmaking using reclaimed wastewater at Arizona's Snowbowl resort that was premised on the tribes' religious practices, a new round of plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service, alleging that the agency did not adequately assess the environmental effects of the snowmaking.
Arizona Daily Sun; Sept. 22
N.M. tribes, Navajo Nation to get $82M for law enforcement
The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday that the Navajo Nation and several New Mexico pueblos would get $82 million in federal stimulus funds to build or renovate detention facilities on tribal lands and pay for programs designed to combat domestic violence and to keep kids out of trouble.
RezNetNews.org (AP); Sept. 22
Opinion
B.C. mining industry needs single regulatory body
The mining industry in British Columbia is beginning to shine again, with gold, copper and zinc prices all improving and the B.C. government's announcement that a harmonized sales tax would be in place next year, but for the industry to really improve, the province needs to put a single regulatory body, much like the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission, in charge of permitting new mines.
Vancouver Sun; Sept. 22
House bill goes too far on energy lease changes
West Virginia U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall's bill that eliminates the controversial royalty-in-kind payment program on federal oil and natural gas leases would also create another whole layer of federal bureaucracy to oversee oil and gas leases, an unneeded level of scrutiny that will only make oil and gas leasing more costly.
Grand Junction Sentinel; Sept. 22
Salazar making good on his promise to clean up Interior Dept.
When Ken Salazar took the helm of the Interior Department, he acknowledged his first order of business would be to clean up that department's image, and his decision to end the scandalous royalty-in-kind program is a step in the right direction, but on the heels of that decision was a report that criticized the use of categorical exclusions to fast track drilling permits, a development that proves Salazar has far to go.
Denver Post; Sept. 22
Montana private prison contract sounds too good to be true
The promises made by the American Police Force to Hardin and the Two Rivers Authority for a contract to house federal prisoners in the private prison built by the Montana community sound too good to be true, and given the mystery around the APF, they may prove to be just that.
Billings Gazette; Sept. 22
Beyond the region
Concerns raised about wind farms' effect on migratory birds
A 5,400-turbine wind farm in California's San Joaquin Valley has been killing thousands of migratory birds annually for years, and so far none of the mitigating efforts have worked to reduce the deaths, and unlike ExxonMobil and PacifiCorp utility of Oregon, both of whom have paid hefty fines for killing migratory birds in Wyoming and other states, the operators of the Altamont Pass facility, have not been fined.
USAToday; Sept. 22
Canadian wind power companies urge subsidies for a few more years
At Canada's largest wind-power conference Monday in Toronto, industry executives urged the government provide subsidies for another five years until the industry can stand on its own.
Toronto Globe and Mail; Sept. 22
West Virginia coal plant poised to sequester CO2
Within the next few days, the Mountaineer coal-fired power plant built in 1980 in West Virginia will begin capturing and pumping carbon dioxide emissions deep underground.
New York Times; Sept. 22
Federal appeals court rules states can sue utilities over emissions
Overturning an earlier U.S. District Court decision, a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in New York, ruled that eight states, New York City and three land trusts did have the right to sue large coal-burning utilities over their emissions.
New York Times; Sept. 22
United Nations hosts one-day climate-change summit today
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao will be in the limelight today, as leaders from some 100 countries meet at the United Nations for a one-day summit on climate change.
Christian Science Monitor; Sept. 22
Census: Arizona, 3 other states see drop in foreign-born residents
In Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, where the national recession hit early and hard, the number of foreign-born residents, particularly low-skilled immigrants from Mexico, decreased significantly last year.
Washington Post; Sept. 22
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