Shaffer, Dems skewer Rep. Gardner for politicizing Colorado’s deadly High Park Fire

It didn’t take long for the High Park Fire to become politicized.

Obama-backed restoration projects putting more than 20,000 low-income youth to work

Four new conservation projects in Colorado will add to the more than 20,000 work opportunities for low-income youth on public lands this summer.

‘Flexibility’ the hallmark of preferred, controversial Colorado roadless rule

The preferred plan to manage 4.2 million acres of roadless forests in Colorado will allow for more flexibility than the national rule. That additional flexibility will allow local communities to protect themselves from wildfires, ski areas to expand and coal mining companies to construct venting for methane in the North Fork Valley.

Small, aging fleet of air tankers worries Colorado senator in wake of early wildfires

After an early start to Colorado’s wildfire season, U.S. Sen. Mark Udall is concerned that the Forest Service’s small, aging air tanker fleet isn’t capable of keeping civilians safe in a timely manner.

Colorado’s snow-starved winter raises specter of worst wildfire season in 10 years

The prescribed burn that roared out of control, claiming the lives of three nearby residents and scaring hundreds of others is just the beginning of what could be a frighteningly long fire season in Colorado.

Forestry budgets sapped by scourges of warming climate

The warming climate is breeding more beetle-ravaged forest and prolonged fire seasons, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell testified before a Senate committee on Tuesday, as he fielded questions about the White House’s proposed agency budget for fiscal year 2013.

Forest Service pumps brakes on coal mine expansion into Colorado roadless area

The U.S. Forest Service overturned a decision Monday to approve the expansion of a coal mine in western Colorado that biologists feared would destroy wildlife habitat.

Tipton asks Congress to weaken water-storage regulations

As part of a sustained effort to thin the federal government’s powers to protect the environment, Third District Colorado Republican Congressman Scott Tipton is requesting a Capitol Hill hearing to examine water storage rules in the West.

National Ski Areas Association sues U.S. Forest Service over contested water rights

The National Ski Areas Association filed a lawsuit (pdf) in federal court late Monday, arguing that a new clause the U.S. Forest Service is inserting into ski area permits is an illegal taking of property.

The litigation is the…

Ex-forest official says ski industry exploited ‘lax regulatory environment’ under Bush

Going to court may be “the best way” to resolve a dispute over water rights between the U.S. Forest Service and the National Ski Areas Association, according to a former Forest Service ski area permit coordinator.