Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Rockies Today, March 12
Posted by Mountain West News on Tue, Mar 12, 2013 at 11:10 AM
Top news links, courtesy of Mountain West News.
EPA decision could fuel a camelina comeback on Montana farms
Camelina has fallen out of favor as a cash crop for Montana farmers, with 22,500 acres planted to the crop in 2007 down to just 2,500 acres in 2011, but a decision made two weeks ago by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that put the oil from camelina seed on the list of low-carbon feed stocks under the Renewable Fuel Standard could again convert acres to camelina.
Billings Gazette; March 12
Investors file SEC notice of takeover bid for Montana's Stillwater Mining Co.
Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and the New York-based Clinton Group hedge fund filed formal notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission of their intent to wrest control of Billings-based Stillwater Mining Co. from the current board of directors and CEO.
Great Falls Tribune (AP); March 12
Wyoming, local officials debate options to plow Yellowstone Park roads
Gov. Matt Mead and officials of local communities in Wyoming adjacent to Yellowstone National Park are in discussions with park officials about plowing the roads, and while Cody and Jackson officials aren't pledging funds to help clear the roads, Chamber of Commerce members are contemplating donating to the cause.
Great Falls Tribune (AP); March 12
Idaho governor gets bill to create rangeland fire protection associations
The Idaho Legislature passed a bill that would allow the creation of rangeland fire protection associations to help local residents fight wildfires on federal and state lands, and the bill was delivered to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter on Monday.
Twin Falls Times-News; March 12
Wildfire in Wyoming forces 1,200 head of cattle off federal grazing allotments
The Fontenelle Fire burned 65,000 acres of land in western Wyoming last summer, forcing the U.S. Forest Service to require some grazing allotments be rested to allow vegetation to regrow, and the Forest Service, local ranchers, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other entities are working together to provide grazing options for 1,200 head of cattle.
WyoFile.com; March 12
Dispute on oil, gas regulations spark home-rule debate in Colorado
Colorado has already taken Longmont to court over that community's oil and gas regulations, and with more municipalities and counties responding to residents' concerns about encroaching drilling operations, the debate over home rule is heating up.
Denver Post; March 12
More than three-quarters of Idaho's dairy workers are in the country illegally
Idaho U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador believes nearly 90 percent of workers at dairies in the state are not legal immigrants, while Bob Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairymen's Association, said government figures indicate between 75 and 80 percent of dairy workers in the state are here illegally, and Naerebout has joined the National Immigration Forum, which promotes the value immigrants and immigration provide to the U.S.
Idaho Statesman; March 12
Mountain West News is a project of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West at The University of Montana. It provides a daily snapshot of news and opinion in the Rocky Mountain region of North America, giving the changing mountain West a tool to understand itself and a platform for the exchange of ideas.
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