BLM farm plans hold promise, problems

Lack of clear goals for Idaho agriculture becomes more evident as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management wrestles with plans to convert thousands of acres of desert lands managed by that agency into individual private farms sanctioned by the Desert Land Act and the Carey Act. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/8.4/download-entire-issue

A wave of controversial mining proposals has led to a call for putting certain public lands off-limits to mining, but the mining industry is concerned that too much land is being considered for these restrictions. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/8.2/download-entire-issue

The U.S. Supreme Court has lifted an injunction barring four coal companies and a railroad from proceeding with coal development in Wyoming’s eastern Powder River Basin, opening the way to full-scale development of the region’s coal. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/8.2/download-entire-issue

A look at alternative toilets — such as composting toilets that eliminate water consumption — and a brief explanation of how they work and their chief advantages and disadvantages. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/8.1/download-entire-issue

After losing a lawsuit involving grazing allotments, the Bureau of Land Management has expressed concern that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — considered to be the country’s most important environmental law — is making the agency vulnerable to lawsuits that drain time and resources, raising questions about that law’s future. Download entire issue to […]

More and more rural residents are starting to resent transmission lines as the lines proliferate across the open spaces of the West, marring the scenery, hindering farm operations, and producing ozone, which may be harmful to crops. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/7.24/download-entire-issue

Through a series of “energy workshops” hosted by the Idaho Conservation League, the citizens of Idaho are helping to write an energy policy for their state. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/7.24/download-entire-issue

On public land such as Utah’s Wasatch National Forest, the need to comply with a 1972 executive order — which requires that all federal agencies must develop specific regulations for off-road vehicle (ORV) use — is sparking conflict between motorized and non-motorized public lands users. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/7.23/download-entire-issue

A rush for phosphate in Idaho could mean 22,000 new residents, a substantial loss of wildlife habitat, increased air pollution, and an uncertain future for two resident endangered species. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/7.23/download-entire-issue

Near the remote ranching community of Circle, Montana, the Burlington Northern railroad company plans to construct a coal gasification plant that would produce not only natural gas but also fertilizer. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/7.22/download-entire-issue

An environmental lawsuit aimed at stopping abuses on public lands is causing management problems, according to the Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming, although in both Nevada and Oregon, BLM officials are in the process of implementing range improvements. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/7.21/download-entire-issue