Panel offers ways to ease conservation easement woes More scrutiny of real estate appraisers, sharing of information between state agencies, and using expert review panels might help curb problems occurring under Colorado's nationally recognized conservation easement program, according to a new task force. Land conservation groups have used the easements widely to protect scenic Colorado landscapes and ranches that would otherwise be sold for development. But the practice has come under fire by the Internal Revenue Service, the Colorado Department of Revenue, and, most recently, the Colorado Division of Real Estate. State and federal tax credits and deductions can be claimed by landowners and others who agree to donate or sell their lands for conservation easement purposes. At issue is whether appraisers are overvaluing land in conservation deals, whether deals are protecting appropriate lands and whether the state and federal governments have handed over too much money in tax benefits....
Dems drop drilling restrictions from energy bill Provisions to more closely regulate oil and gas drilling on federal lands have been stripped out of the energy bill that the House will vote on today. The measures would have raised the fee for permits to drill on public lands, given surface owners more rights on so-called "split estates," boosted the dollar amount of bonds for development on public lands and increased water regulations for energy developers. The original House-passed energy bill included the provisions, but the Senate version did not. Senate Democratic leaders pushed to have them removed from the final compromise in hope of securing support for the bill from Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., according to David Alberswerth of The Wilderness Society. Domenici, the top Republican on the Senate Energy Committee, has also vowed to fight the bill's requirement that utilities generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The oil and gas industry also lobbied vigorously against the drilling provisions....
Colo. Drilling Rules Nixed From Bill Restrictions on developing oil shale and drilling for gas on western Colorado's Roan Plateau have been removed from a federal energy bill, drawing praise from industry officials and vows by Democratic lawmakers to keep the measures alive. Those provisions and others dealing with management of oil and gas development on public lands were dumped from a compromise energy bill announced by House Democrats over the weekend. The House was expected to vote on the bill this week. While happy with measures promoting vehicle fuel economy, biofuels and renewable energy, Rep. Mark Udall and Sen. Ken Salazar, both Colorado Democrats, expressed disappointment Wednesday that the measures on the Roan Plateau and oil shale didn't make it....
US House OKs Major Energy Efficiency, Renewable, Biofuels Bill Despite a veto threat from the White House, the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday passed a comprehensive energy bill that will fundamentally change the way the country is fueled, impacting nearly every sector in the industry. The 1,055-page Energy Independence and Security Act - which passed on a 235 to 181 vote - will now head to the Senate for approval though its chances in that chamber are less sure as several controversial measures may mean it won't be able to muster enough votes. The bill would raise fuel economy standards for the first time in three decades to 35 miles per gallon by 2020; establish a nationwide renewable energy mandate; and boost biofuel production to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022. Under a $21 billion tax provision, more than $13 billion in tax breaks to oil companies would be repealed to help fund renewable energy, biofuels and energy efficiency. The two items that are likely to face the biggest opposition in the Senate are the renewable mandate and tax titles in the bill. The Renewable Electricity Standard would establish a mandate for utilities to raise the portion of power that comes from renewable energy sources such as wind, geothermal, biowastes and solar to 15% by 2022....
Group rips cash-strapped Forest Service for purchasing Tasers The U.S. Forest Service recently bought $600,000 worth of Tasers with no training program or written explanation for why it needed them, an organization of state and federal employees charged Tuesday. According to documents acquired by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and posted on its Web site, the Forest Service acquired 700 of the electronic control devices for $857 each from a subsidiary of Taser International, enough to arm each of the agency's law enforcement officers. The group criticized the September purchase, saying its recent Freedom of Information Act request shows the agency lacks a written justification for buying the devices and does not have rules governing their use. The weapons, which use electric currents to subdue violent or belligerent people, have become controversial in recent months because of widely publicized Taser-related deaths in Canada and the United States. Agencies with surplus funds often buy equipment near the year's end, fearing they will otherwise face a budget cut. The purchase comes as the Forest Service faces a large deficit because of a heavy fire season, causing it to cut back activities....
Environmentalists worry border fence-building will threaten Arizona river Before sealing off the border became the priority it is today, a visitor would have gotten a different picture of this area where the last free-flowing river in the Southwest trickles between tree-lined banks. The San Pedro River still moves lazily northward below a canopy of willows and cottonwoods. But on a recent day, a bulldozer mounding dirt only 50 yards from its elevated eastern bank in preparation for the advance of a border fence presented a stark contrast to its serenity. The federal government contends the fence is needed to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and drug-runners through the area. Environmentalists say it may slow some illegal crossers but will have a devastating impact on wildlife and the environment in the riparian area that encompasses the river. Mountain lions, jaguars, white-tailed deer, black bears and some ground birds will be among wildlife especially affected by the fence, which is just some 400 yards from the river at this point, said Matt Clark, a spokesman for Defenders of Wildlife....
Companies squeeze power from California deserts Vincent Signorotti's power plant sits on the edge of the Salton Sea, surrounded by irrigated cropland in the middle of a scorched desert. Beyond the lake, beyond the patch of green fields, the desert seems empty. But it holds all the energy Signorotti's plant will ever need -energy that could play a key role in California's fight against global warming. The plant runs on hot water, pumped from deep underground and flashed into steam to turn turbines. With 10 generators near the lakeshore, the facility produces enough electricity for 255,000 homes, and the company that owns it wants to expand. Other companies are drilling nearby, hoping to build their own geothermal plants. A renewable-energy boom is under way in the Southern California desert. The region's open, empty spaces have room for big projects -- such as vast solar energy farms -- that can generate energy on a grand scale while producing few, if any, greenhouse gases. Dozens of new solar and geothermal generating stations have been proposed, from Lancaster to the Arizona and Mexico borders. They won't be cheap to build, possibly raising the costs Californians pay for power. But with the state's utilities scrambling to find more renewable energy, the projects are moving forward....
Baucus, Crapo Introduce RAT Repeal As promised in an April interview with NewWest.Net, U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) will introduce a bill on Monday to repeal the Federal Lands Recreational Enhancement Act (FLREA), called the Recreational Access Tax (RAT) by its many detractors. Joining him as co-sponsor will be U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), making the repeal a true bipartisan effort. So, Monday morning could be panic time in the offices of the U.S. Forest Service (FS) and other federal agencies currently involved in aggressive fee policy and widespread closure of recreational sites on public lands. The Baucus-Crapo bill is entitled, Fee Repeal and Expanded Access Act of 2007. It will receive its number when introduced on Monday. A summary of the bill obtained by outlines its for major objectives: * Repeal the FLREA * Reinstate the fee authorities established by the Land and Water Conservation Act * Reinstate the National Parks Pass system * Cap the amount that can be charged for entrance to national parks....
Yellowstone Doubles Its Cell Phone Use Amid Tower Struggles Even as Yellowstone National Park officials finalize a plan to chart the future for cell towers in the nation's most famous park, more and more park employees are being given government-paid cell phones, according to internal documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Yellowstone's growing reliance on official cell phones appears to ignore National Park Service policy limiting issuance of phones only when absolutely necessary. Park records obtained by PEER under the Freedom of Information Act indicate employees were issued 70 cell phones in 2004 but by August 2006 that number had grown to 188 employee cell phones. As of November 14, 2007, the park counts 155 employee phones but this number reflects off-season usage and may grow again this spring. In 2005, Yellowstone spent $92,000 in cell phone charges and nearly $94,000 in 2006. Thus far in 2007, the park has spent $63,000. Prior to 2005, the park was illegally receiving free phones and minutes while improperly depositing lease fees in its own accounts rather than the U.S. Treasury as required....
Feds Name Candidates for Endangered Species Protection The New Mexico meadow jumping mouse is among a handful of species from the Southwest that is being considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The agency released a list of the latest candidates Thursday. They include the mouse, a snail and a frog from Arizona, a fish from Tennessee and a variety of buckwheat found in Nevada. The list names 280 plants and animals in all. As for the mouse, agency officials in New Mexico say it once was found in about 100 locations from the Jemez Mountains in the north, down through the Rio Grande Valley to the Sacramento Mountains in the south. Now, the mouse can be found in about 10 places. ``It's literally on the brink of extinction,'' said Nicole Rosmarino, the conservation director of Forest Guardians, a Santa Fe-based environmental group that has been monitoring the mouse. Local Fish and Wildlife officials and Rosmarino agree that the biggest threats for the fury rodent are grazing and the loss of habitat. The mouse depends on moist meadows along streams and rivers to make its homes, find food and reproduce....
Rebels with a Lost Cause If the logic of the Tulare rulings spread, enforcement of many environmental laws might cost the government billions. And if the government preferred not to pay, the laws would be castrated. More striking, Marzulla & Marzulla stood among a battalion of lawfirms dedicated to challenging environmental laws. The movement had its roots in the West and appeared to be making progress on many fronts, firing a barrage of lawsuits and claiming a run of important victories in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They’d rolled back regulations covering not only endangered species, but also cattle grazing, commercial development and many other activities. They even seemed to be on the brink of redefining government employees as criminal "racketeers." "I think this fight is going to get a lot meaner ..." predicted Andrew Lloyd, a lawyer for Pacific Legal Foundation, another firm leading the charge, in California’s West County Times in January 2005. He and others envisioned more lawsuits and more big victories. These days, the anti-regulation lawyers still portray themselves as wizards, shooting bolts of legal lightning at the government agencies and power-hungry environmentalists who oppress them and their clients. In press releases, news and opinion articles and speeches, they boast about carrying out a crucial role. To get a better sense of their role, I explored the legal battlefields and visited some of the movement’s key Western lawfirms....
Hot Air Emitted by Climate Summit Equals 20,000 Cars Government officials and activists flying to Bali, Indonesia, for the United Nations meeting on climate change will cause as much pollution as 20,000 cars in a year. The delegates each will produce an average 4.07 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or CO2, to reach the resort island 950 kilometers (600 miles) from Jakarta, according to estimates e- mailed to Bloomberg by the UN agency holding the conference. Some of the 187 nations participating in the two-week forum promised to offset their so-called carbon footprint by planting trees or buying emission credits. The symbolic actions won't help stop global warming, some scientists say. ``It's very hard for the public to understand that you come together with so many people to a very distant place and cause a lot of emissions, and at the same time talk about emission reductions,'' Artur Runge-Metzger, head of climate strategy for the European Commission, said yesterday in an interview in Bali, adding that he had offset his own emissions....
House Passed Energy Bill Doubling Grain Ethanol Mandate The U.S. House of Representatives passed its energy bill that, if enacted into law, will double the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) from the current 7.5 billion gallons per year to a 15 billion gallon grain ethanol mandate. The bill, H.R.6, passed by a vote of 234-181. The American Meat Institute (AMI) called the passage of the bill counter-productive, noting that it will further drive up food prices as more corn is diverted from animal feed to use as fuel. "We support efforts to increase U.S. energy security, but this bill takes a myopic approach by mandating grain-based ethanol increasing demand for corn even further than the record levels we've seen in the last 12 months," AMI President Patrick Boyle said. "The net effect of this bill will be to increase the cost of meat and poultry to consumers." According to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), meat, poultry and egg spending comprise 60 percent of the average consumer's food dollar....