Coyote Gulch

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

The West: A swing region?

Real Clear Politics: "it's looking more and more likely that the eight states of the Southwest and the broader interior West -- Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming -- are on their way to becoming the next great swing region in American politics. As the Republican Party tilts on its South-West axis, increasingly favoring southern values (religion, morality, tradition) over western ones (freedom, independence, privacy), the Democrats have been presented with a tremendous opportunity. If the Republican Party doesn't want to lose its hold over all of the West, as it lost hold of once-reliable California more than a decade ago, its leaders are going to have to rethink their embrace of big-government, big-religion conservatism.

Thanks to the Bill Richardson Blog for the link.
"2008 pres"
7:47:11 PM

City ballot issues for fall
Denver voters may have two issues to decide on the fall ballot. First, as outlined below, is a .12% increase in property taxes to fund early childhood education efforts.

A potentially big issue will be a charter amendment or two to reorganize the city's financial accounting functions. Currently accounting functions are performed by both the City Auditor's office and several departments under the Mayor. The city's outside auditing firm recommends the reorganization.

For you election junkies this will be fun to watch. According to City Auditor Dennis Gallagher, the reorganization, "looks very innocent, but it's not." He's concerned with checks and balances within a Strong Mayor form of government.
"denver 2006"
6:11:30 PM

Hickenlooper: The state of the city is good

City Council President, Rosemary Rodriguez started off today's State of the City celebration by introducing special guests, including Governor Owens. She remarked that she was happy to be in the Wellington E. Webb building so that employees could be part of the crowd. Rodriquez said, "Can you feel the energy of our workforce?"

She told a story about the Mayor whom she now calls, "My Mayor." Early in their first term she was passionate about getting the alleys paved in Denver. When the mayor asked her what they might work on together she mentioned the alleys. "He found a way."

When it was time for Mayor Hickenlooper to speak he rose and remarked, "The state of the city is good," thanked us, and turned away as if the speech was over. Of course he couldn't disappoint the faithful so he continued. Here's the link to the Mayor's speech. Readers can get all the dizzying statistics there.

As an employee of the city we always love to hear the Mayor talk about employees in a positive vein, and he did not disappoint, saying, "Thank you to our city employees for your flexibility, innovation and ability to grow."

The Mayor introduced a new effort dubbed "Greenprint Denver." This will be a, "bold action plan to provide a strong environmental and economic legacy for Denver." One aspect of the program will be to reduce energy consumption in the city by 1% per square foot annually.

No one can talk about sustainability without mentioning Coyote Gulch's favorite topic - water. Quoting from the speech, "In addition to significantly improving water quality in the South Platte River by 2011...the City of Denver, in partnership with Denver Water, intends to embark on the most aggressive water conservation program in the history of Colorado. We will work to help Denver Water achieve a 22% reduction in system-wide water use in the next decade - accelerating their original 2050 goals by 35 years. We will do this by fostering a new water conservation ethic in Denver - and ultimately across the Front Range - balancing the moral imperative of conservation with the fiscal benefits of avoiding costly new storage projects."

The Mayor is hoping to get a measure on the fall ballot in Denver to raise property taxes by .12% to, "fund a high quality, parental choice preschool program for Denver's four-year-olds."

Financial problems still plague the city but revenues are holding and there will be a modest expansion of programs and some that have been cut, have, and will, be restored gradually. The Mayor commended the workforce for finding efficiencies and savings.

The Mayor closed with, "If our city is to become truly sustainable, we must evolve continuously. Our ability to sustain our present quality of life will be a function of how well and how quickly we can adapt. The speed with which we need to change allows no room for ego. It demands collaboration. For the next generation to be able to see farther than we have, we are going to need many shoulders [to stand on].

"This is an opportunity to be part of something bigger than all of us. An opportunity to connect with a history that long preceded us and to help shape a future that will long succeed us.

"We are but temporary stewards of this city - and as such - we must commit ourselves to leaving an even better economy and future for the generations that follow.

"As our administration - and many on this stage - enter the final year of our first term, let me assure you - there will be no slowing down. In the days to come, we intend to sustain our sense of urgency and maintain the same high expectations for what can be accomplished. Creating a city that is truly sustainable - in all senses of the word - requires nothing less."
Update: The Wash Park Prophet points out a not so rosy story about the Mayor's tenure. Andrew writes, "Delays in permitting new business often take months and can cost them thousands of dollars of month in lost profits, interest on business loans, and cost somebody, either a landlord or a new business, months of lost revenues in spaces left empty until a permit arrives, yet businesses like the downtown Perk and Pub and a restaurant planned on Sante Fe near the I-25 exit, have collapsed in he face not of permit denials, but permit delays, and other have been delayed for months before eventually getting permission to open."

Update:Here's the coverage of Mayor Hickenlooper's State of the City Address yesterday from the Denver Post. They write, "Hybrid vehicles, a million new trees and a 22 percent reduction in water use marked ambitious, long-term initiatives outlined by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper Wednesday in his State of the City address...

"[The Mayor hopes to] Embark on the most aggressive water-conservation program in the history of Colorado, with the goal of reducing water use by 22 percent over the next decade; Expand the city's 'Green Fleet' by replacing light-duty vehicles wherever possible with hybrid vehicles - or the highest-efficiency vehicles available; Triple Denver's tree canopy from 6 percent to 18 percent tree cover by planting a million new trees over the next 20 years; Construct solar and methane power plants capable of powering and heating the equivalent of more than 2,500 homes by 2007; Refer a question to the November ballot asking Denver voters to raise the sales tax rate 0.12 percent - or 12 cents on every $100 purchase - to fund a high-quality, parental-choice preschool program for Denver's 4-year-olds."

Here's the story from the Rocky Mountain News.
"denver 2007"
5:53:19 PM

Dem convention in Denver?

Mayor Hickenlooper is asking for help in landing the 2008 Democratic National Convention, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is asking governors of four other Western states [Montanan, New Mexico, Wyoming, Arizona] to raise millions of dollars to bring the Democratic National Convention to Denver. While there is enthusiastic support for a Rocky Mountain convention in theory, governors are harder to pin down on dollars. 'What I said to John (Hickenlooper) is, 'Giddy-up, I'm in,' Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said. 'It's high time that Democrats across America see the kind of Democrats that we have in the West.' While Schweitzer was ready to ride with the convention, he flinched at a $6 million figure tossed out by Hickenlooper on Tuesday...

"A private committee working to lure the Democrats vowed to cover the estimated $80 million cost with federal security funds and private donations. Hickenlooper has vowed not to use taxpayer dollars if Denver wins the bid, pledging instead to raise money around the region. He told City Council members Tuesday that he has spoken to the governors of Arizona, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming and hopes to bring them to Denver next month. 'This is not just about Denver,' Hickenlooper told council members. 'It's really about Colorado, and it's actually about the Rocky Mountain West.'"
"2008 pres"
7:05:50 AM

Stem cell research
President Bush has declined to meet with U.S. Representative Diana DeGette to discuss her stem cell bill, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "President Bush has rebuffed Rep. Diana DeGette's request for a meeting to discuss her bill on stem-cell research, a day after presidential adviser Karl Rove said Bush would likely veto the legislation if the Senate passed it. 'Although the president would appreciate meeting with you, we are unable to accommodate your request. Thank you for understanding,' the White House wrote in a four-sentence letter the Denver Democrat received Tuesday. The letter did not explain why Bush declined the meeting. The bill, which DeGette co-sponsored with Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., was approved by the House of Representatives last year. It would overturn Bush's 2001 stem-cell policy barring the use of federal funds to harvest stem cells from embryos that would otherwise be destroyed...

"The Senate appears likely to pass the bill, which Rove told The Denver Post's editorial board Monday would set the stage for Bush to cast the first veto of his presidency. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who supports the legislation, said through a spokeswoman Tuesday he still plans to bring the bill to a Senate vote, probably next week, even with a veto looming. DeGette said Tuesday she was appalled by Rove's remarks. 'It's downright insulting that (Bush) sent his head political adviser to my hometown with a veto threat,' said DeGette. 'This issue is too important to become part of Karl Rove's cynical electoral strategy.'"

Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News.
"2008 pres"
6:58:35 AM

Indian bombings

Here's a report on the bombings yesterday in India, from the Denver Post.
They write, "The city's commuter rail system is one of the most heavily used in the world, carrying about 6 million people a day. The explosions, along a single rail corridor in a western sector of the port city, caught passengers in very close quarters. The force of the explosions reduced some carriages to smoking heaps of mangled metal, blew others apart and flung body parts and luggage along the tracks."

6:54:41 AM

Litigation lottery?

Here's a story about the effort to get an amendment on the fall ballot protecting water supplies from oil and gas drilling, from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article, "An effort is under way to gather the signatures of nearly 68,000 Colorado voters to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the November general election ballot to help landowners affected by oil and natural-gas development. Colorado Land Owners for Fairness, organized by Glenwood Springs real estate agent John Gorman, started the effort Monday. Gorman's group hopes to succeed in the fall where the Legislature failed in the spring when a bill sponsored by state Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, was withdrawn after much fanfare and politicking. Gorman's group wants to amend the Colorado Constitution to require mineral developers to pay the fair value of damages created by mineral development. The group has until 3 p.m. Aug. 7 to turn in enough signatures to the secretary of state's office to qualify for the ballot...

"Current law requires energy companies to give landowners a 30-day notice of plans to drill on their property and urges them to try to negotiate agreements with surface owners. If that fails, the companies can post a bond of $2,000 for dry land acreage and $5,000 for irrigated property and proceed to drill. Landowners complain that gives companies all the leverage, and the bonds are too low to do any good. Greg Schnacke, executive vice president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, said the amendment would lead to a litigation lottery.'[...]

"Gorman said the state title review board and the Colorado Supreme Court rejected that argument. Gorman said he knows the petition effort will be an uphill battle. 'We're seeking out some of the other groups that helped in the past,' he said. The town of Silt officially endorsed the effort Monday night by a 6-1 vote, Mayor Pro Tem Tod Tibbetts said. The Colorado Association of Home Builders, environmental groups and agricultural groups supported Curry's bill when it was introduced. The home builders group, one of the more influential lobbying interests at the state capital, is not supporting the proposed amendment. Schnacke said the builders are instead working with his group, Colorado Farm Bureau and Colorado Cattlemen's Association on legislation for next year's session."

The oil and gas industry can't catch a break. Here's an article about frac'ing fluids from the Durango Herald. They write, "Five Colorado environmental groups, including two in Durango, want the state to require gas-producing firms to publicly disclose the names of the chemicals they use in drilling and other subterranean operations. In a June 14 letter to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the groups said the energy companies are using chemicals toxic to humans in producing gas and oil...

"Colborn's organization gathers and interprets research on chemicals called endocrine disruptors - substances that interfere with hormones, enzymes and growth factors. Colborn has worked for public and private agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the United Nations and the World Wildlife Fund. The San Juan Citizens Alliance and the Oil and Gas Accountability Project, both of Durango, and the Western Colorado Congress, Western Slope Environmental Resource Council and Grand Valley Citizens Alliance signed the letter. What especially interests the group is hydraulic fracturing. Known as frac'ing, the practice injects fluids under high pressure to open rock strata - coal beds in the San Juan Basin - to release gas. The liquids contain toxic chemicals harmful to humans, according to the group. Water and sand are the main ingredients in concoctions injected into coal formations to extract methane gas, said Dan Larson, the spokesman for BP America in Durango. A thickener (guar gum), similar to one found in ice cream, keeps the sand in suspension so it doesn't sink to the bottom, allowing it to keep the rock fractures open. When it's time to remove the thickener, an enzyme turns it into liquid. The agents used in the processes often are proprietary, Larson said. Energy companies don't want to share their secrets with competitors, he said. But frac'ing is necessary."
"colorado water"
6:27:21 AM

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