Coyote Gulch

Friday, August 4, 2006

Winkler for governor?
Say hello to Dawn Winkler. She's running on the Libertarian Party ticket. Out here on the Rooftop of America Libertarians are everywhere, and they really add to the conversation.

Ms. Winkler's website has a nice layout. There's a tip jar in plain view on most pages. It's organized pretty well for navigation. We got lost looking for the broadcasts. We couldn't find an email list. No weblog, no RSS feed.

Thanks to ToTheRight.org for the link.
"denver 2006"
9:23:11 PM

North Side Croquet Club: Game 16

North Side Croquet Club: "Shane also got on the board with his first point in Tuesday's game. All season, Shane has been the scariest player in the NPP ranks and it's amazing he went this long without winning a game. The overall winner of Tuesday's game though was John, who now has 7 points total and moves up to a 4th place tie with Leighton. Mike also took his game and now has a total of 5 points and 5th place. I got two points, one for my game and one for winning it with a poison kill. I now have 8 total and move up on to the pedestal in 3rd place. I'm naming my two points Cheech and Chong, because the whole reason we went to Wash Park was for the green. Speaking of the green, there was a member of the Denver Croquet Club on it when we showed, and he's invited us to compete in a September Tournament. I'm not sure if he changed his mind or not after watching us play for a couple of hours, but as far as we know the invitation stands."

6:23:44 AM

Ritter for governor?
Bill Ritter has received the endorsement of state Representative Mark Larson, according to the Cortez Journal. From the article, "'I'm proud to declare my support for Bill Ritter for governor,' said Larson, R-Cortez. 'Bill has a keen understanding of the state's fiscal needs, budgeting process and the appropriate role that government can play in improving people's lives. He's definitely done his homework. I agree with his positions on transportation, water and conservation.'"

This is a big deal for voters in the southwest part of the rainy side of Colorado. Larson is well thought of there, especially with regard to water issues. Larson won't deliver too many votes however, Montezuma county only has about 24,000 people.

Here's an article about the business community and their ongoing evaluation of Bill Ritter, from the Denver Post. They write, "Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter appears to have passed an important test with some members of the state's business elite, reassuring them that he would emphasize good policy over partisan politics. Over the course of three meetings with two prominent businessmen, Ritter indicated he would be at least as business-friendly as Republican Gov. Bill Owens...

"Ritter reviewed the 47 vetoes issued by Owens in 2005, many of which directly or indirectly impacted business interests. He agreed with about 38 of them. Richard Sapkin, the managing principal of Edgemark Development LLC and chairman of Colorado Concern, declined to go into specific detail about the meetings with Ritter and the veto review."
"denver 2006"
6:08:52 AM

Oil and gas drilling on Grand Mesa

The BLM is trying to make sure that drilling in the watersheds for Grand Junction and Palisade proceeds at a pace that is acceptable to the two cities, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "The federal Bureau of Land Management on Thursday allowed oil and gas drilling in the watersheds of Palisade and Grand Junction with a one-year suspension, sidestepping objections of officials and activists. After six months of reviews, the BLM said it would issue leases covering about 13,000 acres in the watershed areas - parcels of land that it had auctioned and sold on Feb. 9. But the lessee, Genesis Oil & Gas, will have to wait a year before it can drill in those areas. The company will work with Palisade and Grand Junction to agree on a drilling and exploration plan...

"BLM's decision includes rules to protect the environment, such as a 'no surface occupancy' stipulation on 960 acres of the Palisade watershed, which means Genesis Oil & Gas cannot drill on the surface to extract natural gas from underneath those acres. Rather, it would have to directionally drill from the periphery to reach those gas reserves. Other rules include no drilling activity on steep slopes or during certain times of the year in particular areas, especially winter, when deer and elk use those areas as habitats. Lloyd said much of the BLM's decision was in response to U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar's request for a 'reasonable and responsible approach' to resolving the protests, although the lawmaker himself expressed disappointment. 'This is not what I asked of the BLM,' Salazar said. 'As this process goes forward, I will continue to work with Palisade and Grand Junction to protect their watersheds and monitor closely the actions of the BLM and the lessee.'"

Here's the coverage from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. They write, "A Kansas City, Mo., company has a year to work with Grand Junction and Palisade on its plans to drill for natural gas on Grand Mesa. The Bureau of Land Management on Thursday issued leases for tracts of land on the municipal watersheds of Grand Junction and Palisade, then suspended them for a year. That will allow Genesis Gas and Oil to work with the municipalities on a plan for the watershed-area leases, the BLM said. Officials in Grand Junction and Palisade said they had hoped the bureau would uphold their protests and withdraw the leases, but given the BLM's decision, they welcomed the approach for the area."

"Catherine Robertson, Grand Junction field office manager for the BLM, said Gunnison had done a considerable amount of field work and was aware of Palisade's springs and water out-takes. Genesis volunteered not to drill in those areas, Robertson said. That means drill rigs won't be allowed on about 960 acres in the Palisade watershed. If Genesis is convinced that gas remains to be tapped beneath those lands, it will have to approach those strata with directional drilling...

"Given the 'ultrasensitive' nature of the watershed, Genesis will start drilling outside the watershed and hopes to use those projects as showcases for the kind of work the company can do, Behner said. 'We're going to start east and north and move toward the watershed,' he said. 'We'll work with the BLM and the communities and make sure there's a comfort level from the standpoint of moving forward.' The lease sale included 765 acres in the Grand Junction watershed and 11,280 acres in the Palisade watershed."
"colorado water"
5:29:11 AM

Fountain Creek management

Here's a article about the management of Fountain Creek,through the eyes of the Pueblo city council, from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "Pueblo City Council members favor working toward a new intergovernmental agreement with Colorado Springs, and perhaps other cities, on Fountain Creek rather than reopen its 2004 IGAs. Council members say it would be dangerous to reopen the IGAs, and agree Fountain Creek is the most pressing water issue facing the city. While support for improving water quality is part of the 2004 IGAs, Fountain Creek is only briefly mentioned. Since 2004, Fountain Creek has become a major issue, with two formal meetings and several informal meetings between Pueblo and Colorado Springs city councils in the last year. Council members disagree on how restrictive the present IGAs are when it comes to talking about problems from growth that would occur if Colorado Springs gets federal permits for the Southern Delivery System. Part of the agreement requires support for SDS. They also disagree over how well Colorado Springs has held up its end of the bargain, while all believe Pueblo is fulfilling its obligations."

It doesn't look like there is a dam in the future for Fountain Creek, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "A letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dismissing the idea of building a dam on Fountain Creek is detrimental to an ongoing study of Fountain Creek, a Pueblo County consultant said Wednesday. 'It seems to prejudge and render useless Phase III of the Fountain Creek Watershed Study, which was supposed to be funneled through Congress. They've jumped the gun,' said Ray Petros, a Denver water attorney consulting for Pueblo County on land-use regulations. Petros is the primary backer of a proposal to build a dam on Fountain Creek that would provide flood control for Pueblo, while serving as a holding basin for Colorado Springs' return flows. He first proposed the idea in October, during Bureau of Reclamation meetings on Colorado Springs Southern Delivery System, a proposal to construct a water supply pipeline from Pueblo Dam."
"colorado water"
5:22:14 AM

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