WP: Montana Pollution Rules Draw Federal Objections

[DeepModem Mom]

Montana Pollution Rules Draw Federal Objections
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 9, 2006; Page A04

Federal energy officials are opposing new rules by Montana to force companies that extract methane gas from underground coal beds to clean up the water pollution caused by drilling operations, even as state officials cite an unreleased 2003 federal report that says cleanup costs are relatively inexpensive.

The Denver office of the Environmental Protection Agency produced the report but never published it, saying it related to a proposed drilling application that was dropped.

A Montana consulting firm obtained a copy of the EPA report, however, and handed it over to Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D). Last month, Montana's Board of Environmental Review, citing the EPA paper and other economic studies, voted to force coalbed methane companies to leave the state's streams as clean as they were before drilling started, although the companies do not have to clean up existing pollution.

"We want to develop energy in Montana, but we want to do it right," Schweitzer said in an interview. "Here's the bottom line with the federal government: They're usually not helpful, and they weren't this time, either."

The Energy Department and the Wyoming congressional delegation are backing companies that are trying to block Montana's new rules, on the grounds that they could hamper energy development. The department submitted analyses by two of its national laboratories concluding that the state's regulations were "unnecessarily stringent" and "inconsistent."...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/08/AR2006040800920.html

[acmavm]

1. Yeah, who needs safe clean water anyway when energy companies

can rake in millions. Weigh your priorities people.

People need to see 'A Civil Action' with John Travolta. Based on a true case.

[OregonBlue]

2. Hope Montana Dems are screaming bloody murder about

Feds and Cheney (Wyoming) interfering in their state's politics. I grew up there and Montanans don't like "outsiders" telling them what to do!!

[madrchsod]

5. the dems should be talking to their hunting

and fishing republican buddies. sometimes protocol must be broken and politics must be brought up while enjoying a spring fishing day or a fall hunt.

[havocmom]

6. They are! Hunters, fishermen and outfitters are PISSED about much

the GOP is trying to pull. Now this, which basically risks 'salting the earth' and making it unusable in farm and ranch country is making former Republicans out of a lot of folks in the eastern part of the state.

DEMS locally know they are gaining ground. Now, if the national DEMS would follow along with Dr. Dean and get down to their populist roots, some REAL progress can be made. Sure, Montana has a small population and not much pull in the electoral college, but consider this a way to showcase what the GOP has done and is planning to do to rural America, offer some sound alternatives and you can make a BIG DENT in the heartland!

Come and offer some common sense solutions for TODAY and win/win plans for TOMORROW (like our governor is doing) and find out how easy it is to win friends and influence people.

Folks here, who live on the land, are seeing the threat of huge corporations ruling our government and setting their own policy agenda. Help them out a bit and they will return the favors. We are ALL victims of the same machine in power.

[OregonBlue]

8. I agree. I emailed the Montana Democratic party and asked why

they're not out there screaming in Eastern Montana about the Feds and Cheney interfering in their state policits. Make it clear that this is to protect the state and their natural resources like fishing and hunting grounds. Get the Feds out of Montana. We know how to run our state. We know what matters to us and it's clean air, good water, good hunting, etc., etc.

This will play well there!!

[sandnsea]

14. Stupid stupid strategy

We'll never have a national party strategy as long as local Dems keep doing this. This is the problem, not the solution. Republican corporatists won't enforce environmental regulation, THAT is what Schweitzer should be saying.

[tom_paine]

3. In Totalitarian Nations like Imperial Amerika, executive agencies have but

one purpose: To protect The Leader and His Friends from the Useless eaters, the Filthy Little Nobodies.

The EPA is now almost fully trnsitioned to it's new function, though occasionally it archaically performs it's old functions.

These aberrations will soon be eliminated.

[madrchsod]

4. ever wonder why ed shultz is so popular

out here between the la,new york, and dc? some people don`t get the sports angles to his show but there it is in this post.

[mefoolonhill]

7. montana

Whatever happened to the conservative notion of state's rights?

[WhiteTara]

9. damn those people who want clean water

in their towns. Who the hell do they think they are? The mining companies need those profits, who cares that they are taking from all our wealth for their own greed. :grr: and of course :sarcasm:

[confludemocrat]

10. Wyomings D Gov is joining Wyo delegation to advocate blockage of new rules

Thanks, pal way to stand with your fellow Dem in the neighboring state. What good is being a Dem in a state like Wyoming if you are not going to uphold something that is not a big cave-in in to power and against your own states interests and the region in general? If your actions are DINO, just go ahead and change your registration, who gives a shit.

[kainah]

15. Freudenthal is a Wyoming Dem

You aren't ever gonna elect a Wyoming Dem that would please people on DU. I am pissed off at him for his position on this and, in fact, I just sent back his second appeal for funds back with a note telling him exactly that.

Nonetheless, this

just go ahead and change your registration, who gives a shit.

is too far, IMHO. Unless you lived under the totally inept (former R-WY governor) Geringer administration and know what the repugs offer up as governors in this state, don't believe there's no difference between that and Freudenthal.

[cantstandbush]

11. We can't have states making laws that help the environment but might

hurt corporations. That's against capitalism.

[Dover]

12. Perfect example of where we REALLY are: Corporate Governance

All this talk of Parties is just keep the people believing they have representation.
They don't. Nor do the states.

[sandnsea]

13. I hate the attack on the Feds

He sounds like a stupid hick when he does that. The Feds aren't the problem, the Republicans who refuse to create a real federal government are the problem. The same ones who wouldn't be requiring environmental regulation if they were in charge in Montana. That's what I hate about red state Democrats, they make it so much harder for us to have a national party strategy. Local control is a Republican mantra and they don't do anything to tell voters why that's not the problem.