Coyote Gulch

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Denver November 2004 Election
Westword is profiling a rising star of the Democratic Party, Jared Polis. From the article, "Relationships like these benefit Polis both personally and politically. He's made it clear that he's interested in elective offices beyond the State Board of Education, and in March, he proved it by announcing his intention to seek the congressional seat supposedly being vacated by Mark Udall. Polis withdrew after Udall changed his mind about going after the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, but since then, he's stayed deeply involved with the Democratic Party. For one thing, he's donated generously to candidates and causes, giving Salazar $4,000, the maximum allowable under current law, and spreading $2,000 donations around to Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and faded aspirants Howard Dean, Bob Graham and Wesley Clark. Bigger bucks have gone to political organizations, which don't have the same campaign limits as candidates. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee wound up with $10,000; the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee received $20,000; and Moveon.org, a prominent national group dedicated to shooing George W. Bush from the Oval Office, stepped things up a digit, scoring $200,000."
6:21:03 AM

Colorado Water
The issue of abandoned mines and water pollution is the subject of this article from the Rocky Mountain News [August 19, 2004, "Mines are deep trouble"]. From the article, "Much of the problem dates to mines dug more than a century ago - and then abandoned as gold, silver and other valuable metals petered out or prices plummeted. Left behind were massive tailing piles and mine tunnels that can generate pollution for centuries to come. Contamination results from a chemical reaction that occurs when once-buried rock meets water and air. That, in turn, produces acids and metals that leach into mountain streams and groundwater. The acidic, metals-laced water can wreak havoc on aquatic life, eliminating insects that provide food for fish and harming the fish themselves - stunting growth, stressing them or killing them outright. In some cases, metals-laced water means potential human health risks for those drawing from contaminated wells. It can add treatment costs for towns and cities that need the water for drinking, or threaten livestock that drink from contaminated streams. What cleanup has occurred has moved glacially. As it stands, only the largest, most-polluting mine sites typically get money. That's because the EPA declares them Superfund sites, making them cleanup priorities, with the government either forcing responsible polluters to pay or funneling federal dollars to the job. Several of Colorado's 23 Superfund cleanups involve old mine sites in Leadville, Summitville near Wolf Creek Pass, the Blackhawk/Central City area, the Eagle Mine near Minturn and Aspen's Smuggler Mine. But countless smaller mines in nearly every drainage in the state dwarf the damage from any single Superfund site. Cleaning all such sites across the West could cost an estimated $36 million to $72 billion."
Here's an article from the Denver Post about abandoned mines and their pollution [August 19, 2004, "Forest Service aids cleanup of old mines"]. From the article, "A big problem, experts agree, but there are few federal programs - or funds - to help clean up the mess. Additionally, private environmental groups such as Trout Unlimited that might help undo the damage are often deterred by the legal liability they assume as soon as they turn the first shovel of mine tailings. As a small step, the U.S. Forest Service announced it would limit liability for private cleanups at mines whose original owners have long faded into history. An estimated 51,700 abandoned mines are in the Rockies, including 22,000 in Colorado, 20,000 in Utah, 6,000 in Montana, 2,600 in Wyoming and 900 in South Dakota, according to the Western Governors' Association."
Congressman Mark Udall has an opinion piece in today's Denver Post [August 19, 2004, "Finding a way to coexist"]. He writes, "America needs oil and gas, but agriculture is vital, too, and in Colorado and throughout the West, everything depends on water...Most important, my bill requires drillers to try to work out an agreement to minimize interference with surface owners' use and enjoyment of the land, and to provide for reclamation of affected lands and compensation for any damages. If that doesn't happen, the bill provides for referring disagreements to neutral arbitration. If arbitration fails, the Interior Department could allow energy development to go forward under rules to strike a balance with the surface owner's interests."
5:45:16 AM

2004 Presidential Election
First lady Laura Bush was in Denver yesterday campaigning for the president, according to the Rocky Mountain News [August 19, 2004, "Laura Bush whistle-stops"]. From the article, "Laura Bush's speech echoed the speeches Coors gives on the stump: praise for Bush's tax cuts and the No Child Left Behind act; a call for streamlining federal regulations; and criticism of "frivolous" lawsuits that raise the cost of health care. The first lady also stressed the importance of women in politics, in business and at home."
Here's a short interview with Laura Bush from the Rocky Mountain News [August 19, 2004, "One-on-one with the first lady"].
Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [August 19, 2004, "On Colorado visit, first lady lauds female entrepreneurs"]. The Post also has a link to Mrs. Bush's speech.
The Rocky also has a couple of audio clips but they require Windows Media only to play. This shows a non-inclusive attitude on their part.
Taegan Goddard: "Here are the latest state polls from the presidential race: Colorado - Kerry 47%, Bush 47% (Survey USA); Missouri - Bush 48%, Kerry 47% (Survey USA); Nevada - Bush 49%, Kerry 46% (Survey USA); Washington - Kerry 51%, Bush 43% (Survey USA); Pennsylvania - Kerry 48%, Bush 42% (Franklin and Marshall)."
Electoral-vote.com: "Eight new polls today, six in key battleground states: Iowa, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, as well as Georgia and Washington. However, the lead changed in only two of them. Missouri has gone from a statistical tie with Kerry 1% ahead to a statistical tie with Bush 1% ahead. The results are still well within the margin of error though. It could go either way in November. In contrast, New Mexico changed more. A new Rasmussen poll there has Bush and Kerry tied at 46% apiece. Kerry had a substantial lead there for a while, but it appears to be shrinking. The other polls confirm previous results."
Pew Research Center: "For the first time since the Vietnam era, foreign affairs and national security issues are looming larger than economic concerns in a presidential election. The Sept. 11 attacks and the two wars that followed not only have raised the stakes for voters as they consider their choice for president, but also have created deep divisions and conflicting sentiments over U.S. foreign policy in a troubled time."
Update: The Tech Industry hedges it's bets in politics, according to Infoworld.
Update: Daily Kos: "Pennsylvania - Keystone Poll, 8/2-15, MoE 3.8%, Kerry 48, Bush 42."
Update: Taegan Goddard: "According to the latest CBS News poll, the race for the presidency 'is now essentially tied, with a gap between the two major party candidates within this poll[base ']s margin of error.' In a three-way race, Kerry would get 46%, Bush 45% and Nader 1%. In a two-way race, Kerry leads Bush 47% to 44%. Here are the latest state polls: California - Kerry 49%, Bush 46% (Survey USA); South Carolina - Bush 53%, Kerry 42% (Survey USA); Oklahoma - Bush 57%, Kerry 38% (Survey USA)."
5:32:42 AM

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