Scope of new oil & gas rules on federal land unclear

When the state Legislature approved new oil and gas rules last week, a plan to implement them on private lands Wednesday became a sure thing. That’s anything but the case when it comes to the state’s plans to put the rules in place on federal land a month later. Industry officials doubt the state and federal governments will reach agreement in the next month regarding how the state rules would work on federal land — if they reach an agreement at all. “I’ll put money down that there’s going to be a need to delay” the May 1 implementation date, Stan Dempsey, president of the Colorado Petroleum Association, said in an interview. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission have yet to meet on the matter. “The federal government does not work fast when it’s working on agreements like this,” said Wayne Bankert, who now handles regulatory and environmental matters for Laramie Energy II but formerly helped regulate the industry as a BLM petroleum engineer. Dempsey said during a recent legislative hearing that the industry needs clarity about the matter. Dave Neslin, acting director of the oil and gas commission, has said the state is prepared to delay the federal lands implementation date if need be. But timing isn’t the only issue; so is legality. The BLM last year warned that the state does not appear to have the authority to put some rules in place on federal land, such as geographic area plans that could conflict with federal land management plans, and surface-occupancy restrictions that exceed similar federal limits and that the BLM fears would impede energy development. Neslin and other state officials say court rulings have made clear the state’s authority to impose its rules on federal land...Grand Junction Sentinel

Federal court's injunction against National Park gun ban repeal fails giggle test

Don't get me wrong. US District Court for DC Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly might have gotten the law exactly right when she temporarily reversed the administrative repeal of the National Park gun ban on the grounds that the Department of the Interior "abdicated their Congressionally-mandated obligation to evaluate all reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts, whether authorized by the Final Rule or not" [under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) at 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.]. But does this opinion pass the giggle test? The new regulation merely permits the carriage of loaded handguns - not discharge of any ammunition from them. Millions of Americans now routinely carry handguns in public in virtually every city and park in America, as well as in National Forests and on lands managed by Bureau of Land Management. Negligent discharges are extremely rare, as are discharges in defense of self or others. Could a few dozen or so possible bullets per year fired onto the 84.4 millions of acres of National Park lands possibly justify mandating environmental studies? OK, let's think about this. What if Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar decided that Park Rangers, currently unarmed, should start carrying side arms on DOI lands near or adjacent to the Mexican border due to rising violence from Mexican drug gangs. Would Salazar first have to conduct an environmental study before Rangers could be armed?...DC Examiner

EPA to monitor 66 schools' air

In its most sweeping effort to determine whether toxic chemicals permeate the air schoolchildren breathe, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce plans today to monitor the air outside 62 schools in 22 states. Texas and Ohio have the most schools on the list, with seven each; Pennsylvania has six. The plan will cost about $2.25 million and includes taking samples outside schools in small towns such as Story City, Iowa, and Toledo, Ore., and in large cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston. It comes in response to a USA TODAY investigation that used the government's own data to identify schools that appear to be in toxic hot spots. USA TODAY's investigation, published in December, used a government computer simulation that showed at least 435 schools where the air outside appeared to be more toxic than the air outside Meredith Hitchens Elementary, an Ohio school closed in 2005. At Hitchens, the Ohio EPA found levels of carcinogens 50 times above what the state considered acceptable...USA Today

Plan to help schools "go green"

Lawmakers Sunday unveiled a plan to offer school districts low-interest loans to install solar panels on rooftops, build wind turbines or convert diesel-guzzling buses to battery power. The cash for the loans would come from the vast swaths of land set aside to benefit schoolchildren in the 1800s. The state already invests proceeds from land sales, spends part of the interest and boasts a $581 million balance in the account. Rather than investing that money as the state typically would, it would lend some to schools at rates that are lower than a bank's but high enough to match or outstrip the fund's traditional return. The fund's rate of return is 5.1 percent at the moment, said state Treasurer Cary Kennedy...Denver Post

Delay sought for hearings on pumping water to Las Vegas

The Southern Nevada Water Authority sent a letter Monday afternoon to the State Engineer asking that hearings on the Water Authority's right to pump water from Snake Valley be postponed a year. The hearings were supposed to begin Sept. 29 and last through much of the month of October. They were expected to be contentious, with fierce opposition from farmers, ranchers and conservationists from affected Nevada and Utah counties. The Water Authority has asked to pump more than 50,000 acre feet -- about 16 billion gallons -- of water a year from the valley that lies about 250 miles north of Las Vegas in Nevada and across the Utah border. The agency already has received permission from the state engineer's office to pump 40,000 acre feet from Spring Valley and 18,755 acre feet from Cave, Dry Lake and Delamar valleys to provide Las Vegas water that the Authority says may be needed in the event of a prolonged drought. An acre foot of water is equivalent to 325,851 gallons. The Water Authority would like to postpone the Snake Valley hearings because it will not be able to complete in time a computer model that shows the impact of the water removal, Deputy General Manager Kay Brothers said in the letter sent Monday...Las Vegas Sun

Collecting Rain Water Is Now Legal In Colorado

Colorado lawmakers have passed a bill that loosens a 19th century ban on people who want to collect rainwater. Many people were surprised to learn they're not entitled to snow and rain that falls on their homes. A state senator recently found that out when he tried to conserve rainwater for his flower garden. In New Mexico it is common practice to harvest rainwater and store it in cisterns. That's what Sen. Chris Romer had hoped to do in Colorado. "I truly wanted to collect the rainwater off my roof to use in my garden, because I love gardening, but unfortunately, I got in big trouble," Romer said. That's because Colorado law dating back to the 19th century said every drop of rain must flow unimpeded into surrounding creeks and streams, that it was the property of farmers and ranchers and anyone else who had purchased the rights to those waterways. Residents still can't harvest rain without a permit from the state engineer's office, and the permits are targeted for those who live in rural areas, not people living the suburbs...CBS 4 Denver

PETA Killed 95 Percent of Adoptable Pets in its Care During 2008

Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) published documents online showing that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) killed 95 percent of the adoptable pets in its care during 2008. Despite years of public outrage over its euthanasia program, the animal rights group kills an average of 5.8 pets every day at its Norfolk, VA headquarters. According to public records from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, PETA killed 2,124 pets last year and placed only seven in adoptive homes. Since 1998, a total of 21,339 dogs and cats have died at the hands of PETA workers. Despite having a $32 million budget, PETA does not operate an adoption shelter. PETA employees make no discernible effort to find homes for the thousands of pets they kill every year...CCF

'Mad Cow' Regulation Affects Equine, Rendering Industries

The equine and rendering industries are anticipating a pinch from a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation intended to prevent the proliferation of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease"). The regulation on the 1997 legislation prohibits the use of most mammalian proteins in feed for ruminant (cud-chewing) animals. The final rule, which is slated to take effect April 27, specifies that the cattle body parts most at-risk for containing BSE prions, plus entire carcasses of BSE-positive cattle, be excluded from all animal feeds and pet foods. However, there's concern within the horse industry that the stringent collection and processing guidelines could cause rendering companies and haulers to eliminate livestock carcass pickups, including horses. Tom Cook, president of the National Renderers Association, said it will be an economically driven decision. "Cattle have been the largest portion of pickups. If renderers can't pick up enough volume or it's no longer financially viable, some might discontinue handling livestock altogether," Cook said. Laura Alvey, FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine deputy director of communications, suggested that those affected by the rule find alternative means of disposal during the 12-month implementation process...The Horse

Song Of The Day #007

Eddy Arnold was responsible for the Lonzo & Oscar duo. In the mid-Forties Arnold wanted a comedy act for his performances. He asked two band members, Lloyd George (Lonzo) and Rollin Sullivan (Oscar) to put something together. They become so popular that in 1948 they went out on their own. Over the years there were 6 Lonzo's, but Sullivan was always the Oscar.

The selection today is their 1948 recording of There's A Hole In The Bottom Of The Sea. This version is from a 26 track cd by the same name, BACM 198.

Emailers go here to play song.

US Hopes to Avoid Repeat of Kyoto Protocol

President Barack Obama's administration will be guided by a mix of "science and pragmatism" as it helps craft a global deal on climate change, the top U.S. climate official said Friday. Todd Stern said that would help the administration avoid a repeat of what happened with the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, when U.S. officials negotiated a deal in Japan that failed to win domestic support. The U.S. refusal to join the program to reduce emissions drew sharp international rebuke, and fueled views that George W. Bush's administration was opposed to global cooperation and environmental preservation. On the eve of talks marking the Obama team's debut in the U.N. climate change negotiations, Stern said the U.S. is committed to getting a deal that will help prevent the devastating effects of global warming and also be politically viable. "We do not have any interest in the United States in having a repeat of the Kyoto experience, where we signed an agreement that is dead on arrival when we brought it back home," Stern told reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin...CNS News

U.S. to raise vehicle fuel standards for 2011

The Obama administration plans to raise fuel efficiency standards by 2 miles per gallon to an average 27.3 mpg for new cars and trucks in the 2011 model year, marking the first increase in passenger car standards in more than two decades. Under the changes, which are slightly less stringent than those proposed by the Bush administration, new passenger cars will need to meet 30.2 mpg for the 2011 model year and pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and minivans will need to reach 24.1 mpg, an administration official said Thursday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak in advance of an announcement expected today. The fuel efficiency rules are the first step in meeting a 2007 energy law that will require carmakers to meet at least 35 mpg by 2020, a 40 percent increase over the current standard of about 25 mpg...AP

California to ban black and dark colored cars

If California regulators get their way, auto makers may soon be forced to rewrite a cliché from the Ford Model T era and start telling customers they can have any color they want as long as it isn’t black. Some darker hues will be available in place of black, but right now they are indentified internally at paint suppliers with names such as “mud-puddle brown” and are truly ugly substitutes for today’s rich ebony hues. The problem stems from a new “cool paints” initiative from the California Air Resources Board. CARB wants to mandate the phase-in of heat-reflecting paints on vehicle exteriors beginning with the ’12 model year, with all colors meeting a 20% reflectivity requirement by the ’16 model year. Because about 17 other states tend to follow California’s regulatory lead, as many as 40% of the vehicles sold in the U.S. could be impacted by the proposed directive, suppliers say. Heat-reflecting paints for black and other dark colors on vehicles have not been invented yet...Ward's Auto

Spokane residents smuggle suds over green brands

The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some law-abiding people in Spokane into dishwater-detergent smugglers. They are bringing Cascade or Electrasol in from out of state because the eco-friendly varieties required under Washington state law don't work as well. Spokane County became the launch pad last July for the nation's strictest ban on dishwasher detergent made with phosphates, a measure aimed at reducing water pollution. The ban will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time similar laws take effect in several other states. But it's not easy to get sparkling dishes when you go green. Many people were shocked to find that products like Seventh Generation, Ecover and Trader Joe's left their dishes encrusted with food, smeared with grease and too gross to use without rewashing them by hand...AP

Dust, Not Humans, Chief Cause of Atlantic Warming

The warming of Atlantic Ocean waters in recent decades is largely due to declines in airborne dust from African deserts and lower volcanic emissions, a new study suggests. Since 1980, the tropical North Atlantic has been warming by an average of a half-degree Fahrenheit (a quarter-degree Celsius) per decade. While that number may sound small, it can translate to big impacts on hurricanes, which are fueled by warm surface waters, said study team member Amato Evan of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Evan and his colleagues had previously shown that African dust and other airborne particles can suppress hurricane activity by reducing how much sunlight reaches the ocean and keeping the sea surface cool. In the new study, the researchers investigated the exact effect of dust and volcanic emissions on ocean temperatures. They combined satellite data of dust and other particles with existing climate models and calculated how much of the Atlantic warming observed during the last 26 years could be accounted for by simultaneous changes in African dust storms and tropical volcanic activity, primarily the eruptions of El Chichón in Mexico in 1982 and Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991. The results: More than two-thirds of this upward trend in recent decades can be attributed to changes in African dust storm and tropical volcano activity during that time...Fox News

Meat vs. Climate: The Debate Continues

At least since a 2006 United Nations report asserted that livestock is responsible for a full 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions — a higher percentage than that caused by transportation — a debate over meat consumption and climate change has been cooking. The latest round involves a recent editorial in the Archives of Internal Medicine by Barry M. Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina. In it, Mr. Popkin revisits several studies linking meat not just with heart disease and other health issues, but also with worldwide consumption of energy and water resources — and global warming. Water use, Mr. Popkin writes, is two to five times greater worldwide for animal-source food than for basic crops such as legumes and grains. He further argues that livestock production accounts for 55 percent of the erosion process in the United States and is also responsible for one-third of the total discharge of nitrogen and phosphorous to surface water. Not surprisingly, the Center for Consumer Freedom, which describes itself as a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies and consumers, issued a press release this week disputing Mr. Popkin’s editorial. “It is beyond dispute that any connection between meat production and global warming is a false one,” said David Martosko, the group’s director of research, in a phone interview. The C.C.F. said the United Nations’ conclusion that 18 percent of global greenhouse gases are caused by animal agriculture was also exaggerated. The group instead points to an Environmental Protection Agency report that puts the figure for all agriculture production — including meat — at just 6 percent. Mr. Marosko says that Mr. Popkin is “stretching the truth beyond recognition.”...NY Times

Steller sea lions gobbling up sturgeon below Bonneville Dam

Last month, government agencies gathered the media at Bonneville Dam to discuss the problem of sea lions eating endangered salmon. As if on cue, a sea lion surfaced below the dam, feasting on a fish as birds circled overheard. Cameras clicked, videotape rolled. But most missed that the sea lion wasn't eating a salmon. It was eating a sturgeon. Amid debate over the government's response to salmon-eating sea lions, which includes killing the mammals with gunshots or injections, a parallel but very different predator-prey phenomenon has evolved. Sea lions have gone from practically ignoring sturgeon at the dam to eating them by the hundreds, which could eventually threaten the fish and force wildlife experts to make some difficult choices. And though California sea lions eat most of the salmon at Bonneville, it's their larger cousins, Stellers, that eat nearly 98 percent of the sturgeon below the dam, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Compounding the problem is that Stellers, unlike California sea lions, are protected under the Endangered Species Act, limiting what wildlife agencies can do to keep them from sturgeon that spawn below the dam...The Oregonian

Innovative Retirement Planning for Cows and Sheep

Hank Fischer manages a special program called Wildlife Conflict Resolution for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). In English, that means he negotiates with ranchers to sell or “retire” public land grazing allotments to minimize conflicts between wildlife and domestic livestock. Since the early 1900s, western stockgrowers have leased public land for livestock grazing. These grazing permits or “allotments” have grown in value through time and have essentially become false equity for ranchers. They’re used for collateral in bank loans, and you’ve seen the real estate ads selling ranches touting figures like: “5000 deeded and 10,000 leased acres.” The private landowner isn’t actually selling those “leased acres,” usually federal land managed by the Forest Service (FS) or Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Instead, he/she is selling or transferring the right to exclusively run cows or sheep on certain sections of public land. Such transactions have, in essence, created an after-market for these grazing allotments, and the NWF has become a player in buying, selling and trading them as a way to solve chronic conflicts between livestock and controversial wild animals like bears, wolves and bison. “At first, it was all about the conflict with bears and wolves,” Fischer told NewWest.Net. “Now we’re seeing we can also address the conflict between bison and cattle as it relates to the brucellosis problem.” And the success has been sweet. To date, Fischer and his NWF comrades have raised more than $2,000,000 of mostly private money and retired 31 grazing allotments totaling 530,000 acres of conflict-ridden public pasture...New West

Cost Works Against Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources in Time of Recession

Windmills and solar panel arrays have become symbols of America’s growing interest in alternative energy. Yet as Congress begins debating new rules to restrict carbon dioxide emissions and promote electricity produced from renewable sources, an underlying question is how much more Americans will be willing to pay to harness the wind and the sun. Curbing carbon dioxide emissions — a central part of tackling climate change — will almost certainly raise electricity prices, experts say. And increasing the nation’s reliance on renewable energy will in itself raise costs. Federal efforts to rein in carbon dioxide emissions are starting to seem inevitable. The Environmental Protection Agency last week moved to regulate heat-trapping gases as harmful pollutants. And the Obama administration and Democratic leaders in Congress are hoping to push through a cap-and-trade bill that would force polluters to curb their emissions or buy permits from cleaner producers. Congress is also discussing whether to require that a certain percentage of the nation’s electricity come from renewable sources. The effect of any these measures will be to increase the cost of electricity. Regulation of carbon dioxide emissions will increase the cost of burning coal, a carbon-heavy energy source and currently the cheapest form of fossil fuel. Higher production costs will result in higher electricity rates. A quota for renewable energy sources will also raise rates because utilities will pass on increased costs to consumers. And wind and solar power are generally more expensive than the fossil fuels they are meant to supplant...NY Times

EPA Awards $800,000 in ‘Environmental Justice’ Grants

Communities in 28 states will receive $800,000 to address “environmental justice challenges,” the Environmental Protection Agency announced this week. Forty grants of up to $20,000 each are going to community-based organizations and to local and tribal governments for community projects addressing environmental and public health issues. One of the grant recipients is the Women's Environmental Institute at Amador Hill in North Branch, Minn., which describes itself as a “retreat center” where people can “renew, learn and organize for environmental justice.” The institute deals with environmental issues and policies relevant to women and children as well as communities “especially affected by environmental injustices.” The institute says it promotes “agricultural justice, organic and sustainable agriculture and ecological awareness.” It also supports “activism that influences public policy and promotes social change.”...CNS News

Taking Logging Into 21st Century

Booming timber towns with three-shift lumber mills are a distant memory in the densely forested Northwest. Now, with the housing market and the economy in crisis, some rural areas have never been more raw. Mills keep closing. People keep leaving. Unemployment in some counties is near 20 percent. Yet in parts of the region, the decline is being met by an unlikely optimism. Some people who have long fought to clear-cut the region’s verdant slopes are trying to reposition themselves for a more environmentally friendly economy, motivated by changing political interests, the federal stimulus package and sheer desperation. Some mills that once sought the oldest, tallest evergreens are now producing alternative energy from wood byproducts like bark or brush. Unemployed loggers are looking for work thinning federal forests, a task for which the stimulus package devotes $500 million; the goal is to make forests more resistant to wildfires and disease. Some local officials are betting there is revenue in a forest resource that few appreciated before: the ability of trees to absorb carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping gas that can contribute to global warming...NY Times