Antarctic Melt/ Flooding Streams/ Small Business Exports

Bozeman Daily Chronicle: NASA spots worrisome Antarctic ice sheet melt
The "Unstable" West Antarctic Ice Sheet: A Primer
“The new finding that the eventual loss of a major section of West Antarctica's ice sheet "appears unstoppable" was not completely unexpected by scientists who study this area. The study, led by glaciologist Eric Rignot at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and the University of California, Irvine, follows decades of research and theory suggesting the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is inherently vulnerable to change.”

Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Mountain snows will swell streams in N. Rockies
Temperatures & Streams on the Rise

“Temperatures will be warming to well above normal values by the second half of the week as a ridge of high pressure moves over the Northern Rockies region. Snow melt will become an issue with small stream and creeks showing an increase in levels by Wednesday, then running high and fast by Thursday and Friday. Eventually, larger (main stem) rivers will also see increases in river levels by the end of the week. No flooding is expected at this time.”

Missoulian: US seeks to boost small business exports
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Announces Next Phase of the National Export Initiative -- NEI/NEXT
“Under the NEI, the United States has had four straight record-breaking years of exports – hitting an all-time high of $2.3 trillion dollars last year – up $700 billion from 2009. The NEI has been instrumental in strengthening high-level commercial advocacy on behalf of U.S. companies, increasing small business participation in trade events, partnering with regions to develop export plans, expanding strategic partnerships to promote exports,  implementing our trade agreements, enforcing U.S. trade rights, and driving the most ambitious trade agenda in a generation.”

Flooding/ Part-time Employment/ Oil Well Inspections

Missoulian: Are floods coming? Record mountain snowpack in Northern Rockies
National Snow Analyses

Snowmelt Flood Outlook for 2014
“ AN ABOVE AVERAGE SNOWPACK EXISTS IN THE MOUNTAINOUS WEST. HOWEVER, ANTECEDENT SUMMER AND FALL CONDITIONS IN THE MOUNTAINOUS WEST HAS RENDERED UNLIKELY ANY SIGNIFICANT FLOODING DUE TO MOUNTAIN SNOWMELT ALONE.  THE BIG HOLE BASIN IN MONTANA HAS POTENTIAL TO EXPERIENCE MINOR FLOODING THIS SEASON.  LIKEWISE, THE LARAMIE, WIND, AND NORTH PLATTE RIVER BASINS IN WYOMING HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SEE MINOR FLOODING.”

Missoulian: Ranks of part-time workers shrink, but slowly
Employed persons by class of worker and part-time status
Employment Situation Summary
“The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was little changed at 7.5 million in April. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find full-time work. (See table A-8.)”

Missoulian: Fed govt failed to inspect higher risk oil wells
Updated Guidance, Increased Coordination, and Comprehensive Data Could Improve BLM's Management and Oversight
“In addition, BLM has not developed formal agreements to improve coordination with state regulatory agencies, as called for in its internal guidance. As a result, BLM and state agency officials told GAO that agencies conduct duplicative inspections of some wells, while leaving other wells uninspected.”

Research Tax Credit/ Postal Service/ Benghazi

Missoulian: House votes to make research tax credit permanent
 H.R.4438: American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2014
“American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a permanent research tax credit that allows for: (1) 20% of the qualified or basic research expenses that exceed 50% of the average qualified or basic research expenses for the 3 preceding taxable years, and (2) 20% of amounts paid to an energy research consortium for energy research. Reduces such credit rate to 10% if a taxpayer has no qualified research expenses in any one of the 3 preceding taxable years.”

Missoulian: Postal service had $1.9 billion quarterly loss

USPS Quarterly Report

Missoulian: House Democrats weigh role in new Benghazi probe             
Issa Votes to Establish the Select Committee on Benghazi
Investigation of Benghazi
“For over a year now, House Committees have engaged in serious, deliberate, and exhaustive oversight investigations of what led up to this tragic event, what happened that night, and why the White House still refuses to tell the whole truth. All of the unclassified information and findings from this ongoing investigation can be found on this website.”