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Southeast Montana
Photo courtesy of Rick and Susie Graetz
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
produced daily by Shellie Nelson
Editor's Notes...
Mountain West News won't publish on Wednesday, July 4. Our next edition will publish Thursday, July 5.
In the Rockies today, the crash of a C-130 air tanker working a wildfire in South Dakota prompted federal officials to ground seven other C-130's, effectively cutting the fleet of large air tankers available to fight wildfires by a third.
Wildfires continue to rage in Montana, Wyoming and Utah, although progress was made on Colorado's Waldo Canyon and High Mark fires, as well the fatal Wood Hollow Fire in Utah.
Also in the news, a Wyoming company said its deal to buy coal in Wyoming and Montana will allow it to expand its export business to China; and the light oil flowing from Alberta and North Dakota is competing with the heavier bitumen from Alberta's oilsands for refinery and pipeline capacity, although companies appear to be ramping up to handle both types of oil.
Today on Home Ground, Brian Kahn continues his three-part series on the Bakken oil boom with a conversation with two county sheriffs on how that boom has changed their counties.
You can listen to the broadcast at 1 p.m. on Montana Public Radio or at 6:30 p.m. on Yellowstone Public Radio.
And on Wednesday at 8:25 p.m., Montana Public Radio will broadcast Mountain West Voices.
This week Clay Scott talks with a Hmong woman in Missoula, who reflects on her chaotic early life in Laos, on the shock of coming to Montana...and on gardening.
Tune in Wednesday evening at 8:25 or listen online via the Mountain West Voices website.
Crash of C-130 tanker in S.D. grounds 7 others on western wildfires
At least one member of the six-person crew on the C-130 air tanker that crashed fighting a wildfire in South Dakota died, and the seven other C-130 tankers deployed on other wildfires burning in the Western United States were grounded, leaving just 14 heavy air tankers available to fight wildfires.
Flathead Beacon (AP);
July 3
Montana wildfire 20 miles wide, 30 miles long
Crews were able to make some progress on the Ash Creek Fire in eastern Montana on Monday, with erratic winds keeping fire crews from attacking the front end of the fire.
Billings Gazette;
July 3
Wyoming wildfire chases 80 people from their homes
The Squirrel Creek Fire southwest of Laramie was estimated to be about 7,000 acres in size on Monday morning, and while it's not the largest wildfire in Wyoming, there are hundreds of homes that lie within its path.
Casper Star-Tribune;
July 3
Light shale oil a new competitor for pipeline, refinery capacity in North America
The one million barrels per day of light shale oil spouting from the Bakken formation in North Dakota, southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well in Texas, are in direct competition with the heavier crude from Alberta's oilsands, but that resource is so massive that refineries in the U.S. are retooling to handle the crude, changing the entire landscape of the North American energy market.
Edmonton Journal;
July 3
Colorado city council votes 8-0 to approve hydraulic-fracturing rules
At its meeting Monday night, the Commerce City Council unanimously approved regulations on the drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, which requires the city to hammer out individual agreements with operators on projects, a clause that keeps the city's rules from conflicting with those imposed by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Denver Post;
July 3
Wyoming company buys Powder River coal mine site for $300M
Officials of the Gillette-based Cloud Peak Energy Corp. said it closed the $300-million deal to buy a coal mine site on the Wyoming-Montana border that holds an estimated 291 million tons of recoverable coal, and that the deal will allow it to expand its coal exports to Asia.
Casper Star-Tribune;
July 3
Opinion
Development in West's 'fireplains' as foolhardy as building in floodplains
The Corral Fire in Montana is a striking example of what happens when development is allowed in the wildland-urban interface, and such development decisions by local and state officials are driving up the cost of fighting wildfires, which are borne by all citizens. A guest column by George Wuerthner, author of "Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest Policy," who lives in Helena, Mont.
Helena Independent Record;
July 3
BPA's proposed upgrade of Montana transmission line best option
The Montana-to-Washington Transmission System Upgrade proposed by the Bonneville Power Administration and NorthWestern Energy would provide Montana wind farms the capacity to export 600 megawatts of additional energy, and the $200 million price tag is a mere pittance compared to the cost of other proposed transmission projects. A guest column by Jeff L. Fox, the Montana policy manager for Renewable Northwest Project, a nonprofit group that promotes expansion of environmentally responsible renewable energy resources.
Billings Gazette;
July 3
Beyond the region
Wildfire burns across thousands of acres in SW South Dakota
The White Draw Fire in southwestern South Dakota has burned about 5,000 acres; the Parker Peak Fire near Hot Springs is at 1,000 acres; and the Highlands Fire burning between Custer, S.D., and Newcastle, Wyo., has scorched about 400 acres.
Billings Gazette (AP);
July 3
Train carrying Wyoming coal to B.C. derails in Washington state
Thirty cars of a 125-car train carrying coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin to British Columbia derailed on Monday evening, closing the main line near Pasco, Wash., and Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman Gus Melonas said most of the derailed cars ended up on their sides, spilling an undetermined amount of coal.
Idaho Falls Post-Register (AP);
July 3
U.S. manufacturing slowed in June
For the first time in nearly three years, manufacturing slowed down in the U.S. and the number of new orders declined sharply.
Denver Post (AP);
July 3
In depth
Crews have Colorado's Waldo Canyon Fire 70% contained
The Waldo Canyon Fire, which burned its way into the record books as Colorado's most destructive wildfire, is now 70 percent contained, and officials are asking for information from anyone who may have been in the area on June 23 when the fire started.
Denver Post;
July 3
Rain helps, hinder crews fighting Montana wildfire
The rain that fell late Sunday on the Pony Fire in Montana's Tobacco Root Mountains helped put out some hot spots, but kept crews from building back fires to contain the 4,800-acre fire that's been burning for a week.
Montana Standard;
July 3
E. Montana wildfire threatens power line, natural gas pipeline
The Horse Creek fire in Montana's Treasure County has tripled in size since it started on Sunday, and is now threatening a couple of NorthWestern Energy's high-voltage transmission lines as well as a natural gas pipeline.
Great Falls Tribune;
July 3
Crews have fatal Utah wildfire fully contained
The Wood Hollow Fire that killed one man and destroyed 52 homes in Utah's Sanpete County is now fully contained, as is the Rosecrest Fire in Herriman, but the 3,000-acre Shingle Fire that forced the evacuation of several communities is still burning about 30 miles southeast of Cedar City.
Salt Lake Tribune;
July 3
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Utah governor wants to limit target shooting to prevent wildfires
Gov. Gary Herbert met with Utah Senate President Michael Waddoup and House Speaker Becky Lockhart on Monday, and they all agreed that the governor had the authority to limit target shooting on unincorporated areas of Utah to prevent wildfires.
Salt Lake Tribune;
July 3
Arapaho Fire now Wyoming's largest wildfire
The nearly week-old wildfire near Wheatland is now 75,000 acres and has burned a Christian camp as well as some buildings on a University of Wyoming research property.
Casper Star-Tribune;
July 3
Northeast Wyoming town sits between two wildfires
The Oil Creek Fire northwest of Newcastle has grown to an estimated several thousand acres since being reported on Friday, and the Highlands Fire southeast of the Wyoming town is now at 115 acres. Elsewhere in Wyoming, the Fontenelle Fire is now at 47,000 acres in size, making the fire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest the second-largest in the state.
Casper Star-Tribune;
July 3
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"T he significant coal and surface assets we acquired position Cloud Peak Energy well for future growth in our Asian exports as additional terminal capacity becomes available."
Mountain West Perspectives
Mountain West Voices
Hear weekly stories from the Rocky Mountain West as gathered by Clay Scott
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