With global warming an increasing threat, some are urging
a return to nuclear energy, but the industry’s own checkered
past reminds us that a nuclear renaissance will be neither easy nor
cheap
Magazine
September 4, 2006
As the global warming threat increases, nuclear energy enjoys a renaissance, but the industry’s own checkered past hints that nuke power will be neither easy nor cheap. Also in this issue: The BLM’s decision to lease land for energy exploration in the watersheds of Grand Junction and Palisade, Colo., reveals the way oil and gas leasing works.
Feature
With uranium prices rising, speculators are looking anew
at busted mining towns like Jeffrey City, Wyo., but locals have
learned to be skeptical
The Navajo Nation is fighting to keep uranium mining off
the reservation, but eager uranium companies are determined to
mine– and the federal government is on their side
The nation’s nuclear infrastructure is aging, and in
need of very expensive – and very complicated –
retooling just to survive
Sidebar
The federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was
created to compensate uranium miners and mill workers sickened by
their jobs, but on the Navajo Reservation, Dr. Bruce Baird
Struminger says the program has proved flawed
Graphics show the location of the West’s nuclear
sites and uranium sources, and the nuclear fuel cycle is
described
The French have dealt with their radioactive waste for
decades by reprocessing it, but the process is more problematic
than it sounds, particularly in an age of terrorism
Editor's Note
High Country News reveals its odd
historical connection with the West’s uranium obsession of
the 1950s
Uncommon Westerners
Economist and demographer Larry Swanson wants to help
rural Western communities find a way to survive
Essays
In a dark, narrow storm drain below the border town of
Douglas, Ariz., eight illegal immigrants drowned in the summer of
1997
Book Reviews
The Dire Elegies laments the plight of
North America's endangered wildlife in poetic detail
In 109 East Palace, the granddaughter
of one of the Manhattan Project's administrators re-examines the
story of the atomic bomb built in Los Alamos
The Boy Who Invented Skiing" is the
memoir of Swain Wolfe, who spent his boyhood in a Colorado Springs
tuberculosis sanatorium in the '30s
Perspective
Worried about falling poll numbers, some Republicans, led
by Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, are resisting some of the
Bush administration’s more far-reaching attacks on
environmental protection
Heard Around the West
Dirk Kempthorne and luxury RVs; The Farmer Wants a Wife,
maybe; no rules (or bras) at Sturgis; look before you pee;
hard-working Washington pot-growers; Arizona’s biggest
marijuana farm; with defense lawyers like this one, who needs a
prosecutor?; and big bird with a bad grip
Dear Friends
Bikers, filmmakers, engineers, cheesemakers all visit
HCN; Ed Wayburn celebrates 100th
birthday
News
The BLM’s decision to lease land for energy
exploration in the watersheds of Grand Junction and Palisade,
Colo., reveals the way oil and gas leasing works
BLM and Forest Service officials say they have little
power to prevent drilling in an area once it’s been
OK’d for leasing, but critics say the government simply
refuses to use its power
Across the West, anti-government activists from out of
state are funding ballot measures that attack government spending
and the judiciary as well as land-use planning
With Congress stalled on immigration reform, Western
states such as Colorado are tackling the issue with tough new
laws
Two Weeks in the West
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne kicks off "listening
tour" on "cooperative conservation"; court shoots down Forest
Service’s anti-public input rules; Idaho judge blasts
BLM’s similar anti-public input rules; feds ignore
states’ requests for roadless acreage
Letters
Featured stories
-
FURNISHED GLENWOOD SPRINGS HOME FOR SHORT-TERM RENT Renovated unique home 4 rent. Main, upper floor, on Roaring Fork River. Utilities included. Beautiful, secluded property. Walking distance to town, hot springs, groceries. No...
-
OWN A THRIVING MOUNTAIN GUIDE SERVICE. 
Eastern Sierra guide service for sale to person with vision & expertise to take it onwards. Since 1995 with USFS & NPS permits. Ideal for...
-
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR Job Announcement: Membership Director Job Title: Membership Director Supervisor: Executive Director Classification: Full-time exempt Location: Boise, ID Job Overview Winter Wildlands Alliance is seeking a...
-
IMPROVED LOT Private road, hillside, views. Well, pad, septic, 99 sq.ft. hut. Dryland permaculture orchard. Wildlife. San Diego--long growing season
-
ARIZONA CONSERVATION CORPS PROGRAM DIRECTOR Arizona Conservation Corps is seeking a Program Director in Flagstaff or Tucson
-
UNIQUE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
Profitable off-the-grid business located 2 miles from Glacier National Park. Owner has 6 years operating experience. Seeking investor or partner for business expansion and enhancement....
-
NEW MEXICO PROPERTY - SILVER CITY 20 acres, $80,000. Owner financing, well, driveway, fencing possible, very private, sensible covenants, broker owned. Contact - 575-534-7955 or [email protected]
-
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR ABOUT US: "This thriving citizens organization exemplifies the ideal of public involvement in public processes." - Billings Gazette At Northern Plains, we believe that true...
-
ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY - ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN THE OUTDOOR PROGRAM
To view the complete position description please visit: http://employment.stlawu.edu. St. Lawrence University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
-
REMOTE SITKA ALASKA FLOAT HOUSE VACATION RENTAL Vacation rental located in calm protected waters 8 miles from Sitka, AK via boat with opportunities to fish and view wildlife. Skiff rental also available.
-
LISA MACKEY PHOTOGRAPHY Fine Art Gicle Printing. Photo papers, fine art papers, canvas. Widths up to 44". Art printing by an artist.
-
WILDERNESS CONSERVATION CORPS - OREGON The Siskiyou Mountain Club is hiring interns for the 2020 Field Season. Interns utilize non-mechanized tools to complete trail restoration and maintenance while gaining job...
-
EXPERT LAND STEWART
Available for site conservator, property manager. View resume at http://skills.ojadigital.net.
-
CONSERVATIONIST? IRRIGABLE LAND? Stellar seed-saving NGO is available to serious partner. Package must include financial support. Details: http://seeds.ojaidigital.net.
-
CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE Colorado Plateau Natural & Human History Field Seminars. Lodge, river, hiking options. Small groups, guest experts.
-
WESTERN NATIVE SEED Specializing in native seeds and seed mixes for western states.
-
HISTORIC COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY IN DOWNTOWN NOGALES Nogales. 3 active lower spaces and upper floor with lots of potential. 520-245-9000 [email protected]
-
CHUCK BURR'S CULTUREQUAKE.COM BLOG Change will happen when we see a new way of living. Thinking to save the world.
-
COMING TO TUCSON? Popular vacation house, furnished, 2 bed/1 bath, yard, dog-friendly. Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.
-
OJO CALIENTE COMMERCIAL VENTURE Outstanding location near the world famous Ojo Caliente Mineral Spring Resort. Classic adobe Mercantile complete w/living quarters, separate 6 unit B&B, metal building and spacious...
