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Saturday, February 18, 2006
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Beauprez for governor?
Here's a speakout from the Rocky Mountain News authored by gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez. He writes, "Innovations in renewable energies like solar, wind, biomass and hydrogen fuel cell technologies have given us a peek into a future where our country can slowly let go of our dependence on fossil fuels and instead rely more heavily on renewable energy forms that are cheaper and friendlier to our environment. There is no place in the country where the promise of this new technology is more evident than NREL.
"In the past two years, unfortunately, congressional earmarks have diverted precious resources away from NREL. The diversion of these funds into other institutions has served to undermine the mission at NREL and other national laboratories. I believe this is a mistake that must be corrected.
"The president has declared research into renewable energy a national priority. I believe that means adequately funding the premier national laboratory tasked with developing renewable energy should also be a national priority. Therefore, I will be introducing legislation that will prohibit earmarks in the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program. I believe money appropriated by Congress for renewable energy research should be available to NREL, not siphoned off to fund political pet projects in other parts of the country.
"Our country's access to affordable, clean and reliable energy is directly correlated to our economic, environmental and national security interests, and so it should be prioritized. If the president's Advanced Energy Initiative is to succeed - and I hope it does - then this is an important first step in securing the needed funds for our country's foremost renewable energy lab."
Here's the link the the Beauprez weblog post. Coyote Gulch missed his article on the first pass through the Rocky online, the weblog RSS feed brought it to my attention. Are you listening candidates?
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:57:34 AM 
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Salzman: What's the point?
John Salzman takes the Denver Post to task for their poll last week about the November election. He writes, in his column in today's Rocky Mountain News, "A newspaper should conduct a poll to reflect public opinion, not formulate it. But that's what the The Denver Post did by publishing a front-page poll last week - fully eight months prior to the November election - creating a perception of public opinion that's shallow at best, meaningless at worst, and certainly a disservice to the public and campaigns of all political stripes.
"I'm not saying the Post should avoid influencing voter opinion in an election campaign.
"It's one thing if a newspaper does this by spotlighting issues, uncovering dirt, and exposing the candidates' strengths and weaknesses.
"But it's another matter when the paper runs the results of a popularity contest before the candidates and issues have even been even partially presented to the public - both by the news media and the politicos themselves."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:36:38 AM
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Big Thompson and Horsetooth on imperiled waters list
Here's an article from the Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald about the Big Thompson River and Horsetooth reservoir making the imperiled waters list.
From the article, "Earlier in the week, the state Water Quality Control Commission listed Horsetooth Reservoir for a decline in dissolved oxygen.
"The commission also listed a lower leg of the Big Thompson River that runs from Interstate 25 to the confluence of the South Platte River for ammonia; the river already is listed for elevated selenium levels.
"The latest impairments were mentioned in a report by Jeffrey Boring, monitoring program manager for the Big Thompson Watershed Forum.
"The forum held its eighth annual meeting in Greeley on Thursday, giving attendees an overview of the group's activities, programs and revised purpose. The nonprofit last year added protection of the river basin to its mission of education and monitoring and assessment."
Category: Colorado Water
8:21:15 AM
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Immigration
Former Colorado Governor, Dick Lamm, was in Aspen yesterday pitching the proposed Defend Colorado Now constitutional amendment to tighten up on immigration. They quote him as saying, "Folks, believe me, you do not want 16 to 20 million people living in Colorado by the end of the century. You do not have the water or the resources."
"From the article, "Defend Colorado Now is collecting petition signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November statewide ballot. The proposal seeks to prevent illegal immigrants living in Colorado from receiving public services not required by federal law.
"The amendment would not bar children of illegal immigrants from attending public schools at the K-12 level. Nor would it restrict illegal immigrants or their families from access to police and fire protection or emergency medical care...
"The state's average cost of educating a child at the K-12 level is $10,000 annually. Citing real-life examples, he said a Denver household with three illegal-immigrant families living under the same roof and 11 kids in the public-school system represents an annual burden of $110,000 in education costs alone.
"'That's $110,000 just so someone can have cheap labor,' he said. 'But this isn't cheap labor. This is subsidized labor.'"
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:02:37 AM
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Southern Delivery System
The owner of the land for the Southern Delivery System's biggest customer, the Banning-Lewis Ranch area of Colorado Springs, is holding up development by denying access, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
From the article, "A few days after the Colorado Springs City Council allowed construction to begin on Banning-Lewis Ranch, a Colorado Springs Utilities official said talks for a new reservoir on the site aren't going as smoothly as he'd like.
"Colorado Springs Utilities has acquired onethird of the land needed for the reservoir and hasn't been allowed onto the property to survey it.
"Bob Robler, project manager for the Southern Delivery System, described the situation as a 'stalemate,' while the ranch's main developer said he is working hard to resolve the situation.
"Robler called the lack of response unusual and said the lack of access makes the utility's job harder. Still, he said he isn't terribly worried because it's the developer who will suffer most if the reservoir is delayed."
Category: Colorado Water
7:50:20 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 8:01:55 PM.
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