Current Headlines
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Current News and Opinion
Utahns split on benefits, costs of coal mine near Bryce Canyon.
Alton Coal Development LLC's plan to strip mine coal on approximately 635 acres of private land 10 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park has folks lining up on the usual sides of economy vs. the environment, and a few in the middle saying you can enhance the former without harming the latter.
New west.net; September 3, 2010
USFS says Montana wilderness dam repair can move forward.
Regional Forester Leslie Weldon affirmed the Bitterroot National Forest's approval of a plan to use a helicopter to ferry materials and heavy equipment into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area in Montana needed to repair the Tin Cup Dam.
Ravalli Republic; September 3, 2010
Montana meeting brings together stakeholders in Columbia River Treaty.
The Columbia River Treaty was signed 45 years ago and will remain in place until at least 2024, but regional water managers from Montana, Oregon, Idaho and Washington were told at a meeting in Missoula on Thursday that conditions in the basin, which stretches from Canada through those Northwest states, are changing and that water managers need to stay abreast of conditions to begin addressing such changes as soon as possible.
Missoulian; September 3, 2010
Arizona wildlife agency issues guidelines for wind farms.
Wind farms exact a toll on birds, with one study finding a wind farm in California killing a thousand birds of prey annually, prompting the Arizona Game and Fish Department to issue guidelines for developers of wind farms and solar plants to mitigate their effects on wildlife.
Arizona Daily Sun; September 3, 2010
Study puts 3 Western states in Top 10 for loss of immigrants.
A new study by the Pew Hispanic Center that showed the number of illegal immigrants in the United States had fallen by about 1 million between March 2007 and March 2009 also reported that Arizona ranked third in the decrease of illegal immigrants, with Nevada and Colorado also ranked in the Top 10 for the decline in that demographic.
Christian Science Monitor; September 3, 2010
BLM, USFWS sign deal on management of wild horses in 3 states.
The wild horses in northwest Nevada, northeast California and south-central Oregon move between those states, as well as land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a new agreement will allow the agencies to work more cooperatively on herd management.
Reno Gazette-Journal; September 3, 2010
USFWS says new draft plan for spotted owl will be ready next week.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it will comply with a federal district judge's order that it revise the Bush administration's recovery plan for the northern spotted owl by next week, when a revised plan will be released.
Seattle Times; September 3, 2010
New report says U.S. added jobs, but jobless rate went up.
A new report issued today by the U.S. Department of Labor said the private sector added 67,000 jobs in August and that job numbers for June and July were upgraded as well, but the national unemployment rate rose as more people began looking for work.
Reno Gazette-Journal; September 3, 2010
Federal appeals court affirms block on BLM grazing rule changes.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal court decision that found the Bureau of Land Management violated three laws when it amended its land-use rules in 2006, blocking the implementation of rule changes under two laws, and sending the violation of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) back to the lower court for reconsideration.
Twin Falls Times-News; September 3, 2010
Wyoming works to restore cutthroat trout to Soldier Creek.
Brook trout have nearly wiped out native Yellowstone cutthroat trout populations in most of Wyoming's waters, and state wildlife officials are killing off the brook trout and stocking streams on the west slope of the Big Horn Mountains to bolster the native fish's numbers.
Casper Star-Tribune; September 3, 2010
Montana fields questions from nonresident bowhunters about bears.
Montana Fish and Game officials said reports on the fatal mauling of a Michigan man by a grizzly bear near Yellowstone Park this summer and of hungry bears on the prowl for food due to a poor whitebark pine nut crop have nonresident bowhunters concerned about bear encounters.
Billings Gazette; September 3, 2010
As hunting seasons begin, Yellowstone issues annual warning.
Hunting seasons in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana kick off this month, and Yellowstone National Park officials issued their annual warning that no hunting is allowed in the park and that hunters are responsible to ensure they don't wander into the park.
Idaho Statesman; September 3, 2010
Yellowstone NP officials warn of delays caused by road work next week.
Repaving of the road out to Artist Point near Yellowstone National Park's Grand Canyon will close the road from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. beginning next week, and park officials are warning motorists to expect delays up to 30 minutes during the day.
Idaho Statesman; September 3, 2010
Utah law enforcement reports sharp increase in 'document mills'.
Members of the Statewide Enforcement of Crimes by Undocumented Residents (SECURE) task force created by the Utah Legislature last year said the number of "document mills," which churn out fake Social Security cards, driver's licenses and permanent resident alien cards, has exploded in the past year.
Deseret News; September 3, 2010
Energy industry says Wyoming royalty rate increase not needed.
At a roundtable Wednesday on the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments' proposal to increase the maximum energy royalties on state land leases from 16 2/3 percent to 18 3/4 percent, representatives from oil and gas companies said the increase would drive them to drill on federal and private lands, while state officials said the increases would bring Wyoming's rates into line with other states.
Casper Star-Tribune; September 3, 2010
Montana, Colorado and Idaho team up on climate, wildfire study.
Researchers from universities in Colorado and Idaho and from the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station in Montana announced Wednesday a five-year, $3.85-million study on how changes in climate are affecting wildfires.
Helena Independent Record; September 2, 2010
Federal magistrate: States' gun rights lawsuits should be dismissed.
U.S. Federal Magistrate Jeremiah Lynch recommended Tuesday that a lawsuit filed by gun advocates and backed by Montana, Utah, Alabama, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wyoming and West Virginia that guns and ammunition made in those states and kept within their borders are not subject to federal control should be dismissed.
Great Falls Tribune; September 2, 2010
Stipulation gives Utah county control over road in national monument.
In a federal quiet title lawsuit over control of 15 roads in Utah, the federal government stipulated that 27 miles of the 33-mile Skutumpah Road, a back road leading to Cannonville that is within the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, should be maintained and controlled by Kane County.
Deseret News; September 2, 2010
EPA warns residents of Wyoming community not to drink well water.
After getting unsatisfactory responses from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and EnCana Oil & Gas USA, the company that operates oil and gas wells interspersed throughout their community, about their complaints that energy operations were contaminating their water, Pavillion-area residents went to the federal Environmental Protection Agency with their concerns, and this week the EPA told residents not to drink or use water from at least 20 wells in the area.
Casper Star-Tribune; September 2, 2010
Federal judge tosses Utah lease case.
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the companies and counties that objected to the withdrawal of 77 Bureau of Land Management leases in Utah after they were auctioned off filed their objections too late, and dismissed their case.
Salt Lake Tribune; September 2, 2010
Study: Yellowstone elk still have measurable effect on aspen stands.
A new study published in the journal Ecology done by the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Montana and Humboldt State University said that elk are still having a considerable impact on aspen stands in Yellowstone National Park despite the reintroduction of wolves, which some research said would move elk along and help aspen trees regenerate.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; September 2, 2010
Experts: Wyoming's Niobrara oil play could rival Jonah Field.
Hundreds of people from Wyoming and Colorado attended an informational forum in Laramie about the Niobrara oil play, which stretches from the Colorado border to Torrington, and, if test wells are productive, could bring an energy boom to the area that could rival that of the Jonah Field.
Casper Star-Tribune; September 2, 2010
USDA: New rules for genetically modified sugar beets on the horizon.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that new interim rules for genetically modified sugar beets, banned by a federal court earlier this summer because of insufficient review of their environmental impact, would be issued by the end of this year.
New York Times; September 2, 2010
Report: Number of illegal immigrants in U.S. down 8 percent.
The Pew Hispanic Center issued a new report that said the number of people illegally entering the United States fell nearly two-thirds between 2005 and 2009, dropping the number of undocumented residents from 12 million in 2007 to 11.1 million in 2009.
Washington Post; September 2, 2010
USFS plans prescribed burn in Nevada national forest.
The U.S. Forest Service said conditions are favorable for its plan for a prescribed burn on 4,300 acres of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada, and that the burn will begin on Sept. 13.
Elko Daily Free Press; September 2, 2010
Nevada legislator resigns.
Morse Arberry, the Las Vegas Democrat who has served as representative of Assembly District 7 for 25 years, turned in his resignation to Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons on Tuesday.
Reno Gazette-Journal; September 2, 2010
AP review finds no solar projects on federal lands.
Midway to Congress' mandate that 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy be generated on public lands by 2015, an Associated Press review of Bureau of Land Management records found that none of the applications for solar-power plants have been approved yet.
Las Vegas Sun; September 1, 2010
Report touts western states' role in future of clean energy.
The Brookings Institution's new report, "Centers of Innovation: Leveraging the Mountain West Innovation Complex for Energy System Transformation" details ongoing clean energy projects in Utah and other Intermountain West states that position the region at the forefront of the nation in the quest for alternative energy resources.
Salt Lake Tribune; September 1, 2010
Groups sue to stop helicopter use to tag wolves in Idaho wilderness.
The Wolf Recovery Foundation in Pocatello and Western Watersheds Project have filed a lawsuit to stop Idaho Fish and Game's plan to land a helicopter up to 20 times during the agency's annual game count this winter in the 2.24 million acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness to radio collar up to 12 wolves.
Great Falls Tribune; September 1, 2010
Montana asks USFWS to rule on conservation wolf hunts by Sept. 10.
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make a decision on its proposed plan for conservation hunts of wolves by Sept. 10, and Idaho is reportedly contemplating a similar plan.
Ravalli Republic; September 1, 2010
BLM removes horses from burned range in Idaho.
The Long Butte wildfire in Idaho burned nearly all the range for the Saylor Creek wild horse herd, and on Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management rounded up all the horses and will send them to a holding facility in Boise, where they will be held until the BLM makes a decision on what to do with them.
Twin Falls Times-News; September 1, 2010
Biologists: Loss of whitebark pine will have a cascade effect in the West.
Whitebark pines, high-elevation trees that live for centuries, are dying by the millions across the West, killed by mountain pine beetles and blister rust, and ecologists and biologists are studying the impact the loss of this species may have on the land and other species that depend upon it.
New west.net; September 1, 2010
Climate change focus of water conference in Colorado.
Representatives from more than two dozen major utilities are in Denver this week to brainstorm about climate changes that are impacting their operations, including earlier snowmelt in the mountains, less snow but more rain, an increase in sea levels, flash floods that overwhelm sewer systems, as well as drought.
Denver Post; September 1, 2010
Alaska senator concedes primary race to GOP challenger.
On Tuesday, Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski conceded the Republican primary to Joe Miller, who will face Democrat Scott T. McAdams, the mayor of Sitka in Southeast Alaska, in November.
New York Times; September 1, 2010
Agriculture a bright spot in the nation's economy.
The nation's farmers and ranchers are expected to ship $107.5 billion in agricultural exports this fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, an amount second only to the $115.3 billion in exports reported in 2008.
New York Times; September 1, 2010
Idaho now third in the nation in milk production.
After Idaho surpassed New York in milk production, putting the Gem State third in the nation, state dairy officials cautioned milk producers not to increase production as prices are hovering near the break-even point.
Idaho Statesman; September 1, 2010
Grasshoppers attack alfalfa fields in Idaho.
Grasshoppers are attacking alfalfa fields in southern Idaho like kids going after cotton candy, with some farmers losing entire fields to the voracious bugs.
Twin Falls Times-News; September 1, 2010
Audit of ICE records finds little enforcement against illegal hiring.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have cited several large firms for hiring undocumented workers, but an audit of those cases found that no action was taken against those companies, other than an order for the companies to terminate all illegal employees.
Arizona Daily Star; September 1, 2010
Nevada landowner touts virtues of 'Cadillac" of wind turbines.
Bruce Morrison hoped to circumvent complaints from adjacent Washoe Valley homeowners about his wind-power installation by installing a Bergey Excel 10kW turbine, known for its quiet ways, and now the bright yellow turbine - painted that color to ward off birds - is producing nearly enough electricity to provide the Nevada man with all the power he needs.
Nevada Appeal; September 1, 2010
In wake of Oregon's Measure 49, no boom in rural housing.
Three years after Measure 49 was passed by Oregon voters to allow rural landowners the opportunity to build one to three homes on their land, only a handful of homes have been built, due in part to the complexity of the process, the fact that counties interpret the law differently, and possibly the national recession.
Portland Oregonian; September 1, 2010
Idaho Supreme Court to hear big-rig appeal Oct. 1.
The Idaho Supreme Court agreed to an expedited hearing of appeals filed by ConocoPhillips and the Idaho Department of Transportation of an Idaho state court's injunction that halted four shipments of large coking drums across Idaho to the company's refinery in Billings, Mont., and set a hearing on the appeal on Oct. 1.
Idaho Statesman; August 31, 2010
EPA rejects call to ban lead ammunition.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that it did not have the legal authority to ban lead ammunition and therefore would not do so.
New York Times; August 31, 2010
Montana groups support plan to save elk from wolves.
The Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association and Tony Jones have formally requested permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to hunt wolves under the terms of the Endangered Species Act's 10(j) rule to save elk herds in the Bitterroot Valley. Last week the Montana Bowhunters Association, Montana Wildlife Association and 10 rod and gun clubs signed on in support of the petition.
Ravalli Republic; August 31, 2010
Defenders of Wildlife ends wolf-kill compensation program.
Since 1987, Defenders of Wildlife has paid out $1.4 million to ranchers for livestock lost to wolves and grizzly bears, and on Sept. 10, that program will be ended because of a federal program that now compensates ranchers for livestock losses to predators.
Idaho Statesman; August 31, 2010
Firefighters hopeful about containment on $5M Idaho wildfire.
The Hurd fire burning in central Idaho wasn't the largest one in Idaho, but it threatened hundreds of homes sending the cost of fighting it beyond $5 million; the Long Butte Fire that burned 308,000 acres near Hagerman is now 95 percent contained; and the 5,000-acre Hot Tea fire that ignited Friday near Mountain Home is 80 percent contained.
Idaho Statesman; August 31, 2010
Lenders get queasy about credit for environmentally risky companies.
Over the past couple of years, financial institutions such as Wells Fargo, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citibank have increased scrutiny on loans to companies involved in mountaintop mining; and other international banks have curtailed lending to other companies involved in activities that have considerable environmental impacts.
New York Times; August 31, 2010
Researchers unearth distant relative to Velociraptor in Romania.
Fossil hunters found a dinosaur the size of a gigantic turkey that had two sicklelike claws on each foot that lived more than 65 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period; the fossil was named Balaur bondoc, which means "stocky dragon."
New York Times; August 31, 2010
Yellowstone Club creditors ask judge to reconsider Blixseth ruling.
Last Friday, creditors of the exclusive Yellowstone Club in Montana asked Federal Bankruptcy Judge Ralph Kirscher to reconsider a ruling earlier this month that relieved Club co-founder Tim Blixseth of the responsibility for repaying much of the $230 million owed by the Club; and the judge has set a hearing on their motion on Sept. 20 in Billings.
Billings Gazette; August 31, 2010
Public lands an issue in Utah U.S. House race.
Morgan Philpot, the Republican who is challenging Democratic U.S. House Rep. Jim Matheson in Utah, said Matheson is too beholden to environmental groups and has not represented Utahns in the fight with the federal government over rural land ownership or energy development on public lands.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 31, 2010
Utah legislator wants to end benefits for kids of undocumented residents.
At a press conference on Monday, state Rep. Paul Ray said he would sponsor a resolution this session to amend the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that bestows automatic citizenship on babies born to undocumented residents in the United States because the nation spends tens of millions of dollars on benefits for those babies and their families.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 31, 2010
Idaho legislator steps down from budget committee.
Frank Henderson, a Republican legislator from Post Falls, resigned from the powerful Idaho Legislature's 20-member Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee because he wants more time to focus on economic development legislation.
Coeur d'Alene Press; August 31, 2010
Idaho company to build $27M geothermal power plant in Nevada.
Boise-based U.S. Geothermal Inc. signed a $27-million contract with Science Applications International Corp. to replace an existing geothermal power plant in Nevada with a new 11-megawatt plant at a different site.
Idaho Statesman; August 31, 2010
VailResort has an app for tracking skiers' runs.
On Nov. 5 at Keystone, VailResorts will launch EpicMix, which will use radio-frequency scanners at each of the 89 runs at its four resorts in Colorado and at Heavenly at Lake Tahoe to track skiers' achievements through chips embedded in season passes and lift tickets.
Denver Post; August 31, 2010
Montana national forest seeks comment on big-rig plan.
Lolo National Forest officials originally approved a proposal to bury power lines under four sections of forest land for 6.2 miles to open the way for shipments of massive pieces of equipment along Highway 12 in Montana enroute from Idaho to Alberta, but that decision was rescinded in July, and additional public comment is being sought on the proposal through Sept. 24.
Missoulian; August 30, 2010
Wyoming to require oil, gas companies to come clean on fracking.
Regulations in Wyoming that take effect Sept. 15 will require energy companies to provide information on chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a drilling process that injects water, sand and chemicals at high pressure underground to crack open rock formations holding oil and gas deposits.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 30, 2010
Colorado researcher tracks climate change's effect on ptarmigans.
Colorado State University ecologist Greg Wann is working above 12,000 feet in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, a stronghold for the high mountain birds, to see if changes in the climate are affecting the species.
Denver Post; August 30, 2010
New push for nuclear power disheartens longtime foes.
For those who have fought against nuclear power for decades, the recent push for new nuclear power plants, including the Obama administration's approval of billions of dollars of incentives for two new plants in Georgia, means the fight begins again for them.
Washington Post; August 30, 2010
Economic, other issues stall environmental movement.
Environmental groups have lost ground to economic times and the press of other issues on the federal level, and some say they lack two core components of power in D.C.: money and angry voters.
Washington Post; August 30, 2010
Weekend weather calms wildfires in Wyoming.
Cool, wet weather helped calm five wildfires in western Wyoming near Jackson, although most of the smoke in that region of the state came from wildfires burning in Idaho, including the Middle Butte Fire that ignited Friday afternoon and burned 14,139 acres, nearly all of them on the Idaho National Laboratory complex.
Jackson Hole Daily; August 30, 2010
Snow helps cool Idaho wildfires.
Crews on the 1,300-acre Hurd fire burning near Cascade got a little help from Mother Nature over the weekend as snow dusted the Idaho wildfire that is burning at elevations above 8,000 feet.
Idaho Statesman; August 30, 2010
Study finds S. Idaho at high risk for long-term water shortages.
A study done by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that, due to predicted changes in rainfall and temperatures, most of the nation could face water shortages by 2050, and that in Southern Idaho, the Magic Valley is at high risk of such shortages, with Cassia, Minidoka and Lincoln counties at extreme risk.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 30, 2010
Original Code Talker shares stories of WWII work.
Of the original 29 Code Talkers, Navajo soldiers who developed a method of military communication in World War II using the Navajo language, only three survive, including Cpl. Chester Nez, 89, who shared his stories at a recent book-signing in Albuquerque.
Santa Fe New Mexican; August 30, 2010
Wyoming stands firm on wolf management.
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal said the fact that neither Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer nor Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter have bothered to call him to discuss wolf management after a federal court put wolves in those states back under federal protection to bring their policies in line with Wyoming's, is a clear indication that they know Wyoming isn't going to move an inch on the issue.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 30, 2010
BLM will round up wild horses in W. Utah next week.
The Bureau of Land Management said it will begin rounding up wild horses in Western Utah near the Nevada border beginning next week, and the public is invited to observe.
Reno Gazette-Journal; August 30, 2010
Burning Man festival-goers say law enforcement too invasive.
Bureau of Land Management and Pershing County Sheriff's Department officials said the 80 officers on duty at the annual Burning Man festival, which starts today and runs through Sept. 6 in the Nevada desert, is actually below that recommended by a U.S. Park Police study, but attendees at the annual desert event say an increase of law enforcement is affecting the quality of the event.
Reno Gazette-Journal; August 30, 2010
Montana U.S. Sen. Tester campaigns for Reid in Nevada.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester was in Elko on Friday, where the Montana Democrat lauded U.S. Sen. Harry Reid's understanding of Western issues such as access to public lands and hunting and fishing as a reason to re-elect the Senate Majority Leader in November.
Elko Daily Free Press; August 30, 2010
High wheat prices helped offset effect of drought in Russia.
Russia's drought cut wheat production by 30 percent, so the world's third-largest producer of the golden grain banned exports this year and will have to import the grain for the first time in more than a decade. However, the sharp increase in wheat prices is expected to help privately owned companies make up for the loss of yield.
New York Times; August 28, 2010
Justice Department signs off on United-Continental merger.
The proposed $3-billion merger of United Airlines and Continental, which will create the world's largest airline, cleared its largest federal hurdle on Friday, when the U.S. Justice Department finished its review of the merger.
New York Times; August 28, 2010
Idaho wildfire hopscotches its way near Tamarack Resort.
Winds blew embers from the Hurd fire burning in western Idaho a quarter-mile ahead of the 900-acre wildfire, where crews were pulled off the mountain and positioned around homes in the Tamarack Resort and nearby subdivisions.
Idaho Statesman; August 27, 2010
Idaho senator announces first purchase under Owyhee Initiative.
U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, the Idaho senator who shepherded the Owyhee wilderness bill through Congress, announced that 971 acres of private inholdings in the 517,000-acre wilderness area had been purchased from ranchers for an undisclosed price.
Idaho Statesman; August 27, 2010
Freudenthal sure federal government will buy Grand Teton land.
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal met with Tom Strickland, U.S. Interior Department assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis earlier this week, and said that a deal had been struck to transfer parcels of state-owned school lands within the boundary of Grand Teton National Park to the federal government.
Jackson Hole Daily; August 27, 2010
Military's concerns stall wind farm projects.
National security and energy security have collided over the location of some wind farms near military installations because of the radar "clutter" the wind farms cause.
New York Times; August 27, 2010
Mine official said it's harder to do surprise inspections these days.
Mine Safety and Health Administration director Joe Main said that as his agency has stepped up surprise inspections of underground mines in the past two years, operators of those mines have been warning underground workers of upcoming inspections, which is illegal.
Arizona Republic; August 27, 2010
Storm ignites 30 wildfires in Idaho national forest.
A cold front predicted to pack high winds and thunderstorms lived up to the forecasts as it moved through Idaho Thursday, sparking 30 wildfires in the Boise National Forest alone.
Idaho Statesman; August 27, 2010
With Idaho wildfire contained, BLM begins rehab plan.
The Long Butte fire burned 306,000 acres in Idaho, and now that crews have the blaze under control, Bureau of Land Management scientists are developing a plan to restore the scorched land.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 27, 2010
Three years after Castle Rock fire, Idaho mountain recovers.
The Castle Rock Fire burned more than 48,000 acres on Baldy Mountain near Ketchum in Idaho in 2007, leaving blackened skeletal trees in its wake, but the understory is greening up nicely and trail restoration work is under way.
Idaho Mountain Express; August 27, 2010
Idaho National Laboratory in need of a makeover.
The company that manages the Naval Reactor Facility at Idaho National Laboratory estimates the upgrades needed for the 50-year-old facility will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 billion, and a public meeting is scheduled tonight in Twin Falls to gather public comment on the proposed upgrades.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 27, 2010
Missoula County tells Montana it will sue over big-rig transport plan.
Montana County commissioners said they're prepared to sue the Montana Department of Transportation if it allows massive pieces of mining equipment to be shipped through the county en route from Idaho's Port of Lewiston to Alberta's oilsands operations.
Missoulian; August 27, 2010
Third grocery story in the works for Idaho ski town.
Ketchum residents have just one place to buy their groceries after the second grocery store in the Idaho town closed its doors five years ago, and while one proposal for another store in an area zoned for light industrial grinds its way through the approval process, a Colorado couple who lived in the town a decade or so ago is revamping the former Williams Market and hopes to have their Roxy's Market open early next year.
Idaho Mountain Express (Sun Valley); August 27, 2010
Idaho school districts decide how to spend federal cash.
School districts around Idaho are deciding how the new infusion of federal cash will be put to work, and the Meridian School District decided to spend $4.5 million of its estimated $5.9 million to restore three days of school at the end of its school year, add two teacher-development days and reinstate long-term disability and full life insurance benefits.
Idaho Statesman; August 27, 2010
Former Wyoming senator remains on panel despite furor over comment.
Former U.S. Sen. Al Simpson from Wyoming acknowledges that he often puts his foot in his mouth, and a comment in an email to Ashley Carson, executive director of the Washington D.C.-based Older Women's League, comparing Social Security to a "milk cow with 310 million tits" was a "doozy," prompting calls for his resignation from President Obama's deficit commission.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 27, 2010
Report: In 5-county region in Idaho, 34.4% of homes 'underwater'.
A report issued by CoreLogic, a provider of consumer, financial and property information, found that 34.4 percent of homeowners in Idaho's Ada, Canyon, Boise, Gem and Owyhee counties owe more on their homes than they are worth.
Idaho Statesman; August 27, 2010
Federal officials, ranchers meet today in Colorado.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will meet with ranchers and farmers across the country to discuss the state of the nation's beef industry.
Denver Post; August 27, 2010
B.C. cattle producer takes red wine with beef a step ahead.
Canadian food inspectors said they have some concerns about the practice of beef producers in British Columbia's Okanagan wine and cattle region feeding red wine to the Angus cattle, a process the ranchers said gives the beef a unique flavor.
Seattle Times; August 27, 2010
Wyoming governor updates sage grouse plan.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal first created Wyoming's sage grouse core population policy in 2008 by executive order, and on Wednesday, he updated the policy, adding some acres to core habitat areas and subtracting acres from others, but the net result was an increase of acres of core habitat.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 26, 2010
ConocoPhillips appeals Idaho ruling on big-rig transport plan.
ConocoPhillips, the company that wants to ship large coking drums from Idaho's Port of Lewiston across Lolo Pass and through Montana to its refinery in Billings, filed an appeal of an Idaho state court decision that ordered Idaho to conduct a more thorough review of the transport plan.
Missoulian; August 26, 2010
Montana DOT: Review of big rig plan won't be done until September.
The Montana Department of Transportation's review of ExxonMobil's plan to ship massive pieces of mining equipment from the West Coast through Oregon, Washington, Idaho and through Montana to Alberta's oilsands country won't be done until early next month.
Missoulian; August 26, 2010
Hundreds attend town hall meeting on proposed Montana-Idaho power line.
A town hall meeting in Montana on NorthWestern Energy's proposed Mountain States Transmission Intertie, a 500-kilovolt power line that will run from Townsend to near Twin Falls, Idaho, drew hundreds of Whitehall area residents, many of whom oppose the power line and question the need for it.
Montana Standard; August 26, 2010
Solar array in Utah may be largest in the nation.
The solar array planned for the rooftop of the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake County will generate enough power for 261 homes, making the Utah installation the largest in the nation.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 26, 2010
Plaintiffs in federal salmon recovery lawsuit amend their complaint.
The plaintiffs in a lawsuit over the federal government's plan for salmon recovery in the Columbia River Basin system amended their complaint last week to ask U.S. District Judge James Redden to toss both the 2008 and 2010 Federal Columbia River Power System BiOp plans because they allege the plans fail to adequately protect and restore stocks of 13 wild salmon and steelhead species in the Columbia River Basin protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Tri-City Herald; August 26, 2010
Tamarack Resort included in Level 2 wildfire evacuation notice in Idaho.
Valley County officials elevated the wildfire evacuation status for areas threatened by the Hurd Fire in Idaho to a Level 2 - which means residents must be prepared to leave at a moment's notice; the status was increased due to forecasts for strong winds and thunderstorms for western Idaho.
Idaho Statesman; August 26, 2010
Wildfire weather in the forecast for Idaho valley.
The National Weather Service said Idaho's Treasure Valley could be in for another round of violent weather as a cold front moves into the state Thursday evening after a day of what could be record-setting high temperatures.
Idaho Statesman; August 26, 2010
Controlled burn in Idaho forest sends plume of smoke into Montana.
Fire officials in western Montana had crews out looking for the source of a large plume of smoke that drifted into the Missoula Valley Wednesday evening, but the source was over in Idaho, where a "very large" controlled burn was under way in the Clearwater National Forest.
Missoulian; August 26, 2010
Water treatment plant for energy operations planned in Wyoming.
A New Hampshire-based company said its water treatment plant near Rawlins scheduled to open in October will have the capacity to treat 20,000 gallons of water from oil and natural gas operations each day.
WyomingBusinessReport.com; August 26, 2010
Wyoming county will appeal federal ruling on voting rights case.
Fremont County officials said they'll appeal a federal court decision that requires the Wyoming county to elect county commissioners from five separate districts to give American Indian residents of that county more representation.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 26, 2010
Montana tribe lobbies for federal support of coal-to-liquids project.
Tribal officials of the Crow Tribe said its plan to build a coal-to-liquids fuel plant on its Montana reservation stalled once the federal incentive for such fuels expired, and they're lobbying Washington D.C. to again support such a project.
Billings Gazette; August 26, 2010
Wyoming high court keeps access to North Platte River public.
On Wednesday, the Wyoming Supreme Court rejected an appeal of landowners who own property along the North Platte River near the popular Lusby Public Fishing Area; the landowners had sued to limit public access to the site which has one of the only access points on the river between Gray Reef and Casper.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 26, 2010
Idaho senator to announce Owyhee land acquisitions today.
U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, who led the campaign to designate 517,000 acres of Idaho land in the Owyhee canyons as federal wilderness, will announce two major acquisitions of lands for the Owyhee Initiative at an event in Boise.
Idaho Statesman; August 26, 2010
Idaho snail inches its way off federal endangered species list.
A year ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed delisting the Utah valvata snail, one of four snails in Idaho along the Snake River listed as endangered, and on Wednesday the federal agency announced the snail would be delisted on Sept. 24.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 26, 2010
Montana FWP: Cub of bear shot at Yellowstone Club will likely die.
After a Yellowstone Club employee inadvertently shot and killed a black bear, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department agents were able to capture one of the bear's two cubs, but the other eluded capture, and since it is too young to survive on its own, it will likely die.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; August 26, 2010
Idaho tax board denies legislator's appeal.
Idaho state Rep. Phil Hart lost his appeal of an order to pay $53,000 in back state income taxes, penalties and interest to the state Board of Tax Appeals, who ruled Thursday that Hart's appeal wasn't filed in a timely manner.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; August 26, 2010
Utah mulls privatization of state parks.
A policy board that acts in an advisory capacity to the Utah Legislature wants to create a pilot program to put some state parks under private management to see if the state can save some money that way, but State Parks Director Mary Tullius warned that previous attempts to put parks under private management did not work.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 26, 2010
Three Montana bears will live out their lives in Kentucky.
A grizzly sow that developed a taste for chicken on the Flathead Indian Reservation, and may have added pork to her preferred menu, wasn't a good candidate for relocation, nor were her two cubs, but grizzly bear recovery coordinator Chris Servheen, working with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, was able to find a home for the Montana bears in a Kentucky zoo.
Missoulian; August 26, 2010
Idaho judge tells state to re-examine big-rig permits.
The Idaho state district court judge that imposed a temporary halt on shipments of refinery equipment along two-lane highways from the Port of Lewiston to Lolo Pass on its way to Montana issued an order on Tuesday requiring the state to review the application of ConocoPhillips again to ensure that public safety and convenience issues were thoroughly addressed.
Missoulian; August 25, 2010
Wyoming not wild about Montana's plan to truck mine waste.
While Montana residents fight a plan to ship massive pieces of equipment on two-lane roads from Lolo Pass on the Idaho border to Billings, the Big Sky State has approved a plan to ship tons of contaminated mine waste from an abandoned gold mine in Cooke City over Wyoming's Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, a 47-mile, two-lane mountain route to Yellowstone National Park.
Wyofile.com; August 25, 2010
Idaho wildfire relocates 'blade signing' on wind project.
The 328,000-acre Long Butte Fire burning near Hagerman forced the "blade-signing" - what wind developers call groundbreaking on new projects - on a new wind-farm project that will stretch along the Oregon Trail in Idaho from Hagerman to Burley to relocate to Bliss.
Idaho Statesman; August 25, 2010
Lawmakers say wind farm project highlights Idaho's bright future.
At a ceremony kicking off the construction of a south-central Idaho wind farm project, state officials said legislation drafted to encourage development of renewable energy resources such as geothermal power, will make the Gem State a regional hub for renewable energy development.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 25, 2010
BLM defends initial response to Idaho's Long Butte Fire.
At a meeting in Hagerman on Tuesday, Bureau of Land Management officials defended the agency's handling of the Long Butte Fire, which has burned 328,000 acres since lightning ignited it on Sunday. They said the fast-moving wildfire burned 15 acres a minute when it first started, and they put all the equipment immediately available at work at once.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 25, 2010
Montana officials say milfoil now at both ends of Missouri River.
Eurasian milfoil, a fast-growing aquatic weed, was first found in Montana in the lower Clark Fork River in 2007, but the invader has recently been discovered at the Droulliard fishing access site on the Jefferson River; in the Missouri River upstream of Toston; and in the Canyon Ferry Wildlife Management Area near Townsend, and a multi-agency task force has been assembled to develop a plan of attack against the weed.
Helena Independent Record; August 25, 2010
B.C. officials say sockeye salmon return could be best in a century.
Last year, the number of sockeye salmon returning to the Fraser River in British Columbia was the lowest recorded in 50 years, but this year's return is predicted to be the best in nearly a century, with federal officials predicting that 25 million sockeye salmon will make the trip this year.
Vancouver Sun; August 25, 2010
Egg recall highlights nation's lax food-safety system.
The recent recall of millions of eggs because they were contaminated with salmonella provided a look at how and why the complicated, overlapping federal food safety system isn't working. An analysis.
New York Times; August 25, 2010
Idaho wildfires pump smoke into the Wood River Valley.
Firefighters are battling heat and high winds in addition to the Banner Fire, estimated to be about 1,600 acres in size in the Salmon-Challis National Forest near Stanley; the Long Butte Fire is now estimated to be 327,852 acres in size; and a third fire in that area of Idaho, the Deer Park Fire near Fairfield, has been contained at about 1,000 acres.
Idaho Mountain Express; August 25, 2010
Northern Nevada's power supply disrupted by Idaho wildfire.
The Long Butte wildfire in Southern Idaho has burned transmission poles and disrupted power to customers in Wells, Oasis, Pilot Valley, Starr Valley, Clover Valley, Ruby Valley and Contact in Nevada.
Elko Daily Free Press; August 25, 2010
Oregon wildfire burns 11 homes.
A wind-whipped wildfire tore through a neighborhood on the outskirts of the Oregon college town of Ashland, destroying 11 homes; no injuries were reported.
Idaho Statesman; August 25, 2010
Idaho county sheriff busts another illegal marijuana growing operation.
Jerome County Sheriff's Department officers pulled 2,230 plants from a farmer's silage field in the Idaho county on Tuesday, putting the total for outdoor illegal growing operations in Jerome and Gooding counties at nearly 10,000 plants this summer.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 25, 2010
Father, son plead guilty in Idaho artifact case.
An Orofino man and his son have pleaded guilty to federal charges for digging holes and sifting soils looking for arrowheads in the Salmon River Canyon near the mouth of Graves Creek in Idaho.
Idaho Statesman; August 25, 2010
Denver Art Museum hosts showing of Charles Deas' work.
Charles Deas' brief but prolific career of painting life in the United States as American Indian and European cultures collided in the mid-1800s is on display at the Denver Art Museum through the end of November.
New York Times; August 25, 2010
Bioengineered bank takes root along Montana lake.
Tom Andersen lost nearly 40 feet of his lakefront property on Montana's Lake Helena in a decade, and with the help of federal and state agencies, along with volunteer labor from family and friends, he's lined 100 feet of his lakeshore property with a bioengineered layer of willow that has taken root and kept the lake from eating away more land.
Helena Independent Record; August 25, 2010
Ruby Pipeline will feed West Coast's appetite for Rockies natural gas.
If the Ruby Pipeline, a 680-mile pipeline that will carry natural gas from Wyoming to Oregon, survives legal challenges and actually gets constructed, natural gas producers in the Rocky Mountain West will finally have enough pipeline capacity to move their product to West Coast markets.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 25, 2010
Wyoming plant will turn Louisiana sugar cane waste into biofuel.
South Dakota-based KL Energy Corp. has teamed up with Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras to convert KL Energy's plant in Wyoming to process sugar cane waste from Louisiana into biofuel; the Wyoming plant has been turning fallen and dead trees, brush and forest debris from Black Hills National Forest into cellulosic ethanol since 2008.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 25, 2010
Wyoming added jobs in July, the first time in 18 months.
The Wyoming Department of Employment's Research and Planning Section reported Tuesday that the Cowboy State added 1,000 jobs in July, the first time in 18 months new jobs were added to the state's economy.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 25, 2010
Warren Buffet to speak at Montana economic summit.
U.S. Sen. Max Baucus said Warren Buffett will share his thoughts on confronting the current economic situation at the Montana Economic Development Summit in Butte on Sept. 13-14 via videoconference; other business leaders that will speak at the conference include General Electric Co. Chairman Jeffrey Immelt, Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger and Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer.
Helena Independent Record; August 25, 2010
Home sales in Utah county in July hit 14-year low.
Homes sales in the United States hit a 15-year low in July, and in Utah's Salt Lake County, sales of existing homes and condominiums in July were the lowest reported in 14 years.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 25, 2010
Nevada senator discusses El Paso pact, Antiquities Act in Elko.
At a town hall in Elko on Tuesday, Nevada U.S. Sen. John Ensign said his office was talking with El Paso Corp. officials to release the agreements signed with Western Watersheds Project and the Oregon Natural Desert Association over its planned Ruby Pipeline project.
Elko Daily Free Press; August 25, 2010
Texas company regrets conservation deal on Wyoming-Oregon pipeline.
A spokesman for El Paso Corp., the Texas company building the Ruby Pipeline, a 680-mile natural gas pipeline that will run from Wyoming to Oregon, said the company should have done more homework before it entered into conservation agreements with the Western Watersheds Project and Oregon Natural Desert Association, deals which have soured local government support for the project.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 24, 2010
Idaho judge expected to rule today on oversize truckloads.
Idaho 2nd District Judge John Bradbury heard arguments Monday from parties hoping to stop massive pieces of refinery and mining equipment from being trucked from the state's Port of Lewiston across Idaho to Lolo Pass into Montana and from the companies hoping to ship that equipment; Bradbury is expected to issue a decision today.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; August 24, 2010
Montana not ready to green-light big-rig shipments.
Montana Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch said Monday that the state had issues yet to be resolved with ConocoPhillips' plan to ship large pieces of refinery equipment through the state to its refinery in Billings, and that Montana would not issue a permit until Idaho approved the passage of the shipments from its Port of Lewiston to Lolo Pass.
Missoulian; August 24, 2010
Idaho wildfire burns out ranchers.
The Long Butte Fire in Idaho is now at 328,000 acres, and on Monday, the Twin Falls County Commission declared the county a disaster area, a declaration that will aid ranchers who lost pasture, livestock and outbuildings to the fire.
Twin Falls Times News; August 24, 2010
Pneumonia found in another bighorn sheep herd in Montana.
A Montana hunter on a scouting trip east of Anaconda reported seeing sick bighorn sheep in mid-August, and state Fish, Wildlife and Parks agents have removed four sheep from the Lost Creek herd that had pneumonia, making the Lost Creek herd the sixth herd in western Montana to contract the fatal disease.
New west.net; August 24, 2010
Rain slows pace of wildfire in Wyoming.
A wildfire near Hoback Junction in western Wyoming is now estimated to have burned more than 3,000 acres, but nearly half an inch of rain on Sunday helped slow the fire; another fire near the East Entrance of Yellowstone has burned across nearly 218 acres, and crews have put sprinkler systems around structures at the East Entrance to protect them.
Jackson Hole Daily; August 24, 2010
Montana wildlife agency criticizes Yellowstone Club for bear's death.
An employee of the Yellowstone Club shot and killed a black bear earlier this month, orphaning two cubs, an incident the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department said was caused by the club's use of paintballs that have vegetable oil in them that attract bears; state officials also criticized Club employees for being more concerned about the content of a press release concerning the incident than the fate of the two cubs.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; August 24, 2010
USFWS appeals Montana court decision relisting grizzly bears.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has appealed the 2009 decision of U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy that returned the grizzly bear population in the Yellowstone ecosystem to the endangered species list; the state of Wyoming as well as the Safari Club have also appealed the decision.
Billings Gazette; August 24, 2010
Trial for bogus bidder on Utah leases postponed again.
Tim DeChristopher, the man who successfully bid on Bureau of Land Management leases in Utah in December 2008 as an act of civil disobedience to keep them from being developed will wait until December for his trial on the subsequent federal charges.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 24, 2010
Utah lawmaker links C-section comment to Medicaid cost debate.
Utah state Sen. Daniel Liljenquist was appointed to rein in Medicaid costs by legislative leaders, and the Bountiful legislator said his comment about eliminating payments for epidurals and cesarean sections was made during a discussion on how to reduce the program's budget, and was not meant as a criticism of pregnant women or Medicaid recipients.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 24, 2010
Groups want Wyoming to put limits on payday lending.
The Wyoming Children's Action Alliance and Kids Count said the phenomenal growth of the payday lending industry in the state is proof enough that it needs regulating, and the groups want lawmakers to impose interest caps and limits on the number of loans an individual can get in a year.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 24, 2010
Utah's unemployment rate in July remained at 7.2 percent.
The Utah Department of Workforce Services reported that the state's unemployment rate remained at 7.2 percent in July, and that about 17,200 more Utahns were on payrolls this July than in July of last year.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 24, 2010
Montana wildlife officials lay out game plan on wolf issue.
Livestock producers, outfitters, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts promised Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials they would present a united front with the state as it advances its multi-pronged approach to try to gain back management authority on wolves.
Helena Independent Record; August 23, 2010
1910 wildfire's Great Burn area a wilderness-in-waiting area.
The wildfires of 1910 burned an area along the Montana-Idaho border in about six hours, and the 225,000-acre area known as the Great Burn has been considered for designation as a wilderness area for decades.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; August 23, 2010
High winds drive Idaho wildfire across 215,000 acres in hours.
Lightning ignited the Long Butte Fire in Idaho about 30 miles south of Glenns Ferry on Saturday night, and by Sunday it had scorched more than 215,000 acres, including three-fourths of the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 23, 2010
Grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park on an eating binge.
A poor crop of whitebark pine nuts, a favorite protein-rich source of food for grizzly bears, means the big bruins in Yellowstone National Park are on the hunt for other food sources as they begin gorging themselves in preparation for hibernation, and Park officials are warning visitors to carry bear spray and be bear aware.
Montana Standard; August 23, 2010
Technology creates new headaches for national parks.
Rangers in national parks said some visitors get a false sense of security from their global positioning units and satellite phones, putting themselves in unnecessarily dangerous situations. In some instances, such as what occurred in Grand Canyon National Park, where hikers who feared inadequate water supplies sent out distress signals that resulted in not one, but three, helicopter flights, backcountry hikers are wasting taxpayer dollars on needless rescues.
New York Times; August 23, 2010
New study finds plants, oceans absorbing less CO2.
Dr. Steven Running, a University of Montana professor who shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize awarded for climate change work, is one of two authors of a new study published last week that found plants' uptake of carbon decreased in the past decade.
Christian Science Monitor; August 23, 2010
Range rider keeps wolves away from E. Oregon cattle herd.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 530,000-member Defenders of Wildlife environmental group pitched in to pay for a range rider to help keep wolves and livestock apart in northeastern Oregon.
Portland Oregonian; August 23, 2010
Microburst fells tree in Idaho forest, kills Boise camper.
High winds tore across southwest Idaho late Saturday, with a microburst blamed for felling a tree in the Boise National Forest killing a Boise man camping in the area; the high winds also downed power lines that started fires, making it a very busy night for the Boise Fire Department.
Idaho Statesman; August 23, 2010
Winds snap power lines in Utah, 12,000 without power.
A fast-moving thunderstorm packing winds of 75 mph snapped power poles, downed trees, and shut down both lanes of Interstate 80 in Utah while crews removed downed power lines.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 23, 2010
Meetings set in SE Wyoming on effects of looming oil boom.
The Wheatland-based High Plains Economic Development District is hosting three public meetings next week to discuss how a surge in energy development could affect communities in southeast Wyoming, with meetings set Aug. 31 in Cheyenne and Sept. 1 in Wheatland and Torrington.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 23, 2010
Study says Wyoming pipeline will reduce air pollution, traffic.
The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on Ultra Resources, Inc.'s proposal to build a 54-mile-long pipeline to move condensate out of the Pinedale Anticline natural gas field, a project the company said will help reduce truck traffic and air pollution in that area of southwest Wyoming.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 23, 2010
Number of bison in Yellowstone National Park up.
Yellowstone National Park officials estimate that the number of bison in the park increased by about 600, raising the total number to 3,900, about a typical increase.
Jackson Hole Daily; August 23, 2010
August a big month for Wyoming's Red Desert.
Wyoming's Red Desert is getting a lot of attention this month, some of it international, as a Japanese company just completed a hourlong documentary on the area's wildlife and landscape, and the Bureau of Land Management is sponsoring a bicycle tour of the area later this month as part of its "Take it Outside: Connect With Your Public Lands" initiative.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 23, 2010
Montana company builds a reputation on national parks projects.
Valier-based Swank Enterprises just finished the $27 million Old Faithful Visitor Education Center in Yellowstone National Park, where the Montana company also did the $22-million renovation on the Old Faithful Inn; and now Swank employees are headed to Glacier National Park to complete a major exterior renovation on the Many Glacier Hotel.
Great Falls Tribune; August 23, 2010
Idaho unemployment rate remained at 8.8 percent in July.
In July, unemployment rates in 28 of Idaho's 44 counties increased, but declines in the jobless rates in Ada, Nez Perce and Twin Falls counties kept the state unemployment rate at 8.8 percent.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 22, 2010
Montana congressman rallies the ranks against national monument plan.
At a public meeting on Friday in Lewistown, Montana U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg told the 200 or so folks who attended that they had the right to tell the federal government they didn't want lands in their part of the state designated as a national monument.
Great Falls Tribune; August 21, 2010
Montana FWP to meet with ranchers, hunters on wolf options.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said they're exploring a range of options in light of a recent federal court decision that put wolves back under federal protection, and they will discuss those options with members of groups who want wolves back under state management at a meeting this morning in Helena.
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; August 20, 2010
Debate shifts to cost of compensation for kills, culling wolves.
Federal and state officials said compensation for ranchers who lose livestock to wolves has increased over the past five years, and they expect those costs to continue to rise as the number of wolves increase. Now that the wolves are back under federal protection in Idaho and Montana, the costs for federal removal of problem wolves will rise as well, although wolf advocates said targeted removal of problem wolves helps keep livestock losses in check.
Missoula Independent; August 20, 2010
Group seeks emergency injunction to stop Ruby Pipeline.
Counties in Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Oregon have formed a coalition to fight an agreement between El Paso Corp., the developer of the 680-mile natural gas pipeline that will stretch from Wyoming to Oregon, and the Western Watersheds Project. On Thursday, the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that is challenging the Ruby Pipeline, filed a request for an emergency temporary injunction to halt work on it until questions about the pipeline's effect on endangered fish are answered.
Deseret News; August 20, 2010
Court sets new deadline for Congress to act on Cobell settlement.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Hogan of Washington, D.C., set an Oct. 15 deadline for Congress to act on the $3.4-billion settlement of class-action litigation over federal mismanagement of Indian trust accounts, and attorneys for Elouise Cobell, a Blackfeet Tribe member from Montana who is the lead plaintiff in the litigation, are working with congressional staff to get the settlement before the Senate again.
Great Falls Tribune; August 20, 2010
ConocoPhillips joins big-rig shipment case in Idaho.
Thursday was a busy day in the ongoing dispute about shipping massive pieces of refinery and mining equipment across Idaho into Montana: the Idaho Transportation District failed to disqualify the state judge hearing a request to suspend the shipments; ConocoPhillips, the company that wants to transport refinery equipment across U.S. Highway 12, was allowed to intervene in the litigation; and the hearing on extending the temporary injunction on such shipments was moved from today to Monday.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; August 20, 2010
New government agency seeks new way to fuel vehicles.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, created to find a new fuel for vehicles or perhaps a better battery for them, has $400 million to spend over the next two years to do just that.
New York Times; August 20, 2010
Wyoming town, county vote to put lodging tax on November ballot.
The day after voters in Teton County decided to keep the sales tax in the Wyoming county at 6 percent, the Jackson Town Council and the Teton County Board of Commissioners decided to ask voters to approve a 2 percent lodging tax in November.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 20, 2010
1910 wildfire burned down wild Idaho towns.
The wildfires of 1910 destroyed three million acres of trees in Idaho and Montana, and two wild railroad towns in Idaho, Grand Forks and Taft, both well known for their bars and brothels. Another in a series about the 1910 'Big Burn.'
Spokane Spokesman-Review; August 20, 2010
Angler's catch of South American fish in Wyoming pond prompts warning.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials reminded the public that releasing non-native fish into the state's waters is illegal after an angler caught an Oscar, a popular aquarium fish native to Peru, Colombia and Brazil, in Casper's Harry Yesness Pond.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 20, 2010
Debate between Idaho gubernatorial candidates a lively one.
Idaho U.S. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and his Democratic challenger, Keith Allred, met Thursday for the first of four debates, trading jabs on taxes, public education and each other's experience.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 20, 2010
Turnout light for panel discussion on immigration in Utah.
Three Democratic congressional candidates in Utah were among the 12 members of a panel at the Centro Civico Mexicano immigration discussion on Thursday, where only about 30 people appeared to listen to panel members discuss why immigration enforcement was a federal, not state, issue.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 20, 2010
Nevada jobless rate in July set new record.
The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said July's one-tenth of a percent increase in unemployment was the smallest increase reported thus far this year, but it was the 16th consecutive month the state has reported record-high unemployment, which is now at 14.3 percent.
Reno Gazette-Journal; August 20, 2010
Idaho Power terminates search for wind power.
Idaho Power officials announced it had terminated its efforts to add 150 megawatts of wind-generated power by 2012, because discussions with wind-power developers had not proved fruitful.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 20, 2010
Montana congressman co-sponsors bill to delist wolves.
Montana U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg and Texas U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards are co-sponsoring legislation that would specifically exclude wolves from listing as an endangered species, and Montana Sen. Max Baucus said he is working on a bill to put wolves under state management.
Hungry Horse News; August 19, 2010
Transplanted grizzly bears return to home range in Montana.
Two grizzly bears relocated from their home range in Montana's Whitefish Range to the Cabinet Mountains have found their way home again, with the most recent relocated bear traveling 73 miles in seven days, pretty much in a straight route back home.
Kalispell Daily Inter Lake; August 19, 2010
R-Calf wants Montanans on the bus to USDA meeting in Colorado.
On Aug. 27, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Justice are co-sponsoring a gathering at Colorado State University in Fort Collins to discuss the lack of competition in the beef industry. Bill Bullard, CEO of Montana-based R-CALF, is working to get 25,000 livestock producers to attend that meeting to get the federal government's attention about problems in the cattle industry.
New west.net; August 19, 2010
Few governors are seeking re-election this year.
There are 37 gubernatorial races on the ballot in November, with incumbents seeking re-election in just 13. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report said six of those races are toss-ups, which means the nation will have the largest crop of new state executives in decades.
Washington Post; August 19, 2010
Vestas' HQ project in Oregon puffs up job opportunities in Portland.
The Pearl District's former Meier & Frank Depot Building in Portland will be renovated to house Denmark-based Vestas' North American headquarters, providing 670 construction jobs in Oregon, with another 200 workers employed by the world's largest wind-turbine manufacturer itself.
Portland Oregonian; August 19, 2010
Salt Lake City monitors PCE levels in springs.
While testing for oil contamination from a pipeline spill in June, Salt Lake City officials found trace levels of the contaminant perchloroethylene (PCE), a chemical primarily used for dry-cleaning fabrics and de-greasing metals, in backyard springs near East High, and the Utah city's officials said that while the levels do not present a public safety risk, they will continue to monitor the springs.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 19, 2010
Federal appeals court: Roadside crosses for fallen troopers unconstitutional.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that Utah's program to memorialize fallen Utah Highway Patrol officers with 12-foot high crosses bearing their names and badge numbers violates the First Amendment of the Constitution that prohibits government's endorsement of religion.
Christian Science Monitor; August 19, 2010
School cafeterias sneak healthy foods into the lunch line.
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) reports that more schools are joining the campaign to make lunches more healthy, including an award-winning elementary school in Idaho that replaces 75 percent of the fat in baked goods with pureed beans, a change kids don't notice.
Christian Science Monitor; August 19, 2010
Grizzly, black bear found dead in Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park officials said they believed a black bear found dead Tuesday next to the road south of Fishing Bridge was struck and killed by a vehicle, but they do not yet know the cause of death on another bear, a 576-pound adult male grizzly bear found 50 yards off the road and one-half mile south of LeHardy Rapids, north of Fishing Bridge, also found on Tuesday.
Billings Gazette; August 19, 2010
Voter turnout for Wyoming primary was 52 percent.
Wyoming Secretary of State Max Maxfield said voter turnout for the state's primary election Tuesday was 52 percent, about average for the past five primary elections.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 19, 2010
Group ranks Montana third in per-capita federal stimulus funds.
The investigative website ProPublica said Alaska ranked first in the nation for federal stimulus spending, with the Last Frontier State getting $3,145 in federal funds for each of its citizens; South Dakota ranked second with $1,781 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds per resident; and Montana came in third with $1,744 per resident.
Great Falls Tribune; August 19, 2010
Committee hearing on Utah immigration bill draws dozens.
About 100 people packed into a room in Utah's Capitol, and dozens more listened in an overflow room, for the hearing on Rep. Stephen Sandstrom's proposed legislation on immigration reform before the Legislature's Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee on Wednesday; no action was taken on the bill at that hearing.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 19, 2010
Idaho state Rep. Hart has write-in challenger.
Idaho state Rep. Phil Hart was unopposed in his bid for a fourth House term in November, until Hayden businessman Howard Griffiths announced he would run a write-in campaign against the Republican legislator from Athol, who is the target of an ethics investigation in the Idaho House.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; August 19, 2010
Court decision on GMO sugar beets troubles Idaho farmers.
Idaho sugar beet farmers plant about 16 percent of the nation's total beet crop, and the farmers said that a recent federal court decision that prohibits the planting of genetically modified beets until the U.S. Department of Agriculture completes a more thorough environmental review of the seeds' use could limit the number of acres they plant next year as less seed will be available and weed control will cost more.
Idaho Statesman; August 19, 2010
Idaho judge puts temporary hold on big-rig shipments.
Idaho Second District Judge John Bradbury issued a temporary injunction halting ConocoPhillips' plan to ship refinery equipment from the Port of Lewiston along Highway 12 across Lolo Pass on its way to its refinery in Billings, Mont., and set a hearing on Friday on whether the temporary halt should be extended.
Missoulian; August 18, 2010
Bankruptcy judge says Yellowstone Club founder to blame for collapse.
U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Kirscher issued a 135-page ruling that said Tim Blixseth, the founder of the exclusive Yellowstone Club built in Montana's Madison Mountains was to blame for its financial collapse, and Credit Suisse, the Swiss banker that loaned millions of dollars to Blixseth, also shared some of the responsibility.
Washington Post; August 18, 2010
Idaho: Federal government should pay to enforce wolf regulations.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials said they believe the federal government should pick up the tab for enforcing regulations to protect wolves now that the species is back on the federal endangered species list.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 18, 2010
Lummis coasts to victory in Wyoming U.S. House primary.
U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis easily won the Republican Party's nomination in Wyoming's primary on Tuesday; she will face Democrat David Wendt, who was unopposed for his party's nomination. In the gubernatorial contest, Republican Matt Mead won a close victory for the GOP nomination and Democrat Leslie Petersen won that party's nomination.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 18, 2010
Nevada off-road race still on despite concerns.
Bureau of Land Management officials said they're sure safeguards are in place for Friday's desert off-road race from Las Vegas to Reno that will prevent a repeat of a deadly accident in California last week at an off-road race that killed eight and injured 10.
Los Angeles Times; August 18, 2010
BLM: Dead foal near California-Nevada border not shot.
Bureau of Land Management biologists examined the carcass of a young foal found near a roundup site on the California-Nevada border and said that although they were unable to determine the cause of the young horse's death, it was not shot as previously reported.
Reno Gazette-Journal; August 18, 2010
Federal appeals court orders Utah judge to reconsider US Magnesium case.
On Tuesday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals tossed a Utah federal court judge's decision rendered in 2007 that said US Magnesium in Tooele County was exempt from the nation's cradle-to-grave hazardous waste law, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and ordered U.S. District Judge Dee Benson to reconsider the case.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 18, 2010
Utah Transit Authority tries again on natural-gas powered buses.
Using borrowed buses from Phoenix and Los Angeles, the Utah Transit Authority is giving natural-gas powered buses another run, after a previous attempt in the mid-1990s ended because the buses then were too gutless to climb the inclines along the Wasatch Front.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 18, 2010
Idaho farmers take different paths to avoid Ada County's farm market rules.
Kuna's rules on what can be sold at farm stands are less stringent than those in Ada County, which made the Idaho town's offer to annex the organic Rice Farm an attractive one to its owner. Another Ada County farmer sidestepped its rule that all produce sold at a farm stand come from the farm or neighboring farms by moving to a subscription-based community supported agriculture program.
Idaho Statesman; August 18, 2010
Utah legislators say proposed illegal immigration bill too costly.
Two Democratic state legislators, Sen. Luz Robles and Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, said that legislation sponsored by Republican Rep. Stephen Sandstrom of Orem fashioned after Arizona's immigration law would cost too much to enforce and would no doubt be challenged in court, forcing the state to incur legal costs to defend it.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 18, 2010
Nevada legislative panel opposes Ruby Pipeline deal with WWP.
The Nevada Legislative Committee on Public Lands joined the Nevada Cattlemen's Association, Western Legacy Alliance and county commissioners from several counties in the Silver State in objecting to El Paso Corp.'s deal with Western Watersheds Project to pay $15 million in mitigation funds in exchange for Western Watersheds' agreement not to object to its Ruby Pipeline project, which will run from Wyoming to Oregon.
Nevada Appeal; August 18, 2010
Wyoming panel OKs Cimarex's CO2 reinjection plan.
Over ExxonMobil's objections, the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission approved Cimarex's plan to reinject acid gas, a mixture that is 94 percent CO2 and 6 percent hydrogen sulfide (H2S), from its Riley Ridge gas production and treatment facility being built in southwest Wyoming.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 18, 2010
Coal-fired power project on Navajo Nation faces uncertain future.
The Desert Rock coal-fired power plant project was proposed in 2003 to give the Navajo Nation some control over its natural resources, but not all members of the Nation approve of the plan, and seven years later, the project sits stalled, perhaps for good.
High Country News; August 17, 2010
Idaho residents sue to stop big-rig shipments.
Three Idaho residents who live along the route massive pieces of refinery and mining equipment will travel from the state's Port of Lewiston along Highway 12 across Lolo Pass into Montana filed a lawsuit to stop the shipments.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; August 17, 2010
Montana nearly done with review of big-rig transport plan.
Montana Department of Transportation officials said the state's review of a plan to ship massive pieces of mining and refinery equipment through the state from Lolo Pass to Billings and to Alberta should be completed this week.
Missoulian; August 17, 2010
Idaho will require $10 million bond on big-rig shipments.
ConocoPhillips, the company that wants to ship massive pieces of refinery equipment from Idaho's Port of Lewiston to its refinery in Billings, Mont., has already agreed to post a $10 million bond, and Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said he'll secure a similar bond from a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil that wants to ship mining equipment from the Idaho port to oilsands operations in Alberta.
Idaho Statesman; August 17, 2010
President Obama is in Washington state today.
President Barack Obama will be in Washington state today for a series of private events, including a meeting with business owners at the Grand Central Bakery in Pioneer Square in Seattle, as well as fundraisers for Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and for the state Democratic Party.
Seattle Times; August 17, 2010
Wildfire that nearly destroyed Idaho town, put it on the map.
In 1910, the mining town of Wallace in Idaho was on the front pages of national newspapers, as wildfires nearly destroyed the town. Another in the Spokane Spokesman-Review's series about the 1910 wildfires.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; August 17, 2010
Utah firm interested in Idaho resort may have misstated experience.
The Pelorus Group, a Utah company interested in buying the Tamarack Resort in Idaho, changed its website after the Associated Press challenged a statement that the company had been in business since 1998; the Utah secretary of state's records indicate it was formed in April of 2009, after the company's owner, James T. Bramlette, was discharged from bankruptcy.
Idaho Statesman; August 17, 2010
Report says more Nevada schools failed to make progress goals.
The Nevada Department of Education released its annual report on schools that said 347 of the state's 678 public schools failed to meet annual yearly progress as required by the federal No Child Left Behind law.
Reno Gazette-Journal; August 17, 2010
Utah tribe's business council suspends chairman.
The suspension of Curtis Cesspooch, the chairman of the Northern Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee, is the latest development in a series of internal conflicts that appear to have stalled the Northern Ute government on the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation in Utah.
Deseret News; August 17, 2010
Report on fatal bear mauling near Yellowstone NP released.
Federal and state officials that investigated the mauling of three campers by a female grizzly bear on July 28th that left one camper dead released a report of the mauling on Monday that said the bear had parasites and was struggling to feed her three cubs, but said that didn't completely explain the attack.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 17, 2010
Advocates press BLM to cancel Wyoming wild horse roundups.
In July, Bureau of Land Management officials released their plan to remove wild horses from two management areas in Wyoming this fall because both the Adobe Town and Salt Wells Creek herd management areas have more horses than the land can sustain, but opposition to the proposal is high, with more than 3,500 letters protesting the roundups delivered to federal officials this week.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 17, 2010
Public gets another chance to weigh in on Wyoming mule deer plan.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department scheduled a second round of public hearings on its proposed Wyoming Range Mule Deer Initiative, drafted to restore mule deer numbers on that range, with meetings set next week in Afton, Kemmerer and Green River.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 17, 2010
Outbreak of pneumonia in Montana bighorn herd puzzles officials.
Pneumonia outbreaks in bighorn sheep herds usually occur in the late fall or winter months, making the summer outbreak in Montana's Skalkaho herd unusual, and state wildlife biologists aren't sure what caused this outbreak.
Ravalli Republic; August 17, 2010
Wyoming's primary is today.
Absentee ballots are usually a good indication of voter turnout, and county election officials across Wyoming said that they've had a good return of absentee ballots, meaning voter turnout for today's primary election should be good.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 17, 2010
U.S. Army inspects Utah safflower crop.
A 20-acre patch of Salt Lake County land in Utah planted with safflower, a crop used to make biofuel, got a military review Monday afternoon as the U.S. Army considers planting the crop on military lands.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 17, 2010
Wyoming governor: Federal government should pay for wolf plan.
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal said the fact that his state is 100 percent in the wolf recovery area makes wolf management a different situation than in Idaho or Montana, and that he believes the state is on the right course when it comes to wolves.
Jackson Hole Daily; August 16, 2010
Researchers from Western states heat up Colorado tundra.
A team of researchers from Western states' universities have installed heat lamps and planted seedlings on Colorado's mountain ranges above 11,600 feet to trace the effects a warmer climate may have on tree growth at that elevation and what might happen to wildlife dependent on clear, windswept slopes.
Denver Post; August 16, 2010
Idaho governor stalwart champion of big-rig transport plan.
Despite mounting opposition to a plan to ship massive loads of refinery and mining equipment from Idaho's Port of Lewiston across Lolo Pass and through Montana, Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter says the project won't have a negative impact on the state's roads and should move forward.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; August 16, 2010
Aquatic invaders hitchhike into streams on fly fishers' felt-soled boots.
Alaska and Vermont have already banned the felt soles that fly fishers depend upon to give them traction on slippery streambeds because they give noxious microorganisms such as didymo, also known as rock snot, a ride into previously unaffected freshwaters.
New York Times; August 16, 2010
NPS, Temple U. team up to address looming park ranger shortage.
Interest in becoming a park ranger for the National Park Service has waned over the decades, and with many rangers approaching retirement age, the National Park Service and Temple University have created an internship program called ProRanger to help replenish ranger ranks in that region of the nation.
Washington Post; August 16, 2010
NOAA: This year the hottest on record, so far.
Data released Friday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicated that the average global temperature 1.22 degrees higher than the average from the 20th century, and the highest since 1880.
Washington Post; August 16, 2010
Idaho county wants in on ground floor of mine planning process.
The U.S. Forest Service and the Canadian company that is exploring for molybdenum and copper in Boise County said it's too early to begin working on the socio-economic impacts the gigantic mine would have on the county as the project is still a decade away, but officials of the Idaho county want in on the planning process now as they said the county will bear the brunt of the costs thousands of workers at the mine will bring.
Idaho Statesman; August 16, 2010
Costs, benefits of illegal immigrants hard to track in Idaho.
While advocates on both sides of the illegal immigration issue bandy about figures about the costs and benefits of that population to the nation and states, an examination of Idaho agencies' records indicate no easy way to make those determinations.
Idaho Statesman; August 16, 2010
Nevada research project studies cumulative effect of wind farms on bats.
There are currently 18 wind farms proposed on public land in the Bureau of Land Management's Ely District in Nevada, and biologists from several agencies and universities are studying the effect those wind farms might have Mexican free-tailed bats that migrate through that area of the state.
Las Vegas Review-Journal; August 16, 2010
Memo on possible new national monuments contains Colorado lands.
The discussion draft of possible new lands for designation as national monuments listed Colorado lands contained within the proposed Hidden Gems wilderness proposal as well as lands in the state's Vermillion Basin as well as the San Rafael Swell and Cedar Mesa regions in Utah.
Grand Junction Sentinel; August 16, 2010
Irrigation district's dam in Montana wilderness needs repairs.
The U.S. Forest Service is reviewing the request of the Canyon Creek Irrigation District to use a helicopter to fly equipment and supplies into the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness in the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana to repair a sinkhole in the Canyon Lake Dam.
Missoulian; August 16, 2010
Idaho, Montana forests get $1M each for restoration work.
The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, a new program created last year to cultivate cooperation between groups that might be on opposite sides of forest issues, awarded $10 million in grants to 10 projects, including the Southwestern Crown of the Continent project in Montana and the Clearwater Basin project in Idaho.
Helena Independent Record; August 16, 2010
Wyoming legislative panel nixes sales tax on fuels sales.
On a 7-6 vote Friday, the Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Interim Committee dumped a proposal that would have levied a 4 percent sales tax on wholesale fuel sales to raise revenue for roads, and tabled a vote on a bill that would raise the state's fuel tax by 10 cents a gallon until its next meeting in October.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 16, 2010
Kennecott begins process to expand Utah copper mine.
Kennecott Copper Co. officials said they have begun the process to expand the company's mine in Utah's Bingham Canyon that would prolong the life of the mine, and the hundreds of jobs the mine provides, to 2034.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 16, 2010
Opinion
Nation needs to think big on renewable energy development.
Tapping into our nation's resources of renewable energy needs the same political leadership and funding that it took to build the nation's interstate highway system, and Congress should endorse a plan to link and fund research centers in the West that are already at work on renewable-energy projects.
Las Vegas Sun; September 2, 2010
Ranchers will still be compensated for livestock killed by wolves.
Defenders of Wildlife's decision to end its program that compensated farmers and ranchers for livestock killed by wolves was made because there is now a program in place funded by states and the federal government that makes the DOW program redundant. A guest editorial by Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, D.C.
Idaho Statesman; September 2, 2010
Defenders of Wildlife's timing on wolf program couldn't be worse.
Defenders of Wildlife promised to pay ranchers and farmers who lost livestock to wolves as long as wolves remained on the federal endangered species list, but the wolf advocacy group announced this week that it would end that compensation program Sept. 10, despite successfully litigating the wolves in Idaho and Montana back onto the list of protected species.
Idaho Statesman; September 1, 2010
Utah's pilot program to privatize state parks premature.
Utah should wait until the Legislative Auditor General finishes its study on privatizing state parks, and review how other states and cities fared when putting their parks under private management, before jumping into a pilot program.
Salt Lake Tribune; September 1, 2010
States should follow Colorado's lead on workplace medical marijuana.
The use of medical marijuana on the job is a gray area in the nation's and states' laws, a situation Colorado's Amendment 20 clearly addresses by carving out an exception that allows employers the right to opt out of accommodating the use of medical marijuana in the workplace.
Denver Post; August 31, 2010
Small business aid bill needs bipartisan support.
The pro-business Republican Party is abandoning an important part of its base by threatening to filibuster legislation to aid small businesses unless Bush-era tax cuts for the ultra-rich are renewed, a position that should cost the GOP support in November's elections.
Santa Fe New Mexican; August 31, 2010
Decisions Idaho makes now on water will have high impact in the future.
Areas of Idaho will face water shortages in the future, whether due to hotter, drier weather or demand from a growing population, and the folks Idahoans vote for in November will be the ones making decisions that will affect the state's water situation for decades to come.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 31, 2010
Perhaps it's time to again feed the bears in Yellowstone.
A changing climate in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem means grizzly bears must again adapt and find new food sources as whitebark pines die off, lake trout edge out cutthroat, and wolves reduce elk numbers. Bear managers must contemplate supplementing the bruins' diet to keep them from wandering outside core habitat. A column by Rocky Barker.
Idaho Statesman; August 30, 2010
Utah is doing its part on natural-gas powered vehicles.
With the opening of a new fueling station for vehicles powered with compressed natural gas near Vernal, Utah now has 29 such stations and an estimated 5,000-8,000 CNG-powered cars on the highway, making the state a leader in the drive to wean the nation off imported foreign oil. To keep the momentum going, Congress needs to step up and restore a fifty-cents-per-gallon tax incentive they allowed to expire Jan. 1.
Salt Lake Tribune; August 30, 2010
Idaho taxpayers deserve to know how much their hired workers earn.
As Idahoans prepare to fill in their ballots, it's a good time to review just how much the folks they elect - and even those just employed by the state - earn, and the Twin Falls Times-News offers a quick look at some state workers' salaries courtesy of the Idaho Freedom Foundation's state employee salary database.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 30, 2010
Wyoming high court made the right call on river access.
The Wyoming Supreme Court decision issued this week protects the integrity of the state's agreements with private landowners for public access to rivers, and despite the plaintiffs' attorney's statements to the contrary, landowners can rest assured the state Game and Fish Department will continue its good-faith cooperation with landowners on such agreements.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 27, 2010
Idaho lawmakers need to fix state's fuel-price fixing ways.
Idaho's law on gas-price fixing applies only to retailers and is so vague it's difficult for the state's attorney general to pursue claims, but given that residents of the Gem State are now paying 10 percent more for their fuel than the rest of the nation, and that gas prices in the state continue to go up while dropping elsewhere, the Legislature needs to get involved and fix the state's gas-price fixing law.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 27, 2010
Wind farms, geothermal facilities boost Idaho's renewable energy future.
Idaho's Magic Valley is the perfect place for the renewable energy duo of wind and geothermal, as three of the state's windiest cities are in south-central Idaho, and six of the 21 proposed or operating geothermal projects are in the Magic and Wood River valleys, all good news in the short term, but Idaho Power needs to make its renewable energy plans clear to really build on the boom.
Twin Falls Times-News; August 26, 2010
Natural gas production is important to Wyoming, too.
The Ruby Pipeline is needed to ship natural gas from Wyoming to West Coast markets, and while it's understandable that ranchers and counties in the Cowboy State are irked by El Paso Corp.'s deal with Western Watersheds Project entered into to prevent litigation over the pipeline, their appeal of the Bureau of Land Management's permit of the project is an over-reaction.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 25, 2010
Food safety bill needs Montana senator's amendments.
The Federal Food Safety Modernization Act's one-size-fits-all approach will drive small producers out of business and destroy the local food movement, making Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester's amendments that would remove farms selling directly to consumers from new Food and Drug Administration jurisdiction and another that would exempt small food processors from the some of the record-keeping sections of the bill necessary to keep local producers in business. A guest column by Blakely Brown and Kevin Moore.
Missoulian; August 24, 2010
Wyoming needs to bring its wolf plan in alignment with Idaho, Montana.
The return of wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to the federal endangered species list gives Wyoming the perfect opportunity to abandon its wrong-headed, stubborn stance, adopt a wolf-management plan similar to those in place in Idaho and Montana, and move on.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 24, 2010
Wild horse roundups needed to protect animals, landscape.
The emotional arguments against reducing wild horse numbers on ranges across the Rocky Mountain West do little to realistically address the situation where too many horses trample the landscape, and if each of those folks who signed the 3,000 letters delivered to the Bureau of Land Management protesting its planned roundup and removal of 2,000 wild horses from two areas in Wyoming this fall would adopt a horse, they could have a hand in the solution.
Casper Star-Tribune; August 23, 2010
Montana needs to proceed with caution on big-rig transport plan.
The Idaho state court decision that put a temporary hold on big-rig shipments from the Port of Lewiston, across Lolo Pass into Montana and then on to Billings was a welcome development in a process that has moved much too quickly, as Montanans have voiced a number of concerns that the state has yet to address.
Missoulian; August 23, 2010
Idaho senator's bill to increase truckload size needs careful review.
Heavy trucks have been getting a lot of attention in Idaho and Montana these days, as has the condition of Idaho's highways and the burden heavy trucks place upon them, which makes Idaho U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo's timing on a bill to give states the authority to approve heavier truckloads a little questionable. Both federal and state lawmakers - who would ultimately approve heavier trucks - need to consider not only the bill's cost-savings to trucking companies but also the impact heavier trucks would have on the environment, human life and tax dollars.
Idaho Statesman; August 23, 2010
U.S. Senate should eliminate use of secret holds.
There is a bipartisan effort afoot in the U.S. Senate to remove the practice of secret "holds", which allows lawmakers to anonymously block nominees and legislation, and the Senate's first order of business in September should be to eliminate this cowardly practice.
New York Times; August 20, 2010
British Columbia faces wholesale changes in wake of pine beetles.
It's hard to fathom the extent of the damage caused by pine bark beetles in British Columbia's forests until one drives the long loop though through Hope, Princeton, Merritt, Cache Creek, Lillooet, Pemberton and Whistler, and sees all the dead and dying trees, changing the landscape and economy of the province.
Vancouver Sun; August 19, 2010
States' management of wolves waits on Wyoming.
Every objective of the reintroduction of wolves in the Rocky Mountain West has been successfully met, and the only obstacle remaining in the path of states' management of the species is Wyoming's lack of an acceptable management plan. A guest column by Tom Strickland, assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
Missoulian; August 19, 2010
Report tracks effects of politics on firefighting costs.
A new report from the executive director of the Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology says political pressure for wildfire suppression keeps wildfire fighting costs high, and the report calls for changes on the national policy for fighting wildfires. A column by Rocky Barker.
Idaho Statesman; August 16, 2010
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