Kristofer Hofstra

February 20, 2011

Montana Governor Issues New State Wolf Management Directives

A recent court victory by Earthjustice, which kept the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf listed under the protections of the Endangered Species Act, has given rise to controversy in Montana. Governor Brian Schwietzer reacted by issuing new instructions to Montana state wildlife management agencies in a letter he wrote to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday. The letter instructs Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) wardens to refrain from prosecuting ranchers who kill wolves that harass livestock. The Governor also directed FWP to remove entire packs of wolves from the Bitterroot Valley where elk populations have diminished most and whole packs that kill livestock anywhere in the state.

Source:

KECI Staff, Governor Notifies Interior of New Wolf Management Directives, NBC Montana.com, Feb. 16, 2011, http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/26891622/detail.html.

California Biomass Plants Fined By EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fined Global Ampersand, a Boston company, $800,000 for emitting ozone-related waste in violation of federal air quality standards. EPA administrator Jared Blumenfeld celebrated the large fine—attributed to three years worth of pollution—as "a victory for human health." Ampersand's two Fresno plants violated nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide emission limitations.

Source:

Mark Grossi, Valley Biomass Plants Face Big Air-Pollution Fines, fresnobee.com, Feb. 15, 2011, http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/15/v-mobile/2274110/valley-biomass-plants-face-steep.html.

Oil and Gas Developers Bid $22.4 Million in Colorado Lease Auction

The Colorado State Land Board accepted bids for oil and gas development leases on the Niobrara formation which lies under portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas. About 120 parcels were auctioned to over 70 bidders Thursday. Timothy Kelly, minerals leasing manager for the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners, stated, "The schoolchildren appreciate all the business of the oil and gas industry." Two parcels near Antero Reservoir, from which Denver Water draws drinking water, were withdrawn from the auction and ten other leases for areas in the same county went for the minimum bid of $1.50 per acre. Bidder concern over possible future regulation of fracking practices, which endanger water quality, may explain the price discrepancy.

Source:

Catherine Tsai, Bidder Gather for Colorado Oil, Gas Lease Auction, DenverPost.com, Feb. 17, 2011, http://www.denverpost.com/energy/ci_17407011.

Colorado Energy Giant Cuts Solar Incentive

Xcel Energy, a large public utility company based in Minneapolis, announced Wednesday that it will no longer offer customers financial incentives to install solar panels. Xcel cited a study that indicates the cost of solar-energy installations dropped 50 percent from 2008 to 2009. The executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association—Neal Lurie—fears that Colorado's solar energy jobs, which have grown from 500 to 5,300 since the incentive program was initiated in 2006, will be adversely affected: "This is absolutely devastating to the solar industry."

Source:

Steve Raabe, Xcel Cuts Solar Incentive, DenverPost.com, Feb. 17, 2011, http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_17407964.

Natural Gas to Power Hazardous Waste Cleanup in Washington

The Department of Energy (DOE) plans to replace diesel fuel sources with natural gas to supply energy for ongoing hazardous substance cleanup at the Hanford Superfund site in Washington. The proposed natural gas pipeline would replace the six tanker truck trips each day and reduce the site's greenhouse gas emissions by about one million tons throughout the lifetime of the project. Though the construction costs for the 28.5-mile-long pipeline may cost $22 million, DOE estimates the switch to natural gas will save anywhere from $527 to $883 million (dependent upon fuel price fluctuations) over 28 years.

Source:

Annette Cary, Hanford Plans for Natural Gas Pipeline Under Columbia, tricityherald.com, Feb. 16, 2011, http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2011/02/16/1370077/hanford-creating-plans-for-natural.html.