Friday, August 28, 2015
Santa Fe climate group seeking fee to reduce greenhouse gases
A local non-profit group looking to reduce greenhouse gases has started a petition drive aimed at swaying the city and county of Santa Fe to impose a $2 per month impact fee to fund initiatives to reduce carbon and methane emissions.
Robb Hirsch, founder and executive director of Santa Fe’s Climate Change Leadership Institute, says more than 1,000 people have already signed the online petition that calls for the city and county “to adopt a reasonable environmental impact fee to support green community empowerment initiatives.”
“It’s important to work with the community to make sure this is wanted, which it is, and make sure this is coming as a groundswell of support from the community,” said Hirsch, who hopes to present the petition to the City Council in October.
Asked how the impact fee might be imposed, Hirsch said probably the most practical way would be a flat fee on water utility bills, coupled with an additional amount based on water usage as part of an effort to reduce water consumption.
Another method of imposing the fee might be through property taxes, basing it on a sliding scale so higher valued properties would pay more, but that could be harder to achieve, he said.
Money generated from the impact fee could be used to fund initiatives to help offset the effects of climate change. Those could include solar installations, community gardens, home weatherization programs, low energy loans to help residents transition to renewable energy, and education programs informing people how they can reduce their carbon footprint...more
EPA imposes water rule in all states except those that sued
A defiant Environmental Protection Agency on Friday put into effect controversial new water regulations, despite a federal judge's decision to place a temporary hold on the rule for fear it would harm states.
The EPA says it is interpreting Thursday's injunction as applying only to the states that sued in the North Dakota district court, according to a spokeswoman. The Clean Water Rule, also known as the Waters of the U.S. rule, goes into effect Friday as planned, except in the 13 states that filed the North Dakota lawsuit.
"The Clean Water Rule is fundamental to protecting and restoring the nation's water resources that are vital for our health, environment and economy," said Melissa Harrison, a spokeswoman for the agency. She says the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers "have been preparing to implement the rule on the effective date of Aug. 28." The rule increases EPA jurisdiction over ditches, tributaries and other small waterways, making farmers, ranchers and other land developers subject to federal enforcement actions under the Clean Water Act.
The circuit court's temporary hold on implementation of the water rule applies only in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, according to the EPA. All remaining 37 states will become subject to the new rule Friday.
"In all other respects, the rule is effective on Aug. 28," Harrison says...more
President must experience 'real' Alaska through its people
By DAN SULLIVAN
Alaska has benefited from many Presidential visits, and it’s always good to have the national spotlight shine on us. President Ronald Reagan’s visits were particularly memorable, given his keen appreciation for Alaska’s vast natural resources and understanding of the federal government’s history of locking up those resources by taking Alaska lands.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” President Reagan said in a 1979 campaign stop, bemoaning federal land-grabs. “It’s gotten to the point where a tourist who comes up here won’t even be able to see this land.” In 1983 while serving as President, he spoke stirringly of the importance of Alaska’s natural resources during a visit.
“Your state is a treasure trove of resources vital to our economy and to the well-being of every American,” he said.
President Reagan, a former western governor, understood Alaska.
I know that President Obama — whose upcoming visit is important for us all — is from a different party and has vastly different beliefs about how to grow the economy and the role of the federal government in our lives.
And I believe that many of his administration’s actions — including the consistent usurpation of Congress’ powers through issuing executive orders and locking up huge swaths of energy-rich Alaska land — are very detrimental to our country’s and Alaska’s economy.
However, there’s something I’m reminded of every day while representing Alaska in the U.S. Senate: Most Alaskans’ hopes and dreams transcend political ideologies. We all want what’s best for our families and communities now and for generations to come. We all want to live in a country that is teeming with opportunity, available to us all.
But in Alaska, a land of extraordinary potential, we face a unique problem, one that I hope President Obama recognizes during his visit. In order to make full use of our opportunities, we need to be seen not as symbols or abstractions, but as individuals. With real problems, real needs, real hopes and wishes, living in real cities and towns and rural communities — real people living in a real state.
For too long and by too many Outside, Alaska hasn’t been treated as a place in and of its own. It’s been a battleground and a playground, over-romanticized and underappreciated.
When the President visits, I hope that he is able to see Alaska not as a snow globe — something to put on a shelf and shaken for a feel-good moment — but as a place described by the drafters of our Constitution as “a homeland filled with opportunities for living, a land where you can worship and pray, a country where ambitions will be bright and real, an Alaska that will grow with you as you grow.”
Dan Sullivan is a Republican representing Alaska in the U.S. Senate.
Good luck with that Senator.
Your state is about to be used as a prop for Obama's global warming/climate change agenda. His eyes are on Paris, not Anchorage.
Alaska has benefited from many Presidential visits, and it’s always good to have the national spotlight shine on us. President Ronald Reagan’s visits were particularly memorable, given his keen appreciation for Alaska’s vast natural resources and understanding of the federal government’s history of locking up those resources by taking Alaska lands.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” President Reagan said in a 1979 campaign stop, bemoaning federal land-grabs. “It’s gotten to the point where a tourist who comes up here won’t even be able to see this land.” In 1983 while serving as President, he spoke stirringly of the importance of Alaska’s natural resources during a visit.
“Your state is a treasure trove of resources vital to our economy and to the well-being of every American,” he said.
President Reagan, a former western governor, understood Alaska.
I know that President Obama — whose upcoming visit is important for us all — is from a different party and has vastly different beliefs about how to grow the economy and the role of the federal government in our lives.
And I believe that many of his administration’s actions — including the consistent usurpation of Congress’ powers through issuing executive orders and locking up huge swaths of energy-rich Alaska land — are very detrimental to our country’s and Alaska’s economy.
However, there’s something I’m reminded of every day while representing Alaska in the U.S. Senate: Most Alaskans’ hopes and dreams transcend political ideologies. We all want what’s best for our families and communities now and for generations to come. We all want to live in a country that is teeming with opportunity, available to us all.
But in Alaska, a land of extraordinary potential, we face a unique problem, one that I hope President Obama recognizes during his visit. In order to make full use of our opportunities, we need to be seen not as symbols or abstractions, but as individuals. With real problems, real needs, real hopes and wishes, living in real cities and towns and rural communities — real people living in a real state.
For too long and by too many Outside, Alaska hasn’t been treated as a place in and of its own. It’s been a battleground and a playground, over-romanticized and underappreciated.
When the President visits, I hope that he is able to see Alaska not as a snow globe — something to put on a shelf and shaken for a feel-good moment — but as a place described by the drafters of our Constitution as “a homeland filled with opportunities for living, a land where you can worship and pray, a country where ambitions will be bright and real, an Alaska that will grow with you as you grow.”
Dan Sullivan is a Republican representing Alaska in the U.S. Senate.
Your state is about to be used as a prop for Obama's global warming/climate change agenda. His eyes are on Paris, not Anchorage.
EPA releases more docs - Sediment a "long term" concern in Colorado mine spill's wake
Environmental officials said Thursday their long-term concern after the 3 million-gallon Gold King Mine spill centers around the metallic sediment left in its wake.
Specifically, the Environmental Protection Agency says it is worried about the potential stirring up of sediment during "high-water events" and the sludge's effect on people who are continually recreating for long periods — several weeks — of time.
The EPA mentioned the concerns as part of a data release accompanying 77 pages of documents chronicling the minutes and hours before and after the agency-triggered spill. The Aug. 5 disaster sent yellow-orange sludge through three states and two American Indian tribes, prompting emergency declarations and leaving communities along hundreds of river miles angry. The EPA says data, collected over the past two weeks, shows surface water metal levels at 24 sampling locations along the watershed below the spill are "trending toward pre-event conditions." Metal levels in the sediment, the EPA says, are below the agency's recreational screening level.
However, the EPA says it is not certain there are no health risks from the sediment.
"Risks to humans from metals in the sediments are based upon the total exposure a person may have over a given period of time," David Gray, an EPA spokesman, said. "Exposure from sediments would be from hand-to-mouth exposures. We want to ensure that the concentration of metals in the sediments are sufficiently low enough to ensure that a recreational person will not be exposed to harmful levels of metals."...more
EPA: Waste pressure evidently never checked before Colorado mine spill
Dangerously high levels of water pressure behind the collapsed opening of the Gold King Mine were never checked by the Environmental Protection Agency, in part because of cost and time concerns.
The revelations came Wednesday as the EPA released an internal review of a massive Aug. 5 blowout at the mine above Silverton. The report called an underestimation of the pressure the most significant factor leading to the spill.
According to the report, had crews drilled into the mine's collapsed opening, as they had done at a nearby site, they "may have been able to discover the pressurized conditions that turned out to cause the blowout." According to the review, drilling into the collapsed opening would have been "quite costly" and taken more time because of soil and rock conditions at the site.
The review says crews believed that because water was leaking from the Gold King and based on seep levels above its opening, a buildup of pressure was "less likely." Because of those signs, officials say, drilling appeared to be unnecessary. EPA supervisor Hays Griswold, who was at the scene of the blowout Aug. 5, told The Denver Post in an interview this month that conditions in the mine were worse than anticipated.
"Nobody expected (the acid water backed up in the mine) to be that high," he said.
The report says, however, that decreased wastewater flows from the mine, which had been leaching for years, could have offered a clue to the pressurization. Also, a June 2014 task order about work at the mine said "conditions may exist that could result in a blowout of the blockages."
The inability to obtain an actual measurement of the mine water pressure behind the mine's blocked opening "seems to be a primary issue," according to the review. It went on to say that if the pressure information had been obtained, other steps could have been considered.
It did not elaborate on what those steps could have been...more
Editorial - Wolf in sheep’s clothing?
Last week, a new era of uncertainty was ushered in along the Fort Lyon Canal when 14,600 acres of farmland was sold to Arkansas River Farms LLC.
The $45 million purchase has Southeastern Colorado agricultural and conservation interests on edge. Arkansas River Farms is an affiliate of C&A Companies and Resource Land Holdings. Water speculator and developer Karl Nyquist is a principal with C&A Companies, the parent company of GP Water, which has resources on the Lamar Canal and in 2011 announced plans to move water to various Front Range communities. While Arkansas River Farms apparently has indicated it will continue to use the Fort Lyon Canal water for agricultural purposes, the company bears watching.
Farming is a profitable business right now, so it makes financial sense for Arkansas River Farms to use the available water for farming and ranching. But the agricultural markets can be fickle, as prices and input costs rise and fall on a regular basis. If farming and ranching becomes less profitable down the road, there’s no telling what will happen with the valuable Fort Lyon Canal water.
The $45 million purchase has Southeastern Colorado agricultural and conservation interests on edge. Arkansas River Farms is an affiliate of C&A Companies and Resource Land Holdings. Water speculator and developer Karl Nyquist is a principal with C&A Companies, the parent company of GP Water, which has resources on the Lamar Canal and in 2011 announced plans to move water to various Front Range communities. While Arkansas River Farms apparently has indicated it will continue to use the Fort Lyon Canal water for agricultural purposes, the company bears watching.
Farming is a profitable business right now, so it makes financial sense for Arkansas River Farms to use the available water for farming and ranching. But the agricultural markets can be fickle, as prices and input costs rise and fall on a regular basis. If farming and ranching becomes less profitable down the road, there’s no telling what will happen with the valuable Fort Lyon Canal water.
The Fort Lyon Canal
water has been targeted for moving northward since 2006, when Pure Cycle
purchased the local land and proposed a pipeline to developments near Aurora. Nothing has come
of the transfer idea yet, but the recent sale intensifies the threat to Arkansas Valley water resources because of the
deep pockets of Nyquist and his affiliated real estate and development
companies.
It’s reasonable to assume that the long-term intentions
of Arkansas River Farms may be to dry up land and move water. But the
exportation of this critical agricultural water would be nothing short of
devastating to the entire region.
USDA spending another $211 million to protect sage grouse
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday unveiled the government’s plan to spend $211 million over the next four years to protect the sage grouse and its habitat.
Under what officials are calling the Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0, ranchers will receive additional financial assistance to improve conservation efforts on their land to benefit the bird and their agricultural operations, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In a statement, Vilsack said these “efforts are also good for cattle, good for ranching operations, and good for America’s rural economy.” The government, along with private groups, have been working on conserving land to protect sage grouse since 2010. They have conserved 4.4 million acres, an area that's twice the size of Yellowstone National Park.
Between 2010 and last year, the government spent $296.5 million on those projects. By the end of 2018, the USDA expects it will have spent $760 million along with private partners...more
Our enemies haven't been as successful as our leaders
Calling forest fires, the rising temperatures and our drought “an atmospheric fact of life” from one side of his mouth while ridiculing from the other side of his mouth those who propose dams and water storage is perhaps the most questionable thing I’ve personally heard California’s governor say.
Except for that little part where he thought policing agriculture more might be “good advice.”
...Equally unbelievable are state and federal regulators who continue to hide in their ivory cathedrals behind court documents and bureaucratic excuses while they flush trillions of gallons of water down rivers to the benefit of a handful of fish and the detriment of human beings.
The latest example of experimenting with fish flows during an historic drought comes out of Trinity County and the move by the Bureau of Reclamation to ostensibly help sick salmon in the Klamath River by draining Trinity Reservoir. This comes after tens of thousands of acre feet of water was flushed down the Stanislaus River to coax less than a dozen fish back to the Delta where they were likely consumed by predatory bass.
When fires turn extreme, get out of the way
By Rocky Barker
The past two weeks covering the Soda Fire in Southwest Idaho and the fires in North Idaho has given me renewed respect for the firefighters who protect our lives and national treasure.
Everyone appreciates how firefighters risk their lives, often working 24 hours straight or more to contain blazes that come earlier, last longer and burn hotter than ever. But fewer appreciate the tough decisions they and their bosses are forced to make when fire is burning across the landscape.
The loss of three firefighters in Washington shows once again how hard it is to escape fire in extreme conditions, when high winds create firestorms whose ferocity becomes unpredictable. Nonetheless, hundreds of people line up to volunteer to join the fight and to put their lives at risk.
Many of the people volunteering are frustrated that federal fire officials don’t just let them go out and get on the fire lines to protect the places they care about. Oregon ranchers expressed those views during the heat of the Soda Fire.
They wanted the flexibility to use their equipment and their own strategies to fight the blaze. Idaho ranchers, who joined rangeland fire protection associations under the auspices of the Idaho Department of Lands, don’t have that problem.
They work in concert with the Bureau of Land Management and other fire teams as a part of the larger effort and fire managers praised their efforts across Southern Idaho. They have been certified and trained; fire bosses know they can depend on these ranchers to follow orders and make good personal decisions to protect their lives and the lives of others.
The past two weeks covering the Soda Fire in Southwest Idaho and the fires in North Idaho has given me renewed respect for the firefighters who protect our lives and national treasure.
Everyone appreciates how firefighters risk their lives, often working 24 hours straight or more to contain blazes that come earlier, last longer and burn hotter than ever. But fewer appreciate the tough decisions they and their bosses are forced to make when fire is burning across the landscape.
The loss of three firefighters in Washington shows once again how hard it is to escape fire in extreme conditions, when high winds create firestorms whose ferocity becomes unpredictable. Nonetheless, hundreds of people line up to volunteer to join the fight and to put their lives at risk.
Many of the people volunteering are frustrated that federal fire officials don’t just let them go out and get on the fire lines to protect the places they care about. Oregon ranchers expressed those views during the heat of the Soda Fire.
They wanted the flexibility to use their equipment and their own strategies to fight the blaze. Idaho ranchers, who joined rangeland fire protection associations under the auspices of the Idaho Department of Lands, don’t have that problem.
They work in concert with the Bureau of Land Management and other fire teams as a part of the larger effort and fire managers praised their efforts across Southern Idaho. They have been certified and trained; fire bosses know they can depend on these ranchers to follow orders and make good personal decisions to protect their lives and the lives of others.
Editorial - Incremental attacks on agriculture continue
A look at the predicament faced by some Yakima Valley, Wash., dairies should give pause to dairy operators across the nation.
More importantly, all farmers and ranchers would do well to closely monitor the emerging picture of how environmental special interests use the legal system to attack agriculture.
Last week, we commented on how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shrugged off transgressions in which it participates. The 3 million gallons of mine waste that EPA contractors dumped into rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah was met with the comment that it’s really not that big a deal and that it’ll clear itself up.
Contrast that with the Yakima Valley, where five dairies have followed state-approved nutrient management plans only to be dragged into court by EPA-allied environmental groups to test a new legal theory. Under this theory, manure from cattle is industrial waste and, as such, it falls under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
These groups got a judge to fall for that argument — the first time since Congress passed the law nearly 40 years ago.
Should his ruling stand, all forms of havoc could be aimed at agriculture. If manure is industrial waste, it might follow under this warped interpretation that all sorts of byproducts could be similarly identified.
This is another example of incremental environmentalism, in which activists will never, ever say that enough is enough. They will always want more. This cycle will continue until the targeted business finds it impossible to continue.
This tactic was explained to us many years ago, and ever since we have seen it used against businesses, farmers, ranchers, developers, miners, the timber industry — any group unfortunate enough to find itself in the environmentalists’ cross hairs.
They also specialize in suing federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, which seem to spend as much time and money on defending themselves against lawsuits as they do managing federal lands and taking care of other important jobs, including fighting wildfires.
Armed with poorly written laws such as the Endangered Species Act and the RCRA, environmental groups march into court seeking more and more and more.
If they lose, they appeal, hoping to eventually find a judge who will go along with them. If they win, they pop open the champagne, collect a check from the government — if a federal agency was sued — and send out pleas for more money to help them continue their fight to “save” the environment.
They will never give up...
Government intrusion at its worst
Sadly, it seems like every time we turn around the federal government finds another way to try claiming the land and resources that constitutionally belong to us.
One issue that has raged for years is the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) claim that it owns 30,000 acres of land along a 116-mile stretch of the Red River on the Texas-Oklahoma border. The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) has heard from members along the Red River who are worried about the federal government taking control of their land, and TSCRA shares their concern.
The federal government claims this property has been under its control since the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Ironically, the federal government has surveyed only about 6,500 acres of the land, and the results are highly questionable. The survey method they used differs greatly from the accepted gradient boundary survey method established by the Supreme Court in the 1920s.
TSCRA and affected citizens believe the BLM’s claim to this property is completely bogus. Those who live and own agricultural operations on this stretch of land hold the deeds and continue paying the property taxes. As a landowner myself, the thought of the government taking away property many of these citizens have worked tirelessly and sacrificed to own is unfathomable.
While one of the many Red River land disputes was recently resolved, much work needs to be done to put the entire issue to rest.
Fortunately, U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry and Sen. John Cornyn introduced H.R. 2130/S. 1153, the Red River Private Property Protection Act, to protect private landowners along the Red River from federal ownership claims.
This legislation includes several key provisions to accomplish its intended goal. It commissions a survey of the entire 116-mile stretch of contested area along the river using gradient boundary survey methods backed by the Supreme Court to find the proper boundary between Texas and Oklahoma. This survey must be paid for by the federal government and conducted by licensed state land surveyors chosen by the Texas General Land Office.
Additionally, the legislation provides legal certainty for citizens holding the deed to their property by allowing them to appeal any further public domain claims by BLM through an administrative law judge...
Leslie Kinsel and her husband Dan operate ranches in Central and South Texas and are active members of Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.
Her email address is lkinsel@tscra.org.
NM continues to cut its water use
Water managers across New Mexico aren’t giving up on their push for residents to conserve water even though severe drought has disappeared from the state.
For the first time in more than four years, federal maps show the worst levels of drought are now gone from the state, and only abnormally dry to moderate conditions exist in the western half of the state.
A healthy monsoon season is to thank, and more moisture is on the way this week for parts of central and western New Mexico, forecasters with the National Weather Service said.
However, watering restrictions in Albuquerque will not end soon, said Katherine Yuhas, the conservation officer for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. “Just because it rained doesn’t mean that all of a sudden the fact that we live in a desert has changed. The conservation message remains in effect,” she said.
The good news: New Mexico’s largest city is on track to curb its water use again this year. As of mid-August, residents and businesses had used 1.1 billion gallons less than last year.
Water use has been going down steadily in Albuquerque since 1995, Yuhas said, and the trends are no different in Santa Fe and Las Cruces...more
Hillary's ethanol flip-flop reveals a Democratic sclerosis on cronyism
Hillary Clinton once opposed the ethanol mandate, which harms drivers, consumers, ranchers, the environment and the economy. Now, as she runs for president, Clinton supports the mandate, which
benefits the state of Iowa — and in exchange, presumably, she's earned
the endorsement of former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, an ethanol-subsidy
aficionado. During the 2002 debate over an energy bill that included an ethanol
mandate, Clinton took to the Senate floor to say that while she believed
ethanol had potential, she couldn't support "an astonishing new
anti-consumer government mandate — that every US refiner must use an
ever-increasing volume of ethanol." Earlier this year, Clinton wrote in a local Iowa paper that Iowans
"deserve to be able to get ahead and stay ahead. To make that possible,"
she supports the ethanol mandate. Hillary's flip-flop, and the utter lack of principle or shame behind
it, shocks nobody who has paid attention to Mrs. Clinton's political
career. But Clinton is one of a long line of erstwhile ethanol opponents who converted on the road to Des Moines...more
New approach examined at Seven Cabins Spring in Lincoln County
Ranch Radio Song Of The Day #1476
Jimmie Davis is telling us he's just Fifteen Miles From Dallas. The tune is on his Cowgirlboy LP album by the same name.
https://youtu.be/ZFZXvu61vIg
https://youtu.be/ZFZXvu61vIg
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Judge blocks WOTUS rule one day before scheduled implementation
A
federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Obama
administration's Clean Water Rule from going into effect on Friday, a
sizable victory for agricultural interests who brought lawsuits to halt
the rule. In his opinion, Judge Ralph Erickson, a District
Court judge for the District of North Dakota, said it appears the EPA “has
violated its Congressional grant of authority in its promulgation of the Rule
at issue.” He went on to say that the states who brought the lawsuit - North
Dakota, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming and two state agencies in New Mexico -
“have demonstrated that they will face irreparable harm” if the rule were to go
into effect Aug. 28. Many in the
agricultural community saw the Clean Water Rule - also known as Waters of the
U.S., or WOTUS - as an expansion of EPA authority over new bodies of water,
such as smaller waterways and wetlands, that
are not currently subject to Clean Water Act protections...more
From the decision:
SUMMARY
OF DECISION
Original
jurisdiction is vested in this court and not the court of appeals because the “Clean
Water Rule: Definition of Waters of the United States,” jointly promulgated by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has at best only an
attenuated connection to any permitting process. If the exceptionally expansive
view advocated by the government is adopted, it would encompass virtually all
EPA actions under the Clean Water Act, something precisely contrary to Section
1369(b)(1)(F)’s grant of jurisdiction.
The court
finds that under either standard – “substantial likelihood of success on the merits”
or “fair chance of success” – the States are likely to succeed on their claim
because (1) it appears likely that the EPA has violated its Congressional grant
of authority in its promulgation of the Rule at issue, and (2) it appears
likely the EPA failed to comply with APA requirements when promulgating the
Rule. Additionally, the court finds the other factors relevant to the inquiry
weigh in favor of an injunction.
New Mexico Game Commission approves proposal to expand hunt limits on bears, cougars
The New Mexico Game Commission on Thursday approved new rules that will clear the way for expanded hunting and trapping of bears and cougars around the state.
The commission's vote was unanimous despite passionate pleas from wildlife advocates and other critics who questioned the population data the state Game and Fish Department used to justify the new hunting limits.
Some of those packed into the meeting room shouted at commissioners following the vote, saying they should be ashamed. They were also upset because public comment was limited to an hour. The Game and Fish Department has argued that new population data for the two species warranted an update of the hunting limits, and the livestock industry has urged state wildlife managers to keep predator populations in check as a means of limiting threats to cattle and sheep. The new rules will allow for more black bear hunting in all but two of the state's game management districts as well as the doubling of cougar hunting limits. The trapping and snaring of cougars on private land and state trust land will also be allowed without special permits.
Critics argued that more hunting will have negative long-term effects on animal populations and that clearing the way for trapping on state trust land could endanger the public and other wildlife for which the traps are not meant.
Game officials told the commission that existing harvest limits for cougars are not met in 85 percent of the state's management zones. In some of those areas, less than three cougars are killed each season, representing just a fraction of the sustainable harvest limit.
They also said the density of black bears in the northern Sangre de Cristo and Sandia mountain ranges is substantially higher than the estimates used by the Game and Fish Department to establish previous hunting limits. They did note that the density of the species is lower in the southern Sacramento Mountains...more
New Mexico Game Commission delays decision on federal appeal of Mexican wolf permits
The New Mexico Game Commission has delayed a decision on an appeal filed by federal officials who are seeking to release endangered Mexican gray wolves as part of recovery efforts in the Southwest.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initially sought three permits, including one to release a pair of wolves and their pups onto federal land in New Mexico and another allowing for up to 10 captive pups to be raised by foster wolves in the wild.
The requests were denied in June by the state game and fish director.
The Fish and Wildlife Service's regional deputy director, Joy Nicholopoulos, told commissioners during a meeting Thursday in Santa Fe that delaying releases could compromise the genetics of the wild population in New Mexico and Arizona.
The commission is expected to take up the matter again next month. AP
Clinton lays out four-part plan for rural America
With USDA forecasting a 36 percent drop in net farm income, Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton returned to Iowa today to announce her policies to strengthen agriculture and support rural communities. With a John Deere tractor in the background, she was introduced by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who endorsed her candidacy for president on Tuesday.
Clinton told the crowd her focus is on four key areas: energy, investment, agriculture and assets to help families to succeed. Clinton proposed strengthening the Renewable Fuels Standard “so that it drives the development of advanced cellulosic and other advanced biofuels, protects consumers, improves access to E15, E85 and biodiesel blends, and provides investment certainty.” She also said her goal is to have more than a half a billion solar panels installed in this country by the end of her first term and produce enough clean renewable energy to power every home in American within 10 years of taking office.
Clinton proposed expanding access to equity capital for small businesses by increasing the number of Rural Business Investment Companies, which could make equity investments in small rural businesses. She would create a national infrastructure bank and invest in infrastructure to support rural transportation, water and broadband access.
Specifically, she would focus on increasing and adoption of high-speed broadband access “so rural small businesses can better connect to the global economy, farmers and ranchers can benefit from agricultural technology and students can benefit from distance learning.”
Clinton said she would support the next generation of farmers by doubling funding for the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development program. She would also double funding for the Farmers Market Promotion Program and the Local Food Promotion Programs to expand food hubs, farmers markets, give Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients' access to fresh food, and encourage direct sales to local schools, hospitals, retailers and wholesalers...more 
PLF sues over EPA’s attack on a Wyoming farmer and his stock pond
Cheyenne, Wyoming; August 27, 2015:
U.S. Clean Water Act regulators are violating federal law by telling
Andy Johnson, owner of a small farm in Fort Bridger,
Wyoming, that he did not have the right to create a stock pond on his
land, and by threatening him with millions of dollars in fines if he
does not bow to their demands and destroy the environmentally beneficial
pond.
So contends a
lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), filed
today by attorneys with Pacific Legal Foundation, representing Johnson.
Donor-supported PLF is a watchdog organization that
litigates for limited government, property rights, and balanced
environmental regulations, in courts nationwide. PLF represents Johnson
without charge.
“We are challenging an outrageous example of EPA overreach against a private citizen who has done nothing wrong,” said PLF Staff Attorney Jonathan Wood. “Andy Johnson constructed a pond for his livestock by damming a stream on his private property with no connection to any navigable water. Under the plain terms of the Clean Water Act, he was entirely within his rights, and didn’t need federal bureaucrats’ permission.
“In addition to
providing water for his livestock, the pond has been an environmental
boon,” said Ray Kagel, a former Army Corps of Engineers enforcement
officer and environmental consultant. “It created
wetlands where there had previously been none. It provides habitat for
fish and wildlife, including migratory waterfowl, passerine birds, a
bald eagle, and moose. And it improves water quality by providing a
place for sediment and other suspended solids
to settle.
The case is Johnson vs. EPA. More information, including the complaint, a video, and a podcast, may be found at PLF’s website: www.pacificlegal.org.
This is an edited version of a PLF press release which was embargoed until today.
Wolves’ Arrival in California Spurs Calls for Management
Photographic evidence of a pack of gray wolves in Northern California has ranchers concerned that the predators are becoming established in California, and that the state lacks a plan to allow ranchers to protect their livestock against wolf predation. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife released multiple photos last week showing what it has named the "Shasta Pack": a group of two gray-wolf adults and five pups in Siskiyou County. It is the first confirmed sighting of gray wolves in the state since a lone wolf, OR7, entered California in late 2011; that wolf has not been in the state for more than a year. It is also the state's first wolf pack since the species' extirpation more than 90 years ago.
Announcement of the wolf discovery comes more than a year after the California Fish and Game Commission voted to list the gray wolf under the state Endangered Species Act, making it illegal to hunt, pursue, catch, capture, kill or attempt any of those actions in California. The gray wolf is also protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Ranchers said they were disappointed in the state ESA listing and remain concerned about the impact wolves would have on their livestock should they become established in the state. The wolves' arrival has led DFW to delay release of a draft management plan that ranchers hope would outline tools they could use to protect their livestock. The department said the plan—which has been in development for more than three years and involved input from a wide range of stakeholders—will need to be revised to include reference to wolf presence in California. Siskiyou County rancher Jeff Fowle called delay of the wolf plan "unacceptable," saying ranchers need to know what's in it "to see if it's something we can live with."
"It's got to be a plan that actually manages (wolves) and doesn't just look the other way," he said. "Pardon the pun, but it needs to have some teeth in it."
Ranchers say the state ESA leaves them few options on how to protect their livestock. Some interpretations of the law, Fowle said, also make unclear the legality of certain methods once thought to be acceptable...more
Did Glaciers Lure Wolves Back into California?
New Sheriff Overseeing Burning Man to Crack Down on Naked Rule-Breakers
A new Nevada sheriff tasked with overseeing the upcoming Burning Man festival plans to crack down on the annual desert debauchery. Jerry Allen, 39, who was elected Pershing County Sheriff in January,
said he plans to tighten law enforcement for the tens of thousands of
festival-goers journeying to the remote Black Rock Desert next week for
the annual event, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported on Tuesday. In recent years, many attendees at the weeklong event — where nudity is the norm, drugs flow as if on tap and orgies
litter the desert — have not been charged for crimes like marijuana
possession, according to federal reports on the event, but the new
sheriff in town said he has a tougher police protocol in mind. “We don’t have the personnel to issue citations to
70,000 naked people on the playa, but we will be upholding the law to
the best of our ability,” Allen said. He added that Burning Man “brings
nothing … except for heartache” to the conservative, rural county...more
Burning Man lures techies with siren song of going unplugged
Albuquerque mayor urges Forest Service to withdraw Wilderness proposal
The mayor of New Mexico’s largest city is urging the U.S. Forest Service to withdraw consideration of a potential wilderness designation that he says would limit the public’s access to a popular recreation area bordering Albuquerque.
Mayor Richard Berry sent a letter to the supervisor of the Cibola National Forest on Monday. He says the way the plan stands now would completely dismantle existing trails for outdoor enthusiasts.
The mayor says the mountain biking and hiking trails in the foothills area encourage residents to lead a healthy lifestyle and are part of a natural attraction that helps to set the city apart.
As part of an effort to revise its outdated forest plan, federal policy requires the Cibola Forest to identify and evaluate lands and determine whether to recommend any areas for wilderness designation. AP
Finally, local officials are seeing Wilderness for what it is and what it does.
Solyndra Misrepresented Facts to Get Loan Guarantee
A four-year investigation has concluded that officials of the solar company Solyndra misrepresented facts and omitted key information in their efforts to get a $535 million loan guarantee from the federal government.
Solyndra was the first company to get federal loan guarantees under a program that was created in 2005 and expanded by President Barack Obama's 2009 economic stimulus package.
The company's failure soon after receiving the loan guarantee likely will cost taxpayers more than $500 million. Republicans and other critics cite it as an example of wasteful spending under the stimulus program.
The report by the Energy Department's inspector general was released Wednesday. It's designed to provide federal officials with lessons learned as it proceeds to grant billions of dollars in additional loan guarantees. The inspector general found fault with the department, describing its due diligence work as "less than fully effective." The report also said department employees felt tremendous pressure to process loan guarantee applications...more
Homeland Security Spent $20 Million on Conferences Last Fiscal Year
First State Legalizes Taser Drones for Cops
What in Tarnation? Cattle Rustling Is Making a Comeback
Cattle raiding, or rustling, is a crime most people know from
film westerns and history books, not from modern times. As ranchers
moved away from open range grazing by building fences in the late 19th
century, the crime — once a capital offense punishable by hanging in
many areas –mostly disappeared. But according to a report from NPR, cattle rustling is a big problem once again, particularly in Texas and Oklahoma. Encouraged by booming beef prices—calves can now sell for up to
$1,300 at auction, up from $800 a few years ago—around 4,000 animals
have gone missing so far this year, setting a pace that should easily
top thefts in 2014. Calves in particular are targeted for theft because
they’re smaller and lighter than full-grown cows. What’s more, it’s
simpler for rustlers to flip the animals to buyers because they often
have no brands or tags yet. In a typical heist, thieves load a handful of animals into a truck
under the cover of night, but some thefts have been massive operations.
One farm in Texas lost 1,100 animals...more
The Canine Crew
Ranch Radio Song Of The Day #1475
Today we have the fiddler Wade Ray and his 1954 recording of Call Me Up. The tune is on his Bear Family CD titled Idaho Red.
https://youtu.be/ERrgsdr5-JQ
https://youtu.be/ERrgsdr5-JQ
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Public-lands proposal seeks to create new national monument in Utah before Obama does
It has critics on the left and right. The counties involved could back out. Congress could let it die a slow death. And, in the end, President Barack Obama could name a new national monument in Utah.
Or ...
The public-lands compromise that has been three years in the making actually could pass. What might that mean? That's what Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, wanted to talk about Monday when he met with The Salt Lake Tribune's editorial board.
He said the proposal would result in:
• Granting roughly 3.9 million acres of eastern Utah new federal protections in exchange for opening 365,000 acres in the Uinta Basin for oil and gas drilling.
• Expanding Arches National Park by 50,000 acres to include land adjacent to Delicate Arch that the federal government once tried to lease for oil development.
• Upgrading Dinosaur National Monument to a national park.
• Turning the Cleveland-Lloyd dinosaur-fossil quarry, the biggest concentration of Jurassic bones on the planet, into the "Jurassic National Monument." But only if Emery County agrees in votes expected to take place in early September.
Those are among the highlights in a massive seven-county proposal that Chaffetz and Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, have negotiated with county commissioners, environmentalists, outdoor enthusiasts, ranchers and oil companies. They intend to unveil their proposal in the coming weeks and envision a "kumbaya" moment in which Democrats join with Republicans to quickly pass their legislation. Often called the "grand bargain," though Bishop
and Chaffetz refer to it as the "public-lands initiative," they see it
as a chance to end decades of feuding in these rural counties. The key,
according to Chaffetz, is that if passed, no president could
unilaterally create a national monument in these counties again. That
guarantee would be written into the legislation. Without it, he said,
the counties wouldn't go along with designating roughly 2 million acres
of new wilderness and adding protection to another 1.9 million acres. He knows that limiting the power of future
presidents may give the president "heartburn," but there's an incentive
for the White House to play ball...more
California sinking faster than thought, aquifers could permanently shrink
California is sinking even faster than scientists had thought, new NASA satellite imagery shows.
Some areas of the Golden State are sinking more than 2 inches per month, the imagery reveals. Though the sinking, called subsidence, has long been a problem in California, the rate is accelerating because the state's extreme drought is fueling voracious groundwater pumping. "Because of increased pumping, groundwater levels are reaching record
lows — up to 100 feet (30 meters) lower than previous records," Mark
Cowin, director of California's Department of Water Resources, said in a statement.
"As extensive groundwater pumping continues, the land is sinking more
rapidly, and this puts nearby infrastructure at greater risk of costly
damage." What's more, this furious groundwater pumping could have long-term
consequences. If the land shrinks too much, and for too long, it can permanently lose its ability to store groundwater, the researchers said. The state's sinking isn't new: California has long suffered from
subsidence, and some parts are now a few dozen feet lower than they were
in 1925, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. But the state's worst drought on record — 97 percent of the state is facing moderate to exceptional drought — has only accelerated the trend...more
Author Naomi Klein admits global warming is not about science but destroying capitalism
“Our economic model is at war with the Earth,” writes Klein. “We cannot change the laws of nature. But we can change our economy. Climate change is our best chance to demand and build a better world.”
The Heartland article goes on to say:
For the author, this completely boring, run-of-the-mill flight delay became a flight of fancy, inspiring her new work. This flight delay, she reasoned, was evidence of climate change. Who cares, she added, if we know that the solar cycles impact the planet, even more than CO2 emissions ever could. Science is not the point, but it makes for a great alibi. “The really inconvenient truth is that it’s not about carbon—it’s about capitalism. The convenient truth is that we can seize this existential crisis to transform our failed economic system and build something radically better,” she writes.
Frantic cattle roundup in front of Grizzly Bear Fire
As the Grizzly Bear Complex fire roared across Grouse Flats north of Troy, the ranchers at Anchor Bar, their friends and their neighbors fought with everything they had to preserve the barns and homes on their ranch. The ranch is spread out widely, so in fighting that fire, the cowboys slowed the fire down and may have played a large part in saving the little community of Grouse Flats.
Ranch managers Buck and Chelsea Matthews were scrambling to round up cattle and haul them to safety as the Grizzly Bear Complex turned for Eden Bench Monday morning.
“Buck hasn’t had three hours sleep in three days,” said Chelsea Matthews.
Her concern Monday was a rumor that the Forest Service was going to backburn Eden Bench. “We still have 300 cows there,” she said. “We’re trying pretty hard to get word to the Forest Service that we would really like the opportunity to get them out.”
The cattle on Eden Bench were on a grazing allotment on Forest Service land. Because of the remoteness and size of the ranch, the roundup was being coordinated by radio. Cell phones don’t work...more
Foes: Cougar plan failed once before
Consumer Reports study confuses serious safety issues, potentially misleading consumers about beef safety
Captial Farm Credit Ready to Finance Sale of Historic W.T. Waggoner Ranch
Capital Farm Credit today announced its selection to underwrite and finance the famous W.T. Waggoner Estate Ranch in the upcoming and contemplated sale of the giant and iconic Texas property.
As one of the most storied ranches in Texas heads toward the finality of sale and enters a new era of ownership, the question of where a prospective buyer might source funding for such a record breaking acquisition as the $725 million dollar icon is answered today in part at least as Capital Farm Credit announces their selection as lender within the sales team.
"We have been working with brokers Sam Middleton and Bernard Uechtritz for some months now in order to be in a position to completely underwrite and lend on this incredible ranch and historic opportunity," states Capital Farm Credit CEO Ben Novosad. "We are now in a position to offer a qualified buyer, joint venture or entity non-contingent financing and a fast close when purchase and sale contracts are submitted."...more
1948 - Fascinating photographs of Wyoming dude ranch
Ranch Radio Song Of The Day #1474
Our selection today is Jean Shepard's 1952 recording of Twice The Lovin' (In Half The Time). The tune is on her 5 CD Bear Family Collection titled The Melody Ranch Girl.
https://youtu.be/zVQIydS1msI
https://youtu.be/zVQIydS1msI
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Back to School: Feds Tell Teachers To Push Renewable Energy in Class -- Kids Can ‘Save the Planet’
Obama's new climate change call: Yes we can
Obama renews attack on fossil fuels, Koch brothers at Nevada clean energy event
Obama to traditional energy producers: Get with the program
President Obama challenged energy utilities, fossil fuel producers and their allies in Congress on Monday to get on board with his push for clean energy or risk backlash from American consumers and companies.
Speaking at a clean energy summit in Las Vegas, Obama dismissed energy interests that oppose his push to green the energy sector as “naysayers” who are “backed by fossil fuel interests, or conservative think tanks, or the Koch brothers." He encouraged supporters to fight back against them and their push to influence American energy policy. Obama’s speech — and his confrontational tone toward the fossil fuel sector and it supporters — comes as he pushes to overhaul the American electricity sector, both by encouraging more renewable energy around the U.S. and instituting regulations to crack down on carbon emissions.
Earlier this month, Obama announced his climate rule for power plants, something that has triggered lawsuit threats from both state attorneys generals and energy producers. A Senate panel has passed a bill to block the rule, and congressional Republicans have grown increasingly hostile toward it.
Obama defended the climate rule on Monday, calling it the “single most important step Americans have ever taken to tackle climate change.” He vowed to spend the rest of his presidency pursuing ways to cut emissions from the American electricity sector by investing in solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.
“As long as I’m president the federal government is going to do its part, beyond the investments that we’ve already made, to promote this issue,” he said...more
Judge says ‘no’ to motorized vehicles for juniper removal in wilderness study area
A federal judge has ruled that it’s unlawful to use motorized vehicles to remove juniper from nearly 80,000 acres in the vicinity of Oregon’s Steens Mountain.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is cutting juniper from roughly 336,000 acres in the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management Area because the trees are crowding out native vegetation.
Juniper removal is important to ranchers because it’s expected to prevent further population declines of the sage grouse, a candidate for Endangered Species Act protection.
If the bird is listed as threatened or endangered, ranchers fear further restrictions on cattle grazing in its habitat.
U.S. District Judge Garr King has now ruled that using motorized vehicles within “wilderness study areas” is prohibited by a federal law that governs management of the Steens Mountain area.
The BLM argued that there’s an exception to the vehicle ban for “administrative purposes” — including juniper removal — but King sided with the Oregon Natural Desert Association, which filed a lawsuit against the practice.
The judge said that BLM was interpreting the “administrative purposes” language too broadly.
“The BLM’s interpretation places no limit on what falls in the category of ‘administrative,’” he said. “BLM — as the agency charged with implementing Congress’ enactments — could call any activity ‘administrative’ since its job is to ‘administer’ the laws.”
Supporters of juniper removal worry that the ruling will complicate activities within the 79,600 acres designated as “wilderness study areas” inside the project’s boundaries...more
In search of a solution for protecting lands: What Utah can learn from Idaho and Nevada
Public lands in eastern Utah are at a crossroads. Ahead lies a field of options that range from oil and gas development to wilderness designation, the highest level of land preservation afforded by U.S. law.
Just weeks ago, similar situations existed for lands in Idaho and Nevada that ended with completely different outcomes — one played out in the public eye, the other quietly and ending in sudden bewilderment for those nearby.
And if there's anything the experience of Utah's neighbors can tell, it's that either outcome could unfold for the places Utahns want to protect. Eventually, the state will join others in shouldering the consequences — good or bad — of what is decided in Washington, D.C.
"That's what makes the West's public lands issues interesting is you have three sovereign powers: You've got tribes, states and the federal government. And getting them all aligned in their interests or negotiating between all those interests is not without its difficulties," said Joanna Endter-Wada, professor and program director for the National Environmental Policy Act graduate certificate program at Utah State University.
"It all has a history," she said.
In the next few weeks, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, who is chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, plans to finish drafting his public lands initiative and bring it to the House floor. It's a bill that represents three years of negotiation for a monument designation, wilderness, conservation areas and sites for oil and gas development.
At the same time, tribal leaders from the area are calling on federal executives to enact a higher protection for an area in San Juan County known as the Bears Ears, about 1.9 million acres of what they say are culturally "sacred" lands deserving of a national monument designation under the Antiquities Act.
Those tribes say they've had little or no opportunity to weigh in on the public lands initiative, but Bishop said the "threat" of a monument designation by President Barack Obama could unravel the larger plan for the preservation and use of millions of acres in other areas.
It's a threat Utah isn't alone in facing...more
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