GOP defers to McCain on Alaska oil drilling Republicans are putting John McCain's presidential prospects above their wish to drill for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Members of the GOP platform committee voted yesterday to stick with an energy plank that does not mention drilling in the refuge, saying it would only highlight an area where they differ with the Arizona senator. McCain opposes drilling in that protected land, and some committee members said they would rather bring him around on the issue after he is in the White House than widen their disagreement now....

Dems betting on New West Hopeful Democrats did more than showcase their candidates and purvey a spectacle of unity at their convention Equally important, they are planting their blue flag in America's newest, most geographically expansive "swing" region - the fast-growing, increasingly diverse, no-longer-reliably-Republican Intermountain West. A land of sagebrush and Sagebrush Rebellions, these states have been known more for Republican politics and Endangered Species Act blow-ups than nationally significant "king-making." But thanks to sweeping economic changes and a massive influx of blue-leaning voters, the southern intermountain region has become central to the Democrats' strategy for assembling a winning coalition. In each of the southern intermountain states, the greatest population growth has occurred among minority populations, especially Hispanics, and among Whites with bachelor's degrees and higher educational attainment. Polls show these groups lean more toward the Democrats than White, working-class populations, whose growth is either modest or negative....

Industry groups file lawsuit over polar bear rule Five industry groups have sued the Interior Department over a rule to protect the polar bear that they say unfairly singles out business operations in Alaska for their contribution to global warming. Groups representing the oil and gas, mining, and manufacturing industries asked a federal judge Wednesday to ensure that laws designed to protect the bear, which was recently designated a threatened species, are not used to block projects that release heat-trapping gases in the state. The American Petroleum Institute was joined by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Mining Association, the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Iron and Steel Institute in the lawsuit, which explicitly challenges three words — except in Alaska — that appear in a 62-page rule issued in May. That's when the polar bear became the first species with a population that the government has classified as threatened by global warming. The groups say the three words — which they refer to as The Alaska Gap — are unlawful and run counter to the administration's belief that it is impossible to link emissions from a single project to the increasing temperatures that threaten the polar bear. "Anchorage has no more effect on climate change or polar ice than does an emission in Ankara," the suit reads....

New Report Calls into Question ‘Man-Made’ Climate Change New scientific evidence suggests there is a stronger link between solar activity and climate trends on Earth than there is with greenhouse gases, Fred Singer, an atmospheric and space physicist, told CNSNews.com. The new data call into question whether scientific evidence shows that global warming is a man-made phenomenon and suggests that natural forces, as opposed to human activity, may drive global climate change. Singer is one of many scientists who say recent scientific observations have determined that “solar variability” – or fluctuations in the sun’s radiation – directly affects climate change on Earth. The report, “Nature, Not Human Activity Rules the Climate,”(pdf) has helped open the way for scientists to perform meaningful research in areas that have been largely unexplored and under-emphasized in previous studies, Singer said in the interview....

17,000 acres purchased by BLM for public use More than 17,000 acres of prime wildlife habitat in the Granite Range, Buffalo Hills, Twin Peaks and Poodle Mountain wilderness study areas in northern Washoe County now belong to the public, using money from public land sales in Southern Nevada. After a five-year process, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management purchased the land for $7.25 million from Todd and Sam Jaksick of Reno. State BLM director Ron Wenker called the 17,493-acre acquisition one of the largest and most important wildlife initiatives under the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act....

Motion Filed to Extend Review of Endangered Desert Nesting Bald Eagle Conservationists and American Indians filed a court request Wednesday requesting an extension of a deadline for protecting Arizona’s desert nesting bald eagle to allow Arizona’s Indian nations, communities, and tribes time to demonstrate that the eagle’s historical range is more extensive than acknowledged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Service’s removal of the eagle’s Endangered Species Act protections was reversed in March by U.S. District Court Judge Mary Murguia. The judge ordered the Service to immediately reinstate protections and provide a new evaluation and decision by December 5th. Wednesday’s motion, which seeks to extend the decision to October 12th, 2009, enjoys support from Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, and is unopposed by the Fish and Wildlife Service....

Feds propose expanding Peninsular bighorn sheep land Federal wildlife officials are proposing to expand by about 36,000 acres the amount of land they consider essential for the endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep to survive in the mountains above the Coachella Valley. Although the land was added to the latest so-called critical habitat proposal issued last October by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, environmentalists complained it is still half the land included in the agency's original 2001 decision. Jane Hendron, a Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman, said critical habitat doesn't necessarily include a species' entire range. She said the agency refined its mapping technique and excluded areas that already are developed when it reduced by half the 2001 habitat last year to some 420,487 acres....

County appeals in Plum Creek case Frustrated that the federal government appears to be withholding documents, Missoula County officials on Wednesday filed a formal appeal, requesting information related to an ongoing forest road controversy. “It looks to me as though they've withheld pretty much as many documents as they've provided,” said James McCubbin, deputy county attorney. “It's very clear that they haven't provided us with what we asked for.” What Missoula County asked for, in an earlier Freedom of Information Act request, were documents leading up to a road easement deal struck between the U.S. Forest Service and Plum Creek Timber Co.
For decades, the agency and the company have shared access easements on forest roads, allowing them to cross each other's lands for timber hauling. But in recent years, as real estate sales have become increasingly important to Plum Creek's profit margin, the company has argued the road agreements allow all sorts of access, including residential driveways....

USDA proposes downer rule The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced yesterday a proposed rule to amend the Federal meat inspection regulations to initiate a complete ban on the slaughter of cattle that become non-ambulatory after initial inspection by Food Safety and Inspection Service personnel. Under the proposed rule, all cattle that are non-ambulatory disabled at any time prior to slaughter, including those that become non-ambulatory disabled after passing ante-mortem inspection, will be condemned and properly disposed of. Previously, USDA allowed a case-by-case re-inspection of cattle that became disabled following a pre-slaughter inspection by FSIS personnel. If the inspector deemed the animal fit for human food it could then be slaughtered....

Time to fight invaders If scriptwriters need ideas for a horror movie, they should check out the new statewide invasive-species management plan. Some of the descriptions of the non-native plants and animals threatening Arizona can make your skin crawl. Crayfish, for instance. They're no big deal in their home territory. But in Arizona, where they're not native and have no natural predators, they are creepier than the Creature from the Black Lagoon. When crayfish get into an Arizona pond or stream, they start off by gobbling all the insects. As their population grows, they tear into the frogs and fish. Then they strip out the plants. In the end, when there's nothing else left to eat, they turn cannibal, devouring each other. The management plan, adopted by the governor this month, does a vivid job of laying out the scary scenarios. Quagga mussels invading our reservoirs, where they can cause millions of dollars in damage by clogging pipes and watercraft. Buffelgrass taking over swaths of the Sonoran Desert, where it competes with signature plants like saguaros, paloverdes and even creosote bushes. The plan is a lot hazier on the solution side, however....

Alaska voters put mining over fish Alaskans were given an option Tuesday when voting on the Clean Water Initiative in the primary election: mining or fish. They chose mining. With more 84 percent of votes tallied, the measure was losing with more than 57 percent of voters rejecting it. Brian Kraft, a lodge owner and member of the Renewable Resources Coalition that fought for the initiative, said the mining industry was guilty of fear-mongering and spreading mistruths about Ballot Measure 4. Ballot Measure 4 would impose two water quality standards on any new large-scale mines in Alaska. Had it passed, it would have restricted large, new mines from releasing toxic pollutants into water that would adversely affect the health of humans or salmon. The ballot measure defined toxic pollutants as substances that will cause death and disease in humans and fish. Opponents of the initiative say if it had passed, it would have killed large-scale mining in Alaska....

GOP adds global warming to its 2008 platform The National Republican Party for the first time is expected to acknowledge global warming in its 2008 GOP Platform, according to a draft of the document. “Increased atmospheric carbon has a warming effect on the earth,” the document said. “While the scope and long term consequences of this warming effect are the subject of ongoing research, we believe the United States should take measured and reasonable steps today.” Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, is a strong proponent of tackling global warming and has co-authored legislation to address the issue....

Grazing lawsuits spawn talks Ranchers and environmental activists have taken steps toward a dialogue over grazing on public lands, although the path has been rocky so far. Concerned about ongoing lawsuits challenging grazing, a few ranchers from Grant and Harney counties approached the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) earlier this summer to see if they could resolve the organization's concerns. The outreach came after similar talks brought a compromise in the deadlock between timber and environmental interests over wildfire salvage sales on Forest Service land in Grant and Harney counties. Ken Brooks, a Fox Valley rancher, said Grant County Judge Mark Webb and the ranchers were seeking ways to prevent ongoing lawsuits from undermining the cattle industry in the region....

Lawsuit resurrects wilderness issue Seven environmental groups put up a united front on Aug. 14, filing suit against the United States Forest Service for failing to adequately protect Southern California’s national forests. In 2005, local fire departments successfully fought to keep the proposed Sugarloaf Wilderness area out of the final Forest Service land management plan for fear it would hamper fire fighting abilities. The northern boundary of the proposed 3,000-acre Sugarloaf Wilderness is near the communities of Sugarloaf, Moonridge, Lake William and Erwin Lake. According to then Big Bear City Fire Chief Dana Van Leuven, wilderness restrictions would require firefighters to do their jobs on foot without heavy equipment or air support in the designated area. When making the final decision on the plan, San Bernardino National Forest supervisor Gene Zimmerman agreed the designation was unnecessary. “I have chosen not to recommend the Sugarloaf Roadless Area for wilderness designation even though it was included in the preferred alternative in the Draft Plan and EIS,” Zimmerman wrote in the record of decision. “My decision is based on the need for fuels treatment in the area to protect the Big Bear community. At the same time, I believe the current back country character will be effectively maintained using the Back Country Non-Motorized and Back Country Motorized Use Restricted land use zones.”....

Winds leave path of destruction in Western Idaho The anemometer atop the Bureau of Land Management fire tower on Lookout Mountain in Valley County clocked Monday evening's wind at 71 miles per hour. Then it broke. "They estimated the wind at 80 to 90 mph after it broke the instrument," said Valerie Mills, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boise. Another BLM instrument measured gusts at 65 miles per hour near Silver City. The powerful winds that pushed a cloud of dust, tumbleweeds and other debris hundreds of feet into the air caused fires, traffic accidents and property damage from the Oregon state line to Mountain Home....

Fire lawsuit targets gun club Although Trinity County, the federal Bureau of Land Management, and the Weaverville Rod & Gun Club all received demand letters months ago from Cal Fire for over $6 million in connection with the 2006 Junction Fire, the gun club is the only entity being sued. The demand letters to Trinity County and BLM have been rescinded, and the state Attorney General's Office has opted not to sue either of them, said Alan Carlson, deputy chief for Cal Fire's Northern Region. The gun club is another matter. A complaint against the club and individual members has been filed at the Trinity County Courthouse. Cal Fire seeks $6.3 million for its costs of suppressing and investigating the fire. Gun club members said recently that they had not yet received a summons in connection with the lawsuit. The July 29, 2006, Junction Fire started during an NRA-sanctioned service rifle shoot held at the range east of Junction City....

Hike could end with a towing bill Planning to save a few bucks in gas this weekend and go hiking locally? Don't blow the savings on towing fines. The U.S. Forest Service is cracking down hard on illegally parked cars along the Alpine Loop in American Fork Canyon. After previously placing signs and notices directly on cars, Forest Service employees threw up their hands and called the Utah County Sheriff's Office on Saturday. The result? Sixteen towed cars. The parking limit at Timpooneke and Tibble Fork is firm with only one real option if it's full when you get there: "Find another place to recreate," Clark said....

Sandia picnic areas closed due to bear sightings Three picnic sites in the Sandia Mountains have been temporarily closed after bears began venturing into the area in search of food, a spokeswoman for the Sandia Ranger District said Wednesday. Karen Takai said Cienega, Sulphur and Doc Long picnic areas will be closed for two weeks after a bear took an ice chest from one site Sunday. "The bears are looking for food obviously to fatten up for the winter, and they're going after picnic baskets," Takai said. The state Game and Fish Department will trap bears that are frequenting the picnic sites and remove them from the area, she said....

Rare mineral found in N.D. A brief mention in a half-century-old document has led an Australian company to a large and valuable deposit of high-grade germanium, a scarce silicon-like mineral used in making semiconductors, transistors and fiber optic cables. A consultant says it may be the first time a “significant” germanium deposit has been found in a coal seam in North America....

Lawmakers say rules are a ‘pain in the ass’ It’s taken just three convention days for Democratic lawmakers to get buyer’s remorse over sweeping new ethics rules they passed last year. Members of Congress attending the Democratic National Convention are expressing frustration with the thicket of restrictions that they say have caused confusion and pointless irritation. “It’s a pain in the ass!” said Rep. Jim Moran (Va.), one of 221 Democrats who voted for the final version of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. Lawmakers have paid as much as $90 from their own pocket to attend parties that many guests attend for free and that members of Congress used to enjoy gratis at past conventions. “I think the whole thing is ridiculous,” said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.)....The poor things. The general public has to put up with "ridiculous" laws every day. It's nice to see they gored their own ox.