The Department of Labor has denied a
whistleblower’s complaint that the BLM fired him in
retaliation for exposing violations of federal law in a
mine-cleanup project in Yerington, Nev. (HCN, 12/20/04:
Conscientious Objectors). Earle Dixon supervised the cleanup of the
abandoned copper mine for the BLM, and repeatedly complained
publicly about inadequate efforts to deal with radioactivity at the
site. The BLM says it fired Dixon last October for failing “to
maintain positive, effective working relationships with partner
agencies.”
Moose, take notice: You’re not
immune to chronic wasting disease. The Colorado Division
of Wildlife announced that a bull moose recently tested positive
for the disease (HCN, 6/10/02: No magic bullet for wasting
disease). The animal was killed in September by a bow hunter north
of Rocky Mountain National Park. Since 2002, wildlife officials in
Colorado have tested nearly 300 moose for the disease, which, until
now, had been found only in deer and elk. This is the first
incidence of a moose testing positive for chronic wasting disease
anywhere in the world.
In Colorado,
wind-generated electricity is about to become cheaper than
electricity from coal and natural gas. High natural gas
costs have forced Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest energy
provider, to ask the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for
permission to raise electric rates by about 33 percent (HCN,
5/2/05: Winds of change). Customers who buy electricity generated
at Xcel’s two Colorado wind farms currently pay about $6 more
per month than customers who buy “regular” electricity. But by
December, after the hike, wind customers will be paying about $9.75
a month less than their non-eco-groovy counterparts.
A federal court has nixed the Bureau of
Reclamation’s 10-year plan for the Klamath River
(HCN, 6/23/03: Sound science goes sour). Three judges in the 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the plan allows area farmers to
divert so much water from the river that there won’t be
enough left to keep endangered coho salmon alive in eight of the 10
years.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The Latest Bounce.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
