NEWS ROUNDUP


Gore Challenges Congress on Climate Environmental activist (and former vice president) Al Gore descended on Capitol Hill yesterday, telling two congressional panels that global climate change represents the most dangerous crisis in American history and that the measures needed to fix the problem -- such as an immediate freeze on new emissions from cars and power plants -- are far more drastic than anything currently on the table. Gore, whose documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" won an Academy Award last month, testified before both House and Senate committees in an appearance that drew international media attention and lines of would-be spectators trailing through congressional hallways. In both hearings, he had testy exchanges with lawmakers who doubted his scientific evidence or the feasibility of his solutions. Much of his day, though, was spent basking in an odd spotlight: Gore and his cause have Washington's full attention. But his message, of a feverish planet and dwindling time in which to cure it, made for a grim homecoming. "This is not a normal time. We are facing a planetary emergency," Gore said in the afternoon Senate hearing. "I'm fully aware that that phrase sounds shrill to many people's ears. But it is accurate." Gore's solutions were as sweeping as his metaphors. His recommendations began with the immediate national freeze on new emissions of carbon dioxide -- which could affect everything from cars to lawn mowers to coal-fired power plants -- and included an overhaul of the tax code. Payroll taxes should go down, Gore said, and taxes on polluters, especially those who emit carbon dioxide, should go up. Beyond that, Gore recommended a ban on incandescent light bulbs, which activists say are far less energy-efficient than new compact fluorescent bulbs; raising the fuel-efficiency standards for cars; and a "carbon-neutral mortgage association." The last would allow homeowners to more easily finance renovations to improve energy efficiency, he said. Gore acknowledged that almost all of these measures go well beyond anything lawmakers have contemplated so far....Go here for Gore's testimony and here for Bjorn Lomborg's testimony.
Gore plan would 'ban new cars and people' U.S. Rep. Joe Barton Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, today told former Vice President Al Gore his theories on global warming are not supported by the facts and if Gore's desires are implemented, there would be no new businesses, cars or even people allowed in the United States. "You just gave us an idea for a straight CO2 freeze, if I heard you correctly. I think that's an idea that's flawed. If you take that literally, we can add no new industry, nor new cars and trucks on our streets, and apparently no new people," Barton, who represents the 6th District in Texas, said. "People are mobile-source emitters. Every person emits 0.2 tons of CO2 a year, so an absolute true freeze would be no new industry, no new people, and no new cars." During a hearing before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Barton challenged the "facts" being used to promote Gore's campaign for a new war on global warming, portrayed in Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth." Gore has called such warming "a crisis that is by far the most serious we've faced," and described it as "a true planetary emergency."....
'Anti-greenhouse religion' scorched by Czech prez As Al Gore takes testifies before two congressional committees today on "global warming," Czech President Vaclav Klaus is warning "the anti-greenhouse religion" espoused by the former vice president is the modern equivalent of communism. Responding to questions by U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, and former House Speaker Denny Hastert, R-Ill., the Czech leader said: "As someone who lived under communism for most of my life I feel obliged to say that the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity at the beginning of the 21st century is not communism or its various softer variants. Communism was replaced by the threat of ambitious environmentalism." He added, "The so-called climate change and especially man-made climate change has become one of the most dangerous arguments aimed at distorting human efforts and public policies in the whole world."....Go here to read the Klaus letter.
FBI probes pressure on Alaska regulators before Prudhoe oil spill People contacted by investigators say the FBI is investigating whether Alaska political appointees improperly punished state regulators who tried to enforce environmental rules against oil companies operating in Alaska. The inquiry is being conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in Anchorage. It is connected to an ongoing criminal investigation of BP for allowing pipelines it operates to corrode enough to cause a large oil spill on Alaska's North Slope in 2006. Similar pipeline corrosion discovered later that year forced the shutdown of Prudhoe Bay, the most productive oil field in the United States. Now, the actions of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation have come under scrutiny from federal investigators, though it's unclear whether current or former state officials would face criminal charges. The DEC is responsible for overseeing oil operations in the state....
Navy mum on sonar use in whale case Citing the threat to national security, the U.S. Navy said it will not tell a U.S. court specifics about its use of sonar over the past four years. That response angered the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is suing the Navy to ensure sailors use sonar in a way that does not harm whales and other marine mammals. A U.S. District Court judge had asked the Navy to submit data for when and where sailors have used sonar since 2003. Navy officials worry such details could give potential enemies tactical information about how sailors use sonar to track and target submarines. Joel Reynolds, a Natural Resources Defense Council attorney, said he would challenge the Navy's position....
Report Says Corps Miscalculated on Levees The design and construction of the New Orleans hurricane levee system was flawed because the Army Corps of Engineers ignored warnings about the power of potential storms and made critical engineering miscalculations, according to a long-awaited investigative report from a team of Louisiana engineers and scientists. The "Team Louisiana" report echoed many of the findings of previous engineering inquiries but offered them in sometimes sterner terms, while highlighting some of the political forces that affected the flood system's formation. Army Corps of Engineers officials appear to have shortchanged the construction of essential flood protection systems to save money, according to the report, while at the same time, under local pressure, expanding the project's reach so that more low-lying land could be developed into new suburbs. Moreover, while the city was vulnerable to a relatively weak storm, Corps officials offered unsubstantiated assurances to the public that the system could withstand a "1 in 300 year" storm event, or a storm so severe it is likely to happen only once in 300 years, the report said....
Alaska to Pay Pilots in Plan to Kill Wolves Alaska will pay pilots licensed to shoot wolves from the air $150 for each wolf they kill under a new plan intended to protect their prey, including moose and caribou, state wildlife officials said yesterday. Efforts to control the wolf population have been complicated this year by rough winds, limited snow and higher fuel prices, making it harder to follow wolf tracks and more difficult and expensive to fly, said Ron Clarke, assistant director of the state’s Division of Wildlife Conservation. So far this year, 98 wolves have been reported killed. State officials have a goal this year of killing 382 to 664 wolves in five key areas, Mr. Clarke said. The state said Wednesday that another reason shootings had declined this year was the success of control efforts in the past. The aerial shooting program has been controversial since it began in 2003. At the time, moose populations had declined by about 50 percent over the previous two decades, affecting sport hunters and people who rely on moose for sustenance, said Bruce Bartley, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game....
Federal trappers kill 2 wolves - Montana Federal trappers shot two wolves that belonged to a pack believed to have killed a heifer on private land west of Wisdom earlier this month. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services investigated the depredation in the Big Hole Valley on March 17 and the wolves were killed two days later. Also, the remains of a dead wolf were recovered from U.S. Highway 191 near the Taylor Fork junction on March 11. The carcass was taken to the state wildlife laboratory in Bozeman for a necropsy, state wildlife officials said.
Deal expands wildlife habitat Cattle will no longer graze on a prime chunk of habitat for elk, moose, grizzlies and wolves south of Yellowstone National Park, according to a recent agreement. The deal involves 178,000 acres of national forest land southeast of Grand Teton National Park that's been identified as one of the best places for wintering elk. It's also been the source of long-running conflicts between predators and livestock. The National Wildlife Federation brokered a deal to retire grazing allotments in the area as part of a larger effort in the Yellowstone ecosystem to find ranchers willing to accept payment to no longer graze livestock in prime wildlife areas. With the latest deal, the group has put together more than 20 agreements covering nearly 500,000 acres. "We're not trying to get rid of all grazing in the Yellowstone ecosystem," said the group's Hank Fischer. "We're focusing on places where there's been conflict year in and year out." The latest effort involves a $450,000 payment to Fish Creek Cattle Co. owner Scott Stanko for the Bacon Creek and Fish Creek allotments on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in the Upper Gros Ventre drainage, Fischer said. About 100,000 acres will be closed to grazing. The remaining portions will allow infrequent grazing, but the emphasis will be on providing forage and habitat for wildlife....
Federal funds to purchase Plum Creek land holdings Montana Democratic U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester have recovered more than $8 million in federal funding to buy land in western Montana, including thousands of acres owned by Plum Creek Timber Co. in the Swan and Blackfoot valleys. The funding had earlier been set aside in the fiscal year 2007 spending bill, but temporarily dried up after Congress elected not to fund some earmarked projects. So the senators lobbied agency officials directly for the funding. The Blackfoot Community Project and Swan Valley Forest Legacy Fund each received $3 million to purchase land from Plum Creek. The funding will help The Nature Conservancy preserve 5,206 acres in the Horseshoe Hills area north of the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range and about 860 acres of land near Marcum Mountain east of Ovando. Once the deal is completed, The Nature Conservancy will hand over ownership of the Horseshoe Hills property to the U.S. Forest Service, and the Marcum Mountain lands will go the Bureau of Land Management as part of a long-term strategy to protect Plum Creek lands from development....
Antler hunting: Points of contentions For the past 30 years, Neil Trotta and his family have enjoyed collecting antlers shed by deer and elk on their property near East Canyon. Sometimes Trotta sells the antlers to a dealer he knows in Colorado. His home is decorated with lamps, candle holders, even a peace pipe made from antlers which deer and elk shed during February and March. But with a new regulation prohibiting antler collecting in the Division of Wildlife Resources' (DWR) northern region from Feb. 1 through April 30, Trotta and others like him must wait to get started. "You can't do it May 1," said the Utah landowner. "By May 1, the grass has grown and the sagebrush is growing and filled with ticks. The antlers have turned brown. It's hard to find them." DWR assistant director Alan Clark said the regulation was enacted at the recommendation of a group looking at why deer herds in the Cache unit in northern Utah were struggling to reach population objectives. Fawn survival is a major concern. Because the antlers have become valuable, Clark said, more people are searching for them. Some use all-terrain vehicles and drive off dirt roads, damaging habitat and, potentially, stressing fawns. There are reports of people chasing elk from vehicles, hoping the bulls shed their antlers....
Lawsuit challenges state's firefighting commitment A lawsuit filed by a former Nevada Division of Forestry helicopter pilot claims that state and federal officials conspired to pull Nevada out of the business of fighting fires from the air. Gardnerville resident Glenn Marr, 59, alleges in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed last summer that State Forester Peter Anderson decided to improve working relations between the state and federal government when he was hired in 2004. According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Marr claims that part of that working relationship was to accommodate the federal agencies' desire to take over control of air operations of the Division of Forestry. Marr is suing the state claiming his firing violated his first amendment right to free speech. The complaint alleges that in 2005, the state began reducing the number of pilots and the number of hours flown during fire season. Marr said he complained to state forestry officials Anderson, Robert Ashworth, Mike Dondero, and Peter Cannizarro both directly and through chief pilot Pat Ross that the limitations on air operations were a danger to natural resources, lives, safety and property of residents in the path of wildfires....
Forest Service Once 'Attacked' Pine Beetle Problem One man who worked to save Colorado's forests and trees 50 years ago from a beetle epidemic believes saving the forest is no longer a top priority as pine beetles consume an area of the state the size of Rocky Mountain National Park. The government's handling of the problem now is sometimes criticized as too little, too late. At least 660,000 acres of Colorado pine trees are dead are dying from the current beetle epidemic according to aerial surveys. The government said there's no hope of stopping it. An old Forest Service documentary shows how the beetles were killed 50 years ago with a mixture of deadly pesticide and fuel oil called "goop." Hundreds of workers were trained to head into the forest and fight the beetles' advance. Bill Bailey was one of the so-called goopers. His three man team helped spray a million infected trees. "As far as the forest service was concerned, we practically controlled the infestation at that particular time," said Bailey....
Resident fights for animal owners' rights A Carbondale woman will testify for what she calls "animal owners' rights" before the state Senate's Agriculture Committee today. Lisa Speaker, founder and president of the Colorado Alliance for Animal Owners' Rights, said she will explain to the committee her proposed amendment to the Colorado Veterinary Practices Act. The amendment would allow, among other practices, equine massage therapists to massage horses without direct supervision of a veterinarian, Speaker said. Under the current law, the first conviction for performing an unsupervised massage on a horse is a misdemeanor, and the second a felony under the Colorado Veterinary Practices Act, Speaker said. "The violation is pretty harsh," she said. The bill, HB 1296, is carried by Rep. Wes McKinley, D-Walsh, and Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton. It passed the House earlier this year 51-14. The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, which represents 1,600 veterinarians statewide, opposes the bill. Association president Dr. Stacy Hudelson told the House Agriculture Committee in February her group is "alarmed" by the amendment, which she said would increase risks to the health and well-being of animal patients, "deconstruct" a professional licensing system and allow individual rights to "trump" the public good....Individual rights to trump the public good? Oh no!...I guess the "public good" is the state-enforced monopoly granted to the vets.
Trying to Know Billy the Kid: An Interview with Michael Wallis Michael Wallis’s new book, Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride (W. W. Norton, 328 pages, $25.95), is the closest anyone has come to a definitive biography of the most mythical figure of the American frontier. On July 14, 1881, Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. That is one of the few hard and concrete facts of his life—and even it has been challenged by generations of mythmongers. Beyond that we know little. His mother, Catherine Antrim, was Irish and died of tuberculosis when he was scarcely a teenager. He drifted into New Mexico, got caught up in the swirl of personal, political, and economic clashes known as the Lincoln County War. Nearly everything else said about his life—including when and why he went by the surnames McCarty and Bonney—is open to question. It’s probably a safe bet that he has inspired more books, movies, and controversy per known fact than any other figure in American history. A dime novel hero in his own lifetime, he was the subject of a “biography” by Pat Garrett—or at least with Garrett’s name on the cover—that transcended the dime novels only in length, and his legend generated a small library of pulp by the end of the nineteenth century....