High Country News April 16, 2012
Feature
The Other Bakken Boom: America's biggest oil rush brings tribal conflict
North Dakota's Three Affiliated Tribes have long wanted a stake in the state's occasional oil booms, but the size, scope and speed of the Bakken development caught them completely unprepared.
Current
Redefining "renewable" to get a clean energy bill through Congress
As his retirement looms, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., pushes a "clean energy" bill, one that broadens the energy mix beyond traditional "renewable" sources.
Braving landfills, dodging avalanches, all for the sake of geoscience
The intrepid scientific grunts behind the Plate Boundary Observatory roam the West keeping tabs on weird-looking far-flung GPS stations.
When Peter Gleick fell, California's water world lost big
After he impersonated a Heartland Institute board member, gadfly scientist and Pacific Institute head Peter Gleick has been persona non grata. But California water bosses may miss his fierce intellect.
Librotraficantes smuggle controversial books to Arizona
After Tucson, Ariz., scrapped its acclaimed but controversial Mexican American Studies program, novelist Tony Diaz decided to fight back.
Big game tag auctions raise big bucks for Western states
Hunting tag auctions may get too pricey for a lot of Western hunters, but they also raise significant money for conservation projects.
Editor's Note
When a boom is not a boon
In North Dakota, the Three Affiliated Tribes are trying to cope with both the benefits and the unexpected problems brought by the Bakken oil rush.
Dear Friends
New books from friends of High Country News
Jeff Chen visits; new books from Florence Williams, Laura Pritchett, Alan Kesselheim and Fred Anderson; Jamie Williams is new president of The Wilderness Society; corrections.
Book Reviews
Tales from the Edge: A review of Extremophilia
The essays in Fred Haefele's slim collection Extremophilia, River Rats, Timber Tramps, Biker Trash, and Realtors are both casual and transcendent explorations of the West.
Living on faith: A review of The Man Who Quit Money
In The Man Who Quit Money, Mark Sundeen tells the story of Daniel Suelo of Moab, Utah, a well-educated idealist who has chosen to dumpster-dive for food and live illegally in public-land caves.
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