Coyote Gulch

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Dear Denver
Say hello to Dear Denver. They write, "I've started to blog again -- this time, I'm focusing on Denver in general, starting with the municipal elections." Here's the link to their RSS feed.
"denver 2007"
4:20:37 PM

Global warming: The Earth is a beautifully complex system
eyeon08.com: "Let me start with a summary of where the GOP candidates are on the issue. As many know, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are clear proponents of the position that global warming is happening and caused by human activity. Of the second tier candidates, you have Mike Huckabee who is probably to the left of McCain and Giuliani. Sam Brownback is also on the side of taking action to address global warming. As usual, Mitt Romney is straddling the fence of the issue, (list of quotes here) although his recent position suggests that he will be willing to cooperate with people in the party who are opposed to interventions. Although in his recent interview on Kudlow, he responds to a question about taxes and caps by only answering the tax question. And Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich are on the record as more skeptical, although I have heard that Thompson is closer to McCain. But I can't find it. So, the top tier of candidates (Giuliani, McCain, Thompson, and Romney) is split, with Thompson being the only real skeptic. And much of the serious 2nd tier is with or to the left of McCain and Giuliani."
"2008 pres"
9:51:39 AM

? for president?
Glenn Greenwald (via Salon): "Two of the three leading Republican candidates for President either embrace or are open to embracing the idea that the President can imprison Americans without any review, based solely on the unchecked decree of the President. And, of course, that is nothing new, since the current Republican President not only believes he has that power but has exercised it against U.S. citizens and legal residents in the U.S. -- including those arrested not on the "battlefield," but on American soil.

"What kind of American isn't just instinctively repulsed by the notion that the President has the power to imprison Americans with no charges? And what does it say about the current state of our political culture that one of the two political parties has all but adopted as a plank in its platform a view of presidential powers and the federal government that is -- literally -- the exact opposite of what this country is?"

Thanks to Talking Points Memo for the link.

Mike Huckabee (via Washington Wire): "If Republicans in this election vote in such a way as to say a candidate's personal life and personal conduct in office doesn't matter, then a lot of Christian evangelical leaders owe Bill Clinton a public apology."

eyeon08.com wonders, "Who all is he attacking? Rudy? Gingrich? "Christian evangelical leaders"? Cannot be smart."

Oliver Willis: "Bernard Kerik, Rudy Giuliani's character witness."

NRO: "Crane says he was disappointed with Romney's answer to his question the other night. Crane asked if Romney believed the president should have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens with no review. Romney said he would want to hear the pros and cons from smart lawyers before he made up his mind. Crane said that he had asked Giuliani the same question a few weeks ago. The mayor said that he would want to use this authority infrequently."

Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.

Citizen Boo lays into John McCain satirically.

Oliver Willis: "Video shows Rudy Giuliani announcing his support for lawsuits against gun manufacturers. This was, of course, before he was running for president and had to pander to the gun lobby. Now, he's against gun control."
"2008 pres"
9:40:13 AM

Scripting News turns ten
Happy tenth birthday to Scripting News. Congratulations to our blogfather, Dave Winer.

Doc Searls: "It's been 10 years since Dave started his blog rolling. And the rest of us along with it, whether we knew it or not."

Here's Dave Winer's links for today.

9:35:31 AM

Global warming: The Earth is a beautifully complex system

Here's a preview of the report on climate change due out Friday, from the Globe and Mail. From the article, "A key element of the second major report on climate change being released Friday in Belgium is a chart that maps out the effects of global warming with every degree of temperature rise, most of them bad. There's one bright spot: A minimal heat rise means more food production in northern regions of the world. However, the number of species going extinct rises with the heat, as does the number of people who may starve, or face water shortages, or floods, according to the projections in the draft report obtained by The Associated Press Some scientists are calling this degree-by-degree projection a 'highway to extinction.'

"It's likely to be the source of sharp closed-door debate, some scientists say, along with a multitude of other issues in the 20-chapter draft report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. While the wording in the draft is almost guaranteed to change at this week's meeting in Brussels, several scientists say the focus won't. The final document will be the product of a United Nations network of 2,000 scientists as authors and reviewers, along with representatives of more than 120 governments as last-minute editors. It will be the second of a four-volume authoritative assessment of Earth's climate released this year. The last such effort was in 2001. University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver said the chart of results from various temperature levels is 'a highway to extinction, but on this highway there are many turnoffs. This is showing you where the road is heading. The road is heading toward extinction.'[...]

"Despite that dire outlook, several scientists involved in the process say they are optimistic that such a drastic temperature rise won't happen because people will reduce carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming. 'The worst stuff is not going to happen because we can't be that stupid,' said Harvard University oceanographer James McCarthy, who was a top author of the 2001 version of this report. 'Not that I think the projections aren't that good, but because we can't be that stupid.'"
"2008 pres"
8:59:46 AM

Fryingpan-Arkansas legislation

Well this ought to clear up the picture along the Arkansas River. U.S. Congressman John Salazar has introduced what he is calling, Fryingpan-Arkansas legislation, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "A bill requiring a study of the cumulative impacts of Arkansas River basin water transfers before Lake Pueblo enlargement could be funded has been introduced in Congress. U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., introduced legislation late last week to authorize a $10 million study by state agencies to look at cumulative social, economic and environmental impacts of past water transfers. A $4 million study looking at the feasibility of enlarging Lake Pueblo, or other parts of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, is authorized in the bill, but no construction could occur until the state impact study is complete. U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., will co-sponsor the legislation...

"Besides the inclusion of a cumulative impact study, there are two important differences between Salazar's bill and earlier PSOP versions:

"- Under the Fry-Ark bill, the project could be used only by water users within the basin to store non-project water, excluding water exporters like Aurora. The PSOP bill specifically allowed the Bureau of Reclamation to enter contracts with Aurora to export water from rights it owns in the valley. Existing contracts would not be affected under Salazar's legislation.

"- The Fry-Ark bill does not mention PSOP as a preferred alternative for creating more storage in the Arkansas Valley. PSOP is the result of a study which began more than 10 years ago by the Southeastern district. Other agreements mentioned in PSOP legislation have been omitted...

"Rep. Salazar is opposed to a 40-year contract now being considered between Reclamation and Aurora. Aurora would lease 10,000 acre-feet of excess-capacity space in Lake Pueblo and exchange up to 10,000 acre-feet per year under the contract. Aurora would use the contract to move water from rights it owns on the Rocky Ford Ditch and Colorado Canal, as well as future leases, out of the valley. Rep. Salazar, along with Reps. Mark Udall and Musgrave, has asked Reclamation to delay the contract until a full environmental impact study is done. Beyond that, Rep. Salazar has challenged Reclamation's authority to even enter into the contract, saying the Fry-Ark Project was intended to benefit the Arkansas Valley, not to fuel urban growth in the South Platte basin. 'Trying to keep the rural economy alive is a challenge, and without water, it's even worse,' Rep. Salazar said."

The Pueblo Chieftain editorial board is in favor of the new legislation writing, "This legislation is a vitally important step toward saving the water of the Arkansas Valley. Ever since the idea of importing water to this basin began with a proposal to take unappropriated water from the Gunnison River, to the time when the Fryingpan-Arkansas Act was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy, the intention always was to aid the cities and agricultural irrigators in the Arkansas River basin, not any entity in the Platte River basin."

More Coyote Gulch coverage of the Preferred Storage Options Plan and the Aurora Long Term Storage contract.
"colorado water"
8:40:59 AM

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