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Wednesday, July 4, 2007
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Here's a report from Iowa from The Rocky Mountain News. They write:
At nationally televised debates, they're [Senator Clinton and Senator Obama] cordial to each other.
But they have a lingering disagreement about the way the country got into the unpopular war in Iraq. Their fans and surrogates are pointing fingers on the Internet, and their efforts to raise campaign cash are becoming another closely watched contest.
As the candidates came close to crossing paths in eastern Iowa, some undecided Democrats in the crowds said they hoped the rivalry would not intensify between now and January, when the first votes are cast at Iowa caucuses.
"I'm really torn between Obama and Hillary," said John Christenson, 70, a retired library director who caught Clinton's midday rally at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. "I've heard both of them talk, and I haven't disagreed with a thing anyone said."
Western Democrat: "Clinton won Montana in 1992 in a 37/35/26 split with Bush Sr. and Ross Perot. A strong independent candidacy, plus choosing the wrong Republic candidate (let's say Newt or Mitt Romney?) would throw Montana into the Dem side of things.
"Its worth noting that with Perot's help in 1992, Clinton also won New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado. He also came within two points of winning Arizona, five points of Wyoming, but finished third behind Perot in Utah."
"2008 pres"
9:53:00 AM 
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Here's an article about the District Seven Water Court's decision on Monday regarding regulation of groundwater wells used in the production of coal-bed methane from The Durango Herald. They write:
In a ruling with potentially statewide impacts, a 6th Judicial District water judge ruled Monday that coal-bed methane gas producers are no better than other water users: They need a water-well permit the same as farmers and ranchers...
The ruling Monday by Judge Gregory Lyman upheld the allegations of Jim and Terry Fitzgerald of La Plata County and Bill and Beth Vance of Archluleta County. If the ruling is upheld, it would affect coal-bed methane drillers statewide, the plaintiffs' attorney, Sarah A. Klahn, said. "The state engineer is responsible for wells statewide, not just in the San Juan Basin," Klahn said. The Fitzgeralds, who raise cattle and tomatoes, and the Vances, who raise hay, sued the State Engineer's Office in 2005. They alleged that the chemical-laced water that is injected under pressure to separate gas from a coal formation and then is extracted along with subterranean water depletes the supply of irrigation water and could result in dry wells or contaminated ground water. In response, the state engineer said the agency has no jurisdiction in the matter, alleging that water extracted from the ground to free methane gas from a coal seam is "produced" water and is not governed by the Division of Water Resources. BP America Production Co. intervened in the case supporting the position of the state engineer...
Jim Fitzgerald said Monday the plaintiffs aren't seeking monetary damages. "It's a public-interest lawsuit, not personal," he said...
In his ruling, Lyman notes there is no exemption for oil and gas wells in the state Ground Water Act. "Thus, the statute implies the dewatering of geologic formations by removing tributary ground water to facilitate or permit mining of minerals requires a water well permit," Lyman said. Tributary water is not an isolated pocket, but part and parcel of the general water supply.
"colorado water"
9:26:18 AM
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Here's an opinion piece by Chris Hunt (via New West) with some observations about former Conservationist In-Chief Theodore Roosevelt. Mr. Hunt writes:
On one of the stone tablets, for the world to read, is inscribed this quote from our former president and one of the greatest conservationists the world has known: "The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value." We have failed mightily. Roosevelt, in his time, also talked about the sanctity of wild places and need to keep them intact so future generations of Americans can know their country was built atop an untamed land that, to this day, continues to provide for the everyday needs of the average citizen. He talked about the importance of experiencing the wilderness, of understanding its value left just as it is, so that one day, our children's children might wander a lonely trail into the woods and gain an understanding of wild things and wild places...
I'm angry when someone tries to tell me the price of gasoline depends on our ability to drill for natural gas atop Colorado's Roan Plateau or in the Wyoming Range, or that a new road into the backcountry is absolutely necessary for the enjoyment of the wilderness, even though the mere existence of a new road would ruin anything wild about its destination. I'm angry that oil companies, ATV manufacturers, timber companies and mining interests have been able to use our system of government to exploit the last, best places we have left. And I'm angry that many we've elected have chosen to mute the prophetic messages of a great man enough to make those who should be heeding his words seemingly forget he ever existed. (You can read the Roosevelt's Words here.)
"2008 pres"
9:19:39 AM
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The Aspen Daily News "reg" was on hand for a panel discussion on oil and gas development yesterday. From the article:
Global warming and our dependence on foreign oil may be a downer, but a diverse group of panelists, including U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado, local energy guru Amory Lovins, and top Shell oil executive Marvin Odum, see plenty of opportunity for a relatively rosy future, if federal policy helps close the gap between ideas and action. "I don't think there's much debate anymore. We're frying ourselves here," Salazar said at an Aspen Ideas Festival energy discussion Tuesday. But the solution doesn't have to be painful, he and other panelists argued. Moving into a diversified clean energy economy, they seemed to agree, is an opportunity for rural economic development, investment, energy independence, and environmental security, as well as huge cost savings from efficiency. The United States may already be making some headway on efficiency, according to Lovins, who cited a 54 percent decrease in the current amount of oil used per $1 of gross domestic product compared to the 1970s, as well as a 60 percent decrease in use of natural gas per $1 of GDP and a two-thirds decrease in water use. Companies that pay attention have improved energy efficiency 6 to 8 percent per year, he said, and have seen huge profits as a result...
Meanwhile, there are plenty of technological advances in wind power, solar energy, batteries, and biofuels to help close the gap between efficiency measures and dependence on fossil fuels, they said. Perhaps more than anybody needs, said Lovins, creating the ability to pick and choose for the greatest climate and profit benefits. For example, a single plug-in hybrid car may get about 100 miles to the gallon, according to Booz Allen Hamilton Vice President R. James Woolsey, former director of the CIA. But run that hybrid on an 85 percent ethanol-gasoline blend, and you get 500 miles per gallon of gasoline used -- effectively muffling the strategic importance of oil and moving toward energy independence. And with some minor changes in infrastructure, that hybrid battery could theoretically help stabilize energy sources like wind power when plugged into the grid, supplanting the natural gas and coal plants that usually fill gaps in production and pulling in a few thousand dollars a year for its owner.
The trouble for corporations and consumers in making the shift may be the lack of federal push from behind. "The pace of change will have to be driven by government and policy, not just corporations," Shell's Odum said. Odum called for an internationally connected federal cap and trade system, as well as carbon emissions limits and more research into carbon sequestration technologies. The Senate energy bill, which is currently in the works, might be the recipe for linking political will to action and available technology, Salazar said. That bill would provide for the creation of 32 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022, with corn-based ethanol capped at 15 billion gallons to build the infrastructure to allow cellulosic ethanol, which can be made from waste products, to become commercially viable. The bill also provides for increasing vehicle fuel efficiency standards to at least 35 miles per gallon of gasoline, the mapping of possible locations for carbon sequestration (like depleted natural gas and oil fields), and a $28 million tax incentive package for renewable and "clean" technologies. In addition, the Bush administration has signed off on an effort to reduce the nation's gasoline consumption by 20 percent in 10 years, according to U.S. Department of Energy official Alexander Karsner, who administers the DOE's $1.47 billion research and development program for environmentally friendly energy technology.
"2008 pres"
8:26:54 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 1:07:20 PM.
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