Current Headlines
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Current News and Opinion
Federal report says DNA links Montana brucellosis to elk.
A report issued Thursday by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa said the strain of brucellosis found in a cow in Montana was similar to strains found in bison and elk, but according to Montana officials, the cow had no contact with bison, leaving elk as the culprit.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 25, 2008
Montana governor says Wyoming feedgrounds breed brucellosis.
In a July 18 letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer criticized the U.S. Forest Service's decision to renew Wyoming's permits for five elk feedgrounds, a decision Schweitzer said ignores the feedgrounds' role in the transmission of brucellosis.
Jackson Hole Daily; July 25, 2008
Judge sets limits on grazing, hay production on CRP lands.
A federal judge ruled Thursday that farmers and ranchers who received approval by July 8 to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Critical Feed Program," or have spent $4,500 or more on the expectation they would be able to either graze cattle or hay lands set aside in the federal Conservation Reserve Program, will be able to go forward with their plans for the set-aside lands.
Seattle Times; July 25, 2008
Report pegs cost of Colorado-Wyoming commuter rail at $1M per mile.
Bob Briggs of the Colorado-based nonprofit group Front Range Commuter Rail said he was encouraged by a Wyoming report that said it would cost between $1 million and $1.5 million per mile to upgrade existing railroad tracks between Casper, Wyo., and Fort Collins, Colo., to support passenger rail service, as Briggs said he thought it would cost more than that.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 25, 2008
States lack funding to address critical bridge problem.
After a bridge collapse in Minnesota killed 13 people a year ago, states launched aggressive bridge inspection campaigns to identify those that needed critical repairs and, in at least 16 states, some bridges were closed; however, states lack the funding to address all the problems, such as in Colorado, where 125 bridges were found to need replacement or major repairs which would cost $1.4 billion, while funding for such work fell from $32 million in 2007 to $18 million in 2009.
USA Today; July 25, 2008
Washington state Farm Bureau drafts guest-worker plan.
Washington state farmers and producers said the national H2A guest worker program is expensive, difficult to navigate and fails to supply them with a reliable source of workers, and the state Farm Bureau has prepared a proposal for a guest-worker pilot program it hopes the state legislature will endorse next year.
Tri-City Herald; July 25, 2008
Workers begin to remove key building on Washington nuclear complex.
The K East Basin, the building that surrounds a leaky pool built to hold spent fuel from nuclear reactors on the Hanford Nuclear Complex in Washington state, is being dismantled by workers who expect to finish the project next July.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; July 25, 2008
NASA scientists unlock Northern Lights mystery.
Scientists used data from five NASA satellites that record magnetic and electrical activity around the planet to discover that the wavelike movement of the Northern Lights is caused by magnetic reconnection, when magnetic field lines stretched by solar winds suddenly snap into a new shape, much like a rubber band that has been stretched too far.
Washington Post; July 25, 2008
Report: Climate change poses serious threat to Nevada's water supply.
A report released this week by the National Conference of State Legislatures and Center for Integrative Environmental Research said that climate change could cause a profound drought in Nevada which will have a serious effect on the state's water supplies, affecting growth and tourism which will impact state revenue.
Reno Gazette-Journal; July 25, 2008
Idaho laboratory gets mission to find way to reuse spent nuclear fuel.
Researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory and the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois will team up on the Department of Energy's "Deep Burn" project, a $7.3 million study designed to develop a process to capture energy while destroying plutonium and other materials from spent nuclear fuel.
Idaho Falls Post-Register; July 25, 2008
Montana towns populate bizjournal.com's 'Dreamtowns' list.
Bozeman makes a lot of "best" lists, and this week the Montana city was ranked second on bizjournal.com's list of U.S. "Dreamtowns," defined as small towns that offer metropolitan benefits without the attendant hassles; other Montana cities making that Top 10 list were Helena in fifth and Kalispell in sixth place; Washington State's Oak Harbor was the only other city in the West to make the list.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; July 25, 2008
Judge's wolf decision based on need for genetic diversity.
Conservation groups that sued for an injunction against removing gray wolves from the federal endangered species list said that if the wolves in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana failed to interbreed, genetic degradation would occur over time, an argument with which U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy concurred when he issued the injunction.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 25, 2008
Montana relocates grizzly bear, Yellowstone officers kill black bear.
A grizzly bear trapped near the Soda Butte Campground in Montana, where a camper was attacked by a bear in his tent earlier this month, will be sent to a research facility in Washington state, but a black bear that had been ripping into hikers' backpacks was killed by Yellowstone National Park officials, the second black bear euthanized in the park in two weeks.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; July 25, 2008
White House weighed in on Wyoming, NPS Sylvan Pass fight.
According to officials familiar with the dispute between the National Park Service and the state of Wyoming over keeping Sylvan Pass open in the winter, the White House intervened to keep the pass open.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; July 25, 2008
Polygamy focus of U.S. Senate panel hearing today.
At the request of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat and a Mormon convert, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing today to review efforts to crack down on crimes associated with polygamy.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 25, 2008
Reports: Crandall Canyon mine in Utah designed to fail.
The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration's investigation of the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah, where six miners and three rescuers died last August, found that the mine was poorly engineered and that federal inspectors repeatedly failed to catch its flaws; a Department of Labor report criticized the MSHA's role in the disaster for its failure to catch the mine's structural problems.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 25, 2008
RealtyTrac: 1 in every 171 U.S. households in some stage of foreclosure.
According to a report issued today by the California company that tracks the nation's mortgage market, the number of foreclosure filings during the second quarter of this year is double that reported in the same quarter in 2007, and that Nevada led the nation in foreclosures this quarter, with 1 in every 43 households receiving a foreclosure filing.
Denver Post; July 25, 2008
Pricing gap between old, new energy narrows.
The price for electricity generated by natural gas and coal has increased by 44 percent since July 2007, putting the cost of that energy versus the cost of electricity generated by wind and solar power in Colorado, nearly even.
Denver Rocky Mountain News; July 25, 2008
Wyoming institute pushes hydrogen to fuel nation, curb emissions.
The Western Research Institute, a nonprofit institute on the University of Wyoming campus, is working on methods to find new fuels that don't pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and at a hydrogen conference this week on the UW campus, WRI's principal engineer Dr. Tom Barton gave a progress report on two such projects.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 25, 2008
Huge tract of B.C. forest to be protected for caribou.
British Columbia Environment Minister John Baird and the president of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, John Lounds, are expected to announce today the protection of what is thought to be nearly 136,000 acres of private forest land in southeastern British Columbia to help protect the South Selkirk mountain caribou population, one of a dozen endangered herds in the Canadian province.
Toronto Globe and Mail; July 24, 2008
Plum Creek reaches out to Montana communities, media.
Plum Creek Timber Co. officials are meeting with local officials and Montana media to clarify the company's intentions in the state, but at least one conservation group dismissed its efforts, calling the meetings a "propaganda strategy."
Missoulian; July 24, 2008
USDA, Plum Creek respond to GAO probe on Montana road talks.
The Government Accountability Office is investigating closed-door talks between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Plum Creek Timber Co. on road easements in Montana; Mark Rey, the Agriculture undersecretary involved in the talks, and Plum Creek officials said they have been in contact with GAO officials.
Helena Independent Record; July 24, 2008
Western states, Canadian provinces release emissions plan.
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski released a draft plan on Wednesday designed to gradually lower greenhouse gas emissions that has been proposed by Oregon, Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Washington, as well as British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec in Canada.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; July 24, 2008
Groups warn warmer Wyoming waters will hit fish hard.
A report issued by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Trout Unlimited said that water temperatures in Wyoming's trout fisheries have already increased by 2 degrees, and if they continue to increase, fishing opportunities could be halved in the state over the next 90 or so years.
Jackson Hole Daily; July 24, 2008
Energy giants join the quest to turn waste into fuel.
The concept of turning wood chips, forage or even garbage into fuel for vehicles is not new, scientists have known it was possible for decades, but now that fuel prices have surpassed $4-a-gallon, the processes make more sense economically, and Honeywell, Dupont, General Motors, Shell and BP are wading into the effort to wring fuel out of biomass. Another in a series.
New York Times; July 24, 2008
USGS: Arctic may contain 90 billion barrels of oil.
The U.S. Geological Survey spent four years surveying the Arctic's energy potential, and its report issued Wednesday said that there may be as much as 90 billion barrels of undiscovered oil reserves, and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
New York Times; July 24, 2008
Mudslides cut off access to remote Idaho town.
Yellow Pine, a remote mountain town in Idaho, was in the news last year when Gov. Butch Otter ordered the town evacuated in August when wildfires threatened the town, and now mudslides from those burned areas have closed the main access road to the town.
Twin Falls Times-News; July 24, 2008
Dive in building permits forces Idaho county to consider budget cuts.
Canyon County commissioners asked budget heads to trim their budget requests by 10 percent for the next fiscal year, and cited a 45 percent drop in building permits and a 35 percent drop in recording fees in the Idaho county as a reason for the request.
Idaho Statesman; July 24, 2008
Idaho county's Farmer's Market makes room for dabblers.
Most of the vendors at Kootenai County Farmer's Market are full-time farmers, but the Idaho county's market has launched two programs to allow smaller, backyard farmers to sell their produce as well.
Coeur d'Alene Press; July 24, 2008
Nez Perce, 11 other tribes seek class-action certification in trust fund case.
The Nez Perce Tribe is the lead plaintiff in litigation filed by the Idaho tribe and 11 others against the Interior Department seeking a complete accounting of funds held in trust for them over the past 188 years, and today those plaintiffs will ask the court to grant class-action certification for all 250 tribes whose funds are managed by the federal government.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 24, 2008
Idaho wildlife commission mulls legal action after wolf decision.
About 50 people attended the Idaho Fish and Game Commission's meeting Wednesday in Post Falls, where not one person spoke in support of a recent federal court decision that returned gray wolves to the endangered species list.
Coeur d'Alene Press; July 24, 2008
BLM tests dust-control method in petroglyph-rich Utah canyon.
After concerns that use of magnesium chloride to suppress dust kicked up by drilling rigs in Utah's Nine-Mile Canyon could be harming the ancient petroglyphs on canyon walls were raised, the Bureau of Land Management is testing Pennzsuppress D, which contains materials similar to pine resin and soap.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 24, 2008
Montana grizzly gets a new home in the Cabinet Mountains.
A young female grizzly bear captured in Montana's Whitefish Range will be transported and released in the Cabinet Mountains in the state's effort to bolster grizzly bear populations in that area of Montana.
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; July 24, 2008
USFS considers using recycled glass to replenish Montana lakeshore.
The use of ground-up recycled glass to replenish sandy shores isn't a new idea - it's been done for years in California and Florida - and now the U.S. Forest Service is considering using locally gathered recycled glass to replace sand lost to erosion on Montana's Lake Como.
Ravalli Republic; July 24, 2008
Boone & Crockett unveils record-breaking diorama in Montana.
The Boone & Crockett Club, a group founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887 to establish programs to sustain wildlife, also maintains records of North American big game animals, and six record-holding sheep, deer and pronghorn antelope are now on display at the club's headquarters in Missoula, Mont.
Missoulian; July 24, 2008
Colorado senator's bill expands compensation for Rocky Flats workers.
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar criticized the Department of Labor's management of programs designed to compensate workers who have fallen ill from being exposed to radioactive materials on the job, and said he was submitting legislation that would provide coverage to more such workers, including those who worked at the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant in Colorado.
Denver Post; July 24, 2008
Nevada congressman OK with nuclear power as long as waste stays put.
U.S. Rep. Dean Heller said that he has no problem with the United States building new nuclear power plants as long as the waste generated by those plants stays at the site where it's produced and not shipped for disposal in Nevada.
Reno Gazette-Journal; July 24, 2008
Wyoming governor urges comprehensive approach to energy.
During his keynote speech before the hydrogen conference sponsored by the University of Wyoming's School of Energy Resources, Gov. Dave Freudenthal urged attendees not to engage in "either-or" battles on energy resources, where an increase in funding for one resource means a decrease for another.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 24, 2008
B.C. company buys Idaho's Sunshine Mine.
Vancouver, B.C.-based Minco Silver Corp.'s offer to buy the Sunshine Mine in Idaho, one of the nation's richest silver mines, must still be approved by shareholders, but is expected to close in December.
Twin Falls Times-News; July 24, 2008
Delta to end flights to Colorado city Sept. 1.
Delta Airlines officials said they told officials at the Durango/La Plata County Airport that service to the Colorado airport would end Sept. 1, but airport officials held off on releasing the information because they hoped high bookings on the flight would convince Delta to change its mind.
Farmington Daily-Times; July 24, 2008
Housing market along Utah's Wasatch Front a mixed bag.
Housing sales are down along Utah's Wasatch Front, and while some areas have seen housing prices drop between 18 and 27 percent over the past year, other regions have seen much smaller price drops; Weber County's median selling price of a home actually increased 4.3 percent since last year.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 24, 2008
Wildfires consume ever-larger chunk of federal agencies' time, money.
Wildfires in the West have become larger, more intense and much more costly to fight, and as more dollars are diverted to dousing the flames, federal agencies' money and manpower are funneled away from recreation, fuel reduction and timber sales projects. Another in a series.
Idaho Statesman; July 23, 2008
Interior Dept.'s proposed rules on oil-shale includes lower royalties.
Interior Department Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said establishing lower royalty rates would make extraction of oil from rocky deposits in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado more attractive to energy companies and spur investment and research into commercially viable ways to get the oil out.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 23, 2008
Oil-shale proposal elicits bipartisan skepticism.
Even stalwart Republicans were skeptical that the Interior Department's proposal to ramp up oil-shale development by lowering royalties would do much to address the high cost of fuel, given that such development will take massive amounts of water which simply might not exist, and U.S. refineries are currently not set up to process the kerogen from the oil shale. Another look.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 23, 2008
Wyoming hydrogen conference explores biofuel connection.
At Tuesday's session of the Mountain States Hydrogen Business Council's hydrogen conference at the University of Wyoming, panelists extolled the virtues of hydrogen power as an alternative to its more carbon-emitting fossil fuel cousins, but said aggressive government support is needed to help underwrite development of equipment used to make hydrogen.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 23, 2008
Utah sites under consideration for new nuclear-power plant.
State Rep. Aaron Tilton, who also heads up Transition Power Development, a company formed to develop new nuclear power facilities in Utah, said one site under consideration for such a plant was an industrial park near Green River, but that up to three other sites in the state were also being reviewed.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 23, 2008
Idaho group disputes Smokey Bear's ATV ad.
The Idaho-based Blue Ribbon Coalition said a new U.S. Forest Service ad that shows Smokey the Bear warning two all-terrain vehicle riders that sparks from the ATVs could start a forest fire unfairly implies that legal use of off-road vehicles starts forest fires. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; July 23, 2008
Plum Creek CEO says company plans to stay in Montana.
Plum Creek President Rick Holley said Montana is home to nearly two-thirds of the timber company's 2,000 employees, and that it will spend $180 million over the next decade to upgrade manufacturing facilities in the western part of the state, which Holley said underscores the company's long-term commitment to the state.
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; July 23, 2008
Texas asks EPA to waive ethanol mandate.
The governor of Texas wants the federal Environmental Protection Agency to grant his state an emergency waiver cutting the 9 billion gallons of ethanol required this year to be blended with gasoline to 4.5 billion gallons and to keep the mandate at that level for 2009.
New York Times; July 23, 2008
Nevada, Hawaii colleges target LDS students.
Entrepreneurs are planning to open two private, "Mormon friendly" colleges, one in Nevada and the other in Hawaii, for Latter-day Saint students who are not admitted to Brigham Young University or its satellite schools.
Deseret News; July 23, 2008
Heavy rains cause flooding, mudslides in Utah.
About 80 families were evacuated from their homes in Taylorsville after heavy rains caused a mudslide near a townhouse complex in the Utah city, while another 18 families were evacuated from an apartment complex in nearby Kearns.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 23, 2008
Idaho city again nixes developer's annexation plea.
The developer that wanted Hayden to annex 616 acres north of the Idaho city to clear the way for an 1,800-home subdivision said there are other options in the works after the Hayden City Council again denied the request.
Coeur d'Alene Press; July 23, 2008
Wyoming will continue to compensate ranchers for wolf-related losses.
Even though the federal government has once again taken over management of wolves in Wyoming, the state will continue to compensate ranchers in the northwest area of the state where wolves are classified as trophy animals for any livestock killed by wolves.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 23, 2008
Idaho wildlife commissioners expect raucous meeting tonight.
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will meet tonight at the Cabela's in Post Falls, and commissioners said they expect to hear a great deal of public comment about last week's federal court decision that returned the gray wolf to the federal endangered species list.
Coeur d'Alene Press; July 23, 2008
Former SLC mayor takes his presidential gripes to Washington D.C..
Rocky Anderson, the former mayor of Salt Lake City who now heads the "High Road for Human Rights" group, will testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee about actions taken by President Bush that Anderson believes constitute an abuse of presidential power.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 23, 2008
Nevada senator sponsors polygamy victims legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will submit legislation Wednesday to create a federal task force to investigate polygamous groups and to offer assistance to those seeking to leave such groups.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 23, 2008
Federal wage increase won't affect many workers in 2 Idaho counties.
Job growth has outstripped available workers in Idaho's Kootenai and Bonner counties, so few of the 42,000 employees in the state who will see their wages go up to $6.55 an hour on Thursday when the federal hourly minimum wage increases will be in those counties.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; July 23, 2008
Study says billions of dollars wasted fighting wildfires.
Cities that use "firewise" techniques have withstood fires, and research suggests that federal agencies' continued effort to beat back wildfires in remote areas is simply a waste of taxpayers' money.
Idaho Statesman; July 22, 2008
Agassi, Graf end contract for luxury hotel at Idaho resort.
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, along with other investors, cited market conditions and unresolved litigation as their reasons to withdraw from a contract to buy property to build a luxury hotel at the Tamarack Resort in central Idaho.
Twin Falls Times-News; July 22, 2008
Wyoming wants larger role in wolf management.
Last week's court decision put the federal government back in charge of wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and now that Wyoming has a wolf-management plan that has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state wants that agency to make it an agent to help manage wolves.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 22, 2008
Idaho hunters frustrated by federal decision on wolves.
The president of the Idaho Sportsmen's Caucus Advisory Council said he was worried that hunters will take out their frustration about a federal court decision to return wolves to the endangered species list by illegally killing wolves.
Idaho Statesman; July 22, 2008
Oregon confirms first wolf pack in a century.
Russ Morgan, the wolf coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said he heard two adult wolves and two pups answer his howls in the Umatilla National Forest in northern Union County last Friday.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; July 22, 2008
Scientists: Nonnative species in Columbia, Snake rivers threaten salmon.
A report requested by the federal, regional and tribal groups working on dam and salmon issues in the Northwest said that hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Northwest have turned those rivers into a series of lakes that provide good habitat for nonnative fish, which eat a lot of baby salmon, pass on diseases, and compete for food, all which threaten wild salmon populations.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; July 22, 2008
Few attend public meeting on Washington state reservoir project.
The public meeting hosted by the Washington state Ecology Department in Yakima to develop a list of alternatives to the proposed Black Rock Reservoir to meet the water needs of the Yakima Basin was sparsely attended; an evening meeting Monday was planned again in Yakima with a Thursday meeting set in Ellensburg.
Yakima Herald; July 22, 2008
Oregon's solar-power sector heats up.
Oregon is reportedly under consideration by at least three big solar industry companies as the location for new manufacturing facilities, which would bring hundreds of new jobs to the state.
Portland Oregonian; July 22, 2008
Utah university fires up nuclear-engineering program.
The University of Utah's nuclear-engineering program was one of 29 around the nation to survive after Three Mile Island, the Pennsylvania nuclear-power plant where a reactor had a partial core meltdown in 1979, and now that nuclear energy is again on the table, the Utah university is ramping up its program.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 22, 2008
GAO audit finds millions of dollars of equipment missing at IHS.
A Government Accountability Office audit of the Indian Health Service found $15.8 million worth of equipment unaccounted for, including a desktop computer stolen from an IHS hospital in New Mexico that contained sensitive personal information about 829 uranium miners.
Farmington Daily-Times; July 22, 2008
BLM: Nitrate poisoning killed Nevada wild horses.
A former worker at the Tonopah Test Range disputed a long-awaited study from the Desert Research Institute that Bureau of Land Management officials said linked the deaths of 71 wild horses in 2007 near the Nevada airfield to naturally occurring nitrate which poisoned the horses, rather than to de-icer used on planes and runways.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; July 22, 2008
Yellowstone chief promises to work with Montana on brucellosis.
Suzanne Lewis, the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, met with Montana's Board of Livestock on Monday, where she urged the board not to let the debate about brucellosis boil down to a wildlife versus livestock debate, but rather focus on developing better vaccines against the disease and other methods.
Billings Gazette; July 22, 2008
Interior Dept. plans to release oil-shale rules today.
The Interior Department will roll out regulations for the commercial development of oil-shale deposits in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, although federal officials have said it's unlikely any commercial-scale development will actually occur until 2015.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 22, 2008
Utah's primary voter turnout didn't make double digits.
The average voter turnout for Utah's June primary was 7.97 percent, with Piute County reporting the highest voter turnout, 49 percent, and Summit County the lowest with 2.4 percent.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 22, 2008
Utah high court rules public entitled to streambed access.
The Utah Supreme Court issued a decision (.pdf) Friday that said stream- and riverbeds are open to the public, no matter whose private lands they flow through, and while anglers and rafters applauded the decision, some landowners were less than enthusiastic.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 21, 2008
Water-thrifty rain barrels violate Washington state law.
Water-conscious residents of Washington state who place barrels under their rain gutters to capture precious water are violating a state law which says that rainwater is a public resource; however, the law doesn't set a threshold on when collecting rainwater comes under state jurisdiction.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; July 21, 2008
Washington state wildfire 75 percent contained.
The Mount Adams wildfire has burned nearly 8,000 acres in Washington state since it ignited July 12, and U.S. Forest Service officials said it wasn't certain when access to popular recreation sites would be restored.
Yakima Republic-Herald; July 21, 2008
BPA: Northwest's wind power could quadruple.
Bonneville Power Administration officials said their assessment of future power projects found 4,716 megawatts of wind-generated energy could come online within the next five years in the Northwest, but that the current transmission grid can handle only about a third of the anticipated megawatts.
Portland Oregonian; July 21, 2008
Montana watches Alberta community's struggle with wind power.
Pincher Creek, an Alberta city about 250 miles north of Great Falls, Mont., featured its first wind farm on a postage stamp three years ago, but with more such projects in the works, groups fighting to impose regulations based on the cumulative number of wind turbines are battling with groups promoting wind development and property-rights champions.
Great Falls Tribune; July 21, 2008
Montanans ask wind developers to slow down, consider the scenery.
If the Montana Alberta Tie Line, a proposed transmission line, between Great Falls and Lethbridge, Alberta, is built, state and federal regulators agree that there are very few restrictions and regulations on where wind farms can be built, a situation that concerns some Montanans who decry the impact wind farms will have on the state's spectacular scenery.
Great Falls Tribune; July 21, 2008
OSHA plugs up Nevada university's water-recycling plans.
The University of Nevada-Reno planned to reroute 600,000 gallons of water each year from drains to its landscape, but the plan involved putting a pump in a room where the air-conditioning system for the student union is located, and the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that's a no-no, because it violated a rule that bans any "nonessential" equipment in such facilities.
Reno Gazette-Journal; July 21, 2008
Heavy rains flood Utah city.
Cedar City residents know the drill: heavy rains fall, subdivisions flood and on Sunday, the expected happened again.
St. George Spectrum; July 21, 2008
Energy work takes a toll on Colorado's 'mule-deer factory'.
The 7,110-square-mile Piceance Basin contains some of the largest elk and deer herds in the country, but now that those animals are sharing their territory with 18-wheelers and other energy drilling equipment, some fear the animals will lose out, a fear that is repeated throughout the West in areas like Wyoming's Pinedale Anticline and the Powder River Basin shared by Montana and Wyoming.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; July 21, 2008
Groups protest BLM auction of leases on Wyoming's Little Mountain.
Federal and state agencies, along with several conservation groups have spent $1.5 million improving habitat in a popular fishing and hunting area near Flaming Gorge Reservoir on Wyoming's Little Mountain, and hunting and fishing groups said they are planning to protest parcels in that area that the Bureau of Land Management plans to auction off at its Aug. 5 energy lease sale.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 21, 2008
Locals team up to create outdoor recreation school in Wyoming.
A group of residents and local officials want to develop an outdoor recreation and natural resources management education program at the closed Half Moon Lake Resort and the Burnt Lake recreation site in Wyoming.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 21, 2008
Wyoming nation's hot spot for uranium.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission anticipates it will receive nearly two dozen applications to expand, restart or start new in-situ uranium mines in the West this year, and 19 of those are in Wyoming.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 21, 2008
Attitude shifts on wild horses.
Some environmentalists and scientists now view wild horses that roam the West from Montana to California as bullies at the top of the food chain, whose teeth and hooves destroy habitat and imperil other species such as desert tortoises and desert birds; with the cost of boarding 30,000 wild horses eating up two-thirds of the Bureau of Land Management's horse and burro budget, this attitude shift may help drive a change in the BLM's policy.
New York Times; July 20, 2008
Report: West's sprawling cities could hamstring productivity.
A new report by the Washington-based Brookings Institution "Mountain Megas: America's Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper," focuses on the Intermountain West's sprawling cities and the lack of mass transit needed to stay economically competitive with their European and Asian counterparts.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 20, 2008
For some Utah state workers, 4-day workweek will shake up lives.
Only about 25 percent of the 2,117 state workers who responded to a survey on Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s "Working 4 Utah" program that moves state workers to a 4-day work week, disliked the plan; most of the dissatisfaction derived from the take-it-or-leave-it method with which it was presented.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 20, 2008
Environmental groups file intent to sue EPA on drilling emissions.
Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action and Earthjustice in the Vanguard, representing a coalition of environmental groups from Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Montana, have put the Environmental Protection Agency on notice that they intend to sue the agency for not taking steps to update federal clean air safeguards to keep up with energy development in the West.
Farmington Daily-Times; July 20, 2008
Two wolves captured in Washington state.
Wildlife biologists captured what are believed to be two wolves in western Okanogan County in Washington state on Friday, one of which is a lactating female.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 19, 2008
BLM releases land-use plan for Utah's Kane, Garfield counties.
The Bureau of Land Management released its land-use plan for the 550,000 acres of land it owns in Utah's Kane and Garfield counties that leaves all but about 25 miles of off-highway vehicle trails contained in a preliminary mapping study in place.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 19, 2008
Federal judge gives USDA, CRP grazing opponents deadline for deal.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Wildlife Federation and six of its affiliates that oppose the USDA's "Critical Feed Use" plan to come up with a compromise by Tuesday. The proposed plan would open up millions of acres of land in the Conservation Reserve Program.
Seattle Times; July 18, 2008
Interior Dept., Rahall spar over House action on uranium mine ban.
The Interior Department said a U.S. House emergency resolution that imposed a ban on new uranium mining leases near the Grand Canyon wouldn't stand as the committee lacked a quorum. Rep. Nick Rahall, who chairs the committee that passed the resolution disagreed.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer; July 18, 2008
EPA report warns of climate change's risk to humans.
An Environmental Protection Agency report released just days after the federal agency declined to regulate greenhouse gases that have been linked to climate change said that warming temperatures posed a health risk to humans.
Washington Post; July 18, 2008
Starbucks releases list of 600 stores to be closed.
Starbucks will close 19 stores in its home state of Washington, including seven in its hometown of Seattle. In the Rocky Mountain West, one store will close in Arizona; nine in Colorado; two in Idaho; four in New Mexico; 18 in Nevada; and four in Utah.
Seattle Times; July 18, 2008
Gore urges renewable makeover for nation's energy habits.
In a speech on Thursday, former vice president Al Gore said that the nation must move to renewable energy over the next decade or face dire consequences. Even proponents of renewable energy were skeptical that such a timeline was achievable.
Washington Post; July 18, 2008
Oregon university ready to build law school in Boise.
Concordia University officials said they have nearly all the capital funding needed to open a law school in Boise. They hope to have the facility up and running as early as next year.
Idaho Statesman; July 18, 2008
Wyoming asks USDA to extend slaughter deadline on brucellosis issue.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture denied Wyoming State Veterinarian Walt Cook's initial request that the deadline for a Wyoming rancher to slaughter his herd in which several animals were found to have brucellosis be extended, but Cook is trying again.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 18, 2008
No new cases of brucellosis found in Montana herds.
Since a cow in Montana's Paradise Valley was found to be infected with brucellosis in June, 1,061 head of cattle have been tested with no new cases found. State Veterinarian Marty Zaluski said this indicates that elk were the likely source of transmission.
Billings Gazette; July 18, 2008
It's out with the old, in with the new in Yellowstone park.
Over the past few weeks, the old Visitor Center at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park was torn down and a new foundation begun. Nearly complete, the final touches are being put on the new justice center at Mammoth; and construction on an addition to the Park Service's building in West Yellowstone is nearly done as well.
Billings Gazette; July 18, 2008
Bear attack closes 2 campgrounds in Montana.
U.S. Forest Service officials evacuated and closed two campgrounds north of the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park in Montana after what was believed to be a grizzly bear entered a tent and attacked a camper.
Helena Independent Record; July 18, 2008
Few attend wolf-plan hearing in Montana city.
The low turnout reported at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' public hearing in Bozeman Wednesday on proposed wolf-management rules was repeated again on Thursday in Missoula, where fewer than a dozen people attended.
Missoulian; July 18, 2008
Utah GOP congressional hopeful blames Democrats for energy crisis.
Utah Republican congressional candidate Jason Chaffetz was in Alaska this week, touring the state's oil reserves. Chaffetz said that Democrats' opposition to opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for energy development helped push oil prices to the levels seen today.
Deseret News; July 18, 2008
Idaho task force vetoes taxing kayaks.
A group put together by Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter to study ways to raise more money to support the state's boating program said it's unlikely they'll propose imposing a registration fee on nonmotorized watercraft as a way to increase funding for such programs.
Idaho Statesman; July 18, 2008
Colorado county, groups partner up on wood-heat study.
Boulder County burns about 2,500 tons of branches and small-diameter wood pulled from its 1,200 acres of forest lands each year. Officials of the Colorado county are working with five organizations to study if using the slash to fuel a biomass heating system is feasible.
Boulder Daily Camera; July 18, 2008
Animal-rights group protests world's largest rodeo in Wyoming.
SHARK, or Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, takes issue with the use of shocking devices to get bulls and horses to buck, and wants steer- and calf-roping events banned. The group is protesting Cheyenne's Frontier Days, an annual Wyoming event that boasts the world's largest outdoor rodeo.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 18, 2008
The North Face to open store in Idaho.
Officials of The North Face, a company widely regarded as one of the premier outdoor gear and clothing manufacturers, announced they would open a store in Boise. The new Idaho building will be the first store to meet national environmental and energy-efficiency standards.
Idaho Statesman; July 18, 2008
Potlach board OKs tax-free reorganization plan.
Under a spinoff plan approved by the board of directors, Potlach Corp. approved the creation of a real estate investment trust company. The new company will retain the Potlach name and 1.7 million acres of forest lands in Idaho and three other states and a pulp-based manufacturing company that will assume control of facilities in Lewiston, Las Vegas and Illinois and Arkansas and operate under the name of Clearwater Paper Corp.
Idaho Statesman; July 18, 2008
Rey maps out details of USFS, Plum Creek talks in Montana.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey said he'll soon provide detailed maps of road easements addressed in closed-door meetings between the U.S. Forest Service and Plum Creek Timber Co. to Montana's federal, state and local officials.
Missoulian; July 17, 2008
BLM says new plan for Wyoming Anticline will protect sage grouse.
A wildlife biologist and sage grouse expert with the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance said that the Bureau of Land Management isn't enforcing seasonal restrictions on drilling operations in Wyoming's Pinedale Anticline and that the lack of enforcement has led to a sharp decrease in the number of sage grouse in that area of Wyoming. BLM officials said the agency's new plan will do more as some areas near leks will be off-limits to drilling for five years.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 17, 2008
BLM officials defend use of exceptions on Wyoming Anticline.
After conservation groups charged that the Bureau of Land Management too often accommodated energy companies' requests for exceptions to drilling regulations in Wyoming, such as waiving seasonal restrictions, BLM personnel defended those decisions and said a "verbal screening" process eliminates a number of requests before a record is made, makes it appear that most formal requests are granted.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 17, 2008
NPS chief lays out agency's goals at Utah conference.
At a two-day conference of National Park Service officials and staff, Superintendent Mary Bomar presented the agency's goals. They include reinvigorating the public's desire to visit parks; increasing the park system's capacity; and grooming the next generation of parks' leaders.
Deseret News; July 17, 2008
Groups, N.M. team up to create safe passage for wildlife.
Government agencies, conservation groups and landowners are working on creating wildlife corridors across New Mexico's Galisteo Basin. Creation of the corridors is part of a national effort to protect wildlife routes along mountain spines between Alaska and Mexico.
Santa Fe New Mexican; July 17, 2008
Interior Dept. opens Alaska oil reserve to drilling.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management estimates that the 2.6 million acres of the Northeast National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, opened Wednesday by the Interior Department for oil exploration, contains an estimated 3.7 billion barrels of oil.
New York Times; July 17, 2008
California wildfires douse state budget in red ink.
Just two weeks into California's new fiscal year, one-third of the state's wildfire fighting budget has been consumed. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed an insurance surcharge for homeowners who live in areas at risk of fires, floods or earthquakes, and state lawmakers are pressuring local officials to require new subdivisions meet fire code restrictions.
Christian Science Monitor; July 17, 2008
Weather looms large in Washington state wildfire fight.
The 500 or so firefighters battling the Cold Springs Fire in Washington state made good progress on Wednesday on the 7,604-acre blaze near Mount Adams. With 18 mph winds and 84-degree temperatures forecast for today, crews are bracing for a rough day.
Yakima Herald-Republic; July 17, 2008
Deal with Clorox rankles some Sierra Club members.
The Sierra Club has teamed up with Clorox to help promote a new line of environmentally friendly cleaning products in exchange for a percentage of the profits. The deal that has some members of the 116-year-old environmental group angry.
Los Angeles Times; July 17, 2008
Presidential candidates target Hispanics with multipronged message.
Hispanic voters often criticize political candidates for viewing them as a one-issue bloc -- immigration. Presidential candidates Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, have been careful to avoid that pitfall, addressing Hispanic voters on issues such as education, housing and health care in addition to border security and immigration.
New York Times; July 17, 2008
Idaho development targets aging baby-boomers.
A Texas company is building an "active-retirement" community for aging baby boomers in Boise's Harris Ranch that will provide 157 independent living units, 38 assisted-living units, and 96 "memory support" suites.
Idaho Statesman; July 17, 2008
DOJ report: Drug use highest in Native Americans.
A new report issued by the Department of Justice said the use of illicit drugs was higher for Native Americans than any other demographic group, with marijuana the most abused drug. You may have to view an ad to read this article.
Albuquerque Journal; July 17, 2008
Proposed gold mine concerns Wyoming county's commissioners.
Teton County commissioners are concerned that a Utah company's plan to use a dry process to pull gold, silver and platinum from placer deposits along Cottonwood Creek in Wyoming's Gros Venture Drainage will have significant impacts on species such as grizzly bears, sage grouse, elk and pronghorn antelope.
Jackson Hole Daily; July 17, 2008
BLM uses beetles to kill tamarisk along Colorado river.
The Bureau of Land Management is using tamarisk-loving beetles to decimate populations of the water-guzzling species along the Dolores River in Colorado. BLM employees said the beetles' work will become more evident next year as the invasive trees begin to die.
Grand Junction Sentinel; July 17, 2008
Wyoming rancher opts to test herd for brucellosis.
If the rancher near Daniel decides to test the remaining animals in his cattle herd for brucellosis rather than slaughter them by Aug. 29, Wyoming will lose its federal brucellosis-free status. At this time, he has indicated he prefers a year-long testing program rather than slaughter the remainder of his herd.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 17, 2008
Idaho horse rescue struggles to stay afloat.
An increase in horses needing rescue, coupled with spiraling hay costs, is forcing an Idaho horse rescue organization to turn some animals away, and many owners are opting to just turn the animals loose.
Twin Falls Times-News (Idaho Falls Post-Register); July 17, 2008
U.S. House panel passes Utah lawmaker's water-study bill.
The U.S. House Science and Technology Committee approved legislation sponsored by Utah Rep. Jim Matheson that would create an Environmental Protection Agency program to study ways to expand the nation's water supplies through collection and use of rainwater and gray water, storage and distribution systems and other methods. The measure now moves on to the full House for action.
Deseret News; July 17, 2008
Idaho attorney general finds nothing illegal in tax commission's actions.
The veteran tax commissioner who complained that Idaho's four tax commissioners routinely settled tax protests with corporations, many from out of state, panned the opinion of the Idaho's attorney general office that said the compromises broke no laws.
Twin Falls Times-News; July 17, 2008
Utah congressional candidates squabble over EnergySolutions' cash.
EnergySolutions, the company that wants to import nuclear waste from Italy and store some of it in Utah, has contributed $28,000 to U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop's re-election campaign. Bishop's Democratic opponent, Morgan Bowen, said the contribution makes it clear the company believes it is "buying" a candidate, a charge Bishop d | |
