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.
Magazine
September 25, 2000
Clean, 'green' gas burns its neighbors as methane wells dominate the land.
Feature
Under Gov. Jim Geringer's "open for business' philosophy,
the methane gas industry faces little regulation in
Wyoming.
Sidebar
A primer describes the technology and potential problems
of methane-gas drilling.
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.
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.
In New Mexico, some say complaints about oil and gas
development are dwarfed by the industry's clout.
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.
Rancher and developer Charles Micale says the gas industry
should respect the property rights of surface owners.
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.
Wyoming Rancher Mike Foate has developed a Web site to
spread information about the gas industry to his often isolated,
intimidated neighbors.
Byron Oedekoven, who ranches near Gillette, Wyo., in his
own words, offers advice for landowners who have to work with gas
companies.
Near Miles City, Montana, landowners are fighting to slow
down methane gas development.
Essays
The author remembers her childhood in Bozeman, Mont.,
where no one thought her mother would ever succeed in growing sweet
corn.
As the Park Service struggles to radio-collar and control
Yellowstone's wandering bison, the wildness of the animal is
forgotten.
Historic markers on a Western road trip raise questions
about the way Westerners have often romanticized, concealed and
lied about their history.
Book Reviews
"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.
Conservationists say Yellowstone National Park's
long-awaited plan for managing its wandering bison herds
accommodates cows at the expense of the bison.
"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.
The Northwest chapter of the Society for Ecological
Restoration is calling for paper abstracts before Sept. 29 for its
spring conference.
Forty acres of piûon-juniper meadow is being raffled
off to raise money to reopen the association's community
auditorium.
The 10th annual Indian Land Consolidation Symposium, Oct.
16-20, focuses on reclaiming tribal lands.
A commemorative issue celebrates 20 years of Earth First!
Journal.
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.
Dear Friends
Boise board meeting; WOTR discussion; fall interns Tim
Sullivan and Oakley Brooks
News
President Clinton announces a $1.5 billion plan for fire
recovery and forest restoration in the nation's neglected,
fire-prone national forests.
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.
In the Pacific Northwest, tribes are working with
archaeologists and agencies to protect the area's frequently
vandalized and looted Native American historical sites.
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.
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.
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."
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.
Republican vice-presidential candidate Dick Cheney backs
away from his earlier statement that George W. Bush might rescind
the national monuments Clinton created.
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.
In California, critical habitat is finally designated for
the threatened red-legged frog.
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.
Portland, Ore., bans oversized, street-facing garages on
new houses.
Opinion
Methane gas is a clean-burning fuel, but its production
creates unnecessary havoc for the people who live in the gas
fields.
Letters
Featured stories
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