Environment & Public Lands

DOE Marks a Milestone at Moab Cleanup Site

Dan Bammes — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:15:05 +0000

The U.S. Department of Energy says it’s moved six million tons of uranium mill tailings off the old Atlas mill site in Moab. That’s 38-percent of the total, with about ten million tons still to go.

Workers on the site take three months off every winter, but project director Don Metzler says President Obama has proposed an increase in funding to keep them working longer.

Wildfires Continue to Burn in Eastern Utah

Brian Grimmett — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:52:02 +0000

Firefighters are still trying to contain three fires started in south eastern Utah last week. The Rock Creek Fire near Price, the Lackey Fan Fire near La Sal and the Dark Canyon Fire west of Monticello all began when a storm rolled through southeast Utah late last week.The Lackey Fan Fire is the biggest of the three having already burned about 900 acres with a crew of over 300 firefighters battling the blaze. The fire is currently burning in the opposite direction of La Sal and crews aren’t planning evacuations at this time.

Sequester Cuts PILT Payments to Rural Counties

Dan Bammes — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:52:01 +0000

Rural counties in Utah will get less money this year from the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program, or PILT. The federal government provides the funding to counties with large areas of public land. Garfield County has more than two million acres of federal land, but this year it will get just over $800,000 dollars from the PILTmillion acres of Kane and Garfield Counties. It’s not the easiest place to visit, but there’s an effort underway to improve access along one of its most popular roads.

UCAIR Becomes a Private Non-Profit

Terry Gildea — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:03:12 +0000

State officials re-launched the Utah Clean Air Partnership or UCAIR today as a non-profit entity with a a new board of directors.

Utah Wildlife Managers Support Proposal to Remove Gray Wolf from Endangered Species List

Brian Grimmett — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 21:45:38 +0000

After several decades of recovery efforts the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list.

Science Panel Studies Wild Horse Management

Dan Bammes — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:51:59 +0000

A panel of scientists working with the National Research Council released its report this week on the management of wild horses in the West. One of the experts is from Brigham Young University.

New Urbanism Convention Comes to Utah

Whittney Evans — Wed, 29 May 2013 23:23:32 +0000

City planners, designers and developers from across the country are in Salt Lake City through Saturday to discuss how to build more walkable, transit-oriented and sustainable neighborhoods. The Congress for the New Urbanism brought its annual convention to Salt Lake City this year.

The New Urbanism philosophy harkens back neighborhoods designed before the automobile existed. The pedestrian-centered balance of jobs, housing and transportation is intended to rein in urban sprawl and relieve traffic congestion.

Lawsuit Could Challenge Tar Sands Leasing

Dan Bammes — Wed, 29 May 2013 20:18:25 +0000

Seven environmental groups are telling the Bureau of Land Management they plan to sue the agency over its leasing plan for oil shale and tar sands. They say the agency didn’t consult the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the possible impact on endangered species.

State, Federal Leaders to Look at Future of the Colorado River

Dan Bammes — Tue, 28 May 2013 19:17:39 +0000

The two biggest reservoirs on the Colorado River, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are both under 50-percent of their capacity. Delegates from the federal government, seven Western states, Native American tribes and environmentalists will have that in mind as they meet this week in San Diego to discuss the future of the river.

Group Urges Governor to Bow Out of Federal Land Grab

Whittney Evans — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:20:27 +0000

Activists are calling on Governor Gary Herbert to halt Utah’s efforts to seize control of federal land in the state. Educators, parents and students gathered at Liberty Park this morning to ask state lawmakers to find realistic solutions to funding education and stop taking aim at public lands.

Ethan Lake is a senior at West High School in Salt Lake City. He says the state is blessed with a beautiful natural environment.

Panel Urges Herbert to Reconsider Snake Valley Deal

Dan Bammes — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:51:14 +0000

BASE Jumping Fatality at Notch Peak

Dan Bammes — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:58:38 +0000

Notch Peak is a 9600-foot mountain about 35 miles west of Delta, Utah. From the top, it’s a two-thousand foot drop straight down – and that’s one reason why it’s become a favorite spot for BASE jumping – jumping off the cliff with wing suits and parachutes. There have been two fatalities there in the past year, one just ten days ago.

Groups Ask UDOT to Stop West Davis Corridor

Dan Bammes — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:32:52 +0000

A coalition of community and environmental groups is asking the Utah Department of Transportation to reconsider building a new freeway along the west side of Davis County. Their so-called "Shared Solution" asks U-DOT to study improving east-west roads and walkable communities as an alternative.

Herbert Asks Public to Take Responsibility for Clean Air

Brian Grimmett — Thu, 02 May 2013 22:02:16 +0000

Governor Gary Herbert demonstrated three simple things Utahns can do to help lower harmful emissions as he kicked off Clean Air Month at a house across the street from the State Capitol today.

Governor Herbert says Utahns aren’t always aware of the simple ways we can help clean up the air but gave these three tips while declaring May Clean Air Month. One could update older fuel storage containers, use paints with low amounts of volatile organic compounds, and replace gas powered yard equipment with cleaner alternatives.

Failed Pipeline Test Could Mean More Delay for Willard Bay

Dan Bammes — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:22:18 +0000

Chevron had a setback this week when its pipeline near Willard Bay State Park failed a pressure test. Repair work will have to continue before the pipeline can go back into full operation.

Utah Finalizes Sage Grouse Plan

Dan Bammes — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:40:25 +0000

The state of Utah has released the final version of its plan for protecting the greater sage grouse. The plan designates 11 Sage Grouse Management Areas stretching from Rich County to Kane County and outlines goals for improving existing habitat and protecting the birds from threats such as energy development, predators and wildfire.

Great Salt Lake Minerals Scales Back Expansion

Dan Bammes — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:58:32 +0000

Great Salt Lake Minerals is scaling back its expansion plans along the eastern and western shores of the lake – and environmentalists are applauding.

Newly Freed DeChristopher Speaks at Movie Screening

Whittney Evans — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:25:55 +0000

Climate activist Tim DeChristopher made his first public appearance last night since being released from federal custody on Sunday. He was sentenced in 2011 to two years in federal prison for derailing a 2008 Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease auction. DeChristopher joined hundreds of his supporters at the Tower Theater in Salt Lake City for a screening of the documentary Bidder 70, which details his act of civil disobedience and his conviction.

Will Utah Weigh in on EPA’s New Cleaner Fuels and Cars Standards?

Andrea Smardon — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:18:47 +0000

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is now taking public comment on proposed new cleaner fuels and cars standards. Known as Tier 3 of the Clean Air Act Amendments, they’re designed to improve air quality and public health by reducing the sulfur content of gasoline and making cars more efficient.

Earth Day Demonstration at Governor's Mansion

Dan Bammes — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:20:53 +0000

Utah Governor Gary Herbert is out of the country right now on a trade mission in Israel. But that didn’t stop environmentalists from holding an Earth Day rally right in front of the Governor’s Mansion on South Temple.

As traffic whizzed by on one of Salt Lake City’s busiest streets, demonstrators wrote their messages of protest on blue ribbons. They had to tie them to a volleyball net because they weren’t allowed to put them on the governor’s wrought-iron fence.

E-Waste Recycling Season Starts at the University of Utah

Bob Nelson — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:02:00 +0000

Bishop Working for Public Lands Solution

Dan Bammes — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:23:35 +0000

Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT-1) is hoping that a regional approach to resolving the status of public lands in Utah might work better than the county-by-county approach that's been tried before. Bishop has been meeting with local government leaders and representatives of environmental groups, hoping to work out a plan that he can get through Congress. He chairs the House Subcommittee on Public Lands.

Migrating Birds Crash at Dugway

Dan Bammes — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:29:11 +0000

Hundreds of migrating birds crash-landed at Utah’s Dugway Proving Ground overnight, apparently mistaking a parking lot in a snowstorm for water. Al Vogel, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Army, says these are eared grebes, a species that can’t take off from land. Vogel says the Army’s own wildlife specialists and the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources are working to rescue the birds that survived.

Mary Evelyn Tucker: Religion and Ecology

Dan Bammes — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:40:00 +0000

The University of Utah College of Law is hosting the annual Stegner Symposium this week, focusing on Religion, Faith and the Environment. Increasingly, people of faith are citing their beliefs as a major motivation for protecting the environment and caring for those at the margins of society.

Willard Bay Cleanup Underway

Dan Bammes — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:17:12 +0000

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Conservation Groups Call for Federal Protection of Utah's Parks

Andrea Smardon — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:41:24 +0000

Outdoor businesses and conservation groups are calling on the federal government to protect the land in and around Utah’s parks. 29 organizations sent a letter Monday to President Barack Obama calling for lasting protections for state and national parks from overdevelopment.

Nevada Environmentalists Applaud Utah Decision

Dan Bammes — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:35:28 +0000

Environmentalists who’ve been trying to stop a water pipeline from the Great Basin to Las Vegas are applauding a decision by Utah’s governor to reject an agreement between Utah and Nevada.

Herbert Rejects Snake Valley Water Agreement with Nevada

KUER News — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:01:53 +0000

Governor Gary Herbert has rejected an agreement with Nevada that would allow Las Vegas to pump massive amounts of groundwater from the states' shared border along the Snake Valley. The governor says he came to the decision after talking to residents and government officials in the West Desert.

Herbert Close to Decision on Snake Valley Agreement

Whittney Evans — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:40:57 +0000

Governor Gary Herbert says he’ll decide whether or not to sign the controversial water sharing agreement with Nevada in the next couple of weeks. Nevada officials signed the document three years ago. It would allow the state to pump groundwater to Las Vegas by way of Snake Valley, which straddles the Utah/Nevada border.
The governor, speaking at the monthly KUED today news conference says it’s clear most people in Utah and even some in Nevada believe the pipeline is a mistake.