In the Rockies today, a commission releases its report on the nation's parks that says underfunding is the primary problem in those parks.
The 28-member commission appointed last year by the National Parks Conservation Association proposed that the budget for the parks be increased by $100 million until the National Park Service's centennial in 2016, and that the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Historic Preservation Fund be fully funded.
The panel also proposed that parks be managed as an integral part of the ecosystems within which they are located.
Also in the news, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is holding meetings today in Utah and Nevada about the proposed Snake Valley water deal; Wyoming tossed its proposed regulations of coalbed-methane discharge water; and Montana landowners are in Washington, D.C. seeking stronger rights for surface owners in split-estate situations, where other entities own the mineral rights under the land.
Rockies today
Commission says national parks need more funding, larger perspective
A 28-member commission convened by the National Parks Conservation Association a year ago released its report on Thursday that said the greatest challenge to the nation's parks is a lack of adequate funding and that parks should be managed to protect ecosystems that reach beyond their borders.
Jackson Hole Daily; Sept. 25
Micron leaps into race to make low-cost, energy-efficient lights
Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter announced Thursday that the state would provide $5 million in federal stimulus funds to Boise-based Micron Technology for work on developing a new way to make a key component of light-emitting diodes, commonly known as LEds.
Idaho Statesman; Sept. 25
Utah governor sets hearings on Snake Valley water deal
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said he agrees that his state and Nevada should work out a deal on sharing Snake Valley water, but he's not sure that the current agreement is the way to go, and he set hearings on the pact today in Baker, Nev., and in Delta, Utah.
Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 25
Wyoming DEQ dumps coalbed methane discharge water rules
After a team from New Mexico found that Wyoming's proposed rules on water discharged during coalbed methane operations were scientifically flawed, the Department of Environmental Quality voted to scrap the rules.
Casper Star-Tribune; Sept. 25
Wyoming lawsuit over conservation easement draws national attention
Wyoming sued Johnson County over the decision by its county commission in 2002 to extinguish a conservation easement, a decision the state and other interested parties said puts the land-protection option in peril both in Wyoming and across the nation.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Sept. 25
Final trainload of contaminated sediment pulled from Montana site
For nearly two years, trainloads of contaminated sediment have been hauled from the Superfund site at the former Milltown Dam site in Montana, and on Thursday, the last bit of soil was loaded on a train, headed for disposal at a site near Anaconda.
Missoulian; Sept. 25
Montana landowners lobby Congress for more notice on drilling
Montana landowners are working the halls of Congress this week, seeking more notice from drillers before they start tapping mineral leases under their lands.
Billings Gazette; Sept. 25
Opinion
Nothing innovative about Idaho funding Micron
At Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter’s Innovation Summit Thursday, Otter announced that Micron Technology would get $5 million in federal stimulus funds to develop new light technology using light-emitting diodes, but given the tax breaks given to the Boise-based business that has shown questionable loyalty lately, just how innovative is the governor's cash award to the chipmaker?
NewWest.net; Sept. 25
Montana timber, logging company shares views of Tester's bill
Sun Mountain Lumber operates both a logging and sawmill business in Montana, and Tony Colter, the company’s plant manager and vice president, talks about the effect Sen. Jon Tester's Forest Jobs and Recreation Act could have on the company, and the company's work on the framework of the legislation.
NewWest.net; Sept. 25
Beyond the region
Oregon mine proposed to become Superfund site
After 15 years of off-and-on efforts to clean up the toxic waste left behind at the shuttered Black Butte mercury mine in Oregon, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the mine's listing on its Superfund cleanup list.
Portland Oregonian; Sept. 25
Oregon window-maker gets share of Farm Bill'sl 'green' energy funds
Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced Thursday that green energy projects in the state would share $3 million in funding from the 2008 Farm Bill, with Joseph Millworks, Inc., a window and door manufacturer in Baker City, getting a $2.2 million loan and a $500,000 grant to build a 3-megawatt wind farm.
Portland Oregonian; Sept. 25
Wind industry presses U.S. for climate-change legislation
At a news conference Thursday in Washington, D.C., wind industry leaders said if the United States doesn't pass climate legislation, the push for wind energy will fizzle out in that nation and China and Europe will gain market share.
Salt Lake Tribune (AP); Sept. 25
Helicopter to track radioactive contamination at Washington site
Animals attracted to the salt in radioactive waste discharged from the Hanford nuclear complex in Washington state have spread the contamination over the "BC controlled area," 13.7 square miles that have had little human intrusion, and a specially equipped helicopter will be doing aerial surveys to track the contamination.
Tri-City Herald; Sept. 25
New review of global data spikes dire forecast for climate change
A new report issued Thursday by the United Nations Environment Program said that even with nations doing their utmost to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the global temperature will rise 6.3 degrees by the end of this century.
Washington Post; Sept. 25
In depth
Montana fire crews brace for a windy weekend
History may repeat itself a bit on the Kootenai Creek fire lines in Montana, as another windy weekend is in the forecast; last Saturday winds blew up the wildfire that has been burning since July.
Ravalli Republic; Sept. 25
Smoke from Montana wildfires degrade air quality in Missoula Valley
Smoke from nearby wildfires is expected to linger today in the Missoula Valley, where another day of unhealthy air quality is forecast for the Montana valley.
Missoulian; Sept. 25
Arson suspected as cause of Montana wildfire near Arlee
Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal authorities said they believed the Saddle Mountain wildfire burning on tribal lands in Montana, which grew to 300 acres in size on Thursday, was human-caused and may have been deliberately set.
Missoulian; Sept. 25
Crews have a handle on Montana wildfires near Helena
The Copper Creek fire near Lincoln remained at 109 acres and crews report that Montana wildfire is about 60 percent contained, and crews working on a prescribed burn in the Scapegoat Wilderness reported about 800 acres of the 1,000 acres planned to be burned had been burned with good results.
Helena Independent Record; Sept. 25
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