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Thursday, March 15, 2007
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? for president?
Andrew Sullivan: "Brownback Backs Pace: Like we couldn't see that one coming."
Political Wire: "According to a new Time magazine poll obtained by the New York Post, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has erased Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) 'once-sizable lead and dramatically closed the gap to single digits.'"
"2008 pres"
6:52:07 PM 
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Corruption
ABC News: "New unreleased emails from top administration officials show the idea of firing all 93 U.S. attorneys was raised by Karl Rove in early January 2005, indicating Rove was more involved in the plan than previously acknowledged by the White House. The e-mails also show Alberto Gonzales discussed the idea of firing the attorneys en masse while he was still White House counsel -- weeks before he was confirmed as attorney general."
Josh Marshall for the link, who writes, "Three lies and you're out, Alberto."
"2008 pres"
6:46:39 PM
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The Western Democrat to host online forum
Western Democrat: "We, your contributors at Western Democrat (Kari, Emmett, Leo, Landon and me) have decided we're going to try and host an online forum for Democratic candidates for President. We'll invite each candidate to provide us with a statement about why they should be the next President of the United States. We'll not give any candidate preference and will post the statements in the order we receive them."
"2008 pres"
6:35:13 PM
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War on terror
Captains Quarters: "Senate Republicans turned back an effort by Harry Reid to set a fixed withdrawal date for US troops in Iraq. Reid lost by a thin margin, 50-48, as three Democrats defected to the opposition for this measure."
Andrew Sullivan: "It's real - and terrifying. In so many ways, Pakistan is more threatening than Iran or Iraq. It already has a nuke; it is harboring a safe haven for al Qaeda; its strongman may be overplaying his hand; and a coup could bring Islamists to power. Crooked Timber wonders why the blogosphere is not more exercized about this."
"2008 pres"
6:24:37 PM
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Platte River
New West is pointing to a new book from the Rick Bass, Platte River. From the article, "This month the University of Nebraska Press released a paperback edition of Platte River, a collection of three long stories by Rick Bass that was originally published in 1994. Platte River was Bass' second published book of fiction, and though it doesn't measure up to some of his more recent work, there are intimations of the formidable writer that Bass would become, particularly in the title novella, the story of an ex-NFL athlete who lives in the Montana woods with a longtime girlfriend who is in the process of leaving him."
Looks like a must read.
"colorado water"
6:01:28 PM
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Ohio: DuPont to test wells for Teflon
Water News Weekly: "Within weeks, testing for the presence of a chemical used to make Teflon that's been found in the blood of Ohio and West Virginia residents will start extending to hundreds and perhaps thousands of isolated wells. As soon as its plan for the project is approved, DuPont Inc. will send letters to about 3,000 homes in southern Washington County and across the Ohio River outside Parkersburg, W.Va., to ask if they are served by a well instead of municipal systems, which are already being treated. If it's a well, the company will send trained samplers to collect samples to test for ammonium perfluorooctanoate, also known as PFOA and C8. 'It's a very large undertaking,' said Karen Johnson, chief of the groundwater and enforcement branch for Region 3 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 'It's going to take months.' As the result of a class-action lawsuit claiming the DuPont plant contaminated water supplies, Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont agreed to install permanent filters to remove C8 in treatment plants in six Ohio and West Virginia municipal water districts near its Washington Works Plant in Parkersburg."
"colorado water"
5:53:28 PM
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Corruption
Josh Marshall: "This article by Dan Eggen in tomorrow's Post lays out in gentle but clear and persuasive terms why Attorney General Gonzales and his Deputy, Mr. McNulty, will soon be ending their tenure at the Department of Justice. Simply put, they lied to Congress. As Eggen correctly notes, prosecutions for lying to Congress are uncommon. And the standards of proof might well be too great to sustain one. But by common sense standards it's clear that neither man testified truthfully when they answered senators' questions earlier this year. Even the emails now public make that clear. That visible deceit in covering up an emerging scandal will be too much for them to stay in office. Sen. Sununu's (R-NH) announcement will be followed by others."
Meanwhile U.S. Senator Ken Salazar refuses to rush to judgement, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Sen. Ken Salazar said Wednesday he is troubled by allegations that have 'blemished' the Department of Justice, but so far he is not joining other Democrats calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign. 'I think we need to know the facts first,' Salazar, D-Denver, told reporters Wednesday during a conference call. 'I am troubled by the allegations here, that the arm of the law in the Department of Justice would somehow be used to further a particular political end,' said Salazar, former Colorado Attorney General. 'That would be a misuse of the prosecutorial powers of the Department of Justice, in my view.'"
"2008 pres"
7:01:53 AM
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? for president?
Political Wire: "According to a new Strategic Vision (R) poll in Michigan, Rudy Giuliani leads among Republican voters with 28% support, followed by Sen. John McCain at 14% and Mitt Romney at 14%. On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton is ahead with 33% support, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 28% and John Edwards at 14%."
Political Wire: "According to a new Strategic Vision (R) poll in Florida, Rudy Giuliani leads among Republican presidential primary voters with 36% support, followed by Sen. John McCain at 21% and Mitt Romney at 8%. Among Democrats, Sen. Hillary Clinton leads with 32% and is trailed by Sen. Barack Obama at 22% and John Edwards at 17%."
"2008 pres"
6:58:22 AM
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Healthcare
unbossed: "The FDA is addicted to drug-industry money. Like many addicts, it's taking resources from important things like food in order to fill the drug need. It's operating on progressively thinner ice, and putting others at risk in the process. The FDA's concerned friends are staging an intervention. The problem started back in 1992, with the passage of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). The budget was tight, and there were complaints about the amount of time it took for the FDA to review new drug applications, so it seemed like a good idea to ask the drug companies to fork over some funds in exchange for faster drug review. With more money, FDA was able to hire more staff and meet PDUFA-imposed review-time targets. New drugs made it to market faster, and many people were glad to have those drugs. Here's one big problem with PDUFA, though: the drug industry negotiates the terms of each version with the FDA behind closed doors. The drug industry hasn't wanted its money to go for things like post-market surveillance, which could provide timely indications if drugs turn out to have nasty consequences that didn't emerge in the clinical trials -- or that did emerge, but were covered up by the drug's manufacturer."
Read the whole article there is a lot of good detail.
"2008 pres"
6:55:53 AM
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Iraq
Captain's Quarters: "The White House has threatened to veto the new Democratic bill to limit his options in Iraq, which would double the number of vetoes in the Bush administration. No one expects the measure to pass in Congress, but the President wants to leave no doubt about its fate if it does."
Captain's Quarters: "Responding to Turkey's complaints about PKK involvement in Kurdish guerilla attacks, the US has quietly pressured the Iraqi government and the Kurdish sector in Iraq to throttle support for the terrorist group. The issue threatened to bring Turkish troops streaming across the Iraqi border in retaliation for attacks and destabilizing the one portion of Iraq that has rebuilt itself."
"2008 pres"
6:51:27 AM
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Summitville cleanup
Here's a report on the proposed use of potato slurry to help with the cleanup of the Summitville mine from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "The Rio Grande Interbasin Roundtable on Tuesday refused to commit to any financial support for a water treatment project using potato slurry at the Summitville Gold Mine site. Joe Harrington, vice president of Alexco Resource US Corps, who created the technology that uses slurry from organic carbon sources such as potatoes to treat water laden with heavy metals, presented an informational program to the roundtable and made a pitch for group's support to secure federal funds for the project. Harrington and his older brother, James, made a similar proposal to Rio Grande County commissioners two years ago when they represented a company called ARCADIS. Harrington said the patented technology has worked elsewhere with great success and has been the recipient of environmental awards.
"The Harringtons propose to yearly use an estimated 100 potato trucks of cull potatoes for the slurry that would be used to filter runoff at Summitville. The project would provide jobs in the San Luis Valley and pump millions of dollars into the economy, Harrington said. The pilot project would cost approximately $900,000, but in order for federal funds to be used, there must be a state match of $1 for every $9 federal dollars, Harrington said. Although both Colorado and the Environmental Protection Agency have agreed with the proposed technology, Colorado does not have the matching money, Harrington said...
"In the early 1990s, there was a massive fish kill in the Alamosa River and Terrace Reservoir because of the heavy metals -- including copper, iron, manganese, zinc, aluminum and cadmium -- and acid contamination from the Summitville Mine along the entire length of the river. On Dec. 1, 1992, Galactic Resources, the mine's operator, notified the state of Colorado of its intent to declare bankruptcy and abandon the Summitville mine effective that Dec. 16. Within hours, the state asked for emergency response assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency. On Dec. 16, 1992, the EPA Region VIII Emergency Response Branch assumed control of the site and began water treatment plant modifications to treat cyanide-contaminated leachate and acid mine drainage from numerous sources at the site. To date, more than $180 million has been spent on cleanup."
"colorado water"
6:13:46 AM
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HB 1341
HB 07-1341 [pdf], Concerning the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission, and, In Connection Therewith, Directing the Commission to Foster Oil and Gas Development Consisten with the Protection of the Environment, Wildlife Resources, and Public Health, Safety, and Welfare, passed out of committee yesterday, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. From the article, "A House committee endorsed a proposal Wednesday to reconfigure the state's oil and gas conservation commission. House Bill 1341 would expand the panel[base ']s membership from seven to nine members, decreasing the influence of industry representatives. It would also redefine the commission's mission, emphasizing that protection of the environment, including wildlife, is an objective of its regulatory activities. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, is a key component of Gov. Bill Ritter's agenda to reduce the environmental and health impacts of oil and gas drilling on the Western Slope...
"Department of Natural Resources Director Harris Sherman said the proposed change to the commission's makeup is essential in addressing the public's concern that oil and gas drilling is harmful to people, wildlife, air, land and water. 'Right or wrong, there is a perception by many that the oil and gas industry is regulating itself,' Sherman said. If enacted into law, the bill would reduce the number of oil and gas industry representatives on the board from five to three and add an owner of mineral royalties, an expert in wildlife and environmental issues, and representatives of local government and agriculture."
Meanwhile the Rocky Mountain News is reporting the the Oil and Gas Industry plans to oppose HB 07-1341. From the article, "Colorado's $13 billion oil and gas industry has taken on Gov. Bill Ritter and his administration by backing out of a deal to reform energy regulation. The industry is taking a stand against House Bill 1341, shifting from its initial decision to remain neutral. The bill seeks to increase the size and composition of the board of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission...
"The bill causes many concerns, said Stan Dempsey of the Colorado Petroleum Association, which is opposing the bill. The industry is concerned because the bill calls for a dramatic overhaul of the regulatory body. It increases the board size to nine from seven and allows other state agency heads to vote on oil and gas matters...
"Reform bill details: House Bill 1341 increases the size of the commission to nine from seven members but reduces the number of board members with industry background to three from five; The new board would include a local government official, an expert in soil conservation, an owner of both land and mineral rights, and the executive directors of the departments of natural resources and public health and environment or their designees; The bill also changes the definition of waste to include public health, safety, wildlife and environment the commission must consider before determining how much resource can be recovered."
"colorado water"
6:06:57 AM
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Glade Reservoir?
Here's an opinion piece about the Glade Reservoir piece of NISP, written by Don Magnuson, from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. He writes, "A recent guest column by George Wallace raised questions regarding the proposed Northern Integrated Supply Project's benefit to agriculture. While I value Wallace's opinion, I disagree with his conclusions. The water supply project is good for agriculture, and in fact, presents the most viable local, long-term solution to protect our agricultural heritage. As a farmer under the Larimer & Weld Irrigation Co., I can assure Wallace that NISP will not harm farmers in Northern Colorado. No canal company is being forced to participate in NISP. The project has made successful progress because the participating parties understand the regional benefit it brings to both urban and rural residents. I agree with Wallace that agricultural-municipal water sharing is an asset to the Poudre Basin we should fully explore, but it's easier said than done. Practically speaking, it won't come close to meeting the region's entire future water needs. To my knowledge, no basin in the state of Colorado has a history of cooperation like that in the Cache La Poudre River Basin. It is the collaboration of cities and towns and canal companies and farmers that has made the Cache La Poudre River Basin the shining example of how water users can work together for the benefit of all. In fact, that is why the basin was recognized as a National Water Heritage Area in 1996 - because it illustrates the finest example of a working river in the western United States. NISP will continue that legacy.
"NISP is an innovative partnership between agricultural and municipal water users. Of the 40,000 acre-feet of water the project will provide, almost two-thirds comes from a water-sharing agreement with agriculture in Larimer and Weld counties. In exchange for providing a portion of their current supplies to fill Glade Reservoir, the irrigators will receive an equivalent amount of water from the South Platte River. Other benefits may include financial incentives, ditch and canal upgrades, and assistance replacing aging infrastructure - such as will occur with Wallace's ditch company, North Poudre...
"What happens if we do not build storage projects such as Glade Reservoir? The inevitable growth will increase the drying up of agricultural lands as the No. 1 means of acquiring water. That is the reality of the situation, a reality that is bad for the region as a whole, not just agriculture."
5:56:53 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 9:07:25 PM.
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