Salazar extends ban on filing new mining claims on a million acres of public land near the canyon-
Addition: Sierra Club happy (see bottom)
Salazar put the ban in place in 2009 after worry he would not. Now he has extended it six months. The Bush Administration had encouraged filing claims. which are property […]
Continue Reading →Salazar claims he will solve problems by dividing the oil leasing/revenue collecting agency-
It’s an obscure agency in the Dept of Interior to some, but not to the oil companies or the federal treasury. It collects more money than any federal agency except the IRS. It has been the seat of a number a scandals […]
Continue Reading →Salazar condemns oil industry lies about leasing on public lands-
Well good for the Secretary of Interior!
I don’t watch much television, but when I do, I’m amazed at the number of ads energy companies are producing. I’d bet 90% of the population believes that “BP” stands for beyond petroleum, not the company’s actual name […]
Continue Reading →New York Times editorial complains-
No ‘No More Wilderness’. New York Times editorial
Speaking of Utah specifically. Despite a huge base of roadless country, Utah has made a small contribution to the National Wilderness Preservation System compared to other Western States, especially given the high percentage of state being U.S. public lands. Utah could […]
Continue Reading →Eight tracts will not be auctioned; 52 studied more, 17 given up to oil and gas interests-
Tim DeChristopher’s brave disruption of the December 2008 oil and gas lease auction in Utah has resulted in a new decision by the new Secretary of Interior. Politicians and groups are characterizing it in differing fashions according to […]
Continue Reading →One of the easiest ways to get rid of bad policies is ignored by the new Administration-
Passing new laws is hard, and it is controversial. Issuing executive orders is less so, but still difficult. Settling suits against laws and regulations you don’t really support anyway is below the radar screen.
It hard for conservationists […]
Continue Reading →Despite our complaints about Salazar’s views, the GOP has taken unprecedented steps to oppose Salazar’s repeal of Bush’s policies for opposite reasons-
I can’t think of any other Administration where the minority party has tried so hard and been so successful preventing a new President from filling the positions in a government department. Rather […]
Continue Reading →This is the critical test of whether only pro-environment conscientious objection is prosecuted-
Today about 1000 ATV and 4 x 4 owners are going to deliberately violate the law and charge up the Paria River’s bed in the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument. Because they have announced the event as a deliberate violation of the law, […]
Continue Reading →Salazar has annonced $275,000,000 (275-million) of the stimulus money for National Wildlife Refuges and fish hatcheries.
It’s good news that $1.7 million went to Idaho. Over a million of it went to a fish hatchery built to replace spawning beds destroyed by the Dvorshak Reservoir on the North Fork of the Clearwater.
Montana got $3-million. […]
Continue Reading →Dept. of Interior is usually quite unrepresentative of the country, but this is extraordinary-
‘Colorado cabal’ takes Interior’s reins. By NOELLE STRAUB. New York Times.
Still, I’d say its better than the industry-minded bunch Dirk Kempthorne brought in Idaho.
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