States, courts, cutbacks put pressure on strip mine agency

A citrus millionaire from Florida wants to revive the century-old narrow gauge railroad route between Durango and Silverton, Colorado. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.13/download-entire-issue

A dispute over funding of the Garrison Diversion Project has prompted unprecedented lobbying in the U.S. Senate by Canadian government officials, plus opposition efforts by environmentalists. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.13/download-entire-issue

If all goes well, peregrine falcons raised near Salt Lake City will reach breeding age and return to historic nest sites on the Wasatch Range to the east. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.12/download-entire-issue

The fate of Wyoming’s first commercial-size in situ uranium mine remains uncertain following a Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision giving the operation 90 days to prove it can operate without polluting ground water near Buffalo, Wyo. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.12/download-entire-issue

As profits from farming plummet and urban areas encroach on rural surroundings, farmers are increasingly selling their land to subdivision developers. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.11/download-entire-issue

The National Coal Consumers Alliance pushes hard for legislation that would limit coal severance taxes imposed by states like Montana and Wyoming. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.11/download-entire-issue

With the implementation of PURPA, a 1979 federal law that requires utilities to buy back electricity from private alternative-energy sources, along with tax breaks, many are optimistic about the future of wind energy. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.10/download-entire-issue

Despite agitation from residents of Durango, Colo., officials still have no plan for dealing with the million ton mountain of radioactive uranium tailings outside town. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.10/download-entire-issue

Two large “sweetening” plants — which remove toxic hydrogen sulfide from natural gas — are slated for construction near Evanston, Wyoming. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.9/download-entire-issue

Farmers and advocates of Front Range growth winced last month when the U.S. Forest Service and State of Colorado recommended that most of the Cache la Poudre River be protected from major development. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.9/download-entire-issue

Acid rain, previously thought to be isolated in North America to the Midwestern and Northeastern regions, is spreading its environmental ills to the West. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.8/download-entire-issue

High mortality of young trumpeter swans in and around Yellowstone National Park has puzzled researchers, but a new study suggests that radioactive substances may be the cause. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/12.8/download-entire-issue