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Monday, July 23, 2007
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Water policy
Carnivores are dancing in the woods around the Sandy River. According to this article from The Oregonian, "The end begins Tuesday for Marmot Dam. After a ceremonial first crack, workers will blast, hammer, drill and saw until the end of September to crumble the 47-foot-high concrete wall down to the bed of the Sandy River. A temporary dam, built to divert water during the demolition, will stay in place upstream until storms breach it this fall. Only then will threatened salmon and steelhead gain unobstructed access to the Sandy for the first time in 95 years."
"2008 pres"
6:25:18 PM 
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Healthcare
Pollster.com: "A recent Democracy Corps (D) national survey (memo, results) of 1,000 likely voters (conducted 5/29 through 5/31; released 7/23) finds:
* 49% are satisfied with the quality of health care in this country; another 49% are dissatisfied.
* 24% are satisfied with the cost of health care in this country; 74% are dissatisfied.
* 54% favor "a proposal that provided every American with health insurance, even if it meant your taxes or health care premiums would increase as a result;" 42% oppose.
"2008 pres"
6:04:48 PM
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Iraq
Washington Post: "Most Americans see President Bush as intransigent on Iraq and prefer that the Democratic-controlled Congress make decisions over a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. As the president and Congress move toward a possible constitutional confrontation over the war, both receive negative marks from the public for their handling of the situation in Iraq. But by a large margin, Americans trust the Democrats rather than the president to find a solution to a conflict that remains enormously unpopular."
Thanks to TalkLeft for the link.
Talking Points Memo: "A new NYT poll finds that less than one in five think surge is working."
"2008 pres"
5:44:34 PM
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Broadband
Dick Durbin (via Open Left): "Today I'm writing to invite you to participate in an experiment -- an interactive approach to drafting legislation on one of the most significant public policy questions today: What should be America's national broadband strategy? Starting this Tuesday, July 24 at 7pm EST on OpenLeft.com, I will be engaging in a series of four nightly broadband policy discussions with the online community. During those four nights, I am looking for the best and brightest ideas on what Congress should do to promote and foster broadband."
"2008 pres"
7:36:07 AM
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War on terror
Talking Points Memo: "On 'Meet the Press' [Sunday], Tim Russert asked Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell about why the latest National Intelligence Estimate is so discouraging. A year ago, the NIE said al Qaeda's leadership had been 'seriously damaged'; the global jihadist movement "lacks a coherent global strategy"; and the terrorist threat is 'becoming more diffuse.' In contrast, this week, the NIE reported that al Qaeda has 'regenerated'; its 'top leadership' and 'operational lieutenants' are intact; and the terrorist network's recruiting and fundraising are stronger, not weaker."
"2008 pres"
7:33:39 AM
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Middle Eastern Policy
Captain's Quarters: "Despite Pervez Musharraf's attempt to put the genie back in the bottle, the Waziristan region continues to erupt with Islamist violence. Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists set off bombs and started firefights that wound up costing them at least 19 fighters today."
"2008 pres"
7:29:51 AM
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Anti-abortion amendment on fall ballot?
Here's a background piece on the woman that is pushing the anti-abortion ballot amendment, from The Denver Post. From the article, "The leader of Colorado for Equal Rights, the group pushing a ballot initiative to amend the Colorado Constitution in 2008 to make abortion illegal, is a 19-year-old home-schooled faithful Baptist from rural Peyton. Kristine, or Kristi, Burton is wide-eyed but poised. She has wanted to do something to stop abortions since she was 13 years old, she says. No big anti-abortion group or other activists are behind her efforts to change Colorado law, Burton says."
"denver n2007"
7:24:05 AM
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The West and the presidential election
From today's Denver Post, "This is supposed to be the presidential election that puts the Rocky Mountain West on the political map. So far, though, the hype has been more talk than walk. Lacking the deep pockets found in California and on the East Coast, the national prominence of the two big primary states, Iowa and New Hampshire, and the electoral heft of Florida, the Interior West has not exactly been a revolving door for candidates in the past few months."
"2008 pres"
7:20:24 AM
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Glade Reservoir?
Here's an article about opposition to the proposed Glade Reservoir from 9News.com. They write:
A poster taped to many storefronts in Fort Collins is really grabbing people's attention. On it, there's a line of bare-skinned bathers wading in the cold water of the Poudre River. Each person is holding up a sign and on each sign there's a letter. Together, those letters create the message, "Save the Poudre."
"People love the poster," says Todd Simmons, publisher and editor of Wolverine Farm Publishing in Fort Collins. Still, Simmons wants people to take notice not just of the nudity, but also of the message. He thinks the Poudre River, which runs through the heart of Fort Collins, is being threatened by the proposed Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP), which includes the construction of an off-channel reservoir called Glade...
Simmons claims the move will significantly lower the water level and "flat line" the river. As part of a grassroots movement to prevent the construction of Glade, Simmons isn't alone in that belief. "By depleting those peak flows, you change the nature of the river itself," says Bryan Simpson, media relations director for New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, "It will certainly affect the quality of life and the environment and ecosystem (along the river)." Simpson tapped New Belgium's marketing muscle to put together the publicity campaign that includes that attention-grabbing poster. He has also ventured off on his own to create a documentary on the issue. It's called, "Drop by Drop."[...]
[Nicole Seltzer, spokesperson for the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD)] says Glade will only take water from the Poudre two out of every five years and in the years when it does take water, she says it will only be during May and June. Simmons tells people limiting growth and conserving water, both in municipalities and out on the farms, would end the argument by taking away the need for Glade.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
7:09:33 AM
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Rifle water treatment plant offline until Thursday
Rifle residents are being told to conserve water until Thursday while their treatment plant undergoes maintenance, according to The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article:
Residents have been urged to not water their lawns and gardens in Rifle until Thursday. City officials want to keep enough water in the system for drinking and firefighting needs while emergency repairs are made at the main wastewater treatment plant. City Utilities Director Charlie Stevens said high demand this summer, combined with increased silt in Colorado River water, has plugged settling basin pipes at the city's Graham Mesa water plant. "We've had to really push the plant this summer," he said. "We cleaned everything out in May and hoped we could get through the summer, but it's just been too hot." The plant will be taken offline Tuesday for repairs and put back online late Wednesday. It should return to peak operation Thursday, Stevens said.
Meanwhile customers of the Little Thompson Water District and the Central Colorado Water District are still under a conservation advisement after last Friday's explosion, according to MyFox Colorado. From the article:
Residents receiving water from either the Little Thompson Water District or the Central Weld County Water District are being asked to limit their water use to essential purposes only until district staff can get the damaged facility back in operation. This includes all outdoor watering. The explosion that occurred on Friday morning, July 20, caused one of the two filter plants that provide treated water to residents in portions of Boulder, Weld and Larimer counties to be shut down. Officials have been in the plant all weekend and are currently working to bring it back into service as soon as possible. The water treatment facility currently available is only able to process enough water to meet the needs of Little Thompson and Central Weld customers for inside use only. Officials are also asking residents to conserve water in any manner that they can to help the districts get through this critical period.
"colorado water"
6:53:24 AM
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YouTube presidential debate
Don't forget the YouTube debate tonight. From The New York Times, "The first of a new kind of presidential debate is scheduled for tonight, one in which members of the general public pose questions to the candidates via homemade video. The debate is the latest front in the candidates' running battle to keep up with the fast-paced changes wrought by the Internet on politics...
"People have sent in more than 2,000 online videos to YouTube.com, where they are posted. CNN, which is broadcasting the debate in English and in Spanish on CNN En Español, will determine which two or three dozen videos it shows during the two-hour forum, which starts at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The candidates, who will assemble in Charleston, S.C., will be able to watch the videos on a giant screen or on monitors at their lecterns."
Thanks to Political Wire for the link.
"2008 pres"
6:42:52 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 9:25:30 PM.
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