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Wednesday, July 11, 2007
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Captain's Quarters: "One of the contentious bills offered in the Senate to handcuff the President into a withdrawal from Iraq died on the floor this afternoon. Jim Webb (D-VA) offered what was essentially the 2006 John Murtha plan to use forced rotation requirements to bring down troop levels in Iraq, but his amendment failed to gain cloture."
"2008 pres"
6:57:19 PM 
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Dear Denver is trying to spark some municipal microblogging. From their post:
We hope this blog will become a forum where -- as in the case of Ruby Hill/Xcel -- residents, elected officials and other interested parties such as lobbyists and corporations can publish information and opinion, and check in periodically for updates.
One commenter said that this blog "democratized" information regarding Ruby Hill/Xcel. We'd like to see more of that. Everyone reading this blog has the opportunity to post a diary entry. When you sign in, click "New Diary" in the menu at the upper right, and post your own items -- announce a neighborhood meeting, tell your zoning horror story, whatever.
Xcel and city officials are welcome to post rebuttals and whatnot, although pseudonymous participation is advised for everyone. The point of this blog is not to shout down you or anyone else. It's to give more people a chance to speak -- sometimes at length -- about city issues.
6:27:29 PM
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Happy 1st Blog Birthday to Colorado Confidential. We've linked to them a lot in their first year.
Disclaimer: Colorado Confidential runs part of our RSS feed in Breaking on the Blogs. We love 'em anyway.
6:10:57 PM
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From today's Rocky Mountain News, "There are multiple fronts in the Iraq war, and on Tuesday one of the hottest battlefields was in downtown Des Moines. While the conflict overseas drags on and Congress renews a showdown with the White House over war strategy, the two leading Democratic presidential contenders waged a rhetorical skirmish here, giving dueling speeches about how to bring the troops home. Just a short distance and less than 30 minutes apart, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois both told Iowa audiences that it's time to bring U.S. soldiers home from Iraq."
"2008 pres"
7:13:55 AM
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Most water watchers in the West agree that global warming is happening and that water supplies will be lower in the future. Here's an article about a new report [Press release here] dealing with water supply sustainability from The Rocky Mountain News. They write:
Western water utilities should take the lead in finding innovative ways to cope with water shortages and other problems triggered by global warming, according to a report released Tuesday. "The debate is over about whether it's real," said Barry Nelson, co-author of the Natural Resources Defense Council report, titled "In Hot Water: Water Management Strategies to Weather the Effects of Global Warming" [pdf]. "But the discussion is just beginning about how we respond. Urban water agencies understand this is a significant new challenge," he said...
"Several factors suggest real cause for concern," Nelson said. "Higher temps mean more water is going to evaporate rather than run off into our rivers. We should be prepared to see a permanent reduction in Colorado River flows." Forging new partnerships will be key, the report suggests. For instance, water agencies might join forces with electric utilities to push for conservation, because collecting and delivering water is energy intense...
It also suggests that water utilities form new regional partnerships to address shortages and water quality issues that likely extend beyond traditional service boundaries. Despite the West's legendary inability to cooperate where water is concerned, Nelson said that water agencies are well-suited for the task.
More coverage from Common Dreams.org. They write:
[Barry Nelson, study co-author and co-director of NRDC's western water project] said global warming can reduce water supply in several ways. In some regions, altered weather patterns may simply cause less precipitation, but the total amount is only half the story. It also matters whether precipitation falls as rain or snow. In most of the West, mountain snowpack is a natural reservoir that gradually supplies water when it's needed during spring and summer. Warmer temperatures may cause winter precipitation to fall as rain, instead of snow, reducing this water supply. Finally, hotter summer temperatures will cause more water to evaporate out of watersheds, rivers and reservoirs. "Whether you're turning on the tap in Los Angeles, irrigating a crop in Colorado, fishing for salmon on the Columbia River or rafting down the Grand Canyon, there will likely be less water," said Nelson. "Global warming will affect water supply for everyone in the West." The NRDC report breaks new ground by analyzing the effects of global warming on a full range of water management tools and offering comprehensive recommendations to help meet the challenge. Conservation tops the list of proven water supply solutions.
"colorado water"
6:21:30 AM
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Here's a look at nuclear power and its potential pitfalls as a "clean" energy source from The Fort Collins Coloradoan. From the opinion piece:
One of the most advertised solutions are nuclear power plants. They are supposed to produce "clean energy" without the emissions that coal power plants release. As of May 2007, there are 436 nuclear power plants in use worldwide and 31 under construction. The United States is planning on adding about 30 new power plants over the next 15 years to the 103 running right now, and China wants to build 30 reactors over the next 20 years. Nuclear energy is now the second-largest energy source after coal in the United States and accounts for approximately 20 percent of the U.S. electricity generation...
... greenhouse gases are released during the mining and the transportation of the uranium that is needed in the reactor. The estimated amount of uranium the United States required for its reactors in 2006 was 19,715 metric tons. Also, because uranium is not a renewable resource, every 18 to 24 months a third of the uranium in a plant has to be replaced. The used fuel has to be transported and stored in a radioactive waste facility. Spent fuel is toxic for billions of years and there is no safe place to store it. All U.S. plants together produce 2,000 tons of radioactive waste every year...
In addition, "waste generated from uranium mining operations and rainwater runoff can contaminate groundwater and surface water resources with heavy metals and traces of radioactive uranium" (Nuclear Energy Institute). If you support nuclear power plants, you support uranium mining and its consequences.
"2008 pres"
6:08:04 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 1:09:11 PM.
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