Items by Ken Olsen
Obama’s new political order, backed by the legal acumen of Judge James Redden, may help the Northwest’s salmon survive and end the era of the Lower Snake River dams.
Nevada sportsmen, tribes and environmentalists ask the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission not to renew licenses for
Hells Canyon’s dams until Idaho Power makes it possible for
salmon to survive its dams.
Idaho Power Company needs permits from Idaho, Oregon and
the federal government
An illustrated timeline charts the appearance of dams on
the lower Snake River and the resulting decline of salmon, along
with the so-far-inadequate response of the federal
government.
Judge Jim Redden has given the Bush administration an
ultimatum: Submit a viable plan for salmon restoration, or face the
possible removal of four dams on the lower Snake River.
A recent wildfire on Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Wash.,
released plutonium into the air, and watchdog groups are not
satisfied by the Department of Energy's claim that there is no
cause for worry.
Mike Lawrence, manager of the cleanup effort on Hanford
Nuclear Reservation, resigns, saying the project is financially out
of control.
Area farmers are unhappy that the Wahluke Slope, a buffer
zone for the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, may now be protected as a
wildlife refuge.
The national forests on the Idaho Panhandle want to double
the timber cut this summer to stop a bark-beetle
explosion.
Heavy rains, roads and clearcuts cause more than 100
slides and washouts in Idaho's Clearwater National
Forest.
A short list of books for further reading about Hanford's
history and its toxic legacy.
Four pieces of Hanford real estate are the focus of
prospective landlords who want control.
During its 40 years of weapons-building, Hanford knowingly
exposed workers and area residents to dangerous levels of
radiation, and the health impacts continue to be felt
today.
Conservationists, politicians, Indians and farmers fight
over the polluted but beautiful land of Washington's Hanford
Nuclear Reservation.
"Railroads and Clearcuts: Legacy of Congress's 1864
Northern Pacific Land Grant" by Derrick Johnson, George Draffan and
John Osborn is reviewed.
The Washington Legislature's approval of Initiative 164
creates the most far-reaching "takings" law in the
nation.
Paul Hirt's book "A Conspiracy of Optimism: Management of
the National Forests Since World War II" is reviewed.
Residents of Methow Valley build cross-country skiing to
feed the economy.
For 20 years environmentalists have fought developers in
the Methow Valley.
An unusual consensus may stave off development in Washington's Methow Valley.
Water is main issue in fight over Hooper, Washington,
megadump.
Environmentalists receive heavy sentences in Idaho
courts.
The Spokesman-Review publishes a series about Forest
Service mismanagement in five national forests in the
Northwest.
Earth First! and other environmental groups claim victory
after preventing logging and slowing Forest Service road building
efforts in the Cove-Mallard timber sale area.
The incarcerated author Rik Scarce says the First
Amendment protects scholarly research, including his on the radical
environmental movement.
