Obama’s EPA puts hold on South Dakota coal plant

Wow, quick action! Lisa Jackson was just confirmed the new EPA Administrator-

Obama’s EPA Raises Objections to South Dakota Coal Power Plant. By Catherine Dodge. Bloomberg.com

Carl Pope Switches Roles at the Sierra Club

Most media are saying, “Pope steps down”

Carl Pope Switches Roles at the Sierra Club. By Kate Galbraith. New York Times.

This makes a lot of news not just because of the size of the Sierra Club, but its high level of activity.

Pope has been the Club’s executive director for a long time. He is moving over to a related organization working on climate change. Another article on this said that “In his new position, Pope would likely be the Sierra Club’s “public face” on global warming issues.

Pope gets a lot of credit for moving hard into effort to reduce CO2 emissions, but he has been criticized for being an advocate of centralized, big, alternative energy; and pushing the Club to endorse that.

The Club has been very helpful stopping a coal plant slated for just NW of Pocatello, Idaho, where I live. When I say “coal plant,” I mean just that. It wasn’t clear what the company wanted to do with coal; just something “coalish” — generate electricity? gasify coal? produce industrial chemicals? produce chemicals for fertilizer?  Whatever, however;  local business cheerleaders mostly jumped on their wagon.*

Sierra Club lawyers have been very good at resisting this coal plant unless the CO2 emissions are much lower than projected.

– – – –

* Idaho has no coal, but Pocatello is a railroad center.

Buffalo Allies supports passage of Montana HB 253 – Wild Buffalo Recovery & Conservation Act

This is a direct link to their news release as formated in New West-

Buffalo Allies supports passage . . .

Poaching on the rise as the economy sinks

This is entirely predictable-

.  .  . and you can bet most state legislatures will do nothing about it.

Black-market meat – Illegal killing of animals on rise as economy sinks. By Tracie Cone. AP in the Missoulian.

Idaho Fish and Game needs more money, although they make me mad and I don’t think they deserve it. They are asking the legislature for a hunting and fish fee increase. I doubt they will get it.

IDFG does require more conservation officers in the field. The same is true in other states.

As folks have said many times in this forum, wildlife conservation and management needs sources of income that don’t depend on hunting and fishing license and tag fees.