How the GOP sounds when talking about uranium and the environment

Googling for news of S.3310 - Tony Dean Cheyenne River Valley Conservation Act of 2010 only to find interested party as the most recent source at OpenCongress, ip stumbled upon this fascinating little speech from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) at the Senate Committee of Energy and Natural Resources on which the sponsor of the bill, Senator Tim Johnson, sits. She sounds like she wants to do the right thing for Alaska's tribes by questioning increased funding for the protection of wild lands (is she hotter than Sarah Palin or is it just me?).

ip has a call into Sen. Johnson's office.

Heather Hanson brings this look at sustainable energy production on public land from the Range at High Country News:

A pro-active, collaborative approach in which the least hotly-contested sites are vetted for development, perhaps with the help of reputable groups like the Sierra Club and the National Congress of American Indians, might be worth a try. Just as we carefully consider uranium mining near the Grand Canyon and drilling in Bridger-Teton National Forest (two other issues now open for public comment), we need to look at renewable energy development on public lands as a possible threat to that environment, and continue to do careful environmental assessments, and to consider additional objections through a rigorous pubic comment period.

In South Dakota, another red state attempting to nullify federal health care law and where Republican legislator Don Kopp confuses federal scientists' findings on climate change with ass-trologic forces, the hubris in eliminating state-sponsored public comment on in situ uranium extraction while the GOP is actively smothering the EPA, is nothing short of stupefying. PowerTech has been suing state legislatures as a matter of course while flouting the reports of fracking disasters in the natural gas industry.

David Folkenflik reports on the Republican effort to cut funding for public broadcasting in an interview with some fuckhead from Colorado.

Choteau reader not fooled by Rehberg Dennygma.

Who is John Taylor Gatto?

Rob Chaney of the Missoulian is following two huge stories that have to be related: the Smurfit-Stone sale replete with copious water rights to somebody calling themselves Ralston Investments in the wake of the news that the Carlyle Group will buy Missoula-based Mountain Water.  If this doesn't scare the shit out of you watch Blue Gold: World Water Wars.