Author: Matthew Brown
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‘Nothing left in the bucket’: Wildfire resources run thin
SAN FRANCISCO • Justin Silvera came off the fire lines in Northern California after a grueling 36 straight days battling wildfires and evacuating residents ahead of the flames. Before that, he and his crew had worked for 20 days, followed by a three-day break. Silvera, a 43-year-old battalion chief with Cal Fire, California’s state firefighting…
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Judge blocks Trump from easing energy rules in Colorado, other western states
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from easing rules on mining, drilling and grazing across millions of acres in Colorado and six other Western states, saying such activities left unchecked were likely to harm a struggling bird species. The ground-dwelling greater sage grouse is at the center of a bitter conflict between…
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BLM acting boss: Past support for US land sales is ‘irrelevant’
A newly appointed Trump administration official with ties to Colorado said his past support for selling federal lands was “irrelevant,” after his selection to oversee an agency managing nearly a quarter-billion public acres in the U.S. West drew a backlash. Acting Bureau of Land Management Director William Perry Pendley moved to disavow his longtime advocacy…
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Scientists find flaws in plan to lift US wolf protections
Scientists tasked with reviewing government plans to lift protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S. said in a report released Friday that the proposal has numerous factual errors and other problems. The five-member scientific panel’s conclusions were detailed in a 245-page report delivered to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. One reviewer said…
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Arsenic, lead in water pouring out of former U.S. mine sites
RIMINI, Mont. • Every day, many millions of gallons of water loaded with arsenic, lead and other toxic metals flow from some of the most contaminated mining sites in the U.S. and into surrounding streams and ponds without being treated, The Associated Press has found. That torrent is poisoning aquatic life and tainting drinking water…
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Military installations eyed as U.S. fuel exports
BILLINGS, Mont. • The Trump administration is considering using West Coast military installations or other federal properties to open the way for more U.S. fossil fuel exports to Asia in the name of national security and despite opposition from coastal states. The proposal was described to The Associated Press by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and…
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Trump aims to end automatic protections for some species
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save DENVER — The Trump administration on Thursday proposed ending automatic protections for threatened animal and plant species and limiting habitat safeguards that are meant to shield recovering species from harm. Administration officials said the new rules would advance conservation by simplifying and improving how the…
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Study links air pollution to drop in national park visitors
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save DENVER — Visitors appear to be steering clear of some U.S. national parks or cutting visits short because of pollution levels that are comparable to what’s found in major cities, according to a study released Wednesday. Researchers at Iowa State and Cornell universities looked at…
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Former Montana lawmaker gets 18 years for drug trafficking
BILLINGS, Mont. — A former leader of the Montana House of Representatives who once supported funding for an anti-drug campaign was sentenced to 18 years in prison Thursday for his central role in a methamphetamine trafficking ring. Michael Lange, the Republican House majority leader during the 2007 Legislature, arranged deliveries of at least 20 and…
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US says snow-loving lynx no longer need special protection
BILLINGS, Mont. — Wildlife officials in the United States declared Canada lynx recovered on Thursday and said the snow-loving wild cats no longer need special protections following steps to preserve their habitat. The Fish and Wildlife Service said it will begin drafting a rule to revoke the lynx’s threatened listing across the Lower 48 state…