99 and 44/100ths Percent Pure Guesswork

May 9, 2016

University of Delaware climatologist Dr. David R. Legates recently wrote that he felt the same pressure as many colleagues who disagree with the supposed consensus that climate change is both manmade and dangerous. He mentions the usual professional criticism by environmental pressure groups, and also what he calls harassment from media, government, and his own […]

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When is a Decision a Decision?

May 9, 2016

You can’t sue somebody for doing something that did not actually hurt you. However outrageous someone’s behavior might be, unless it directly hurts you in some way, courts will say it is none of your business. That is one of the oldest principles of law, referred to by lawyers and judges as “standing.” You do […]

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A Fine Feathered Frenzy

May 9, 2016

A new book called Nature Unbound (Independent Institute) recounts the story of a landowner whose property was surrounded on all sides by federal (BLM) land. The 1.5 mile driveway leading to the property had been maintained by the family for generations, but had become overgrown with trees on both sides. He sought BLM permission to […]

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Need More Water, Not More Meetings

May 9, 2016

Several recent events have drawn national attention to something Westerners deal with all the time – water. We have always known that problems of both water supply and water quality can affect millions of lives and cost billions of dollars. Water is usually not the hottest topic in politics, but the record-breaking drought in California, […]

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Off With His Head!

March 28, 2016

When Thomas Jefferson was sworn in as the nation’s third President in 1801, much of the civilized world was shocked. The aristocracy of Europe, still mocking the quaint American concept that common people could govern themselves, never thought they would see it. It was said that never before in world history had a government left […]

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Oh the Buzzin’ of the Bees

March 28, 2016

Bees and honey have been important to my family for generations, though I’m not sure which is more important to us. My granddad was an apiarist (beekeeper), with hives in the high mountain clover of Garfield, Eagle and Routt Counties, and he made a living selling honey during the Depression and World War II. My […]

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I’d Like to (Be Paid to) Study That!

March 11, 2016

Someone once told me that if a golfer tries imagines the hole is larger, he will putt better. I’m not sure if that’s true, but the National Science Foundation gave researchers at Purdue University $350,000 to find out. The study was inconclusive, which means two things: we still can’t putt very well, and Purdue needs […]

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Advice Before Consent

March 11, 2016

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death sparks another political battle over the high court, whose balance of power hangs on one vote. Several vitally important rulings have recently been decided by a 5-4 majority, so battle lines are already drawn. President Obama sees a chance to turn the court into a liberal majority, and Republican […]

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Conservation’s Greatest Hits

March 11, 2016

Earlier this week we celebrated President’s Day. I don’t know how many Americans took time out of their day off to ponder the achievements of Washington, Lincoln, Harrison, or Polk. But the U.S. Department of the Interior did. Interior put up a website on the legacies of “Eight presidents who shaped America’s public lands,” which […]

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Your Utility Bill is Safe, For the Moment

March 11, 2016

The U.S. Supreme Court last month issued an injunction blocking the EPA from implementing its Clean Power Plan, which would end America’s use of coal, its cheapest and most abundant source of electricity. I’ve written about it twice, because Western Colorado’s economy is so dependent on coal. It employs over 2,000 people and generates $58 […]

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