Blame It On the Virus

October 16, 2020

This week Interior Secretary Dave Bernhardt, on a trip to New Mexico, said his Department will not further delay a district BLM land use plan that includes, among many other things, a decision on the scope of oil and gas development. Participants in the very public processes for updating these plans know how arduous and […]

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But That’s Where the Money Is

October 9, 2020

Willy Sutton famously told a reporter that he robbed banks for one simple reason, “That’s where the money is.” Now, it is as if someone said to him, “You can go ahead and steal money, but not from banks.” There have always been extremists who want to ban all energy production on public lands, but […]

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Growing Crops, or Weeds

October 2, 2020

Some years ago I spent a day burning ditches around my peach orchard, as many growers do every spring. The location near I-70 allowed passing cars to see the fires (mine and couple others), and several grabbed their cell phones to report what apparently looked like an out-of-control wildfire. At highway speed, they could only […]

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Hear That Lonesome Whistle

September 25, 2020

Who decided that the sound of a train whistle should be described as “lonesome?” I’ve been on a number of trains and in several stations, and there are plenty of people around. Yet the word “lonesome” has long been associated with train whistles. Maybe it was because Jimmie Rodgers recorded “Waitin’ for a Train” and […]

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In the Name of Progress

September 18, 2020

Whenever someone talks about the “good old days,” there is the inevitable question, “good for whom?” America is not perfect, and never was. That’s why they call self-government by ordinary people “the American Experiment.” Every generation tries to come closer to the ideals of the founders, to leave America better for the next generation. Some […]

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What This Country Really Needs

September 11, 2020

Thomas Marshall is one of only nine U.S. Vice President to serve two full terms, though history has nearly forgotten him. He was popular at the time (1913-1921), partly because his speeches were so entertaining. A talented story and joke teller, and a constant wisecracker, he was probably America’s funniest V.P. He described the Senate […]

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A More Principled Approach

September 11, 2020

A popular columnist recently wrote about the need to take “a more principled approach to environmental issues.” I wondered exactly what that means, but soon found that Googling the term “environmental principles” produces dozens of definitions, no two alike, and not even a universal agreement that there are such things. One noted “environmental theory” expert […]

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See You In Court (Again)

August 29, 2020

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Recent reports about the extraordinary number of lawsuits against the Trump Administration verify exactly what some of us predicted. After the 2016 election, it seemed clear that opponents of major policy changes would take their battle to court. That’s because one Party […]

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Lawsuits That Glow in the Dark

August 21, 2020

The Administration recently released a report called “Restoring America’s Competitive Nuclear Advantage,” compiled after an eight-month review by the White House Nuclear Fuel Working Group. That was composed of all the federal agencies involved in nuclear power, nuclear defense, and public lands. It proposes a $150 million strategic uranium reserve (like the petroleum reserve) and revitalizing […]

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The No Action Alternative

August 14, 2020

Former Colorado Senator Gary Hart attracted attention in the 1980s with a proposal to cut America’s defense budget in half. That was not unusual in the post-Vietnam era, but what made Hart stand out (enough to become front-runner for President in 1988) was his insistence that such a plan would strengthen, not weaken, America’s defense. […]

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