Peacocks and Passions on Display in Senate Climate Debate

With the U.S. House of Representatives having narrowly approved a climate change bill late last month, attention has now moved to the Senate, which is busy debating just how to craft a version of its own. Setting aside leaders like James M. Inhofe, the Republican senator from Oklahoma who has referred to global warming as “the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” the chief concern surrounding any potential climate legislation in the United States is this: How will it affect the ability of American industry to compete around the globe? It is a fair question, particularly as rapidly industrializing nations — chiefly China — continue to resist the idea of implementing their own emission caps. “The logic is not difficult to understand,” Mr. Inhofe said in a speech on the Senate floor as his colleagues in the House were preparing to vote on their bill. “Carbon caps, according to reams of independent analyses, will severely damage America’s global economic competitiveness, principally by raising the cost of doing business here relative to other countries like China, where they have no mandatory carbon caps.” Jobs and businesses, Mr. Inhofe said, “will move overseas.” Whether or not that logic is as airtight as Mr. Inhofe suggests is widely debated — not least by a parade of witnesses now being called before various Senate committees and subcommittees to testify on the needs, merits and implications of climate policy generally and a cap-and-trade system specifically...NYTimes

Lobbyists lining up for shot at climate bill

The search for consensus on climate change legislation continues next week in the Senate, but it seems every day brings fresh reminders of how difficult that effort could be. Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has sought to entice wavering senators by stressing the legislation is as much about the economy as the environment. On Tuesday, her panel will examine how the clean-energy technologies' supporters say the legislation will improve local and state economies that have been withered by the recession. Previously, Boxer and the EPW Committee, which will write the climate bill, have looked at ways farmers and ranchers will benefit and ways the economy at large could remain competitive with other countries without carbon restraints if the United States moves forward on its own. "When we unleash the American innovative spirit, we will drive economic growth and create jobs and whole new industries here at home," Boxer said at a hearing on Thursday on clean energy and jobs. But even supporters acknowledge there may not be 59 other senators who share Boxer's optimistic economic outlook, and a number of industries remain wary of climate legislation. The American Petroleum Institute, which represents major oil producers, noted a study by the conservative Heritage Foundation that found the House bill could push gas prices back up to $4 a gallon. Even those industries more in tune with Boxer's vision are looking to mold the House climate bill more to their liking in the Senate, which could be difficult considering the Jenga-like structure of the measure...TheHill

Prof: Grazing a mixed bag

There's a lasting and fiery debate between some conservation-minded people and beef ranchers and eaters: Do cows harm the land? The parties in this argument have become polarized, to the point of dueling research stating vegetation absolutely can or absolutely cannot thrive without cattle, said Tom Sisk, a professor and conservation biologist at Northern Arizona University. So Sisk and colleagues set out a little more than a decade ago to shed some light on the question, and what they found was a little surprising to them. Starting in 1997, Sisk and researchers Matthew Loeser and Timothy Crews began sectioning off small parts of the 90,000-acre Flying M Ranch on Anderson Mesa east of Flagstaff. Some parts got intensely heavy grazing, chewing down most of whatever was there. Some got none. And most of the land received moderate grazing, with about 850 head of cattle currently. All of them were removed temporarily when the ranch ran out of water in 2002. The experimental areas heavily grazed produced more biomass (some plants began growing more quickly), but they were also much more vulnerable to an invasive plant, cheatgrass, that can take over a landscape and burn wildly. The non-grazed areas didn't grow more plant material faster. Most surprising of all: The areas grazed at a moderate level produced food well and had the most diverse plant life of any area, the most biodiversity. "It's really not about the cows," Sisk said. "It's about how long the cows are out there, how intensively the cows are out there, and more than anything, it's climate."...AzDailySun

Nominee to lead National Park Service has deep roots in West

As superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park outside Seattle, Jon Jarvis twice climbed the 14,411-foot peak. As director of the National Park Service's Pacific West Region, he ordered that his 56 parks be carbon neutral by 2016, when the agency celebrates its centennial. He has tangled with a California senator over oyster farming in a national seashore and, according to colleagues, jeopardized his career by opposing a Bush administration management plan to commercialize the parks and emphasize recreation over conservation. During his 30 years in the National Park Service, starting as a ranger, he championed the effort to transform the "scenery management" approach of "old buffalo" superintendents into one where protecting natural and cultural resources is as important as attracting tourists. In nominating Jarvis for director of the National Park Service, President Barack Obama selected someone who appears to have few critics. "We couldn't have a better person," said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over the nomination. If confirmed by the Senate, Jarvis will head an agency that faces troubling operational budget shortfalls, a multibillion-dollar maintenance backlog, low employee morale and fundamental questions about its future...McClatchy

Wilderness or farming?

Visitors to the Point Reyes National Seashore might drive right by the Drake's Bay Oyster Co. if it weren't for a small sign at the end of a long gravel road along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Hidden from the road behind rolling rangeland on the pristine seashore, the family-run oyster farm was once known only to locals and seafood buyers who relished the oysters farmed in Drake's Bay next to a kayak launching point. But now the oyster farm is embroiled in a bitter public dispute that has pitted environmentalist against environmentalist, scientist against scientist, and a U.S. senator against the National Park Service. The fight has spawned petition drives and "Save Drake's Bay Oyster Farm" T-shirts. At issue is whether the more than 70-year-old farm should be allowed to continue operating after its federal lease expires in 2012. Officials with the National Park Service and several environmental groups say the farm harms the local ecosystem and its area of operation should return to wilderness status. The 1,100-acre farm and nearby cattle and dairy ranches were allowed to continue operating when the Point Reyes National Seashore was established in 1960. But when Congress passed the Point Reyes Wilderness Act in 1976, Drake's Bay – also known as Drake's Estero – was designated "potential wilderness." The farm was granted a special federal lease to continue operation until 2012. The lease is renewable...SacramentoBee

County sends message to Salazar on dam removal

The Siskiyou County board of supervisors agreed to send another strongly worded letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar regarding compensation to the county in the event he determines that dam removal should proceed on the Klamath River. The letter states that the board has authorized its negotiator “to participate in discussions regarding a Final Agreement for the study of the cost and benefits of the removal of PacifiCorp’s dams on the Klamath River.” It was prepared by county counsel Tom Guarino and signed by all five supervisors who state that the county has engaged in discussions about dam removal in good faith and “with the promise that the concerns of Siskiyou County would be addressed.” “We are concerned at this point that our concerns are not going to be addressed and in fact are being marginalized in a reckless, headlong pursuit of a predetermined outcome,” the letter states.
According to the letter, Secretary Salazar has made public statements that “this effort must not fail.” The letter asserts that “this effort” is in fact that PacifiCorp’s dams be removed. “Perhaps you can understand our concern that, when you go to make your determination of whether the costs and benefits of removal of these facilities warrants their removal, you may be predisposed toward an outcome and not entirely objective,” the letter continues. The letter flatly states that, “at this point in time, it is a fact that there are insufficient studies to warrant removal of these facilities.” In order to be legitimate, these studies “must be conducted in a transparent and open manner,” the letter states, “consistent with President Obama’s memorandum of March 9, 2009, regarding scientific integrity.” The supervisors point out in the letter that the studies should analyze the impacts of the proposed removal, as well as a consideration of all impacts of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA), “which clearly is a part of the intended consequence of the removal of the facilities.” The board is concerned that the cumulative effects of federal policies are not being considered. “For example, the Northwest Forest Plan has had a severe negative effect on Siskiyou’s economy, for which no mitigations have been provided,” the letter states, “The cumulative impact of all such federal activity is interrelated to the decaying economic conditions in this County and therefore must be considered in any cost/benefit analysis.”...MountShastaNews

Farmers, ranchers oppose water bill

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said he came to San Angelo looking for ammunition to fight pending legislation that he says would damage private property rights. He should be leaving with a truckload of it. Cornyn met with several dozen farmers, ranchers, local leaders and heads of more than 10 state organizations Friday in a roundtable discussion about the pending Clean Water Restoration Act. The bill would broaden the power of the U.S. government in regulating surface water. The Clean Water Act is limited to “navigable” waters. The legislation would replace “navigable” with the words “all waters of the United States,” Cornyn said. That includes “prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes and natural ponds,” according to the bill. “This legislation could regulate everything from stock tanks to ditches,” he said. “We need to remind them when they get overambitious it’s time to back off. I want to get ammunition to take back to Washington to slow this down and take a look at this and have a debate.” More than 50 people attended the Friday roundtable, and everyone who spoke opposed the pending legislation...SanAngeloStandardTimes

Survey finds issue of unwanted horses growing

Problems related to unwanted horses are perceived to be growing, with more than 90% of respondents to a recent survey indicating that the number of abused, neglected and unwanted horses is increasing, according to the Unwanted Horse Coalition, which commissioned the survey. The coalition said 87% of respondents said the issue is now "a big problem," compared with 22% who believed that three years ago. The coalition said respondents consider the economic recession to be a major contributor to the unwanted horse problem. The closing of U.S. horse slaughter facilities, changes in breed demand, indiscriminate breeding and high costs of euthanasia and carcass disposal were also cited as important reasons, the coalition said. Regarding placement options for unwanted horses, the coalition said 63% of equine rescue/retirement facilities polled reported that they are at or near capacity and turn away 38% of horses brought to them. Capacity is clearly the issue, the coalition said, in that as many horses stay for life at the facilities as are adopted out...Feedstuffs

Groups push to slaughter horses for meat

Ranchers, Native Americans and others are pushing for the renewed slaughter of horses in the U.S. -- possibly starting in Oregon -- and processing them into meat. Groups are lobbying Congress to introduce a bill this summer to allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to resume inspecting horse meat for human consumption. That would reopen the door to foreign exports. In addition, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are considering building a slaughter and processing facility -- possibly for pet food -- on their reservation north of Madras, as recommended last spring by a coalition of Northwest tribes. Yet the efforts, in addition to riling animal-rights advocates, underscore a rural-urban divide and the desperate state of America's horse industry. Supporters say they need a way to deal with tens of thousands of unwanted horses. The glut was caused by factors such as uncontrolled breeding, closure of the last U.S. horse-processing plants two years ago and an economy that has left many owners unable to pay for feed and care. The situation has led to a steep decline in horse prices, overgrazing on Native American reservations, and incidents of horse abandonment and neglect, among other problems. "We think it is very fair and accurate to say there are probably 100,000 horses that would go to processing today" if a plant were available, said Wyoming state Rep. Sue Wallis, a rancher emerging as a national leader in pushing to reinstate horse slaughtering...Oregonian

North Coast dairy cows sold to slaughter as milk prices fall

Joseph “Joey” Mendoza walks slowly through an empty milking barn at his 150-year-old dairy down the road from the Point Reyes Lighthouse. Mendoza, 65, a third-generation dairyman, sold his 489 dairy cows three weeks ago as part of a national program that seeks to ease what many are calling the worst milk crisis in 70 years. More than 100,000 cows were sent to slaughter under a program developed by the National Milk Producers Federation. Milk prices remain depressed, and program officials recently announced another “herd retirement” that seeks to remove roughly 100,000 more animals from milk production by paying up to $1,500 per cow. For Mendoza, whose grandfather came to the Point Reyes area to milk cows at the turn of the last century, the decision to sell his Holsteins was especially painful. He called it necessary to pay off creditors and to stop the months of financial losses caused by high feed costs and low milk prices. As a result, a typical California dairy with 1,000 cows is losing about $100,000 a month, said Michael Marsh, chief executive officer of the Modesto-based Western United Dairymen. The economic troubles contributed to the suicides of two Central Valley dairy farmers this spring...SantaRosaPressDemocrat

Riders from Mexico arrive in Black Hills

About 50 people riding horseback from Mexico to Canada as part of the “Best of America by Horseback” television show arrived in South Dakota on Sunday. The Mexico to Canada trail ride arrived in Hot Springs Sunday and will be in the state, riding through the Black Hills on the Mickelson Trail and then to Belle Fourche, until it crosses into North Dakota in mid August. Custer has been designated as the “Best of America by Horseback” trailriding area of the year. While there, the entourage will camp at Plenty Star Ranch, located nine miles south of Custer on Highway 384 near the Mickelson Trail. Owners Isa and John Kirk, who ran a horse campground for 15 years before closing it this year, will host a pig roast campfire dinner for the riders. The Kirks raise registered Spanish mustangs that will be filmed by the show. Seay expects to turn the five-month trip into a series of at least 13 television shows that feature scenic horse-riding areas and communities that “are the heart and soul of America.”...RapidCityJournal

Where rodeo reigns, mutton bustin' is the first notch in a little cowboy's belt

SANTA FE, N.M. - It's 30 seconds before his big rodeo ride, and Julian Apodaca looks as if he wants to disappear under the wide brim of his white cowboy hat. He's staring down at his boots, rubbing at his teary eyes. Julian's father, a former junior bull-riding champion, has a hand on each of his 5-year-old son's shoulders. "It's OK, hijo," Vince Apodaca says as somebody plucks the hat off the boy's head and replaces it with a helmet. "Cowboy up, OK? I don't want no crying when you get on there." This is the world of a little-known but beloved rodeo event where kids a few years out of diapers ride sheep just as the big boys ride bulls. Suburban parents put their kids in Little League. In the country, where rodeo is king, parents sign up their kids for Mutton Bustin'. In a flash, a rodeo hand lifts Julian from his father's arms and swings him onto the back of an unhappy sheep, which is jerking around in a small pen. "I love you!" Julian's dad calls out as the gate comes up. The sheep shoots into the arena, and there's Julian, clinging tightly to its neck. Suddenly the animal cuts right and Julian slips left, tumbling into the dirt. As if that wasn't bad enough, the sheep kicks him with a hind hoof as it stumbles away. There are gasps all around. Then Julian stands up, wobbles a bit, and grins...ChicagoTribune

Chamber names Cox family for cowboy honor

The Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce is celebrating Western Bank’s National Day of the American Cowboy Saturday, July 25, by recognizing the pioneer W.W. Cox ranch family of the Organ Mountains. The chamber held its first American Cowboy event last year, honoring Frank DuBois, former New Mexico Department of Agriculture director, state secretary of agriculture and founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship at New Mexico State University. The narration on the Cox family has been compiled by agriculture committee member Steve Wilmeth, who interviewed members of the Cox family and researched historical documents. W.W. Cox arrived at San Augustine in the Organ Mountains in 1888 looking for rangeland for his sheep. W.W. Cox was originally from Dewitt, Texas, inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Disputes caused by cattle- rustling and lingering Civil War animosity developed into a feud. One of the victims was James W. Cox, W.W. Cox’s father, who was killed in an ambush. W.W. Cox vowed he would get even, but had to leave Texas “in a hurry,” according to the narrative. W.W. Cox eventually went into the beef business and increased his grazing holdings to 150,000 acres. He and his wife, the former Margaret Rhode, had 10 children, including Hal, Jim and A.B., who became ranchers. W.W. Cox died in 1923. The ranch operated as an estate until 1926, when the brothers and Eckert Stablein brought the ranch from the other heirs. They ran it until 1936, when Hal took the northern portion, Jim bought out Stablein and A.B. used his money to buy an Otero Mesa ranch, according to the narration. Sara Cox Hopkins, a granddaughter of W.W. Cox and daughter of A.B. Cox, said she believes people who are tied to the land are part of what has made this a great country...LasCrucesBulletin

Its all Trew: Preserving garden seed important

Most old-timers who survived the Great Depression and Dust Bowl will tell you, "Our garden produce and home-canned foods pulled us through." Cellars and pantries with shelves of home-canned fruits, meats and vegetables kept hunger at bay though few had money to spend. Take a trip today through the small towns and communities, and you will see countless gardens growing food for the families. Evidently garden seed is in great demand as we hear gardeners complaining of lack of supplies to choose from and the high prices. A small envelope containing a dozen or more seeds can cost many dollars. This is a long way from the old days when all gardeners selected seeds from prize varieties to dry and store until the next spring planting. My grandparents kept seed in coffee cans, small glass jars or used envelopes. A day or two before planting time, the seeds were soaked in water with Garrett's Snuff added hopefully to keep the worms and birds from eating the seed after being planted. The early settlers, lacking today's handy containers, raised gourds of various size, harvested, dried and cleaned them to make seed containers. Somehow the gourds kept the seed dry, insulated and prevented mold. By hanging them from the rafters of a cellar or barn, the rodents were kept at bay. Some plants, like dill, were hung by the stalks until needed. I imagine the elders of that time slept a lot better each winter knowing the next year's garden seed was safe and sound and ready for planting...AmarilloGlobeNews

Song Of The Day #087

Julie Carter's most recent Cowgirl Sass & Savvy has a humorous take on how some cowboys responded to a grassfire.

That story reminded me of a classic by Rex Allen, so today's Ranch Radio will feature Rex singing The Fireman Cowboy.

You will find it on his 16 track CD Voice of the West.

Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

While you slept ...

Julie Carter

There is absolutely not anything funny about a grass or forest fire but often in the midst of the firefight, humor arrives.

One night on the remote plains of the far side of the county, a lightning strike started a fire in a ranch pasture.

Not anything much out there except miles of ranchland and what remained of a teensy town that had retained only a few deserted buildings and a name.

It was also at least two hours by highway from any real fire-fighting agency.

The nearest rancher to this ghost-stop on the highway served as mayor and fire chief by title and reputation. High desert ranching requires a great sense of humor and the occasional ego boost that an elevated title can sometimes provide.

One of the items remaining in the long-deserted town of Ramon was an ancient fire truck. The battery required constant charging, which didn't happen, and the water tank leaked so it was never full. Other than that, it was in fine shape.

The night of this specific grass fire, the phone calls went out to a few ranchers.

Waking up the chief of the Ramon Fire Department took some doing, but he finally answered the phone.

Pulling on his britches and his hat, the usual rancher's lid that needed an oil change months ago, he hollered at his nearly adult son and out the door they went.

The process of charging the battery and finding a hose to fill the water truck began.

Meanwhile, over the hill back to the west, another cowboy who had always been a addicted to farm sales, knew he had a cattle sprayer parked somewhere "over yonder on the hill."

The most recent endorsement of this piece of equipment had been at a cattle-spraying event.

A cowboy commented that he could pee further than the sprayer could spray, leaving its validity as fire fighting equipment certainly at least questionable.

However, it did hold water, so after the tires were aired up, the cowboy hooked onto it with the pickup and off he went over the hill to fight the fire.

By this time, the fire had gotten so big, that in the dark, it alone summoned folks from near and far.

Back at the Ramon Fire Department, aka the chief's house, the fire truck was revved up and headed out to the fire. It was very dark and hard to see where exactly to drive as the truck made its way through the pasture toward the flames.

The chief was at the wheel of the truck, barreling through the night to the rescue like a caped crusader, while his eldest son was riding fireman-style on the truck fender hollering "EEEE, HAAWWW," at the top of his lungs.

About that time, the chief drove the truck off in a wash and it came to a sudden, solid halt, nose down. The son on the fender was tossed through the air, landing somewhere in the near vicinity. But he came up dusting himself off. No harm done.

Nothing broke, except the fire truck.

Nearly everyone in close proximity of the fire left what they were doing to go check out the fire truck wreck.

Meanwhile the cowboy with the sprayer, coming to save the day, blew out a tire. So when the chore of dragging the chief and his fire truck out of the wash was finished, the crew all went to see what the problem was with the cowboy.

In the meantime, the rancher with the fire on his property had put his road grader into operation and made a fire-line circle around the fire. The flames eventually died out on their own.

It was still the wee hours of the morning, everyone was wide-awake and nobody wanted to go back home. So they circled their rigs, drug out the food they'd brought (another standard thing for country folk) and had a version of a block party.

The rancher thanked everyone for their help, and exhausted, headed off to tend to his livestock and ranch chores.

All this while you slept.

Julie can be reached for comment at www.julie-carter.com

Which reminds me, Rex Allen's The Fireman Cowboy would make a great Song Of The Day. Tune in Monday.

Song Of The Day #086

Today's gospel selection is Home In The Rock by the bluegrass duo Charlie Moore & Bill Napier.

The song is from their King LP Country Hymnal (King 917).

Judge: Airlines can't question FBI in 9/11 suits

A federal judge ruled Thursday that airlines and other companies in the industry that are being sued by families of terrorism victims can't question FBI agents about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The defendants wanted to depose the agents and sought access to other evidence related to the investigation of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in order to show at trial that the government's failure to catch the terrorists and prevent the attacks mitigates and excuses any alleged fault on the aviation companies' part. The government objected. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in New York said the defendants have also argued that the terrorists likely would have succeeded even if the defendants had exercised due care. "The issues to be tried relate to the acts and omissions of the aviation defendants, not the government," Hellerstein wrote in his ruling. "The government's failures to detect and abort the terrorists' plots would not affect the aviation defendants' potential liability."...AP

Real ID Act faces repeal after outcry from Napolitano, states

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is asking Congress to repeal a post-Sept. 11, 2001, law that was meant to enhance the security of driver's licenses but has elicited the wrath of governors nationwide who say it is too costly. The Real ID Act, which was passed in 2005 but doesn't begin to go into effect until the end of the year, was the brainchild of Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Menomonee Falls who then served as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Appearing Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Napolitano warned that millions of travelers could face increased security screening at airports next year unless Congress acts soon because few states are on track to comply with the law. She wants lawmakers to pass a new measure known as Pass ID that would increase driver's license security but give states more leeway on how to implement the changes. Sensenbrenner, who authored the Real ID Act in an attempt to enhance the security of driver's licenses after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, called Napolitano's proposal a "watered-down" version of his original act...JournalSentinel

Judge Napolitano - Liberty and Safety

For a professor of law at one of the country's best law schools who was once the go-to guy in the Justice Department whenever the Bush White House needed legal cover for its truly lawless ventures outside the Constitution, John Yoo has revealed a breathtaking ignorance of American values, history, and jurisprudence. In his startling mea culpa, published in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, Professor Yoo confessed to advising President Bush that he possessed powers from some source other than the Constitution, that in the name of public safety he could cut down all laws written for the express purpose of restraining the President, and that Americans would expect no less than this so long as they were actually kept safe as a result of it. He advanced the argument that since the President's first job is to keep us safe, he could disregard the 1978 FISA law as "obsolete" since it was written in an era when modern day non-state terrorism was not contemplated. By this unprecedented and perverse logic, one wonders if the President was told if he could disregard as obsolete any law that was inconvenient to his purposes; even the Supreme Law of the Land itself, which the Constitution declares itself to be...LWR