The high cost of concentrated solar/wind energy in the desert-

Alternative energy from the wind and sun comes at a high environmental cost and a cost to democracy if it is done wrong-

Basin and Range Watch is a web site that shows the reality of wind and solar in SW deserts-

Read (and look at the photos) in the Watch’s Green Energy vs Actual “Green” Energy.

Montana Stockgrowers screws up stream access bill at the last minute

Stream access bill snags on specifics. By Jennifer McKee. Helena Independent State Bureau.

The proposed Stockgrower’s Association amendment would make the stream access bill largely meaningless.

Conservation groups sue over Idaho roadless lands

Interesting, a move up from collaborationism-

Idaho has more roadless, undeveloped national forest land than any other state but Alaska.  Compared to most other western states only a modest portion of this has been protected as designated Wilderness. The rest was allocated into various categories in an initiative pushed by Jim Risch during his brief governorship of Idaho. This was done under the Bush version of the roadless rule, which modified the roadless rule originally issued in the last months of the Clinton Administration. Idaho and Colorado were the only states to do this. Colorado’s effort is not complete.

This allocation of Idaho roadless lands is final and now part of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Several conservation groups in Idaho were willing to go along with this (Trout Unlimited, Idaho Conservation League). Because the process had fully played out, I doubted a lawsuit would happen. However, a major lawsuit was just filed. It includes some of the groups who were enthusiasts for the “collaborative” Owyhee Initiative which will probably soon become law.

News story on the lawsuit. Conservation groups sue over Idaho roadless plan. By Jessie L. Bonner.  Associated Press Writer

News release from the Wilderness Society. Idaho Roadless Rule Challenged in Federal Court. Note that the same release was issued by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, The Lands Council, the Sierra Club and the NRDC.

Blog. Wilderness Society sues to stop Risch roadless rule for Idaho. By Rocky Barker. Idaho Statesman. Here Barker explains the basics and bemoans the defection of the Wilderness Society away from collaboration.