Magazine
Backyard boom

September 25, 2000

Clean, 'green' gas burns its neighbors as methane wells dominate the land.

Feature

Colliding forces
In Colorado, homeowners and developers are battling the oil and gas industry as the boom in methane gas production brings increased numbers of wells to the rural landscape.
Rebecca Clarren Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Open for business
Under Gov. Jim Geringer's "open for business' philosophy, the methane gas industry faces little regulation in Wyoming.
Katharine Collins Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition

Sidebar

How well do you know your wells?
A primer describes the technology and potential problems of methane-gas drilling.
Rebecca Clarren Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
'We need that gas'
Ken Wonstolen of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, in his own words, says that Colorado is an energy-dependent state, and the methane gas it produces is greatly needed.
Rebecca Clarren Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
'It's corporate greed'
Arnold Mackley, whose western Colorado ranch is dotted with gas wells in his own words says the industry ought to able to make a living without destroying the land.
Rebecca Clarren Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Status quo reigns in New Mexico
In New Mexico, some say complaints about oil and gas development are dwarfed by the industry's clout.
Rebecca Clarren Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
'It's hard to keep fighting'
Janey Hines, in her own words, talks about battling the gas industry with the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance, the group she heads in Parachute, Colo.
Rebecca Clarren Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
'The playing field has to be leveled'
Rancher and developer Charles Micale says the gas industry should respect the property rights of surface owners.
Rebecca Clarren Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
'We became Michiwest's sewer'
Ranchers Earl and Sue Boardman have a hard time working with Michiwest, the Michigan-based company that owns the gas wells on their land. Earl, in his own words.
Molly Absolon Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
'The industry's philosophy has been to fragment the community'
Wyoming Rancher Mike Foate has developed a Web site to spread information about the gas industry to his often isolated, intimidated neighbors.
Molly Absolon Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
'There is a light at the end of the tunnel'
Byron Oedekoven, who ranches near Gillette, Wyo., in his own words, offers advice for landowners who have to work with gas companies.
Molly Absolon Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Under pressure, Montana opts for a slower approach
Near Miles City, Montana, landowners are fighting to slow down methane gas development.
Eric Whitney Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition

Essays

The hope of a freshly planted field
The author remembers her childhood in Bozeman, Mont., where no one thought her mother would ever succeed in growing sweet corn.
Jody Holzworth Essay Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Of bison, the French and our faux wild
As the Park Service struggles to radio-collar and control Yellowstone's wandering bison, the wildness of the animal is forgotten.
Andrea Barnett Essay Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Truth-telling needs a home in the West
Historic markers on a Western road trip raise questions about the way Westerners have often romanticized, concealed and lied about their history.
Ed Marston Essay Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition

Book Reviews

A call to heed the wild
"Balancing Water: Restoring the Klamath Basin" uses text by William Kittredge and photos by Tupper Ansel Blake and Madeleine Graham to recount the history, ecology and current problems of the Klamath Basin on the Oregon-California border.
Bob Wilson Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Yellowstone's bison get a time limit
Conservationists say Yellowstone National Park's long-awaited plan for managing its wandering bison herds accommodates cows at the expense of the bison.
Tim Sullivan Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
From cumbersome to collaborative
"Reclaiming NEPA's Potential," a compilation of proceedings from a workshop on assessing the federal government's environmental actions to make the process more collaborative, is now available.
Beth Wohlberg Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Society for Ecological Restoration
The Northwest chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration is calling for paper abstracts before Sept. 29 for its spring conference.
Staff Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Taos Art Association
Forty acres of piûon-juniper meadow is being raffled off to raise money to reopen the association's community auditorium.
Staff Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Indian Land Consolidation Symposium
The 10th annual Indian Land Consolidation Symposium, Oct. 16-20, focuses on reclaiming tribal lands.
Staff Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Earth First!
A commemorative issue celebrates 20 years of Earth First! Journal.
Staff Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition

Heard Around the West

Heard around the West
Las Vegas lizard-smuggling; fire-inspired Montana wisdom; critic eviscerates film "Whipped"; black bear visits Nevada cook shack; gawking at bears in Aspen; motorcycle rally casualties in Colo.; motorcycle vs. hawk; town celebrates toilet.
Betsy Marston Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition

Dear Friends

Dear Friends
Boise board meeting; WOTR discussion; fall interns Tim Sullivan and Oakley Brooks
Ed Marston Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition

News

Fires bring on a flood of federal funds
President Clinton announces a $1.5 billion plan for fire recovery and forest restoration in the nation's neglected, fire-prone national forests.
Michelle Nijhuis Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
The latest bounce
Justice Dept. sues Jarbidge Shovel Brigade; BIA apologizes to Indians; wise-users sue over Clinton's new monuments; judge quashes roadless-area lawsuit; Will Stelle leaves National Marine Fisheries Service.
Greg Hanscom Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Looters beware: Tribes are fighting back
In the Pacific Northwest, tribes are working with archaeologists and agencies to protect the area's frequently vandalized and looted Native American historical sites.
Beth Wohlberg Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
A park rediscovers a surprising asset
In Utah, Zion National Park launches its long-awaited new public transport system, and most visitors seem to enjoy the convenience - and the lack of noise and traffic in seeing the park by bus.
Lin Alder Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Does the "death tax' protect open space?
Some say the Republican push to repeal estate taxes could impact land-preservation measures such as easements, since some of the wealth affected by the tax is land, not money.
Michelle Nijhuis Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
On the trail
In Montana: Brian Schweitzer vs. Conrad Burns, and race for Rick Hill's seat; Idaho's boring election; in Washington, Deborah Senn and Maria Cantwell fight for Slade Gorton's seat; Oregon's Measure 7 is about "takings."
Michelle Nijhuis Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Ranchers test an agency's image
The refusal of three ranchers to remove cattle from Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has put the BLM's ability to manage the monument under the spotlight.
Greg Hanscom Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Bush camp backpedals on toppling monuments
Republican vice-presidential candidate Dick Cheney backs away from his earlier statement that George W. Bush might rescind the national monuments Clinton created.
Tony Davis Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Something is polluting the water
The Washington state health department bans shellfish harvesting in Dungeness Bay, where the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe has fished for years, because the water is polluted with fecal coliform bacteria from an unknown source.
Kayley Mendenhall Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Red-legged frog habitat slated for protection
In California, critical habitat is finally designated for the threatened red-legged frog.
Oakley Brooks Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
A highway hits a speed bump
Utah's plans for a new freeway, the Legacy Highway, are put on hold by the EPA due to the agency's concern that the freeway could damage wetlands.
Tim Sullivan Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
'Snooty' garages banned
Portland, Ore., bans oversized, street-facing garages on new houses.
Richard A. Lovett Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition

Opinion

Clean fuel, dirty neighbors
Methane gas is a clean-burning fuel, but its production creates unnecessary havoc for the people who live in the gas fields.
Ed Marston Opinion Essay Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition

Letters

Response to 'squishy-soft'
Larry Tuttle Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
A critical link
Andy Robinson Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Was it chinook or sockeye?
Greg Burak Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Pick up an ax
Frank Carroll Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Roadless in Montana
Gene Sentz Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
Tourism can be self-righteous
Tamara M. Teale Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition
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