Colorado Rep. Salazar seeks wilderness protection for Forest Service land in Centennial State

Coloradans may soon see more of the public land in their state protected by the Wilderness Act.

Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., has introduced a bill that would designate more than 60,000 acres on four national forests as wilderness.

In keeping with a trend in recent wilderness bills, the proposal forecloses any possibility of federal government water rights in the protected areas.

The measure must be approved by the House Natural Resources Committee before being considered on the floor or moving to the Senate.

NOAA scientists recommend protection of coastlines from oil and gas drilling

The federal government's chief oceanographers are recommending that the Obama administration preclude oil and gas drilling along much of the country's coastline.

The suggestion, which is not binding, was made last month by officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today.

It says that the Department of Interior should decline to approve permits that would allow drilling along much of the coast off Alaska, the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico.

NOAA also recommends caution in allowing oil and gas extraction activity in protected waters off California.

The Bush administration had indicated a willingness to allow drilling in all of those areas.

The Los Angeles Times has a detailed story.

NYT: Obama to confront ESA backlog

The New York Times reports that the Obama administration will attempt to reduce the backlog of candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

There are about 250 candidate species. According to the article, which cites the Center for Biological Diversity as its source, about 100 of them have been waiting for their status to be determined for more than 10 years and 73 of them have been in limbo for more than 25 years.

The ESA requires a finding on a petition to list a species within 12 months of the date the petition is filed.

Peregrine falcon making comeback in New York

Environment & Energy Daily has a good story today about the resurgence of peregrine falcon populations in New York. It's worth your time.

Obama to name career BLM employee to lead agency

President Obama will name Bob Abbey, a career BLM official from Nevada, to lead the nation's largest land management agency, reports the Las Vegas Sun.

Abbey was the BLM's state director in the Silver State for eight years. He was recommended to the administration by Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Senate GOP Blocks Deputy Interior Secretary Nominee

President Obama's nomination of a deputy secretary of interior continued to be stalled in the Senate Wednesday as Republicans rallied to defeat a cloture motion.

David Hayes, who would be Interior secretary Ken Salazar's number two, cannot take the job for which he has been chosen until the filibuster is stopped and confirmation by the Senate is secured.

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, said that the filibuster is aimed at convincing Salazar to explain further his recent decision to cancel certain oil and gas leases in the West.

The vote on the cloture motion was 57-39. Sixty votes are required to stop a filibuster.

Key Dems Announce Breakthrough on Climate Change Legislation

Arguments in the House Energy & Commerce Committee over whether to charge utilities for initial pollution credits needed to support a "cap and trade" carbon dioxide regulatory system, as well as the amount of reduction of carbon dioxide emissions required by 2020, have been settled.

According to a report in Roll Call, the newspaper that covers Capitol Hill, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) have reached a deal on those contentious issues.

The article quotes Waxman as saying the committee will move on to a mark-up of the climate change legislation next Monday, with the bill being formally introduced on Thursday.

Under Waxman's agreement with Boucher, the bill would grant electric utilities free initial emission credits and require that the nation achieve a 17 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020.

Yet to be determined is the amount of renewable energy required to be in each utility's portfolio of sources that will be included in the bill.

The measure is expected to include further assistance to the auto industry, as well as a "cash for clunkers" program that would grant consumers trading in low gas mileage vehicles a voucher toward the purchase of a new vehicle.