Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Social Security policy Josh Marshall: "Fresh from the airwaves, we hit the video vault to find out just why John McCain believes Social Security is an 'absolute disgrace' (including special new debamboozling video to help you not be spun by the McCain camp's damage control ...)" "2008 pres" 7:13:40 PM

Aspinall Unit update From email from Reclamation (Dan Crabtree): "The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users have diverted another 150 cfs through the Gunnison Tunnel for irrigation. Consequently flows in the Black Canyon and Gunnison Gorge have decreased by the same amount resulting in a gage reading downstream of the Gunnison Tunnel of about 1,200 cfs." "colorado water" 5:26:32 PM

Iraq Juan Cole: "This is the first time al-Maliki has spoken this way publicly, but it isn't a new idea in his circles. The fundamentalist Shiite United Iraqi Alliance that is al-Maliki's main backer in parliament had originally put a plank in its party platform calling for a timetable for US withdrawal from Iraq back in late 2004, but apparently dropped it at American insistence. Al-Maliki himself was elected in 2006 initially with the backing of the Sadr Movement, which has all along demanded a timetable for US troop withdrawal. "A US military operation in al-Maliki's ancestral village in Karbala province recently left one of his cousins dead. Iraqis complained that the US had not coordinated the operation with them, even though it had formally turned security duties over to the Karbala security forces. Al-Maliki was reportedly furious, and the incident may have been a turning point for him. Many forces in Iraqi society are demanding that US troops not have the prerogative of launching military operations in Iraq without obtaining the permission of Baghdad." "2008 pres" 5:14:48 PM

Arkansas Valley Conduit The Arkansas Valley Conduit is getting a boost from U.S. Senator Ken Salazar. Here's an article about the legislation, from The Pueblo Chieftain. They write: The Senate subcommittee on water and power held a hearing Tuesday on a bill (S.2974) authorizing the Arkansas Valley Conduit. Committee member U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., requested the hearing, which he called the crucial next step toward making the Arkansas Valley Conduit a reality. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., also testified before the committee, joining Salazar in strong support of the legislation. "The bill under consideration today is the product of creative thinking and a great deal of hard work, and represents a novel approach to funding a large-scale water project," said Salazar. "This new source of water will allow Southern Colorado communities to reduce existing water treatment costs and better conserve and manage their existing groundwater resources and infrastructure. The conduit will make a real difference in the lives of those who call the Arkansas River Valley their home." Reclamation opposed the bill, saying the original Fryingpan-Arkansas Project legislation in 1962 required 100 percent local payment for the conduit. The legislation proposed by Salazar incorporates a plan by the Southeastern district for a 65 percent federal share for the $300 million conduit, repaid over time by federal contracts for use of excess storage and exchange capacity. Southeastern officials have spent months traveling to Washington to talk to federal officials about how the plan might work. "It's really discouraging they would wait until the day before the hearing to bring up their objections. We would have been happy to answer them," [Bill Long, president of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District] said. "Senator Salazar asked them some tough questions, and directed the bureau to get with the Southeastern district to move this forward." More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 5:14:17 PM

? for President? Andy Borowitz: "The liberal blogosphere was aflame today with new accusations that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) is trying to win the 2008 presidential election. Suspicions about Sen. Obama's true motives have been building over the past few weeks, but not until today have the bloggers called him out for betraying the Democratic Party's losing tradition." Thanks to NewMexiKen for the link. "2008 pres" 5:13:47 PM

2008 Republican National Convention: Hispanic outreach From email from the RNCC: "The 2008 Republican National Convention today announced the launch of the Spanish language section of its official convention Web site. The Spanish section, www.gopconvention2008.com/enespanol, will feature Spanish versions of convention information, fact sheets and press releases. The section will feature regular updates in Spanish leading up to and during the 2008 Republican National Convention. "'The launch of the Spanish-language section of our Web site is another important step toward creating a fully interactive online community to engage millions around the country,' said convention President & CEO Maria Cino. 'It is our goal to carry the Republican Party's message to all communities, so they may experience Sen. John McCain's extraordinary leadership and his positive vision for America.' "As part of its outreach to Hispanics, the convention also announced today two new hires who will engage media leading up to and during the four-day event. Joanna Burgos will serve as Press Secretary and will lead the convention's press operation for national media. Burgos previously served in various communications positions at the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security. She is a fluent Spanish speaker and native of Miami. "Yohana de la Torre will serve as Deputy Press Secretary for Specialty Media and will oversee outreach to several constituencies, including Spanish-language media. Also a fluent Spanish speaker and native of Miami, de la Torre is currently owner and managing editor of the Gulf Coast Times in Fort Myers, Fla. She previously served as a communications specialist for Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) and at the Republican National Committee." "2008 pres" 5:13:16 PM

Las Animas County petitons USDA for drought declaration From The Trinidad Times Independent: "Las Animas County is petitioning the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a declaration of drought disaster in the county, seeking assistance from the department's Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). The program is administered by the department's Farm Service Agency, and provides compensation for impacts from natural disasters, for and crops damaged by such disasters as drought, hail, freeze, excessive precipitation, excessive heat, insect hoards, and other natural occurrences." More from the article: To qualify for the NAP, the crops must be non-insurable agriculture, including crops grown for human consumption, livestock consumption, crops grown for fiber such as flax and cotton, crops such as mushrooms that are grown under a "controlled environment," specialty crops like honey and maple sap, value-loss crops like ginseng and Christmas trees, sea oats and sea grass and seed crop. Also, producers of the damaged crops cannot have an annual gross revenue exceeding $2 million. The results of the natural disasters covered by the NAP must either prevent the producer from planting more than 35 percent of the intended crop acreage or destroy more than 50 percent of the crop. The program would then cover the loss greater than 50 percent of the expected production. Payments from the program are calculated based upon crop acreage, net production, approved yield and 55 percent of the average market price for the crop... The county has appealed to Gov. Bill Ritter and Sen. Ken Salazar to intercede for the county at the federal levels for a declaration of drought. Letters to Ritter and Salazar described the situation as teetering on the edge of disaster. "colorado water" 5:12:41 PM

Tangle of water projects in Pagosa Springs Here's Part II of the Pagosa Daily Post's series on tangled water deals. Read the whole article. Here are a few excerpts: Two months ago, the Town of Pagosa Springs sent out a request for proposals, looking for local businesses who might like to lease geothermal water from the currently unused Rumbaugh Well near the CenturyTel offices on Lewis Street. Local businessman Jeff Greer - owner of Summit Ski and Sports and a currently-vacant storefront on Main Street - had already filed for water rights on another downtown 'healing waters' well. When Greer submitted his response to the Town's request by the legal deadline, his was the only submission. Two days after the submission deadline, the Springs Resort - a successful small town resort with plans for a $250 million expansion, and a thirst for geothermal mineral water - asked the Town to allow them to submit a proposal after the legal deadline. The Town Council voted to deny that request. It looked like the Town would grant Greer 35gpm of geothermal mineral water from the Rumbaugh Well as indicated in Greer's proposal, in exchange for an annual payment of $4,500. At last week's Town Council meeting, the approval of Greer's lease was on the agenda. That approval never happened, but was instead tabled for a future meeting. Mayor Ross Aragon did not give a complete explanation for the delay, but hinted that the Springs Resort might have questions about the legality of Greer's lease. "colorado water" 5:11:58 PM

Energy policy: Oil and gas Here's a follow-up to the story about benzene in a spring near Parachute, from The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. From the article: State regulators have begun examining data provided by four energy companies to try to determine which of their wells' waste may have contaminated drinking water at a cabin northwest of Parachute and sickened a De Beque man. Debbie Baldwin, environmental manager for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, said all four companies cited in connection with the incident met Monday's deadline for providing well site information to the state for evaluation. "At this moment we're trying to figure out which operations are responsible," she said... The agency issued notices of alleged violation to Williams Production RMT, Marathon Oil Co., Petroleum Development Corp. and Nonsuch Natural Gas. Baldwin said the allegations are only that at this point, based on the proximity of the companies' wells to the cabin and geological and hydrological information in the area. The state required the companies to provide information on any pits used on well pads, including whether they are lined; fluids were placed in the pits; oil and gas condensates were observed on the pits; and any tanks that were used on site and whether any spills occurred. The companies also were required to fence off impacted surface water to restrict access by livestock and wildlife, and provide Prather with water for drinking, household use and livestock. Susan Alvillar of Williams said Prather has been provided with bottled water and a 3,100-gallon tank of fresh water that has been refilled at least three times so he can flush out his water system. Prather has declined to comment on the incident. "2008 pres" 6:30:58 AM

Southern Delivery System U.S. Representative Mark Udall is getting some heat from Colorado Springs officials over his request to delay down the proposed Southern Delivery System, according to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article: A request by U.S. Rep. Mark Udall to delay the environmental impact statement for the Southern Delivery System has sparked an angry response from some Colorado Springs business leaders and politicians. The group wrote Udall last week to express "strong opposition" to Udall's June 26 letter to the Bureau of Reclamation, requesting a delay in the EIS because of the potential for a lawsuit over the document. Udall also cited comments by Bob Rawlings, publisher of The Pueblo Chieftain, and "others like them" as his support for seeking a delay. "I am concerned that this proposal may be headed for an inevitable and costly legal battle not unlike the current litigation surrounding Reclamation's recent environmental analysis approving 40-year contracts with the City of Aurora for surplus water storage in Lake Pueblo," Udall said in the letter, referring to a lawsuit filed by the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District. Udall echoes the major point in Rawlings' letter to Reclamation was that growth and development in Colorado Springs will impact flooding on Fountain Creek, and that this issue was not adequately addressed in the draft EIS... In a letter sent to Udall, Reclamation and other members of the Colorado delegation on Thursday, 24 businesses, politicians or organizations told Udall they were "extremely disappointed" with his letter. Among those who signed it are Harold Miskel, as vice president of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. Miskel retired from and still does minor consulting work for Colorado Springs Utilities, the primary proponent of the project. He is a former member of the Colorado Water Conservation Board... Others who signed include State Reps. Robert Gardner, Larry Liston and Amy Stevens; State Sen. Andrew McElhany; Fountain Mayor Jeri Howells; Cap Proal, chairman of Security Water and Sanitation; several Colorado Springs employees; Tyler Stevens, chairman of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments; and David Csintyan, chief executive officer of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce. Organizations include the Council of Neighbors and Organizations, the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs and the Apartment Association of Southern Colorado. Among businessmen signing on was Lon P. Mateczyk, publisher of the Colorado Springs Business Journal. "We would encourage you to look at all comments submitted to Reclamation before suggesting that there is widespread opposition to the project," the group stated in its letter. "We are extremely disappointed that you are calling for a delay at this stage in the process - after almost five years of study and an extensive public comment period."[...] Colorado Springs Utilities counted 78 comments in favor of its alternative during its review of the documents. "The comments give us ideas regarding issues that may need additional analysis," said John Fredell, SDS project manager for Colorado Springs Utilities. "At the same time, we think it's important to demonstrate support."[...] Reclamation is looking for facts it might have missed in compiling the draft EIS, not support or opposition to SDS, Lamb said. "The purpose of NEPA is to get substantial information, data we may have overlooked," Lamb said. "Simply having more people say, 'I like it,' is not going to help our analysis." Reclamation has not yet sifted through all the comments to determine how many issues were raised, since many of the comments contain more than one issue, Lamb said. Reclamation plans to address all of the issues in its final EIS, which it expects to complete by the end of the year. A comment period would follow and a record of decision would be issued in early 2009. Public contract negotiations would begin during that time. Permits from other agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers and commissioners in either Pueblo or Fremont County, would also be needed before SDS could be constructed. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "colorado water" 6:22:09 AM

© Copyright 2009 John Orr. Last update: 3/14/09; 10:24:50 PM.