In the Rockies today, a new federal limit on ozone pollution is proposed; and a new group forms to protect access to public lands along Montana's Rocky Mountain Front.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits on ozone pollution on Thursday, and if the limits become law, areas in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah may have a tough time meeting them, as some areas of those states cannot comply with the current limit of 75 parts per billion.
On Saturday, the Coalition for Common Sense will hold its first event in Conrad to raise money for lobbying to protect multiple use of public land along Montana's Rocky Mountain Front.
Residents from eight northcentral Montana counties decided to form the group after motorized access was banned by the U.S. Forest Service in the 130,000-acre Badger-Two Medicine area along the Rocky Mountain Front.
Rockies today
EPA rolls out plan for lower limits on ozone pollution
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed Thursday to lower the acceptable limit of ozone in the air from the current 75 parts per billion to 60 to 70 ppb for any eight-hour period, a change that will mean states and local governments will face much more stricter air quality tests in the future.
Washington Post ; Jan. 8
Group organizes to protect multiple use on Montana Front
The U.S. Forest Service's decision to ban the motorized vehicles in the 130,000-acre Badger-Two Medicine area in the Lewis and Clark National Forest along Montana's Rocky Mountain Front was the final straw for residents of eight northcentral counties, who are holding a kickoff event for the "Coalition for Common Sense" organized to protect multiple use on public lands.
Great Falls Tribune ; Jan. 8
Air Force extends olive branch to Nevada's renewable energy industry
The U.S. Air Force has a considerable presence in Nevada, employing thousands of civilians in the state and has control of much of the land, thus the ability of the military branch to quash renewable energy projects near its installations, and now Nellis Base Commander Col. Howard Belote is working on creation of a streamlined process for renewable-energy projects near military facilities.
Las Vegas Sun ; Jan. 8
Coal company says Montana's minimum bid for state leases too high
The president of Great Northern Properties in Houston, the company that owns coal leases adjacent to Montana's coal reserves in the Otter Creek Valley said he believed the minimum bid set by the state Land Board was too high.
Missoulian; Jan. 8
Canada's gold miners battle over Chilean copper mine
With the world's pure gold deposits nearly exhausted, the battle for resources moves to copper as reflected in the recent bidding war between British Columbia-based Goldcorp Inc. and Ontario-based Barrick Gold Corp. for a slice of a major copper mining project in Chile.
Toronto Globe and Mail ; Jan. 8
Wyoming wildlife trust helps fund conservation easement on ranch
If the Wyoming Legislature approves the commitment, $500,000 from the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust will be used to help the Green River Valley Land Trust and its partners put a conservation easement on 8,000 acres of the 100-year-old 67 Ranch west of Big Piney in Sublette County.
Casper Star-Tribune ; Jan. 8
Montana gets plenty of protests on Turner bison plan
At a public hearing on Thursday on Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' plan to send 74 of the bison from Yellowstone National Park, currently quarantined at a holding facility just outside the park, to Ted Turner's ranch where they would be held for five years in exchange for 90 percent of the calves born during that time, conservationists, federal officials and others protested the plan, saying the animals need to be kept on tribal or public lands.
Missoulian (AP); Jan. 8
Opinion
Idaho governor might consider cutting legal fees
Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and Republican legislators have signed on to a "zero-growth" spending plan for next year, which makes those folks' decision to pour an additional $700,000 into the Constitutional Defense Council Fund to fight the federal listing of the slickspot peppergrass as endangered and for a promised lawsuit on health care reform just a little puzzling.
Idaho Statesman ; Jan. 8
Colorado reporter learns the power of Vail Resorts
Bob Berwyn was a reporter for the Summit Daily News until he wrote an article about how ski areas sometimes massage weather reports, and chided Vail Resorts for creating the impression that a snowstorm that blanketed the east side of Colorado's Front Range had actually dumped snow on the Western Slope as well. A "Writers on the Range" column written by Bob Berwyn.
(Writers on the Range) High Country News ; Jan. 8
Beyond the region
Report: U.S. shed 85,000 jobs in December
The national unemployment rate for the United States remained at 10 percent, despite an unexpected loss of 85,000 jobs in December.
Denver Post (AP); Jan. 8
Lack of shipping containers could quell Northwest's export boom
Farmers in the Northwest United States have signed contracts to export their products to Asia and India, but a lack of shipping containers and much higher shipping rates threaten the export boom.
Portland Oregonian ; Jan. 8
In depth
New federal limits could affect rural areas of Arizona
Under the new limits on ozone pollution proposed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Arizona's Pima, Pinal, Yuma, Gila, La Paz and Navajo counties would remain out of compliance and Cochise and Coconino counties would fail unless the limit was set at 70 parts per billion.
Arizona Republic ; Jan. 8
Colorado will have to do more to curb ozone under new federal rules
Colorado has been struggling to meet federal limits on ozone pollution since 1997, when the Denver-area fell out compliance with the 84 parts per billion smog standard that year, and the area flunked when the Bush administration lowered the limit to 75 ppb, and now with the new proposed 60 to 70 ppb, the state must work even harder.
Denver Post ; Jan. 8
Lower ozone limits means tougher time for Nevada's Clark County
In Clark County, five out of its 13 monitoring stations are already out of compliance with the current federal ozone limit of 75 parts per billion, which means the Nevada county will have a considerably tougher time meeting the lower limits proposed Thursday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Contains an Associated Press graphic showing national compliance with federal limits in March, 2008.
Las Vegas Review-Journal ; Jan. 8
Utah air quality official says regional effort needed on ozone
Utah regulators have been working on ways to reduce ozone levels in the Beehive State, but with the release of new limits proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, those regulators said a regional effort will be needed to meet the new restrictions.
Salt Lake Tribune; Jan. 8
|
