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
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
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
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
Today's Featured Stories
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WYOMING CONSERVATION ASSOCIATE We are hiring a Wyoming Conservation Associate Full time, competitive pay and benefits. Location: Cody, WY (preferred), Jackson, WY, or Lander, WY Visit www.greateryellowstone.org/careers for...
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SOUTHWEST REGIONAL DIRECTOR The National Parks Conservation Association, the nations leading national park advocacy organization, seeks a Regional Director to lead and manage staff for the Southwest Regional...
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DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS This newly created position with The Nature Conservancy's Colorado River Program will play a key role in the development and implementation of strategies to achieve...
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PROGRAM OFFICER, INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, NOVO FOUNDATION 
The Foundation NoVo Foundation acts from the original meaning of philanthropy: the love of humanity. The Foundation is dedicated to catalyzing a global social transformation...
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ARMY OF THE DOG A new generation of monkey wrenchers hits the Front Range?
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ANNIE CLARK TANNER FELLOWSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES The Tanner Humanities Center and the Environmental Humanities Program of the University of Utah seek an environmental writer to offer classes in Utahs Environmental Humanities...
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ALASKA STATE DIRECTOR
The Wilderness Society works to protect Wildlands and inspire Americans to care for our public lands. We seek to hire a strategic, experienced leader who...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Idaho Conservation League (ICL) seeks an individual to lead this 45-year-old organization as executive director, to carry on ICLs work as Idahos leading voice...
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IDAHO RIVERFRONT: 2+ acres, 400+ feet on Snake River, 2800 sf residence, NWF-certified wildlife habitat, excellent hunting, fishing, birdwatching, stargazing, sunsets & panoramic views. In the heart...
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WILDEARTH GUARDIANS IS EXPANDING - THREE JOB OPENINGS Guardians is expanding and looking for a few great people to join us in protecting and restoring the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health...
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SUNNYSIDE MARKET SEEKS NEW PROPRIETOR Organic grocery/cafe at Glacier Bay needs a vibrant leader. Love good food, community, and Alaska? Join us!
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NO INDIVIDUAL HEROES: OURAY MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM Ouray County, Colorado, a popular tourist destination, has dramatic mountains and amazing winter ice climbing. Challenging terrain and high altitude can push visitors to their...
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CALIFORNIA PROGRAM ASSOCIATE - TAHOE AREA National conservation organization seeks a regular, full-time California Program Associate-Tahoe Area. Position works closely with California-based program staff and National Forest Foundation staff to provide...
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CALIFORNIA PROGRAM COORDINATOR - TAHOE AREA National conservation organization seeks a regular, full-time California Program Coordinator-Tahoe Area. Position works closely with California-based program staff and National Forest Foundation staff to provide...
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CALIFORNIA PROGRAM MANAGER - TAHOE AREA National conservation organization seeks a regular, full-time California Program Manager-Tahoe Area. Position works closely with California-based program staff and National Forest Foundation staff to provide...
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CALIFORNIA PROGRAM ASSOCIATE, SOUTHERN CA National conservation organization seeks a regular, full-time California Program Associate-Southern CA. Position works closely with California-based program staff and National Forest Foundation staff to provide...
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THE BOOK OF BARLEY -
Collector's Item! The story of barley, the field crop. 50 years of non-fiction research. www.barleybook.com
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TEMPORARY ASSISTANT EDITOR Are you a climber and a writer who is passionate about mountain literature? Do you love searching through old alpine journals for stories of esoteric...
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OWN YOUR OWN CANYON - 1400 SF STRAW-BALE ECO-HOME ON 80 ACRES - 3 HOURS FROM L.A. 1400 sf of habitable space in a custom-designed eco-home created and completed by a published L.A. architect in 1997-99. Nestled within its own 80-acre mountain...
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RIVER TRIP LEADER & EDUCATOR Colorado Canyons Association (CCA) is a growing nonprofit organization fostering community stewardship of our National Conservation Lands with a focus on Dominguez-Escalante, Gunnison Gorge and...
