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NOT THE "CHANGE" WE EXPECTED

“Change We Need.” You remember it, right? Heard it at least a thousand times, correct?

But based on recent events, Barack Obama’s campaign slogan should’ve been “No Change Needed” because public land users have all been short-changed again by the Forest Service (FS) with full support of the new administration.

Critics of the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) or Recreation Access Tax (RAT), as we call it, have been quick to blame it on the evil, pro-privatization, environmental unfriendly Bushies, so I guess it’s a real shock to us to see the Obama administration making no change at all in the defense of the aggressive implementation of maligned law.

SOLAR POWER

Sen. Mark Udall announced Wednesday a new bill intended to boost solar energy production by extending solar tax credits to residents who invest in community solar farms to power their homes.

The bill is the first of a series of clean energy bills Udall, D-Colo., plans to unveil. He said the legislation was inspired by conversations he had with residents and business owners on Colorado’s Western Slope during a tour of the region last month.

The bill, dubbed the Solar Uniting Neighborhoods Act, would extend a solar tax credit to those who pay into an offsite community-based solar array to provide power to their homes. Current law allows homeowners to receive a 30 percent credit for installing solar panels on their property.

FREE Insights Column

Domestic and international efforts to reduce CO2 emissions are dead in the water. Many will think this is bad news. I don’t. Here’s why.

Policies such as the Kyoto Protocol and U.S. cap-and-trade legislation focus solely on reducing CO2 emissions. But these are symbolic acts, mere posturing, while doing little or nothing to achieve their stated goals. Stubborn reliance on this approach is now the main barrier to an effective climate policy.

Election 2010

Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Republican Tom Luna, has filed the papers which formally declared he is a candidate for re-election. He is finishing his first term, and will face Democratic challenger Stan Olson, who is now the Boise Superintendent of Schools.

Superintendent Luna said, “We have made great progress thanks to talented teachers, dedicated parents and hard-working students. We are heading in the right direction, but clearly we can never be satisfied until all of Idaho’s students are performing well. We are on the right path, and we must continue this momentum.”

Luna graduated from Thomas Edison State College. Before becoming Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction in January 2007, Luna was a businessman. He first got involved in the state’s education system by serving on the Nampa School Board for seven years, including three years as chairman.

Full disclosure: Stan Olson and his wife Connie are my next-door neighbors.

Election 2010

Boise’s Superintendent of Schools, Stan Olson, Ed.D. plans to announce Thursday that he’ll run for State Superintendent as a Democrat, challenging Republican incumbent Tom Luna.

“I have an almost 40-year track-record of partnership and accomplishment in education at every level,” said Olson. “Given the challenges Idaho’s students face today, we need a person who understands real education leadership now more than ever.”

Olson holds a BA in History from Central Michigan University, an MA in Community Education from Eastern Michigan University, an Ed.S. from the same, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University. In his 37 years in education, Olson has been a classroom teacher, adjunct professor, school consultant and facilitator in the fields of educational leadership and school community relations, as well as a superintendent.

At his announcement, Olson will be joined by Boise School Board President AJ Balukoff, Mayor Dave Bieter and former Governor Cecil Andrus. The event will be held at Grace Jordan Elementary School, 6411 West Fairfield Ave. in Boise.

NO TIME FOR MORE ECONOMIC STRESS

UPDATED,, March 17:

As reported here on NewWest.Net on January 28, the Forest Service (FS) has decided to take back discounts promised to elderly and disabled public land users.

To that, all four members of the Idaho Congressional delegation say, whoa, partner, not so fast on that one.

Faster Internet in the West

Making Internet connections in Idaho and Montana speedier is part of the goal behind the much-anticipated National Broadband Plan, officially released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday.

While many are still combing through the 360-page outline of steps to higher-quality Internet access for all Americans, Amalia Deloney, media action grassroots network coordinator for the Center for Media Justice, says the plan’s release is a victory, in and of itself.

“Broadband is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. It affects everything from education, to employment, to health care, to government services and to democracy. It’s crucial.”

A report from the Communications Workers of America finds most Idahoans and Montanans access the Internet at the slowest speeds in the country, with thousands still on dial-up plans. The FCC document calls for increasing the high-speed broadband adoption rate from 65 to 90 percent nationwide, connecting vital institutions like hospitals and schools; and connecting 100 million households to affordable broadband by 2020.

Western Book Roundup

And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for: two weeks ago I asked New West readers to vote on what book I should review next.  I was delighted and relieved when several people voted.  The winner, with four votes, is Staking Her Claim: Women Homesteading the West by Marcia Meredith Hensley.  I’ll review it next Monday.  And since the voting was so tight, I plan to review the runner-up, How it Looks Going Back by Doris Knowles Pulis, in a few weeks as well. 

As for the other two books: they’ll go back on my guilt pile, and I’ll get to them as soon as I can.  Every time I open the cabinet where I keep my un-reviewed books, the books scream, “Pick me!  Pick me!” I’m okay with it, but it frightens the kids.

• Wyofile has an in-depth feature by Susan Gray Gose on Wyoming mystery and thriller novelist C.J. Box.  Gray Gose writes that Box “cranks out 1,000 words a day,” “publishes two books a year,” and that one of his novels could be adapted into a screenplay soon:

“The producers of About Schmidt (the 2002 New Line Cinema comedy) bought the rights to Blue Heaven. While many optioned books languish, this one seems to be moving forward. It’s received financing, and actors Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin and Joe Pesci have signed on.”

Along the Frontier Column

In early March, I had the privilege of visiting a project in northern California that felt very much like a preview of the future.

If the current ‘New West’ is inexorably giving way to the ‘Next West,’ as so many ‘New Wests’ have done before, and if the region is in search of a new mission statement as a consequence, then clues to what’s coming might be found among the bright green grass of a small ranch in Marin County.

GUEST COMMENTARY

I grew up hunting, hiking, fishing, camping, trapping and canoeing amidst America’s national forests and other public lands, spending as much time as possible in the outdoors, and I’m an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) user.  I use ATVs while hunting each fall and understand the attraction of these motorized vehicles. 

However, hunters and many others know that experiencing the outdoors should not be a mechanized, sedentary activity. In my opinion, ATV use for hunters (and others) should be a practical aid in moving gear, setting up camps, and getting to trailheads. Their use should not be part of the actual outdoors-hunting experience itself. Unfortunately, for many (maybe most) ATV users, this activity is no longer about experiencing the outdoors; it’s about the thrill. 

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