Department of Interior
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The Challis (Idaho) wild horse herd is the largest in Idaho, occasionally growing to 400 or so animals. It maintains very distinct boundaries — on its north the Salmon River, on the south Road Creek, on the east U.S. Highway 93, and on the west the East Fork Salmon Road. Every 2-3 years the U.S.…
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Obama and Salazar take back the crumbs they kicked Wilderness advocates ‘Wild lands’ order revoked – BLM can no longer grant wilderness-like protection – Idaho Mountain Express Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar wrote a memo to bureau Director Bob Abbey on Wednesday confirming that the BLM is not authorized to designate any of its land…
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Turf War or Legitimate Concern ? Earlier, we took a look at a recent settlement struck between the Interior Department and WildEarth Guardians that seeks to clear the logjam with species listings under the Endangered Species Act. The settlement would ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make up or down determinations on a…
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Encana could add 3,500 gas wells SW of Pinedale, WY- Already reeling from the massive Jonah gas field, now a new field covering 4 times as much area is planned. The “Normally Pressured Lance” natural gas field” (Son of Jonah, as some call it) comes at a time when the formerly pristine air of the…
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Salazar announces wolves delisted in Rockies and hunting can begin – Idaho Statesman Wolves will be delisted in the Northern Rockies except Wyoming on Thursday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. The rule would reinstate the 2009 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the gray wolf in Idaho and Montana, eastern Washington, eastern…
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The Ivanpah solar thermal project consists of 5.4 square miles of high quality habitat for the Endangered Species Act protected desert tortoise, a fact that developers (and some investors) underestimated resulting in the temporary suspension of activities on phases 2 and 3 of the project site due to construction activities exceeding the incidental take limit…
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It’s a dirty and marginal source of fossil fuel energy- Oil sands of Alberta are bad enough, but they look good compared to Western oil shale. Its development will produce little, if any, net energy, while leaving much waste and giant pits. It takes a lot of water too, and the deposits are in the…
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Escalation of Western Water Wars Loom The finite availability of western water is part of the reason Ralph Maughan previously posed the question : Will the resource sucking “sin city” be reclaimed by the desert ? Perhaps eventually, but in the meantime – despite setbacks, the Southern Nevada Water Authority keeps stretching its tentacles in…