Coyote Gulch

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Democracy truce
Bull Moose: "The Moose offers a modest proposal for the Coalition of the Adults. In the next three weeks, Iraqis will go to the polls to elect a government - a flawed government - but it will be a very rare exercise in democracy in that part of the world. It is a moment to be celebrated whatever your position on the war. And it is also a moment when our leaders should be united in showing their support for the brave Iraqis who will risk their lives for an action that we take for granted - and for the American troops who will defend them. These democrats and our soldiers will be confronted by an assortment of Jihadist and Baathist terrorists who will seek to kill voters and disrupt the election...It seems to the Moose that there should be a brief interval (3 weeks) when our leaders suspend their talk of withdrawal or 'withdrawal lite- redeployment' and vocally indicate their support for Iraqi democracy. Progressives certainly should embrace this heroic act of choice and self-determination. Congress should pass a bi-partisan resolution in support of the Iraqi democrats. Hopefully this resolution should be sponsored by both supporters and opponents of the war. It is a notion that hopefully can bridge the gap over the wisdom of the war."

Political Wire: "New York Governor George Pataki (R), 'eyeing a run for the White House in 2008, has snared a major fundraiser for the first President Bush to head the New York governor's national political action committee,' the AP reports. Walter Ganzi Jr., who was the national finance chairman for George H.W. Bush's 1988 presidential campaign, will be the finance chairman of the Virginia-based Pataki PAC."

Category: 2008 Presidential Election

7:00:52 AM

Water from oil and gas wells

Here's an article from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel dealing with a new study of the impact of water produced from oil and gas wells on ground water supplies. From the article, "In thirsty Colorado, every drop matters ' even the 171 acre-feet of water brought to the surface as a byproduct from oil, gas and coal-bed methane wells across the state each day. State officials are working to determine the impact of those water depletions on groundwater levels, hoping to have preliminary results as early as this week. The report likely will show what impacts, if any, the rampant drilling activity in Colorado is having on groundwater users...Chesson said in comparison with Colorado's state supply of water, byproduct water from oil, gas and coal-bed methane wells equals 0.048 percent of the state's entire water supply. But no amount is too small to explore, said Lisa Sumi, research director for the Oil and Gas Accountability Project based in Durango...Currently, about 99.9 percent of water produced from oil, gas and coal-bed methane wells is either discharged into bodies of water, injected into deep disposal wells or placed in pits to evaporate. There are a few cases around the state where the byproduct water is used for cooling purposes, livestock irrigation and dust control, but state officials must deal with each case on an individual basis."

The allocation of water from the Colorado River may be reduced in three years, according to this article from the Las Vegas Sun. From the article, "The Bureau of Reclamation, which plays a key role in managing the river, is looking at the possibility that water allocations to the seven states along the Colorado will have to be reduced in three years. The second round of public comment on how to institute cuts will formally end Wednesday...Cumulatively, the seven states that share the river take 16.5 million acre-feet. The problem is that the river doesn't supply that much even under 'normal' conditions - which scientists now believe average about 15.1 million acre-feet annually - and for five consecutive years, drought cut annual flows to as much as half the average. While all users welcomed a heavy water year last year, there is significant concern among scientists and state and federal officials that the 2005 water year could have been a brief respite from a long-term drought. During two rounds of comment on ways to deal with feared shortages, about 175 people, organizations and government agencies provided the Bureau of Reclamation with feedback. Upper and lower basin states have protested elements of Nevada's program, particularly those that involve taking surface water and getting credits from ground water put into Lake Mead. But for the time being, that will stand as the states try to reach an agreement on how to share the pain of cuts, Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said."

Category: Colorado Water

6:47:39 AM

Late term abortion ban?
Abortion foes are resurrecting a ballot issue defeated eight years ago for the November 2006 election, according to the Denver Post [Novembe 29, 2005, "Abortion measure moves ahead"]. From the opinion piece, "A controversial initiative to prohibit late-term abortions in Colorado - defeated eight years ago - is moving closer to the November 2006 ballot. The measure would make it a felony if a doctor is convicted of performing an abortion on a 'viable fetus.' This month, supporters received the go-ahead to start collecting the 68,000 signatures required to get it on the ballot. Denver attorney Michael Lawrence is one of the key people behind the measure. 'We want to make sure that abortion is not done on fetuses old enough that they are arguably a person at the time of abortion and we want to make sure abortions are not performed on fetuses that are neurologically developed enough to feel the abortion as it occurs,' he said. Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood said the measure is 'about politics, not about helping women. We're very concerned that under this initiative a doctor can be convicted of a felony for acting in the best interests of his or her patient,' said spokeswoman Crystal Clinkenbeard. Lawrence said that if passed, the measure would impact about 10 percent of the 5,000-plus abortions performed in Colorado every year. 'We're trying to be as modest as possible in what we're trying to prohibit,' he said. In 1997, a similar ballot measure was defeated 52-48 percent, Lawrence said."

Category: Denver November 2006 Election

6:36:43 AM

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