The latest round in the lawsuit regarding Endangered Species Act delisting of gray wolves kicks off Tuesday. Today’s Missoulian has a good overview of the situation . . .
The wolves themselves may be the only ones who won’t be at the Russell Smith Courthouse on Tuesday morning when U.S. District Judge Don Molloy returns to arguments about the predator’s Endangered Species Act status.
From last Wednesday’s Flathead Beacon . . .
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has dismissed a proposed rewrite of his forest bill as “dead on arrival,” and promised to publicly post his counteroffer that is expected next week.
Tester’s bill would create new wilderness in parts of Montana, while increasing logging requirements and establishing permanent recreation areas.
A Senate committee recently came up with its own version that does away with the logging and other mandates that are central to a deal crafted by a group of Montana loggers, environmentalists and others.
“People assume it’s mine, and its not because it does not have those components in there,” Tester said of the new draft. “It’s dead on arrival, as far as I am concerned.”
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is annoyed at the slow progress retiring mining leases in the Canadian Flathead — not because the Canadians are dragging their feet, but because he feels the U.S. government is not doing their part. However, there seems to be two sides to this story.
Here’s an AP article from the 4th of June providing a good overview of Schweitzer’s stance:
Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Thursday that he’s disappointed the federal government hasn’t come up with about $17 million needed to compensate mining companies as part of a deal with Canada to protect the area surrounding Glacier National Park.
The joint U.S.-Canada deal seeks to halt ongoing exploration and calls for a stop to future development of gold, coal, oil and gas in much of the Flathead River Basin. The basin sprawls across some 9,000 square miles and straddles the border.
Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell signed the memorandum of understanding in February. It lays out several goals, including the compensation of two small companies that will have to walk away from their mines.
And here’s an editorial by Kellyn Brown of the Flathead Beacon questioning Schweitzer’s view:
It’s hard to know what to make of Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s recent criticism of his “federal partners” for, according to him, failing to secure $17 million to compensate Canadian mining companies so they will abandon their mining leases near Glacier National Park.
Sorry about the hiatus in postings, folks. As some of you know, I run a small consulting firm, specializing in computer and network support for small businesses. This makes me a canary in the coal mine when it comes to economic conditions. When things start to go pear-shaped, I notice it early-on. When conditions improve, I’m one of the first to get busy. This occurred with a vengeance over the past few months as pent-up demand for computer services exacerbated an already overburdened schedule.
Anyway, I’ve emerged from my cave, bleary-eyed, but enjoying the Spring weather and ready to start posting some new material.