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Sunday, March 4, 2007
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Iraq
Captain's Quarters: "The US and Iraqi armies began their sweep of Sadr City in force today, tackling the toughest nut of the new Baghdad surge strategy. First indications show that the Mahdi Army has melted away."
Wash Park Prophet: "Speaker of the United States House Nancy Pelosi spoke at the Colorado Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner this evening. There were a record 1900 or so Democrats in attendance, at one of the most smoothly run events of its kind in party history. Her speech opened with extensive local color (today, it so happens is the anniversary of passage of the law that made Colorado a state), and recognition for the Colorado delegation of Democrats in Congress in connection with the accomplishments of the first 100 hours of the session. But, the core of her speech was about Congressional opposition to the Iraq War."
"2008 pres"
7:33:17 AM 
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? for president?
Political Wire: "'Three of the leading Republican presidential candidates on Saturday denounced one of their party's best-known conservative commentators for using an antigay epithet when discussing a Democratic presidential contender at a gathering of conservatives here,' reports the New York Times. 'The remarks by Ann Coulter, an author who regularly speaks at conservative events, were sharply denounced by the candidates,' Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R). 'Their statements came after Democrats, gay rights groups and bloggers raised a storm of protest over the remarks.'"
Political Wire: "Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) is dominating his fellow GOP presidential frontrunners in head-to-head match-ups, according to a new Newsweek poll. Giuliani beats Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) by 25 points, 59% to 34%. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) fares even worse, trailing Giluiani by 50 points, 70% to 20%. Giuliani is also leading the Democratic frontrunners in hypothetical general election match-ups. He beats Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) 48% to 43%, former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) 47% to 45%, and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) 47% to 46%."
Political Wire: "According to the AP, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) came in first in a straw poll taken at the Conservative Political Action Conference, taking 21% of the vote. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) came in second with 17%, followed by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) with 15% and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) with 14%. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) came in fifth with just 12% of the vote."
Andrew Sullivan: "Romney at CPAC: He's the base's strongest candidate, I think. His speech was an artful attempt to put the Republican Humpty-Dumpty back together again. He kept repeating the importance of a conservative coalition. He spoke of bringing economic and social and national security conservatives together one more time. On fiscal issues, he definitely had me. He pledged to keep non-defense discretionary spending one percent below the inflation rate. His best un-Bush line: 'I know how to veto; I like to veto.'"
"2008 pres"
7:29:50 AM
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Western U.S.: Pretty damn distinct
Karen Crummy speculates on what it will take for a presidential candidate to win the West in today's Denver Post. She writes, "Recent Democratic victories in Western state races have party leaders predicting they can win the West and, therefore, the White House. But there is little correlation between statewide races and presidential elections in the Interior West, a review of 50 years of election results shows. Instead, the region generally seesaws between political parties in state races and is dominated by Republicans in presidential contests. For a Democrat to overcome the historical voting behavior of a region stretching from Canada to Mexico, the candidate must present a message centered on economic populism, fiscal discipline and a balance between individual rights and governmental protection, say Western Democrats and others who have studied the region's politics. And it should be delivered with libertarian rhetoric...
"Because Democrats have lost most of the Southern states to the GOP, and only a few battleground states remain, targeting the West has increased in importance. The region has few electoral votes, but winning Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico would have given John Kerry the White House in 2004. 'Republicans can no longer take the West for granted, and the Democrats can no longer write it off,' said Dan Kemmis, a senior fellow at the Center for the Rocky Mountain West and author of This Sovereign Land"
"2008 pres"
7:18:02 AM
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HB 1036
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel is running an article about HB 07-1036 [pdf]. From the article, "A state law that Grand Junction used a century ago to complete its grasp on a water supply from Grand Mesa could be struck down by legislators who say they want to prevent eastbound diversions of Western Slope water. The sponsor of House Bill 1036 said he also wants to take aim at potential abuses of eminent domain. Citing the 'heightened awareness of the Kelo decision,' in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a city's condemnation of property for a private development, state Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, said he wants to head off abuses of power in water law. The measure passed the House last month with support from Reps. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction and Steve King, R-Grand Junction. The measure is sponsored in the Senate by the assistant majority leader, Longmont Democrat Brandon Schaffer. Opponents of the measure, including the Colorado Municipal League and Denver Water, are hoping to marshal enough opposition in the Senate to sink the bill on constitutional grounds, saying it could overreach by curtailing the powers of home-rule cities...
"A Colorado Supreme Court decision that established condemnation rights cited a provision of the Colorado Constitution giving the power to condemn water works, [tate Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling] said. It's important that the Legislature draw a distinction between the two kinds of property, Sonnenberg said. 'Water is different than dirt,' he said. Supporters of the measure failed to show there have been abuses of the power, said Bommer, who noted as well that the condemnation threat is rarely used in a predatory way. More frequently, he said, it has been used to provide tax advantages to water-rights holders in friendly condemnation proceedings.
"The measure also has been used by Western Slope governments to affect water development west of the Continental Divide, he said. Grand Junction wielded the power in 1907, when it initiated condemnation of water rights on Kannah Creek to establish a domestic water supply. The court fight dragged through 1911, when Grand Junction was awarded the 'paramount' right to the first water in the creek. In addition to Grand Junction's use of condemnation to establish a city water supply, Bommer pointed to Gypsum, which used the threat of eminent domain to check a threatened sale of a private water right to the Front Range...
"Both sides pointed to the few times the law has been used to buttress their points. Backers of current law said it's evident there's been no abuse. Others, like Buescher, said that if it's not been used, it might not be needed. State Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, said the 'emotional opposition' on the part of large water suppliers 'is reason enough to support' the bill."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
7:01:02 AM
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Global warming?
Here's an interview with Peter Raven, director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, from the Myrtle Beach Sun. From the article, "Peter Raven, director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, has taken part in many scientific studies over the years as a leader of the National Academy of Sciences and presidential adviser. Perhaps none was as consequential as the two-year global warming study he co-chaired leading to a report last week by the UN Foundation and the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society. The report concluded that the planet faces a starkly different future with 'intolerable impacts' of global warming that can be minimized only if nations start urgently cooperating."
"2008 pres"
6:45:55 AM
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Funding for the Platte River Cooperative Agreement?
The U.S. Senators from Colorado and Nebraska are co-sponsoring legislation to fund the recently signed Platte River Cooperative Agreement, according to CBS4Denver.com. From the article, "Eager to bolster and protect one of Nebraska's major agricultural and wildlife resources, Nebraska's senators are co-sponsoring legislation with Colorado's senators to fund the federal portion of the Platte River recovery program. Democrat Ben Nelson and Republican Chuck Hagel were joined Friday by Colorado Sens. Wayne Allard, a Republican, and Ken Salazar, a Democrat, as co-sponsors of the bipartisan authorization and funding measure. The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program officially started on Jan. 1. Gov. Dave Heineman, along with governors from Colorado and Wyoming and the U.S. secretary of interior, signed the agreement last year...
"The legislation will authorize the interior secretary to proceed with the program and includes $157 million to fund the federal portion. The Platte River Cooperative Agreement was designed to benefit the threatened and endangered species and provide water users in the Platte River Basin with coverage under the Endangered Species Act without giving up their access to federal water, land or funding. The four species are three birds -- interior least tern, whooping crane and piping plover -- and a fish -- the pallid sturgeon. To pay the $317 million cost of the plan, the federal government will provide $157 million in cash. Colorado plans to pitch in $24 million in cash, and Wyoming $6 million in cash. Nebraska doesn't have to pay any cash, but could -- because of a substantial increase in irrigated acres since July 1, 1997 -- end up having to take thousands of irrigated acres out of production. That would carry a high price tag. The remaining $130 million for the plan is not in cash, but is being contributed through water and land credits: The three states must together contribute 80,000 acre-feet of water at an agreed-upon value of $120 million. Nebraska's share of that water contribution will come through releases of the water in the already existing 'environmental account' in Lake McConaughy. Wyoming and Nebraska also will contribute about 3,000 acres of land, a $10 million value. If the program continues after 13 years, a total of 29,000 acres will be needed to fully accomplish the objectives of the program, but that acreage goal could change as the science is improved."
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
6:30:54 AM
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David H. Getches: We need to revise the law of the river
Here's a recap of the Wallace Stegner Center symposium at the University of Utah from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article, "If you drink water that came from the Colorado River, you have a problem: Global warming stands to reduce flows on a river needed to sate the ever-increasing thirst of the booming West and preserve endangered species and ecosystems all along the river. That's just one of five 'realities' that people who live in the Colorado River Basin must face as the climate changes and the demands on Colorado River water continue to grow, David H. Getches, dean of the University of Colorado School of Law, said Saturday at the annual Wallace Stegner Center symposium at the University of Utah. A few other Colorado River realities, according to Getches, are: More river water has been divided among its seven basin states than there is water in the river; environmental and recreational demands for river water are increasing as cities grow; and American Indian rights to the river haven't been quantified yet. 'We need to revise the law of the river,' he said...
"Through the Southern Nevada Water Authority's permanent water conservation regulations, Las Vegas drastically curtailed its water use by tens of thousands of acre-feet, preventing new residences from planting grass in their yards, among other measures, Mulroy said. Lawn grass, she said, is the greatest water user in southern Nevada, while the Las Vegas Strip uses only 3 percent of the region's water. Every drop of water that enters the sewer system is recycled, she said...
"[Colorado Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hobbs] followed Mulroy, saying he believes the Colorado River Compact can change to adapt to declining water availability. That was the consensus Saturday of many of the speakers at the symposium, some of whom, such as Glen Canyon Institute founder Richard J. Ingebretsen, advocated for Lake Powell to be drained and declared 'Glen Canyon National Park.' Ingebretsen said it's unlikely Lake Powell will fill again, and could become useless because too much sediment could soon back up behind Glen Canyon Dam. Some studies on the effects of drought on Lake Powell indicate it may stand to be hurt significantly in future droughts, Getches said, while the Lower Basin may remain relatively unscathed."
"colorado water"
6:19:47 AM
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Drought as the norm?
The recent National Research Council report, Colorado River Basin Water Management: Evaluating and Adjusting to Hydroclimatic Variability is still sending warning signals around the West. Drought is a reality in the Colorado River basin and the west is facing future shortages, according to the Casper Star Tribune. From the article, "The years leading up to the 1922 Colorado River Compact were exceptionally wet, according to tree-ring analysis that goes back almost 1,000 years. That meant that the politicians, water lawyers and engineers of the day thought the water supply 'pie' was considerably bigger than the then-unknown historical norm. It was assumed that the annual average river flow was closer to 16.4 million-acre feet, rather than the average 15 million acre-feet that has been measured since then. Water use and the dynamic growth that drove 20th century water consumption in the basin was based on an erroneous assumption that the Colorado River Basin had plenty of water for a thirsty and rapidly growing West. A new study of the basin by the National Research Council indicates that the seven states in the basin -- Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming -- should plan for a much smaller 'pie' because there's a strong potential for extended and even more severe droughts in the future. Steve Gray, Wyoming's climatologist, worked on tree-ring research for the U.S. Geological Survey in Tucson, Ariz., before he came to Wyoming. He remembers his stunned, awe-struck reaction when he realized the data revealed a severe drought between 1575 and 1595 in the West, from Mexico up into the Canadian Rockies. 'It was very severe,' he said, much more so than the seven- to eight-year drought currently holding sway over the West...
"As for the future, the National Research Council report makes several dire warnings, including: Future droughts may be longer and more severe because of a regional warming trend that shows no signs of dissipating; A preponderance of evidence suggests that rising temperatures will reduce the river's flow and water supplies; Coping with water shortages is becoming more difficult because of rapid population growth, and technology and conservation will not provide a panacea for dealing with limited water supplies in the long run."
"colorado water"
6:08:40 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 9:06:02 PM.
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