Monument concerns prompt meeting
Illinois Valley News, May 26, 2010 [here]
Tuesday afternoon, May 18, Josephine County Commissioner Sandi Cassanelli traveled to Yreka, Calif. to attend a five-hour meeting regarding a proposal to create the Siskiyou Crest National Monument.
The monument, being promoted by the Ashland-based Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center environmental group, would encompass more than 600,000 acres in Josephine and Jackson counties in Oregon, and Del Norte and Siskiyou counties in California.
Cassanelli said that other attendees at the meeting, held at the Yreka Community Theater, included Tom Kitchar, of the Waldo Mining District; Jackson County Commissioner C.W. Smith, and representatives from U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management Medford office.
Another attendee was Rob Patridge from the office of 2nd District Congressman Greg Walden (R-Oregon).
Siskiyou County officials are concerned that designation of a monument would limit various activities on public land in the area, Cassanelli said. They could include grazing, logging, mining and riding all-terrain vehicles. Fire suppression issues also are important to county officials, she added.
Another fear, Cassanelli said, is that President Obama possibly could use the American Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the monument without an open public process.
“It’s out of BLM’s control if the president declares a monument,” Cassanelli said.
The five-hour meeting was attended by more than 400 people, Cassanelli said. A hand count was taken to determine how many people were in support of the monument proposal, she said, and only one person expressed that sentiment.
Officials from the counties that would be affected by the monument designation are planning to submit documentation of their opposition to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Cassanelli said.
“Now is the time for us to band together,” she said. “If we do it together, there’s some hope.”
State Senator Sylvia Allen responds to SB1070
By Arizona Senator Sylvia Allen, The Tucson Citizen, May 1, 2010 [here]
I’m Arizona State Senator Sylvia Allen. I want to explain SB 1070, which I voted for and was just signed by Governor Jan Brewer. Rancher Rob Krantz was murdered by the drug cartel on his ranch a month ago. I participated in a senate hearing two weeks ago on the border violence; here are just some of the highlights from those who testified.
The people who live within 60 to 80 miles of the Arizona/Mexico Border have for years been terrorized and have pleaded for help to stop the daily invasion of humans who cross their property. One Rancher testified that 300 to 1,200 people A DAY come across his ranch vandalizing his property, stealing his vehicles and property, cutting down his fences, and leaving trash. In the last two years he has found 17 dead bodies and two Koran bibles. Another rancher testified that drugs are brought across his ranch daily in a military operation. A point man with a machine gun goes in front, 1/2 mile behind are the guards — fully armed — 1/2 mile behind them are the drugs, behind the drugs 1/2 mile are more guards. These people are violent and they will kill anyone who gets in the way. This was not the only rancher we heard that day that talked about the drug trains. One man told of two illegals who came on his property, one shot in the back and the other in the arm by the drug runners who had forced them to carry drugs and then shot them. Daily they listen to gunfire. During the night it is not safe to leave his family alone on the ranch and they can’t leave the ranch for fear of nothing being left when they come back.
The border patrol is not on the border. They have set up 60 miles away with checkpoints that do nothing to stop the invasion. They are not allowed to use force in stopping anyone who is entering. They run around chasing [illegals]; if they get their hands on them then they can take them back across the border. Federal prisons have over 35% illegals and 20% of Arizona prisons are filled with illegals. In the last few years, 80% of our law enforcement that have been killed or wounded have been [killed or wounded] by illegals. The majority of people coming now are people we need to be worried about. The ranchers told us that they have seen a change in the people coming; they are not just those who are looking for work and a better life.
More Global Warming Profiteering by Obama Energy Official
Ex-Gore associate and current Obama energy official Cathy Zoi is exploiting global warming for her own mega-gain.
by Christopher Horner, Pajamas Media, April 26, 2010 [here]
Surprising documents made available to this author reveal that Assistant Secretary of Energy Cathy Zoi has a huge financial stake in companies likely to profit from the Obama administration’s “green” policies.
Zoi, who left her position as CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection — founded by Al Gore — to serve as assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, now manages billions in “green jobs” funding. But the disclosure documents show that Zoi not only is in a position to affect the fortunes of her previous employer, ex-Vice President Al Gore, but that she herself has large holdings in two firms that could directly profit from policies proposed by the Department of Energy.
Among Zoi’s holdings are shares in Serious Materials, Inc., the previously sleepy, now bustling, friend of the Obama White House whose public policy operation is headed by her husband. Between them, Zoi and her husband hold 120,000 shares in Serious Materials, as well as stock options. Reporter John Stossel has already explored what he sees as the “crony capitalism” implied by Zoi being so able to influence the fortunes of a company to which she is so closely associated.
In addition, the disclosure forms reflect that Zoi holds between $250,000 and $500,000 in “founders shares” in Landis+Gyr, a Swiss “smart meter” firm. She also still owns between $15,000 and $50,000 in ordinary shares. … [more]
Three wolf packs in SW Montana to be eliminated
By Nick Gevock, Montana Standard, April 25, 2010 [here]
BUTTE — Federal trappers killed four wolves this month from an area of the Big Hole Valley that has repeatedly seen attacks on livestock.
The four wolves come on the heels of five others that have been lethally removed over the past three months from the Miner Lakes and Bender packs, as well as any wolves remaining from the Battlefield pack that was taken out last year, said Carolyn Sime, wolf program coordinator for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. …
Sime added the control actions are ongoing, but trappers have been unable to locate and kill all the wolves.
Since the beginning of the year nine cows or calves have been killed by wolves in the Big Hole. The attacks have been especially concentrated in the west side of the valley.
State officials authorized the removal of the Miner Lakes pack, which had grown large and been estimated to contain around 15 wolves. And last year the Battlefield pack that lived west of Wisdom was authorized for elimination after repeated attacks.
Trappers killed all but one of the pack and the lone survivor was believed to have joined the Miner Lakes pack. But attacks on livestock continued west of Wisdom.
The issue boiled over last fall when rancher Fred Hirschy, who has lost cattle to wolves repeatedly, closed off part of his ranch to public hunting.
Sime said the continued attacks highlight the challenges of managing wolves in the Big Hole Valley. The Bender pack quickly moved into the area where the Battlefield pack had roamed after it was removed. …
She said a higher quota is justified because even with a record number of wolves killed through control actions and an additional 72 taken by hunters, the wolf population continued to grow. … [more]
AFBF: Reject Fed Takeover of Puddles
Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding ‘America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act’ [here]
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 22, 2010 – “The American Farm Bureau Federation does not support legislation that would change and expand federal control of our nation’s waters. We are greatly concerned that ‘America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act,’ introduced yesterday by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), would do precisely that. We urge all members of the House of Representatives to not support this bill. This measure would change the Clean Water Act by extending federal control of all waters in the United States, not just real navigable waters, as Congress clearly intended when it passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.
“Farm Bureau has always supported the Clean Water Act as a vital tool for protecting our nation’s valuable water resources. The bill unveiled yesterday, however, goes farther by removing the word ‘navigable’ from the Clean Water Act. If the word ‘navigable’ is deleted from the law, any farm pond or ditch would be at the mercy of federal regulations. This vague and overreaching amendment to the Clean Water Act is unacceptable to America’s farm and ranch families.
“Farm Bureau is also deeply concerned that the legislation will overturn the current treatment of prior converted cropland, a regulation that has been in place for nearly two decades. This would effectively give federal control of the development rights of 53 million acres of private land. This extension of federal control over private property rights is dangerous and unprecedented.
We urge members of Congress to support America’s farm and ranch families and reject ‘America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act.’”
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Note — The Puddle Power Bill is co-sponsored by the usual urban extreme lefties: Senators Boxer, Cardin, Brown, Cantwell, Carper, Dodd, Durbin, Gillibrand, Kerry, Kohl, Lautenberg, Leahy, Levin, Lieberman, Menendez, Merkley, Reed, Sanders, Schumer, Shaheen, Stabenow, Whitehouse, and Wyden. If you own it, they want to steal it from you. That’s what Stalin-style socialism is all about.
Oregon Integrated Water Resource Strategy swayed by modern politics
By Curtis W. Martin, Guest editorial, Hermiston Herald, April 14, 2010 [here]
Oregon’s Water Resources Department (OWRD) has embarked upon a project, mandated by the 2009 Legislature (House Bill 3369), to review the management of water as prescribed in our water code, in existence for over 100 years.
One of the key points to understand is that it is totally politically motivated.
It was not initiated by the Water Resources Department from a known problem needing correction, nor requested from any other agency or organization.
The concept that the 1909 Water Code is outdated and immutable is incorrect. It is not a stagnant document. It has been modified numerous times, as evidenced by the inclusion of minimum stream flows (benefiting aquatic habitat), codifying storage and delivery systems and prioritization of societal needs for the quality and quantity of this precious resource.
Nevertheless, the Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) is statutory and is being promulgated by a project team, assembled by the Water Resources Department. To their credit, they have established good information about the “strategy” on the OWRD Web site, which I would encourage everyone interested in production agriculture to visit, become informed about and then participate in the “open house” sessions currently being held around the state — most recently in Umatilla.
The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association has multiple concerns with the IWRS. Lead among these are possible major changes to adjudicated water rights, as are now contained within the 1909 Oregon Water Code. The September 29, 2009, OWRD Briefer states that — although the Integrated Water Resources Strategy project is not “intended to overhaul water law or reallocate — but if during this process, statutory modifications are deemed necessary, the Water Resources Commission will forward recommendations to the Legislature to achieve the objectives of the Water Strategy.”
Make no mistake, this clearly could jeopardize how and where we currently prioritize water use and management. The economy of this state would suffer, in that businesses (not only agricultural) could no longer be sure that their supply of water would not be threatened.
Rehberg co-sponsors bill to stop record tax increase
‘Taxpayer Certainty Act’ provides stability and stimulates job creation
by Jed Link, The Clark Fork Chronicle, April 15 2010 [here]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Montana) today cosponsored The Taxpayer Certainty Act, which would make permanent the tax relief passed in 2001 and 2003. The legislation would prevent the largest tax increase in American history, which goes into effect automatically at the end of the year unless Congress acts to stop it.
“Raising taxes during an economic crisis is like looting a burning house,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Liberty Caucus. “I’ve heard from countless Montana small business owners who could create new jobs, but instead are paralyzed by the uncertainty of new regulations combined with a higher tax liability in the future. By preserving this tax relief, we can create the economic stability that promotes job growth.”
Without this bill, much of the tax relief passed in 2001 and 2003 will expire at the end of the year, generating the largest single tax increase in American history. All Americans, rich and poor, will owe more.
more »
Idaho’s Gov. Otter Signs Firearms Freedom Act
Tom Remington, Black Bear Blog, April 8, 2010 [here]
Idaho Governor Butch Otter signed HB 589, the Idaho Firearms Freedom Act, this morning (Thursday April 8), making Idaho the seventh state to enact an Firearms Freedom Act bill.
Note: This act creates a challenge at the federal level by making it legal to possess a firearm in Idaho regardless of federal regulations PROVIDED the firearm’s use AND manufacture meet certain requirements, including being manufactured in Idaho, with products produced in Idaho and stamped “Made in Idaho.”
Easter Earthquake in Baja
Our San Diego correspondent reports a whole lot of shaking going on.
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program website [here]
Magnitude 6.9 - BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
Sunday, April 04, 2010 at 03:40:39 PM at epicenter
Location 32.093°N, 115.249°W
Depth 32.3 km (20.1 miles)
This is a computer-generated message — this event has not yet been reviewed by a seismologist.
Watershed thinning to start in spring - Project to employ 50 people
By Vickie Aldous, The Ashland Daily Tidings, April 3, 2010 [here]
Thinning to reduce wildfire danger in the Ashland Watershed could start as soon as mid-May and ultimately provide employment for 50 people, according to officials involved in the project.
After years of planning and community input, the U.S. Forest Service approved the Ashland Forest Resiliency Project in October 2009. It calls for thinning trees and conducting prescribed burns on 7,600 acres in the Ashland Watershed and adjacent watersheds over the next decade.
Siskiyou Mountains District Ranger Donna Mickley said the Forest Service hopes to start work in mid to late-May, or possibly as late as early June.
“This is what all this hard work and collaboration has been about — being able to begin implementation,” she said.
On March 15, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, the city of Ashland, the Lomakatsi Restoration Project and The Nature Conservancy signed a $5.1 million stewardship agreement to carry out the first phase of the thinning project, Mickley said.
Funding from the project comes from $4.5 million in federal economic stimulus dollars meant to put people to work, plus $640,000 in cash and in-kind donations from the city of Ashland, Lomakatsi and The Nature Conservancy.
City of Ashland Forest Resources Specialist Chris Chambers said the city government’s contribution comes mainly in the form of city staff time that was already budgeted. The city is also hoping to get a $47,000 federal timber payments grant that could come through Jackson County.
City officials will find out on May 4 if Jackson County Commissioners award Ashland the grant, Chambers said.
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Supervisor Scott Conroy said the thinning project will create jobs, help restore the watershed and reduce wildfire risk for residents in Ashland and surrounding communities.
Ashland Fire & Rescue Chief John Karns said reducing the risk of large-scale wildfire will help protect homes and the city’s clean water supply, which originates in the watershed.
Crews will start work close to Ashland in the wildlands-urban interface where homes are most at risk from wildfires. Over the 10-year life of the project, crews will gradually work up into the watershed, officials said.
Lomakatsi, a local nonprofit group that does hands-on work to rehabilitate watersheds, will thin small brush and trees, conduct controlled burns and train a workforce in forest restoration, officials said. …
Thinning work can proceed despite a lawsuit filed over parts of the project by Ashland City Councilor Eric Navickas and Arizona ecologist Jay Lininger… [more]
See also:
City won’t join suit on watershed - U.S. Forest Service had sought council’s support [here]
USFS cuts $2 million from Ashland project [here]
City leaders urge thinning of watershed despite lawsuit threats [here]
Why the silence from Janet Napolitano about putting troops on the border?
Laurie Roberts, The Arizona Republic, April 2, 2010 [here]
Eight days ago, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced “significant progress” in securing the border in the year since President Barack Obama launched his Southwest Border Initiative. Words like “decisive action”, “sustained security efforts” and “major progress” were employed.
One day later, Rob Krentz was dead, shot to death just 20 miles from the border on land his family has ranched since before Arizona became a state. Investigators tracked a set of footprints from the scene of the shooting to the border and it’s widely believed that he was killed by a drug smuggler.
Krentz’s death prompted Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to renew her 13-month-old call for the feds to send National Guard troops to the border, a call echoed by Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson flat out ordered the New Mexico National Guard to the border on Wednesday, saying “I want residents in southern New Mexico to know we are taking this border violence very seriously.”
Meanwhile in Washington, we saw the sort of bold, decisive action we’ve long come to expect from the feds when it comes to the border. Napolitano offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Krentz’s killer.
This, from a woman who two years ago pleaded with her predecessor for troops at the border.
Napolitano’s press aides didn’t return a call to explain this week’s curious lack of response from the official now responsible for the security of the homeland – presumably including the open back door here in her own home state.
Who knows? Maybe she’s just taking orders from her boss, Barack Obama. Or maybe she’s forgotten who she is – or was. … [more]
Border security debate intensifies in Arizona
By Jen Dimascio, Politico.com, 4/2/10 [here]
The murder of a prominent Arizona rancher has intensified an election-year debate about border security, with Republicans stepping up calls for National Guard deployments.
Facing a tough primary contest, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been drawn into the fight, with his conservative opponent J.D. Hayworth accusing him of “28 years of inaction” on border security.
McCain wrote Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano this week, imploring her to fulfill his and GOP Gov. Jan Brewer’s standing request for federally funded guard troops. Texas GOP Gov. Rick Perry, meanwhile, wants unmanned drones to patrol the extended Texas border.
The governors are empowered to deploy the Guard, but they want the U.S. government to pay for it, which requires a presidential order.
Meanwhile, the murder of the rancher, Robert Krentz, 58, remains unsolved, with no proof that it is necessarily related to immigration or border issues susceptible to improvement by troops.
Authorities have revealed a cell phone conversation and followed a trail of footprints 20 miles to the Mexico border, leading some to speculate that an illegal immigrant may be the culprit.
Smack in the middle of it all is Napolitano, who in 2006, as governor of Arizona, persuaded President George W. Bush to send in the Guard to bolster border patrol forces fighting illegal immigration.
Now she’s on the other side, the head of the agency in charge of Customs and Border Patrol and securing the nation’s borders.
The administration, however, hasn’t yielded to the requests that came in a year ago from the governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas for a National Guard presence on the border. It maintains that security along the border has improved.
“We’re going to examine whether, and if, National Guard deployments would make sense and in what circumstances they would make sense as part of this overall review of our border situation,” Obama told reporters last month. “I haven’t drawn any conclusions yet,” he said. “I don’t have a particular tipping point in mind.” … [more]
New Obama plan will NOT increase U.S. energy supplies
By Daniel V. Kish, Washington Examiner, April 1, 2010 [here]
On the last day of March, President Obama traveled to Andrews Air Force Base to announce his new program for exploring for energy on America’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
Then he returned to the White House to announce his support for a holiday for the late Cesar Chavez, the famous head of the United Farm Workers Union.
His “energy plan” will not increase U.S. energy supplies…it will reduce them. His actions on energy will not help the hard working supporters of Cesar Chavez, but they will do wonders for Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan dictator who will be able to sell the U.S. more of his oil because of the president’s dangerous neglect and misunderstanding of U.S. energy production’s importance to our economic and national security.
Obama did not open up new areas for drilling in the OCS – he closed them. He didn’t make new supplies of energy available; he embargoed them from use by American citizens. He didn’t take steps to lessen dependence on foreign oil; he increased our dependence.
In short, his actions did not match his words, and Americans will pay the price for years to come.
Guv approves use of eminent domain to take federal land
Brock Vergakis, Salt Lake Tribune, 03/29/2010 [here]
Fed up with federal ownership of more than half the land in Utah, Republican Gov. Gary Herbert on Saturday authorized the use of eminent domain to take some of the U.S. government’s most valuable parcels.
Herbert signed a pair of bills into law that supporters hope will trigger a flood of similar legislation throughout the West, where lawmakers contend that federal ownership restricts economic development in an energy-rich part of the country.
Governments use eminent domain to take private property for public use.
The goal is to spark a U.S. Supreme Court battle that legislators’ own attorneys acknowledge has little chance of success.
But Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and other Republicans say the case is still worth fighting, since the state could reap millions of dollars for state schools each year if it wins.
More than 60 percent of Utah is owned by the U.S. government, and policy makers here have long complained that federal ownership hinders their ability to generate tax revenue and adequately fund public schools. …
Initially, the state would target three areas for the use of eminent domain, including the Kaiparowits plateau in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is home to large coal reserves.
Many people in Utah are still angry that then-President Bill Clinton’s designated the area as a national monument in 1996, a move that stopped development on the land and greatly pleased environmentalists as he ran for re-election.
Utah lawmakers contend the federal government should have long ago sold the land it owns in the state. Because it hasn’t, the federal government has violated a contract made with Utah when statehood was granted, they say.
Eminent domain would also be used on parcels of land where Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last year scrapped 77 oil and gas leases around national parks and wild areas. … [more]
Arizona Rancher’s Killing Sparks Calls to Beef Up Border Security
FOXNews.com, March 29, 2010 [here]
Three members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation have asked for an increase in the Border Patrol’s presence in the Boot Heel of New Mexico, about 10 miles from where the rancher was shot to death over the weekend. U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, along with Rep. Harry Teague, say Napolitano’s agency needs to take more security steps.
And former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, called on Napolitano to “reject politics and do the right thing” by dispatching the National Guard to the Arizona border.
Cochise County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives responded to an area northeast of Douglas on Saturday after searchers found the body of 58-year-old Robert Krentz inside his all terrain vehicle on his property. Detectives were able to determine that Krentz apparently came upon one person when he was fatally shot and his dog was wounded.
Cochise County investigators said Monday that Krentz likely was killed by an illegal immigrant, but there’s no evidence to suggest there was any confrontation that led to the shooting.
Bingaman, Udall and Teague urged a forward operating station for the Border Patrol in the region. Such outposts put agents closer to the international border. Teague — whose district includes the border area — says a station in the Antelope Wells area would better protect people and property.
Tancredo, who attended a Tea Party event over the weekend in Arizona, blasted Napolitano for not doing more to secure the border.
“As governor of Arizona, Napolitano deployed the National Guard to help the Border Patrol do its job… Three days ago, Napolitano told an audience at Arizona State University that the border is more secure than ever,” Tancredo said Sunday through his Rocky Mountain Foundation. “I challenge her — no, I dare her — to come to this community and try to sell that lie.” … [more]