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Northern Plains disappointed with Land Board decision on Otter Creek

		Members of Northern Plains Resource Council expressed disappointment with the Land Board’s decision to approve Arch Coal’s (subsidiary Ark Land Company) 15- cents a ton bonus bid to lease the state-owned Otter Creek coal tracts. Northern Plains continues to oppose the leasing of Otter Creek and the construction of the Tongue River Railroad to transport that coal, developments that would turn one of the last agricultural valleys in Montana into an industrial corridor. READ >>

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More Earthships taking shape in Eastern Montana

		The Miles City Earthship built for Scott Elder and Karla Lund is not the only one in Eastern Montana. Next door, artists Tucker and Glenna Bolton, are building one themselves. The couple has already spent two summers working on its construction and hope to have half the house ready to occupy this winter as they continue working on the rest. North of Big Timber, on 64 acres with a killer view of several mountain ranges, Monte Koch has hired an Earthship crew to build his home. Billings Gazette >>

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Serengeti of the Northern Plains

		The American Prairie Foundation envisions a Serengeti of the Northern Plains, an expanse with wildlife abundance unseen since the Corps of Discovery two centuries ago. The Prairie Project could be the largest privately funded conservation land venture on the planet and the biggest free-roaming bison range in the United States. Yellowstone Park, at 2.21 million acres, would be a distant second. READ >>

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US High Speed Rail Association Applauds Obama's Initiative


		The US High Speed Rail Association has been a big supporter of President Obama's plans for high speed rail in America. The association was launched in June 2009 with the sole purpose of helping to build widespread public, political, and business support for a major national high speed rail network for America. "We congratulate the president and vice president on this great effort" said Thomas Hart, Vice President for Government Affairs, US High Speed Rail Association. MORE >>

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Study: Water vapor may help 'flatten global warming trend'

		Water vapor, a potent, natural greenhouse gas that absorbs sunlight and re- emits heat, is "a wild card" of global warming, says the paper's lead author, senior scientist Susan Solomon of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colo. While climate warming is continuing — the decade of 2000 to 2009 was the hottest on record worldwide — the increase in temperatures was not as rapid as in the 1990s. READ >>

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Shoppers face nation's first fee for using plastic bags


		A first-of-its-kind law is hitting Washington, D.C., shoppers, who must pay 5 cents for every plastic or paper disposable bag they use when buying food or alcohol. Washington passed the first-of-its-kind law in the USA to charge shoppers for disposable plastic and paper bags as a way to cut back on trash and clean up the Anacostia River. City research has found plastic bags are a major source of the river's trash. Bag-fee proposals have been popping up elsewhere in the USA, but Washington D.C. says it's the first to pass one. They've been introduced in state Legislatures in California, Maryland and Virginia. MORE >>

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The Montana Exception

		A Democrat cuts spending. Really. As Governors deliver their January State of the State addresses, the fiscal lamentations can be heard across the land. Then there's Montana, where Governor Brian Schweitzer this week ordered a 5% across the board cut in state agency spending. The Governor, a Democrat, called the spending cuts "pro-active measures to make sure we live within our means." Imagine that. More remarkable is that Montana is one of three states—North Dakota and Texas are the others— without a budget deficit. They are all states that benefit from high oil and energy prices, but Mr. Schweitzer wants to continue his state's habit of balancing the books during the economic downturn without a tax increase. MORE >>

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Department of Environmental Quality kicks off monthly column


		The Montana Department of Environmental Quality, while not the most popular of state agencies, has one of the most important missions in state government. We exist to protect, sustain, and improve a clean and healthful environment for the benefit of present and future generations. To help us do a better job of communication with the public, and to help all of you better understand how to protect Montana's magnificent environment, the Helena Independent Record has agreed to let DEQ write monthly columns that address questions like: how do I maintain my well and septic systems to keep from polluting the groundwater? Or what do I do if I find asbestos when I'm remodeling my home? MORE >>

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As colleges add green majors and minors, classes fill up


		Nationwide, more than 100 majors, minors or certificates were created this year in energy and sustainability-focused programs at colleges big and small, says the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. That's up from just three programs added in 2005. Two factors are driving the surge: Students want the courses, and employers want the trained students, says Paul Rowland, the association's executive director. Arizona State University graduate student harvests campus-grown foods to be served at campus dining facilities.

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The Global Food Crisis, The End of Plenty


		For most of the past decade, the world has been consuming more food than it has been producing. Agricultural productivity growth is only one to two percent a year. This is too low to meet population growth and increased demand. Climate change—with its hotter growing seasons and increasing water scarcity—is projected to reduce future harvests in much of the world, raising the specter of what some scientists are now calling a perpetual food crisis. So what is a hot, crowded, and hungry world to do? READ

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Buy into Bounty, Join a CSA

		Supermarkets leave the impression that every fruit and vegetable should be available year-round. However, in order to accommodate this demand, they stock produce that has been shipped cross-country if not from other continents. Buying locally saves shipping energy and preserves both flavor and nutrients. WHAT IS A CSA? A Community Supported Agriculture operation (CSA) is a farm that allows local residents to buy shares of each season's harvest. Before the growing season commences, new members contract with a CSA agreeing to pay a set amount in exchange for a weekly share of the farm's produce. READ

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NorthWestern Energy inks deal for renewable energy


		NorthWestern Energy will buy 13 megawatts of power from a new hydroelectric project and is examining additional potential green-energy project. The power from Turnbull Hydro, a project on an irrigation canal west of Fairfield, in north-central Montana, also will count toward the company’s minimum state requirements to buy renewable or “green” power and from small “community” projects, said John Hines, chief supply officer for the utility. READ >>

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FDA decision to let growers of camelina expand market

		Camelina has moved to the forefront of the biofuels movement as a sustainable alternative crop that will support future generations. Because of its certain apparent health benefits and its technical stability gold-of-pleasure and camelina oil are being added to the growing list of foods considered as functional foods. Now in a break biofuel companies expected, omega 3-rich camelina meal was approved for cattle feed by federal officials. The approval by the Food and Drug Administration comes at a crucial time for Montana camelina growers, now seeing oil from their seed crop tested in commercial and military jets. Meal from the crushed seed is a byproduct that growers have contended is a quality animal feed because it's high in protein and contains omega-3 fatty acids. BIllings Gazette >> Check these links for more information about Camelina: http://www.montana.edu/biobased/projects/CamelinaInfo.html http://www.agr.mt.gov/camelina/ https://www.camelinacompany.com/

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Montana Ag producers, consumers pushing farm-to-table concept


		There was a time when 70 percent of what Montanans ate was produced in state. They grew watermelons in Whitehall, green peas in Bozeman, apricots in Corvallis, beans in Glendive, all for commercial sale. Now there's a push to return to those days by farmers and consumers who say farm profits would be better and so would the healthfulness of the food we eat. But it's been so long since Montana fed itself, the burning question is whether it still can. Billings Gazette >> Photo by David Grubbs.

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Two firms pursuing Montana power project


		A Canadian transmission company and an Irish wind developer said Friday that they are teaming up to pursue a central Montana power project that could result in at least $1 billion worth of new wind energy in the Great Falls area. If the project succeeds, it would give Montana's burgeoning wind energy industry room to grow - an expansion that to date has been limited by a lack of lines to move power out of the state. READ >>

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Rail Systems: Economic future of the United States

		"Our country's future prosperity depends on its having an efficient and well-maintained rail system," Warren Buffett, arguably the world's most famous and successful investor, turned heads on Wall Street when he placed his biggest bet of his career on rails — and the battered USA economy, for that matter. Betting more than $26 billion of his spare cash to acquire all of Texas-based railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe. He says, "the ability of railroads to move goods from Point A to Point B more efficiently and more environmentally friendly than the fuel-guzzling 18- wheelers that clog the nation's already overcrowded highways." MORE >>

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Strength training may be key to preventing disability as you age.

Declining muscle mass not only undermines your physical strength but also
contributes to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses by
slowing the body's metabolic rate, encouraging the accumulation of fat.

This decline in muscle mass begins surprisingly early, usually by age 40.
And between ages 50 and 70, muscle strength can drop by 15 percent per
decade, even faster in later years. Although this loss was previously
considered an inevitable part of aging, strength training can halt much of that
decline and restore muscle power to the levels you had decades earlier.
MORE >>

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School library to forsake ink and paper in favor of e-books


		After reading about the plan last month in the Boston Globe, bloggers and commenters worldwide have called headmaster Jim Tracy a snob, a spendthrift and a book burner and even compared him to Adolf Hitler. One commenter on the blog parentdish.com urged, "Save the books, fire the instigator of the book-burning. Let Hitler stay dead." "What the students are telling us is: 'We're not using the print books. You can keep giving them to us, but they're just going to collect dust.' READ >>

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Food Recycling Law A Hit In San Francisco


		Tossing food scraps in your garbage can is a crime — at least in San Francisco. A brand-new city law requires residents to discard food waste in a separate bin. It's the first program in the nation to mandate that all residents, plus businesses, restaurants and multidwelling units like apartment houses compost waste. In fact, many residents and landlords began implementing the law before it took effect, using their city-provided food recycling bins to separate waste. San Francisco's ultimate and fairly lofty goal is to get to zero waste, meaning no garbage at all going into landfills, by the year 2020. MORE >> See Recycle Montana .

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Possible Revival of Amtrak through Southern Montana


		The Chicago-to-Seattle line through Montana's southern tier operated until 1979, and fans of passenger rail have been rallying to reinstate the service. Some travelers have grown tired of the cost and restrictions that come with airline travel, and others want a "green" way to get around. The train would benefit the environment. "Rail passenger service is, on average, 19 percent more energy efficient than air travel and 28 percent more energy efficient than auto travel. Rail service also emits several times less carbon dioxide per passenger-mile than either air or highway travel." READ >>

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Senator's Landmark Plan for Health Reform Advances


		After more than a year of preparation, and holding more than 40 health care events in the state, Baucus' bipartisan bill to lower costs and provide quality, affordable health care coverage to all Montanans will advance to conference where it will be merged with other Senate health care reform bills. Key Points About the Baucus Health Reform Plan

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A Rural Town Success Story
Before the tornado, our city was dying. Our biggest export was youth


		On May 4, 2007, an EF5 tornado cut a 1.7-mile path of destruction through Greensburg, Kansas. Winds reaching speeds of 205 miles per hour uprooted trees, demolished homes and leveled the town. Eleven people died and 95% of the buildings were destroyed beyond repair. The town, whose population has dropped from 2,000 to 800 following the storm, responded with a first-of-its-kind commitment: to rebuild its businesses, schools and homes to meet the highest environmental standards. The motto on the town’s website captures the enthusiasm: “Greensburg: Better, Stronger, Greener!” MORE >>

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U.S. Showing No Signs of Reducing Dependence on Foreign Oil


		Speaking as a special guest at the Project New West Summit, energy expert T. Boone Pickens updated Western senators, governors and state leaders on the level of foreign oil imported by the United States in July 2009. Pickens said that based on the latest figures from the U. S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. imported 65 percent of its oil, or 374 million barrels in July 2009, sending approximately $24 billion, or $537,381 per minute, overseas to foreign governments. One of his solutions. Natural gas. MORE >>

T. Boone in his
natural gas
Honda Civic GX

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New Senate Bill Threatens Small Farmers

		The Farm To Consumer Legal Defense Fund agrees that the industrial food safety system has serious flaws and needs to be fixed. The US has seen numerous outbreaks of foodborne illnesses caused by imported foods or domestic foods that were processed in huge facilities and shipped throughout the country. Unfortunately, Senate bill HR 2749 does not focus FDA’s efforts on these very real problems. Instead, it creates a regulatory framework that will heavily burden the small farms and local food processors, the very people who provide a safe, healthy alternative to the industrial food supply. S.510, they say, is more of the same, and needs to be defeated. MORE >>

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Montana businesses supporting climate-change legislation

		"We can't afford not to make some significant changes," said Beth Schenk, sustainability coordinator for St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center in Missoula. "It's a hard thing for everyone to get their arms around, but I don't quite see that it's all that optional." Billings Gazette The average global temperature has risen by almost one degree Fahrenheit over the past century, which has driven scientists to expect that the average global temperature will increase an additional two to six degrees over the next hundred years. This might not sound like a big deal, but it could change the Earth's climate (the weather or temperature) like never before. Photo courtesy Molly Mintz.

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Portland is a hub for the car-free and carefree

		Climb aboard one of the light-rail MAX trains that crisscross the metro area, get off at the Oregon Zoo, and careen downhill on souped-up kiddie bikes. Bruises and broken speed limits — not to mention the occasional intoxicant — are par for the course. No matter how you choose to get around this outpost of half a million free- wheeling souls, car keys aren't required. >>

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Study suggests denser development could cut driving pollution

		Would Americans drive less if they stopped living on big lots far from urban centers? If so, would that reduce pollution and dependence on energy? By how much? Meeting the growing demand for conveniently located homes in neighborhoods designed to encourage walking could significantly reduce the number of miles Americans drive while giving people more housing choices, a national research panel has concluded. How much it would shrink the nation's carbon footprint is not as clear. Such questions, which have dominated the debate over "smart growth" for two decades, are getting the attention of lawmakers. >>

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Montana Landowners to Negotiate With Pipeline Company


		A group of landowners crossed by TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline have formed the Northern Plains Pipeline Landowner’s Group of Montana (NPPLG). Kickoff meetings for members and potential members are planned in September. The group is working with Northern Plains Resource Council to develop an agreement that addresses common landowner concerns associated with the major pipeline crossing their farms and ranches. >>

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Rest stops get 'green' facelifts

Environmental consciousness is sprouting along one of the greatest
symbols of America's love affair with the automobile: the turnpike.
The folks that help millions of cars and trucks move across the nation —
big producers of greenhouse gas emissions — are slowly turning from
environmental villains to green heroes. Cars and light trucks produce 14%
of greenhouse gas emissions, according to industry estimates. So
turnpike and road authorities are embracing all things "green." >>

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The Hunt for Methane

Recent observations have suggested that the air above Alaska may
already hold the first signs of a regional increase in greenhouse gas
emissions that could contribute to climate change around the globe.

To learn more about the region’s emissions, NOAA’s Earth System
Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., has teamed up with the U.S. Coast
Guard at Kodiak Island. The two partners are flying NOAA air-sampling
devices aboard a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft conducting flights over the
state through November. >>

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Drilling for Workers
Energy Workforce Study Released

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry released a report on
Montana’s energy workforce that details the education and training
needed for Montana’s energy jobs. The study, “Drilling for Workers: A
Workforce Assessment of the energy industry in Eastern Montana’s
WIRED Region,” examines the economic challenges in the WIRED region,
the future of the energy industry in Montana, and the skills and training
needed for Montana’s energy jobs. >>

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Climate plan calls for forest expansion to farmland

			New forests would spread across the American landscape, replacing both pasture and farm fields, under a congressional plan to confront climate change, an Environmental Protection Agency analysis shows. About 18 million acres of new trees — roughly the size of West Virginia — would be planted by 2020, according to an EPA analysis of a climate bill passed by the House of Representatives in June. >>

			That's because the House bill gives financial incentives to farmers and ranchers to plant trees, which suck in large amounts of the key global-warming gas: carbon dioxide.


	Here's an alternative: It takes 191,000,000 trees per year just to produce our daily newspapers in this country. Most are recycled, but ultimately they end up a landfill somewhere. All newspapers and magazines could be published digitally and read online saving not only trees but many other resources including the massive and energy wasting distribution costs, ink (oil) and newsstands. In other words, "zero-waste." Giving more tax dollars to take more farm land out of production just doesn't make any sense.

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Goodbye Lawn - Hello Spin Farm

		SPIN-Farming makes agriculture accessible to anyone, anywhere. SPIN is a non-technical, easy-to-learn and inexpensive-to-implement vegetable farming system that makes it possible to earn significant income from land bases under an acre in size. Whether you are new to farming, or want to farm in a new way, SPIN can work for you because it removes the two big barriers to entry - land and capital - as well as by established farmers who want to diversify or downsize, as well as by part-time hobby farmers. Read >>

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54% of Aluminum Cans are Now Recycled in the U.S.


		A recycled can requires 95 percent less energy, generates 95 percent less emissions and creates 97 percent less water pollution than generating new metal. Therefore, purchasing beverages in aluminum cans, then recycling is a simple way to reduce one’s carbon footprint. Higher recycling rates ensure a steady supply of high value recycled aluminum delivering incredible value and benefits for all stakeholders. >>

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Bottle Water Boom Appears Tapped Out

		The recession has finally answered the question that centuries of philosophers could not: The glass is half-empty. That's because sales of bottled water have fallen for the first time in at least five years, assailed by wrathful environmentalists and budget-conscious consumers, who have discovered that tap water is practically free. >>

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Car Free Cities

		Being able to walk to a mix of shops, restaurants, newsstands, coffeehouses and open-air markets within car-free neighborhoods and work centers delivers the highest quality of life, and adds great variety and vitality to an area. There is a growing demand all around the world for entire city districts to be made pedestrian, and directly connected to a train line. >>

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Trash Talking. Direct Taxation at Work.

		When it comes to garbage, American consumers could learn a few things from the Swiss. In most North American cities one hurls great numbers of black garbage bags into trash cans, where they're often ripped open by marauding animals. Of course, some of the bags are green, boasting of extra-strength-easy-grip twist-ties or whatever "new" labor-saving innovation is being peddled at the mega-shopping center. READ >>

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The 100th Coal Plant Stopped

		As of today, 100 coal plants have been defeated or abandoned since the beginning of the coal rush. News came down that Utah-based Intermountain Power Agency is abandoning plans for a third coal-fired generator in the state. This news comes as President Obama is at the G8 summit in Italy discussing action on global warming. As other countries like China say they will not act until the U.S. does, these 100 stopped plants are a sign from Americans. We are taking action against global warming, and it's time to join us. READ >>

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Eating can be energy-efficient, too


		With Americans looking to reduce their "carbon footprints," food seems an obvious place to start. Choosing a diet with a smaller carbon footprint means choosing foods that are processed in ways that emit less carbon dioxide — a heat-trapping "greenhouse" gas — into the atmosphere. The production of 1 pound of beef creates 14.8 pounds of C02, the same amount produced by 20.59 miles of driving. USA TODAY >>

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Study: Fewer than 20% walk or bike even part of commute

		Walking or biking to work, even part way, is linked with fitness, but very few Americans do it, according to a study of more than 2,000 middle-aged city dwellers. In what may be the first large U.S. study of health and commuting, the researchers found only about 17% of workers walked or bicycled any portion of their commute. USA TODAY >>

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On tiny plots, a new generation of farmers emerges


		Joseph Gabiou walks the fields of Wobbly Cart Farm with a practiced eye. He kicks dirt into place to keep the wind from blowing the protective covering off a row of organic broccoli. Wobbly Cart, say agriculture specialists, is part of a movement in which young people — most of whom come from cities and suburbs — are taking up what may be the world's oldest profession: organic farming. USA TODAY >>

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