In Your Backyard - June 17, 2008

Colorado
Federal Government to Lease Roan Plateau
Energy-industry advocates and conservationists are clashing over plans by the Bureau of Land Management to lease federal land atop the Roan Plateau in western Colorado. The lands are estimated to have 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas beneath its surface. Advocates hailed the announcement as a victory for consumers and national energy independence, but conservationists worry about the negative impact of drilling. The 55,186-acre parcel of land will go on the auction block August 14.
Source: The Denver Post

 

Hawaii
Boost in Accommodations Signals Strong Tourism, Construction
A sharp increase in the number of new time-share units helped boost Hawaii's overall inventory of visitor accommodations last year, according to a report by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. The state's visitor accommodations grew by 1.3% over the previous year, with a general shift from conventional hotel rooms to nontraditional accommodations, such as individual vacation units and time-shares. The increase in visitor accommodations was the largest since 2004.
Source: The Honolulu Advertiser

 

New Hampshire
Governor Approves Coos County Business Tax Credits
Gov. John Lynch (D) signed a law last week that creates a tax credit for companies that expand or open in the northern New Hampshire county of Coos. Lynch had requested the tax credit as a way to help the economically stressed region by rewarding businesses willing to create jobs there. Lynch said that his special attention to Coos County, only one of many counties in New Hampshire suffering economically, was due to the recent closing of the areas paper mills, which left hundreds unemployed.
Source: Associated Press

 

New York
State Puts Millions Into Controversial Power Plant
New York is drawing fire from environmentalists for putting $6 million into a $308 million experimental coal-fired power plant designed to capture greenhouse gases. Opponents call it a ‘costly boondoggle.' Gov. David Paterson (D), U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D) and state Sen. Catharine Young (R) have all come out in support of the plant, which they say would fight global warming by diverting carbon dioxide emissions from the air.
Source: Times Union

 

Tennessee
Statewide Telecom Contract Causes Controversy
In a controversial decision, Finance Commissioner Dave Goetz has accepted AT&T's bid for a 10-year, $600 million contract to operate a statewide government telecommunications network linking state and local governments. Goetz said that two competing bids did not meet the requirement that companies must have a Tennessee contractors' license, which only AT&T acquired. Goetz's opponents accuse him of cronyism and claim that Tennessee law limits government contracts to five years.
Source: Knoxville News Sentinel