Coyote Gulch

Friday, July 14, 2006

Split estate initiative?
Here's a primer on split estates from Colorado Confidential. From the article, "In Colorado, as in most resource-rich states, the mineral interests may be 'split' or 'severed' from the surface interests. This situation results in a 'split estate' where the surface owner does not own the underground oil and gas reserves. Both the surface land and the mineral interests are considered property rights, however, currently oil and gas interests are allowed to drill and gain access to the oil and gas reserves at the expense of individuals, agricultural producers, businesses and local governments that are surface owners.

"In 1997, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that both estates must exercise their rights in a manner consistent with the other - meaning that neither the surface owner nor the mineral rights owner had a property right that was dominant over the other (Gerrity Oil & Gas Corp. v. Magness, 946 P2d 913 Colo. 1997). Before this 1997 ruling, the 'dominant' status of the mineral rights created a cavalier and, at times, an arrogant attitude on the part of many oil and gas producers when dealing with surface owners."

Take time to read the whole article.
"denver 2006"
7:15:09 AM

Richardson for president?
Jesse Cornett (via the Western Democrat): "Somewhere in the mix of his slightly tailored for the elections community stump speech, [presumed presidential candidate Bill] Richardson earned this post. He took two minutes out to talk to this group about the importance of blogging. We're not all young, he pointed out. And it's not just the D's or the R's who are doing it. He encouraged them to embrace the blogosphere with the pronouncement that we are here to stay and will make a difference in our democracy."
"2008 pres"
7:09:57 AM

DLC to meet in Denver
The Democratic Leadership Council is coming to Denver for meetings July 22-24, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "The Democratic Leadership Council will hold a 'national conversation' July 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency Denver. Speakers will include Sens. Hillary Clinton, of New York, and Evan Bayh, of Indiana, and Govs. Janet Napolitano, of Arizona, and Bill Richardson, of New Mexico. All have been mentioned as possible candidates for president. Many of Colorado's top Democratic politicians will attend, including Sen. Ken Salazar; Reps. Mark Udall and John Salazar; Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper; and state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. The theme of the annual event is 'Ideas for Governing.' The gathering, which is not open to the public, is intended to help public officials brainstorm new policies. More than 300 elected officials from around the country are expected to attend. DLC leaders said they chose Denver for the meeting because they believe Democrats can make big gains in the West."
"2008 pres"
6:57:15 AM

CFO for Denver?
Things are heating up around the task force that is charged with looking at the City's accounting and financial accounting functions, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Denver City Auditor Dennis Gallagher and a task force that is studying the city's fiscal structure clashed again Thursday over a proposal that would strip his office of payroll and accounting duties. Gallagher did not attend the next to last meeting of the 10-member task force, which was appointed by Mayor John Hickenlooper in March. However, he sent his top deputies along with a letter accusing the panel of having 'a serious misunderstanding' of the auditor's role...

"The panel is moving toward a set of recommendations that would create a chief financial officer as a Cabinet- level officer who would answer directly to the mayor. The CFO would have central authority over the fiscal responsibilities that are currently spread throughout several departments. The panel also wants to create an audit committee chaired by the auditor and consisting of two appointees each by the auditor, the mayor and the City Council. The panel is tentatively scheduled to hold its final meeting on July 20 to discuss the city's budget reserve policies."

Denver voters may get a chance to change the city charter this fall to implement the task force recommendations.
"denver 2006"
6:52:44 AM

Ritter or Beauprez for governor?
From today's Denver Post: "Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter announced Thursday that he has raised more than $2 million for his campaign, including $121,000 in the past two weeks. The deadline for reporting the fundraising data to the Colorado secretary of state's office is next week, but the Ritter campaign made the announcement early to trumpet its success. John Marshall, spokesman for the Republican candidate, U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, replied that he's 'glad to hear (Ritter) finally got over the $2 million mark.' The Beauprez campaign, which passed the $2 million mark during the last reporting period, plans to release its financial information next week."

The Denver Post is reporting that Bob Beauprez is claiming that Bill Ritter favors amnesty for illegal aliens. From the article, "He defined amnesty as 'people getting to stay here and getting to butt in line' for citizenship. But Ritter said he favors the same approach as Republican President Bush, granting illegal immigrants guest-worker status and that 'to get in line to become citizens, they have to get in the back of the line.'[...]

"For his part, Ritter said, the state has done what it can do on immigration reform and should urge the federal government to act. If Beauprez thinks immigration is such an urgent issue, Ritter said, the congressman from the 7th District should urge U.S. House leaders to act on reform now. But like his Republican leadership, Beauprez is 'not making those demands because he has a hope that it's this wedge issue that will drive his base.' The next governor, Ritter said, should lean on the federal government for enforcement. As Denver district attorney, he said, he urged federal immigration officials to deport illegal immigrants convicted of felonies but was told they lacked the resources to do so."
"denver 2006"
6:27:08 AM

Underground water storage

Underground water storage is the subject of this article from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "Arkansas Valley water users need to quickly begin looking at the potential for underground water storage, a state expert told the Arkansas Basin Roundtable this week...

"The state has completed a survey of groundwater storage sites, finding a large potential for both alluvial and bedrock aquifer storage in both the South Platte and Arkansas basins. Those areas of the state face the largest growth and have the greatest need for more storage, [Ralf Topper of the Colorado Geological Survey] said. The current push to evaluate underground storage potential comes from SB193, passed this year by the Colorado Legislature. The bill directs the Colorado Water Conservation Board to determine the best sites for aquifer storage by March 2007. Topper said area water roundtables should provide their comments to the effort...

"Topper said the benefits of underground storage include reducing loss from evaporation, meeting legal or interstate compact obligations, improving water quality, recharging aquifers and protecting the environment. There are several ways to recharge aquifers, including: Surface infiltration, or allowing water to seep into the ground through ponds, canals or fields; Subsurface infiltration, providing routes for groundwater recharge at the edges of impermeable surfaces; Subsurface dams, that back up water underground, the same way a surface reservoir would; Deep injection wells, that replace water in depleted wells by putting treated water into them...

"Topper acknowledged lawns and parks are beneficial to recharging aquifers, saying return flows have kept the alluvial aquifer in the South Platte at stable levels despite development over the past 30 years. In the Arkansas Basin, Colorado Springs is testing aquifer storage on a small scale in some wells as alternative storage north of the city. The Arkansas Groundwater Users Association, a well augmentation group, has some aquifer recharge on the Excelsior Ditch east of Pueblo. Gary Barber, of the El Paso County Water Authority, has suggested it as well for municipal well recharge."
"colorado water"
6:10:46 AM

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