Sunday, October 1, 2006

Referendum I Here's a story about Referendum I from the Cortez Journal. They write, "It was a tough crowd for Sean Duffy, who was trying to convince two dozen mostly gray-haired Republicans why they should give gay people domestic partnership rights. Duffy, a self-described conservative Republican and former aide to Gov. Bill Owens, is leading the campaign for Referendum I, which voters will see on the November ballot. On Friday, he debated Al Knight, a conservative columnist for The Denver Post, at a meeting of the Colorado Lincoln Club. 'My sense of the Republican Party has always been that we're the party of fairness, and we're the party that wants to fix gaps in the law,' Duffy says. Ref I, he said, would fix several gaps for gay people who are in committed relationships but don't have the same rights as married people. Ref I would not grant the benefits that federal law gives to married people. Under Ref I, domestic partners would get the rights to share a partner's health or worker's compensation insurance, to make medical decisions for a partner and inherit a partner's property. Knight, however, said the Ref I campaign rests on the 'fundamental dishonesty' that domestic partnerships would not change the definition of marriage. But Ref I would make gay partners legally equal to married people, he said." "denver 2006" 8:48:17 AM

Amendment 44 - Legal Marijuana? Here's a look at Amendment 44 from the Cortez Journal. They write, "Throughout the campaign, Tvert has tried to force his opponents to compare marijuana to alcohol. He took the same tactic in a heated debate against Suthers on Sept. 26. Suthers is running for re-election against Democrat Fern O'Brien. Suthers rejected Tvert's argument that marijuana is safer... "The federal Institute of Medicine supports many of Tvert's arguments about alcohol. Marijuana users, according to a 1999 IOM study, are less likely to be dependent than alcohol users, and their withdrawal symptoms are usually milder." "denver 2006" 8:46:05 AM

Ritter for governor? The Denver Post editorial staff has endorsed Bill Ritter. From the opinion piece, "Colorado stands at a crossroads that will require a firm grasp of policy and the sure hand of leadership. Bill Ritter and Bob Beauprez are dueling for the right to succeed Gov. Bill Owens in a race that could define the future of our state for a decade or more... "We're proud, and a little surprised, to endorse Ritter's candidacy for governor. We know him as a tough prosecutor who served with distinction as Denver district attorney for 12 years. The DA's office isn't an obvious launching pad for statewide office, but Ritter entered the campaign early, never blinking in the face of would-be rivals. He used his months of obscurity to develop an impressive policy agenda (and fundraising effort) that has left Congressman Beauprez in the shadows. Ritter's background, his record in law enforcement and his centrist bearing have made a strong impression as he worked his way across all 64 Colorado counties... "Ritter is not easily pigeon-holed. He doesn't have a legislative voting record, and his views on today's hot-button issues don't seem to emanate from pollsters or focus groups. He's cut from the cloth of Roy Romer, a pragmatic governor who worked both sides of the aisle to get things done. Ritter has committed to creating a bipartisan cabinet that will represent all Coloradans, not just his party." "denver 2006" 8:42:16 AM

Fraser River The plight of the Fraser River is the subject of this article from the Denver Post. The Fraser and it's tributaries are a major source of water for Denver Water and many communities around Denver want to utility to develop more water from the drainage to accommodate the unbridled growth on the Front Range. From the article, "More than half of the Fraser River in the Fraser Valley is diverted by the Denver Water Board. Sucking water from more than 20 tributaries, Denver Water funnels around 16 billion gallons of water a year through the Moffat Tunnel for use on the Front Range. And Denver Water wants more. It's calling for an additional 5 billion gallons from the Fraser in a proposed expansion of the Moffat collection system. In response, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing an environmental impact statement, due this winter. Advocates for the river, and the towns of Fraser and Winter Park, anxiously await the results. The Fraser River Diversion System is a conglomeration of concrete and steel pipes, tunnels, siphons and canals. Take a walk up the Jim Creek trail near Winter Park and you can hear the stream bubbling downhill. But back at the trail head, the stream abruptly stops - sucked dry at the diversion point. "It's hard to get a true picture of how much water is being taken and how much is left in the Fraser. Depends on who you ask, and where you take your measurement. But it doesn't take a scientist to see that the river is hurting. This summer, parts of the river warmed to 65 degrees and above. Fishermen were urged to carry thermometers and not to fish if the temperature was 65 degrees or higher. Optimum temperature for trout is 55 degrees, and catch-and-release in warmer waters stresses the fish. Sediment is another problem plaguing the Fraser. With so much water diverted, the river has lost its spring flushing flow. Denver Water takes its water from the highest, most upstream portions of the Fraser, and siphons off the most water in the spring, a time when the snow melt ensures there's lots of water in the river. But the river needs high seasonal flows to flush contaminants... "I suppose I can't blame Denver Water for trying. Even as the five-year drought wanes, concern over future water shortages is growing. I read about a new study that predicts water demand will rise 53 percent by 2030 as another 2 million people move to the Front Range. I applaud Mayor John Hickenlooper and Denver Water's plan for the city to reduce water usage by 22 percent in the next decade, but we are still facing hard questions about future water supply." "colorado water" 8:39:42 AM

Ritter or Beauprez for governor? Oil and gas development and renewable energy are a source of conflict for our gubernatorial candidates, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Congressman Bob Beauprez calls his energy platform 'Clean Energy Colorado.' Bill Ritter has a 'Seven- Point Plan for a New Energy Economy.' Both candidates paint rosy futures in their plans for a state they vow will become a leader in renewable energy, a resource for environmentally sound fossil-fuel development and a model of energy efficiency. It's how they would get there that makes energy one of the more testy issues in the gubernatorial race. "Ritter has criticized Beauprez for his environmental record, while Beauprez has lashed back that Ritter has no record: His background is in prosecution rather than lawmaking, which Beauprez equates to a lack of experience. The League of Conservation Voters added Beauprez to its 'Dirty Dozen' list of lawmakers who score low for their voting records on environmental and public health issues. Ritter has criticized Beauprez's votes to give royalty subsidies to oil- shale developers, to exempt oil and gas companies from the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, and to cut more than $20 million from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden. "The next governor of Colorado will have to wrestle with emotional battles engendered by record oil and gas drilling and the emergence of oil shale as an alternative to foreign oil. Both candidates have visited the oil fields in northwestern Colorado, but have different ideas about how to proceed." "denver 2006" 8:23:49 AM

The public likes simple answers Here's an in-depth look at both sides of the global warming debate from the Casper Star Tribune. From the article, "The words 'global warming' provoke a sharp retort from Colorado State University meteorology professor emeritus William Gray: 'It's a big scam.' And the name of climate researcher Kevin Trenberth elicits a sputtered 'opportunist.' At the National Center for Atmospheric Research, where Trenberth works, Gray's name prompts dismay. "Bill Gray is completely unreasonable," Trenberth says. 'He has a mind block on this.' Only 55 miles separate NCAR's headquarters, nestled in the Front Range foothills, from CSU in Fort Collins. But when it comes to climate change, the gap is as big as any in the scientific community... "Science by its nature is disputatious -- with every idea challenged, tested and retested. It's always been that way. In the 18th century, Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz sparred over claims to the discovery of calculus. About 140 years later, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was challenged -- based on the science of the day -- by Harvard University professor Louis Agassiz and the British Museum's Sir Richard Owen. Now the battle is over global warming, or more accurately over myriad details -- like temperature readings and the thickness of sea ice -- upon which the larger idea is based. On one hand, the fight is a natural part of the scientific process. But it also creates dissonance and uncertainty... "Still, a broad scientific consensus has emerged that human activity is contributing to climate change. Findings by panels created by the National Academy of Science to resolve disputes -- such as conflicting satellite and ground temperature records -- have supported the trends in global climate change. And things that the NCAR models predict -- such as thinning sea ice and melting glaciers -- are coming to pass, although scientists say more data are needed to verify those trends. "After more than two decades of research, scientists, even most skeptics, agree that: Since 1750, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, mainly from burning fossil fuels, has risen to about 380 parts per million from 286 parts per million; It doesn't appear carbon dioxide levels have been that high in the past 650,000 years; Carbon dioxide is continuing to build in the atmosphere by about 1.5 parts per million a year, and as a so-called greenhouse gas, it traps the sun's heat; The Earth's average temperature has warmed about 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1880 and is now warmer than it has been in the past 400 years; Average global temperatures are likely to rise -- this is where the debate begins -- somewhere between 2 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100; The heat will cause global ocean levels to rise 3 to 39 inches this century... "While [Roger Pielke Sr.] agrees carbon dioxide is forcing changes in the climate, he says, 'It is not the only forcing.' Man-made changes to the land, in addition to about 30 other greenhouse gases -- some man-made, some natural -- may play an even bigger role, he said. 'The public likes simple answers,' Pielke said. 'But there isn't any simple answer here.' Simplicity is hard to come by because Earth is a giant, complex heat-moving machine. The sun's rays strike full force at Earth's middle and glance off the ends -- making the equator hotter than the poles. Ocean currents, winds, the jet stream and hurricanes are forces trying to balance out the Earth's heat. Efforts to calculate what is going on in the oceans, the land and the atmosphere are an unparalleled exercise... "Efforts to calculate what is going on in the oceans, the land and the atmosphere are an unparalleled exercise. The task falls to mathematical models run by supercomputers like the one in NCAR's basement. These 'general circulation models' attempt to keep track of a multitude of variables around the globe -- such as ocean currents, air and sea temperatures, rainfall and the composition of the atmosphere. 'This is a unique exercise in science and a very difficult one,' said Christopher Essex, a mathematician at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. The models are trying to project a future world, Essex said, without a complete theoretical base on how climate works and the risk of small errors being amplified. Another problem, Essex said, is in the inability to do controlled experiments -- one of science's key tools. 'There's only one atmosphere, so you can't hold everything steady and change just one variable to see what happens,' he said... "There are other phenomena affecting global temperatures over time, such as El Nino, a Pacific Ocean warm-water mass that appears in roughly five-year cycles and changes world weather patterns. And there is the Atlantic thermohaline current, a conveyor belt moving heat north on the surface and then dropping it to the ocean floor and heading back to the equator -- a 1,200-year trip. Changes in the current lead to changes in temperature. Somehow the models have to account for these natural variations, too. Gray believes that the warmer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are linked to a natural slowing in the thermohaline current, not the carbon dioxide. Some of the models also show the current is slowing and that, along with warming oceans, adds to hurricane risks." "2008 pres" 8:07:58 AM

Tuesday: Colorado Springs water conservation plan From today's Colorado Springs Gazette: "Colorado Springs Utilities invites customers to participate in developing a new Water Conservation Plan for the community for 10 years, 7:30 p.m. at the Conservation and Environmental Center, 2855 Mesa Road." "colorado water" 7:48:13 AM

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