Friday, August 31, 2018

~~BEAR ESSENTIALS: August 31, 2018~~


What is San Juan’s Vision Now for Bears Ears National Monument?

(Revisiting Jim Stiles Cartoon from 2016)

News in the West 

  
 ~~People who care about access and roads. This is where they'll decide which roads they're closing and what kind of travel will be allowed.
~~People who utilize the resources in the new monument boundaries or old monument boundaries. This includes gathering wood and plants, grazing, timber production, mining, surface mining and rockhounding, film production and professional photography, etc.
~~People who have private property inholdings or similar rights like water rights, grazing rights, mineral rights, etc.
~~People who recreate within new monument boundaries. This includes people who hunt or fish.
  • Send your letter to: Email: blm_ut_monticello_monuments@blm.gov
  • Mail: BLM, Canyon Country District Office, 82 East Dogwood, Moab, Utah 84532, Attention: Lance Porter  For further information concerning the land use planning process, please contact Lance Porter, District Manager at (435) 259-2100.













Response in the Petroglyph: “This smells a lot like the $500,000 dollars the Commission promised to the Discovery Center/Four Corners School. At the time it was said the Discovery center was going to bring in massive amounts tourists.
If the county wants to spend money how about picking up the bill for those who have spent years trying to keep access open to public lands. How about picking up the bill for the Recapture Protest, you could pay to fight the BLM over the 2009 raids, the fraudulent charges and $30,000 + thousand dollar fine two Blanding resident received for fixing part of a trail that was legal. How about supporting the citizens of San Juan County, instead of undermining everything they have worked for over the years.
This marketing campaign might be great for a private company but it is undermining everything the majority of citizens in the county have fought against with the monument.
The commission should have voted against it instead of endorsing. The full responsibility for this decision falls on the Commissioners.
But let's be honest this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone after the Four Corners School deal, the Nature Conservancy land sale, and many other backroom deals. Many that were addressed in the 2012 commission election and ever since but no one cared and now here we are again!”
Tim’s act of civil disobedience led to a legal battle. In the case of the U.S.A. vs. Tim DeChristopher, he faces penalties of up to 10 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.   While fighting the lawsuit, Tim co-founds a grass-roots group dedicated to defending a livable future through non-violent action and redefines patriotism for a new generation.”
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n Read Past Editions of Bear Essentials at: http://beyondthebears.blogspot.com/
Documenting Bears Ears Controversy and Public Land Issues since July 2016
                                                                                                  

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Uranium Industry Suppressed by Foreign Marketing

U.S. Uranium Industry Controlled by Russians? 

Americans Need to be Concerned and Write Dept. of Commerce

Energy Fuels has embarked on a key process with the Trump Administration that, if successful, will strengthen U.S. national security and energy security, and revitalize the U.S. uranium industry.  Your help is needed.

"In January 2018, Energy Fues submitted a Petition to the U.S. Department of Commerce to have them investigate the impacts of today’s extremely high levels of uranium imports on national security. In July 2018, Commerce initiated the investigation. This is great news for the United States, for the domestic uranium industry and for those associated with that industry.

Commerce also opened a 45-day period in which they would accept public comments to consider in their investigation. Therefore, I hope you will join me in submitting a comment that encourages Commerce and the President to support a healthy domestic uranium industry. Comments can be submitted to DOC in three ways:

(i)                  Via email at uranium232@bis.doc.gov;
(ii)                Through the link https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=BIS-2018-0011 (click the “Comment Now!” box), or
(iii)               By U.S. mail to Michael Vaccaro, Acting Director, Office of Technology Evaluation, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 1093, Washington, DC 20230.

Comment period ends on September 10, 2018. 
Submit your comments before then.


 As members of this strategic industry, I am certain that The Dept. of Commerce and the President will listen to us.  Also, please forward this link to your friends, family, consultants, or anyone else you think would be willing to submit a supportive comment.

We need to work together to generate as many positive comments as possible encouraging Commerce and the President to do the right thing for U.S. national security and energy security."



Possible Talking Points for Letters: 


·        The U.S. uranium mining industry is at risk. Uranium is essential to our national defense, including providing fuel for the U.S. Navy and representing the backbone of our nuclear deterrent.
·        Over the past decade, this key domestic industry has shrunk to the point that U.S. national security is now threatened.
·        In 2017, U.S. uranium production fell to near historic lows due in large part to uranium and nuclear fuel imported from state-subsidized foreign entities.
·        In 2018, U.S. producers may produce less than 2% of our nation’s needs.
·        Russia and China are geopolitical rivals of the U.S. with a long record of utilizing their state-owned energy industries as tools of foreign policy.
·        State-owned enterprises in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan are targeting the U.S. uranium industry, and now fulfill over one-third of U.S. demand.
·        Moreover, Chinese state-owned entities have announced plans to penetrate the U.S. nuclear market, threatening to further degrading U.S. energy security and national security.
·        In traditional allies like Canada and Australia, mines are shutting down and reducing production.
·        Without prompt action, uranium imports from Russia, China and other geopolitical rivals will increase significantly in the future.
·        The U.S. uranium mining industry can compete on a level-playing field with anyone. However, the anti-competitive practices of state-owned and state-subsidized entities are putting U.S. producers at an enormous disadvantage.
·        The U.S. generates 20% of our electricity – and nearly 60% of our clean, zero-carbon electricity – from nuclear energy.
·        The remedies proposed are sensible and achievable, a 75% quota on imports and a “buy American policy for U.S. Government purchases. They will have an impact on foreign entities, but very little impact on U.S. utilities and their customers.
·        The U.S. uranium industry has more than enough production capability to increase production and meet requirements, including a number of permitted and constructed mining and processing facilities currently in operation or on standby.
·        The Administration can help create thousands of jobs, including Native American jobs, with good salaries and benefits, along with increased tax revenues that support rural schools, hospitals, and other local infrastructure.

Monday, August 20, 2018

~~BEAR ESSENTIALS: August 20, 2018


News in the West






One particular set of Forest Service regulations is commonly known as the “Roadless Rule.” Although the rule is intended to protect forests, Herbert said it has led to overgrown and unhealthy forests filled with dead trees.     Noting that neighboring states such as Idaho and Colorado have already enacted state-specific modifications to federal roadless rules, Herbert said it’s time for Utah to petition the U.S. Forest Service for a new Utah-specific roadless rule.”

The fear among environmentalists, then and now, is that the presence of oil and gas infrastructure will deter and divert tourists away from the Moab area, whose economy depends on an ever-expanding and insatiable recreation economy.    But has oil and gas development affected the numbers of tourists to visit nearby Dead Horse Point? According to park statistics, visitation has actually grown dramatically. Here are the numbers…           2003……………161,774
                                   2014……………333,488
                                   2017……………560,783

 

n  Remember 2016 Warning? Environmental Money Behind Bears Ears!

The policies of the new pro-Bears Ears county commission will align – to varying degrees – with the goals of a grand alliance: Utah Diné Bikéyah, Round River Conservation Studies, Friends of Cedar Mesa, the Conservation Lands Foundation, the Grand Canyon Trust, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Earth Justice, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Wyss Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation and others. Several of the organizations are worth billions.

Other allies Maryboy’s and Grayeyes’ organization has counted on include some of the nation’s most prominent and politically aggressive outdoor recreation companies, specifically Patagonia, The North Face, REI, Black Diamond, Arc’teryx, Sage, OR, küat, Osprey, Yakima, Clif Bar and Mountain Hard Wear. The Conservation Alliance, whose membership includes 220 companies, also helps fund Utah Diné Bikéyah.”

….”MARYBOY BRINGS ALL THIS BAGGAGE to the San Juan County Commission. He’s been knee deep in muck for much of his political career, and now he’s deeply rooted in an alliance with multimillionaire “outsiders” whose multi-tiered goals might not align with the day-in, day-out needs of a cash-strapped, rural county.”

n  Greyeyes Back on SJC Ballot: Decision to Follow Election????

The ACLU of Utah provided printed flyers with details about how to identify district residencies, how to recognize ballot problems, and whom to call. They also published in-person polling locations and contact information for questions and concerns. The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, and the Rural Utah Project (RUP) launched voter registration drives to assist Native residents, who are now the demographic majority, as they grappled with identifying in the correct precincts and districts in which they live.
T.J. Ellerbeck, an RUP coordinator, organized a campaign in San Juan County that would assure voters that their registrations were correct. They also assisted with new voter registration. The group clarified any district changes that applied to a voter’s registration, what to expect of mail-in ballot procedures, how to vote by mail or in person, and how to recognize if ballots were not correct or tampered with.”
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n Read Past Editions of Bear Essentials at: http://beyondthebears.blogspot.com/
Documenting Bears Ears Controversy and Public Land Issues since July 2016