Environment
Idaho Nukes For California Consumers?
When smooth nuke power promoter Don Gillespie hit the airwaves and pages of the local media with plans for an electricity generating nuclear plant near Bruneau along the Snake River, he didn’t spark much opposition—especially since Jeremy Maxand rolled out of the Snake River Alliance office for greener pastures. With potential cooling towers on the […]
THOU SHALT NOT POLLUTE
We find ourselves a bit fed up with the inability of the politicos to do much more than talk about our dirty air for fear of discouraging growth. It may take some political will–not found today, but the proposed GUARDIAN LAW will stop out-of-county polluters. The GUARDIAN LAW will be real simple: “THOU SHALT NOT […]
Air Quality Talk Will Create Hot Air
Plan on a lot of HOT air when folks discuss BAD air at a “Town Hall” meeting Tuesday at 7p.m. in the council chamber of Boise City. Experts from all the local planning, air quality, and highway agencies will each give presentations. If they follow the usual protocol, the politicos and bureaucrats will spew their […]
Getting Easier To Be Green
Guest Opinion By MATT HOWARTH For better than a century automobiles have been a “necessity.” From shuttling the kids to school or to show off one’s wealth, the auto industry has been there to fill every perceived gap. As America boards the “Green” train so do the automakers. Fuel efficiency declined over the past decade […]
Growth Trumps Open Space, Beauty
A recent week making photos in Mexico City made us realize that no matter how many people we attract or how many buildings we erect, Boise is a “small town.” Regardless of how much furniture you stuff into a small house–it is still a small house. Crowded, but still small with less open space. Same […]
Transit Sounds Good, Costs Too Much
By Ronald M. Harriman GUARDIAN READER Your legislators will be asked this year to allow a local option tax for transit in the Treasure Valley. The transit plan proposed by the local Idaho transit folks is $1.2 Billion dollars over the next 20 years, probably funded with sales taxes. It SOUNDS good…”it will clean […]
Urban Wilderness Conflict
As Boise continues to grow houses into the foothills and desert surrounding the city, look for more incidents involving wildlife like Wednesday’s elk chase. The GUARDIAN editor spotted a deer standing in the middle of Federal Way near The Depot and the Capital-Vista intersection this summer. In a nutshell, at least 5 elk wandered into […]
Raping The Land For Profit
ANOTHER IN OUR SERIES OF POSTINGS FROM GUARDIAN READERS By MATT CIRANNI I was up Hideden Springs in the foothills recently and I was shocked at the flagrant destruction of open space that has taken place. Foothills developments seem to have been escalating recently despite popular opposition, and despite city and county planners paying lip […]
Stinging Facts About Vespula Vulgaris
It’s yellow jacket time in Boise and due to a mild winter, dry conditions and warm temps, the nasty critters are joining alfresco diners and picnickers uninvited. They come in several models, but the nasty ones are called Vespula Vulgaris and because of their scavenging behavior, they tend to come into contact with humans on […]
GUARDIAN European Thoughts
While Tibbs is sniping at Bieter and the valley is filled with smoke, the GUARDIAN editor is working the day job in Northwest France, Belgium, and Holland making photos for textbooks and other publications. Don’t want to lose any of our valuable readers, so here are some random thoughts to be followed by some nice […]
Growthophobia Heads For The Hills
Growthophobia and excess traffic are spreading to the mountains of Idaho. Here is an opinion by a GUARDIAN reader warning of taking our urban problems to the wilderness. By CHET BOWERS The Mountain West is experiencing an ever increasing use of our public lands by operators of motorized vehicles. An armada of 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, 4-wheelers, […]
Poop Plant Wins Plaudits
The people at the City poop plant are flush with pride and tooting their horn over winning “the wastewater equivalent of an Emmy.” According to a press release sent to the GUARDIAN, the West Boise Wastewater Treatment Plant has earned a “Platinum Peak Performance Award”… for the proper processing of people’s poop. We can just […]
Air Quality In The Eye (and lungs) Of Beholders
Two writers with opposing views on the air quality issue in the Treasure Valley asked to use the GUARDIAN as a discussion platform. Tim Kempf of Eagle is keenly interested in growth issues and fancies himself as using a scientific approach to issues. Michael Barnett of Nampa sees air quality as being somewhat stable, but […]
Line Up The Ducks BEFORE You Shoot Them
The following is a self-described rant by Activist Tony Jones after attending the Ada County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. His report: “Some people think the reason roads, air, and water are deteriorating in this county, and taxes are increasing, is a big complicated subject. It may be as simple as one word: Messy. Last […]
Parked Police Prowlers Guzzle Gas
As the price of gas has climbed over the past six months, several GUARDIAN readers have asked about the practice of leaving public vehicles running for long periods of time. The GUARDIAN editor noticed a marked police cruiser sitting at idle in the parking lot of a convenience store while the cop was inside sipping […]
Grow Houses With Snake River Water
A Boise engineering firm has beensoliciting developers to fund a $1.5 million feasibility study to take 368 acre feet a day from the Snake River so more houses can be built on the desert between Boise and Mountain Home. According to the brochure in bold red letters: “DEVELOPMENT OF THESE LANDS WILL REQUIRE A NEW […]
Pollution Solution: Bottle And Sell It
The guys at the Federal Environmental Protection Agency need to take a positive view of the 1,200 pounds of phosphorus (an element in most fertilizers) being dumped into the Portneuf River at Pocatello each day. Instead of viewing it as “pollution” they need to start bottling the stuff and selling it as MIRICAL-GROW liquid fertilizer. […]
Guardian Goes Green, Supports U.S. Mail
The recent hike in postal rates to 41 cents prompted the GUARDIAN to recycle a “green idea” while supporting the U.S. Post Office at no cost to you and me. Not bad when you can help the environment and the economy at the same time for free. Here is how it works: Every day we […]
Be Careful With Growth Process
Guest Opinion by Timothy Kempf, PhD Growth and economic development are inextricably linked to a variety of environmental and public health problems. Here in the Treasure Valley we have experienced significant growth in the past decade as evidenced by population, new businesses, jobs, incomes and housing. We have also experienced an increase in the number […]
Competing With L.A. For Smog
Boise is quickly qualifying for another of those “Top Ten” lists, but this time it will be for “worst air quality of business friendly cities in America.” GUARDIAN reader Eagle Eye sent us this photo made last Saturday.
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