Cattle ranchers declare a new ‘War on the West’

Rocky Barker takes note :

Two months before Obama’s inauguration, cattle ranchers declare a new ‘War on the West?’

This aggressive political posture in response to the prospect of change has been characteristic of livestock associations throughout the West since the beginning of their history.  The survival of their influence, relative to the public’s interest at large, is stoked by their self-inflated sense of victimization – wolves, coyotes, even bighorn sheep and pygmy rabbits – i.e. the natural world, become a perceived threat to their ‘livelihood’ and exclusive political influence (a hyper-influence Ralph Maughan has aptly likened to a Western anomaly of political feudalism – a closed system of power practiced right here in these ‘democratic’ United States).  The prospect of a president who stands behind a science objectively describing the natural world’s imperiled state is a threat.

Livestock has been "Waging war on the West" for a very long time

If we’re to be honest about it – Livestock has been waging ‘War on the West’ for a very long time.  Take a look at these photo galleries compiled by WWP monitors – documenting the condition of your public lands this year :

Gallery 1

Gallery 2

Gallery 3

Good news. Three coal plants planned for Nevada may have been killed

The worst of the three is the 1500 megawatt plant slated for Ely, Nevada-

Up in Smoke: Environmentalists say future of three proposed Nevada coal plants in jeopardy. By Phoebe Sweet. Las Vegas Sun.

An EPA decision and the bad economy probably means they are dead.

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Perhaps most importantly, the EPA decision also has very important national ramifications. EPA Coal Decision Levels Playing Field for Wind, Solar. By Alexis Madriga. Wired Magazine.