In the Rockies today, wolves, wind and copper are in the news.
Montana and Defenders of Wildlife are locked in a dispute about the effect of a wolf hunt in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness on the Cottonwood Pack, with the state saying some adult wolves survived the hunt, and the environmental group saying only pups are left in the pack.
Also in Montana, the state's largest wind farm came on line Wednesday, with the 210-megawatt Glacier Wind Farm south of Ethridge, edging out the 135-megawatt Judith Gap wind farm in Wheatland County as the state's largest.
And moving south to Arizona, Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. reported a 77 percent increase in earning in the third quarter, putting the company on track to reopen the Miami mine in the state.
Rockies today
Montana disputes group's claims about wolf kills
Defenders of Wildlife sent out an email last week that said all of the adult wolves in the Cottonwood Pack in Montana's Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness were killed by hunters, but state officials denied that and said hunters took four wolves from the pack, leaving four adults and two pups.
Billings Gazette; Oct. 22
Navajo Nation may buy Arizona resort to stop snowmaking
The Navajo Nation Council voted Wednesday to consider legislation that would allow the tribe to negotiate with the company that owns Arizona Snowbowl near Flagstaff to buy the ski resort to put an end to snowmaking using treated wastewater that the tribe has fought for years.
Denver Post (AP); Oct. 22
Utah lawmakers hear dueling views on climate change
Member of the Utah House Public Utilities and Technology Interim Committee heard from two scientists Wednesday that hold widely differing views on the causes of climate change, with James Steenburgh, professor and chairman of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah, indicating that most scientists believe human activity is driving climate change; and Roy Spencer, from the University of Alabama and a NASA scientist, who said Mother Nature drives climate change.
Deseret News; Oct. 22
Montana's largest wind farm goes online
The $500 million Glacier Wind Farm in Montana's Toole and Glacier counties is now fully online, pumping 210 megawatts into the state's power grid.
Great Falls Tribune; Oct. 22
Colorado's jobless rate dips again
Colorado's jobless rate at the end of September was 7 percent, down a bit from the 7.3 percent reported in August and the 7.8 percent in July.
Denver Post; Oct. 22
Arizona-based copper miner reports 77% jump in 3rd-quarter profits
Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., the world's largest publicly traded copper miner, said a rebound in copper prices helped drive earnings up during the third quarter, and that the increase in earnings revived the company's plan to reopen its Miami mine in Arizona.
Arizona Republic; Oct. 22
Opinion
Montana's decision to raise lease rates on cabin sites reasonable
In these tough economic times, paying more for anything can be a trial, but the Montana State Land Board is charged with ensuring the state gets a reasonable return on its lands for its schools, and the state's phased-in approach for increasing lease fees for state sites is a fair one.
Helena Independent Record; Oct. 22
Beyond the region
Oregon facility will recycle plastic bottles now sent to China
A plant being built on 4 acres in Port St. Helens will begin recycling plastic pop and water bottles in mid-2010, and will employ 50 people at the Oregon facility, which will be the first of its kind in the Northwest.
Portland Oregonian; Oct. 22
W.Va. case uses federal species act to fight wind farm
A longtime caving fanatic filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Maryland, challenging Chicago-based Invenergy's proposed Beech Ridge wind farm in Greenbriar County, W. Va., using the federal Endangered Species Act, charging that the project threatens the Indiana bat, a species first listed as endangered in 1967.
Washington Post; Oct. 22
Wash., federal officials vow better effort on water in Yakima Valley
Many of the 55 people who attended a meeting on efforts to address water-contamination problems in Washington's Lower Yakima Valley said it's about time the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state took steps to enforce water-quality rules.
Yakima Herald-Republic; Oct. 22
Wild Alaska salmon make list of 'greenest seafood'
The influential Monterey Bay Aquarium released a list Tuesday of the "greenest seafood," those which are fished sustainably and contain the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, and the list contains wild-caught Alaskan salmon and Pacific sardines.
Washington Post; Oct. 22
Obama adviser: Alberta oilsands may be target of climate legislation
John Podesta, the head of the Center for American Progress, who serves as an adviser to the Obama administration on energy and the environment, was in Canada at a Clean Energy Conference, where he warned that the United States could adopt a low-carbon fuel standard, which could have quite an impact on oil from Alberta's oilsands.
Toronto Globe and Mail; Oct. 22
Oil prices jump over $80 a barrel, as dollar drops
Traders drove the price of oil above $80 on Wednesday, and market analysts said they believed prices would continue to increase and would be above $100 a barrel by early next year.
New York Times; Oct. 22
In depth
Wyoming jobless rate climbs to highest rate in 2 decades
Wyoming's unemployment rate in September was 6.8 percent, up from 6.6 percent in August, and the highest reported since February 1989.
Casper Star-Tribune; Oct. 22
Despite 950 new jobs, Montana employment rate up to 6.7 percent
Montana's unemployment rate in September bumped up by 0.1 percent to 6.7 percent, still lower than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent.
Great Falls Tribune; Oct. 22
Arizona's unemployment fund runs dry
Arizona's Department of Economic Security will have to borrow about $600 million to keep paying unemployment benefits through 2010, but agency officials said the 145,000 Arizonans currently collecting such benefits won't see a change in their compensation.
Arizona Republic; Oct. 22
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