Coyote Gulch

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Alito to be confirmed?
Political Wire: "Judge Samuel Alito 'appeared headed for the high court yesterday after completing three days of interrogation without a serious misstep,' the Washington Post reports. 'Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee made a final stab at challenging Alito on presidential powers, the death penalty and other matters. But their efforts sometimes seemed halfhearted, and even the most liberal advocacy groups acknowledged privately that they saw slim hopes of preventing his confirmation later this month in the full Senate, where Republicans hold 55 of the 100 seats.'"

Category: 2008 Presidential Election

9:17:42 AM

Lawrence Lessig: "Broadband is infrastructure - like highways, if not railroads. If you rely upon 'markets' alone to provide infrastructure, you'll get less of it, and at a higher price. (See, e.g., the United States, today.)"

9:06:55 AM

Deep-rooted plants have much greater impact on climate than experts thought

Science Blog: "Trees, particularly those with deep roots, contribute to the Earth's climate much more than scientists thought, according to a new study by biologists and climatologists from the University of California, Berkeley.

"While scientists studying global climate change recognize the importance of vegetation in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and in local cooling through transpiration, they have assumed a simple model of plants sucking water out of the soil and spewing water vapor into the atmosphere.

"The new study in the Amazonian forest shows that trees use water in a much more complex way: The tap roots transfer rainwater from the surface to reservoirs deep underground and redistribute water upwards after the rains to keep the top layers moist, thereby accentuating both carbon uptake and localized atmospheric cooling during dry periods.

"The researchers estimate this effect increases photosynthesis and the evaporation of water from plants, called transpiration, by 40 percent in the dry season, when photosynthesis otherwise would be limited...

"Trees have long been known to lift water from the soil to great heights using a principle called hydraulic lift, with energy supplied by evaporation of water from leaf openings called stomata. Twenty years ago, however, some small plants were found to do more than lift water from the soil to the leaves - they also lifted deep water with their tap root and deposited it in shallow soil for use at a later time, and reversed the process during the rainy season to push water into storage deep underground. Dawson discovered in 1990 that trees do this, too, and to date, so-called hydraulic redistribution has been found in some 60 separate deeply rooted plant species."

Category: Colorado Water

8:40:39 AM

New IGA on the Arkansas?

Here's an article from the Pueblo Chieftain about a new Intergovernmental Agreement combining IGA's between several utilities that cover use of water from the Arkansas River. From the article, "An 'umbrella' intergovernmental agreement between nine Arkansas Valley water interests is expected in early April while the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District will get its first look at proposed Preferred Storage Options Plan legislation at its meeting next week...

"Nichols said the agreement would consolidate 19 separate IGAs among the nine groups involved. The agreements have been negotiated over years of water disputes and involve the Southeastern District, Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Pueblo Board of Water Works, City of Pueblo, Pueblo West and Fountain.

"The timing of the agreement is meant to coincide with PSOP legislation, which will be taken up next week, according to Southeastern President Wally Stealey.

Category: Colorado Water

8:31:16 AM

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