Author Archives: admin

Clean Water Rule: Definition of ‘‘Waters of the United States’’; Final Rule

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) are publishing a final rule defining the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The new rule revises the existing administrative definition of “waters of the United States” consistent with the CWA, legal rulings, the agencies’ expertise and experience, and science concerning the interconnectedness of tributaries, wetlands,

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USGS launches a billion-dollar initiative to map the West in 3D

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LIDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, uses lasers to create intricate three-dimensional maps in places where bad weather or thick vegetation hampered traditional aerial mapping. Though the technology itself isn’t new, it’s about to become more widespread: The 3D Elevation Program, a billion-dollar initiative launched this summer by the U.S. Geological Survey and numerous partners,

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Protects Gunnison Sage-Grouse as Threatened Under Endangered Species Act

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has determined that the Gunnison sage-grouse, a ground-dwelling bird found only in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, requires the protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a threatened species. The Service originally proposed to list the species as ‘endangered’ under the ESA in January 2013, but efforts

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Western Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Receives Federal Protection under the Endangered Species Act

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The western population of the yellow-billed cuckoo will be protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today. The Service determined that listing a distinct population segment (DPS) of the bird in portions of 12 western states, Canada and Mexico is warranted. In the U.S.,

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Four Corners freight rail among the issues discussed at a meeting with the New Mexico Department of Transportation

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FARMINGTON — Many participants at a Thursday planning session hosted by the New Mexico Department of Transportation here agreed that a railroad is needed from Thoreau to the Four Corners to transport goods that support oil drilling, agriculture and other industries. “If we don’t have that infrastructure,” said Ray Hagerman, CEO of Four Corners Economic

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