http://www.newwest.net/topic/main/C502/L38/ New West Network: The Voice of the Rocky Mountains en info@newwest.net Copyright 2008 Tue, 20 May 2008 12:31:00 MDT Tue, 20 May 2008 12:31:00 MDT http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/green_expo_should_be_permanent_boise_event/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/green_expo_should_be_permanent_boise_event/C502/L38/ Sun, 18 May 2008 20:44:00 MDT With the Saturday Market and the First Annual Green Expo all being held on Saturday May 17, it was hard to find a parking spot downtown, let alone maneuver through the crowds. The warm and sunny weather beckoned Boiseans to come out and play, and they did – by the thousands. Boise is beginning to look like a real Metropolis, with people from all over the world at the Expo and many languages being spoken. Despite the heat, the crowds and the general commotion, people were happy. The atmosphere was festive and chatty, all with one shared interest to learn more about choosing a more environmentally responsible way to live. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/idaho_green_expo_is_this_weekend/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/idaho_green_expo_is_this_weekend/C502/L38/ Thu, 15 May 2008 08:05:00 MDT Organizers of the first annual Idaho Green Expo are putting on quite a show this weekend, with a downtown Boise festival promoting green thinking, living, technology and materials. But it’s no stodgy enviro-lecture. The Boise Center on the Grove is the setting for this weekend’s event, with over 150 exhibitors showcasing their green products and services. There will be seminars, demonstrations, speakers, art displays, things for kids to do, live music, and sales of local and organic food. And with the nice weather predicted, it’s a great place to take the family on the first warm outing of spring. Saturday, May 17th : 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM Sunday, May 18th : 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Boise Centre on the Grove – FREE admission Valet bicycle parking http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_grid_gets_a_brain/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_grid_gets_a_brain/C502/L38/ Fri, 09 May 2008 09:31:00 MDT If all goes as planned Boulder will become the world’s first “fully integrated Smart Grid City,” says regional utility Xcel Energy. Envisioned as the first true innovation in electricity distribution in close to a century, the Smart Grid movement is essentially developing ways to bring digital Internet-based technology to power lines, giving utilities and business and residential customers greater control and efficiency in the flow of electricity. Ultimately, once the Smart Grid takes over a significant chunk of the existing power distribution infrastructure, utilities and governments will be able to use the power of the Web to better manipulate how electricity is generated and delivered. In other energy news: Democrats ready populist energy legislation; Colorado eyes fine print on electricity bills; and O&G executives foresee oil-price downturn by the end of the year. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_discussion_on_montanas_energy_and_agriculture_future/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_discussion_on_montanas_energy_and_agriculture_future/C502/L38/ Thu, 08 May 2008 13:03:00 MDT What does the future of agriculture and energy in Montana appear to be, particularly in the variable climate challenges we face? This is the spotlight of the discussion at the Burton K. Wheeler Center’s statewide conference next week, “Climate Change in Montana: Impacts and Opportunities for Energy and Agriculture.” On May 12-13, an immense conversation between the agriculture and energy sectors, environmental, educational and state agencies, legislators, officials and climate scientists will focus on Montana’s energy and agriculture sectors’ innovations and opportunities, climate challenges and its impacts, and future prices and outlook. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/sense_of_place_microclimates_in_the_gallatin_valley/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/sense_of_place_microclimates_in_the_gallatin_valley/C502/L38/ Wed, 07 May 2008 18:02:00 MDT Most people are aware of regional differences in climate. The Southeast is hot and humid. The Southwest is hot and dry. But in the Intermountain West, mountains affect air currents and moisture distribution to create many microclimates within just one valley. Visitors don’t recognize those microclimates. Most residents find out about them by trial and error. At the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, I met a couple in their mid 30’s that were visiting from Las Vegas. They said they were tired of the rat race and were looking for a place with a little acreage, to garden and maybe raise some livestock. The first question they asked me was “How much snow do you get here?” “It depends on what part of the Gallatin Valley you are in,” I replied. They looked at me blankly. “The climate isn’t the same across the whole valley,” I explained. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/oil_price_off_the_rails/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/oil_price_off_the_rails/C502/L38/ Fri, 02 May 2008 07:26:01 MDT The convergence of record high gas prices ($3.60 a gallon average across the U.S.), a presidential campaign, obscenely high earnings reports from Big Oil, and the prospect of $4 gas during the summer driving season has led to some rampant silliness, including the proposed “gas-tax holiday” being backed by candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Congress plans to get into the act, pledging to bring forth legislation to offer low-income Americans relief from high prices at the pump – legislation that President Bush will almost certainly veto. The price surge is also leading to an alarming question: has the oil industry jumped the rails of basic economic laws? According to economics, soaring prices would, in normal times, lead to increased output of oil, reduced demand and a subsequent reduction (or at least a flattening) in prices. But prices haven’t followed suit. In other energy news: Colorado Wildlife Commission weighs in on oil and gas production; Xcel plans to shutter coal plants opposed by consumer-protection agency; and Colorado will study the economic effects of new oil and gas regulations on the industry. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/uranium_mines_a_step_closer/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/uranium_mines_a_step_closer/C502/L38/ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:25:00 MDT The Colorado legislature pushed forward yesterday a bill that aims to protect groundwater and other natural resources from possible uramium mining in Colorado. HB1161, sponsored by state representatives from the Fort Collins area, would "require uranium miners to prove they could return groundwater to either pre-mining conditions or levels in line with existing state standards," reports Jason Kosena of the Daily Coloradoan. While this bill, which is expected to clear the full Senate, is viewed as a victory for environmental activists, it could clear the way for the long-awaited rebirth of Colorado's dormant uranium industry. In other energy news: new oil reserves in North Dakota will boost domestic production; Ken Salazar intros legislation to end the Roan Plateau drilling controversy; and natural gas prices shoot up in the region. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/green_jobs_can_revive_economy_golden_says/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/green_jobs_can_revive_economy_golden_says/C502/L38/ Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:09:00 MDT To address the problem of climate change Americans must strive to create a "green" economy bolstered by federal regulations that promote innovation and investment, said K.C. Golden in his lecture Tuesday night at the University of Montana. “The problem is upon us now,” he said. “It’s time to move from being very worried to being very focused on the issue.” Golden’s talk, the final lecture in the University’s Wilderness Issues Lecture Series, focused on ways the United States can work to lessen the severity of global climate change while reducing our dependence on costly and unstable imported fossil fuels. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/doe_funds_cheap_solar_research/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/doe_funds_cheap_solar_research/C502/L38/ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:35:00 MDT Aiming to jump-start the U.S. solar-power industry, the Dept. of Energy will put up $13.7 million in the next three years to support university-led projects to bring less expensive solar technology to market. Hit in recent months by falling stock prices and the cost of commercializing sophisticated photovoltaic technology, the solar industry needs to find ways to hasten the development of cheap, wide-spread arrays. Under its "Solar America" initiative, the Bush Administration has set a target of bringing the cost of solar energy down to levels competitive with conventional electricity production by 2015. All together, the projects could reduce the cost of electricity produced by photovoltaic systems from the current levels, 18-23 cents per kilowatt hour to 5-10 per Kw/hour. In other energy news: Sen. Salazar sponsors a bill to recover and treat "produced water" from oil and gas production; Colorado lawmakers finally figure out how to distribute revenues from federal mineral leases; Colorado School of Mines' mountainside 'M' goes green with LEDs. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/climate_change_action_the_mission_of_a_generation_goodstein_says/C502/L38/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/climate_change_action_the_mission_of_a_generation_goodstein_says/C502/L38/ Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:40:00 MDT On Tuesday night, Eban Goodstein stood before an audience of mainly college students at the University of Montana and urged them to take action in making climate change the most important issue of their generation. “This really is the mission of your generation, and with that mission you cannot afford to fail,” he said. Goodstein, a professor of economics at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon and founder of Focus the Nation, was speaking as part of the University’s Wilderness Issues Lecture Series. Goodstein said that in order to posses technologies such as solar energy and wind power that will be vital for dealing with global warming, today’s college students must convince their leaders to make investments right now. Goodstein called the process “intergenerational gift giving” and said that it is necessary considering the level of restructuring required by future generations.