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Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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Authorization for the Arkansas Valley Conduit is in the U.S. Senate water package passed this week, according to The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
The Water Resources Development Act, passed by the House earlier this year, was approved 81-12 by the Senate. It now goes to President Bush, who threatened a veto after $9 billion in projects were added in negotiations between the House and Senate. Included in the act is a $79 million authorization toward the $300 million Arkansas Valley Conduit. "We're excited any time we get authorization," said Bill Long, president of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, which is sponsoring the conduit. "But the conduit is only $79 million of that $23 billion. The total amount of unfunded projects is enormous."
Long said there are three points that improve the chances of the conduit getting an actual appropriation: A $60.6 million state loan through the Colorado Water Conservation Board has been secured, providing a way to fund local share of payments; Many of the 42 communities serving 50,000 people east of Pueblo face daunting water quality issues, largely from salinity and radionuclides, that could require even more expensive alternatives; The district is looking at a plan, suggested by Executive Director Jim Broderick, to use revenues from excess-capacity water leases to repay part of the costs...
The bill also includes instructions to the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the Fountain Creek Watershed Study. U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said he supports the conduit, but voted against the bill because it adds more projects to an existing backlog. The Army Corps already has a backlog of $58 billion in projects, and with passage of the bill, that will grow to more than $80 billion, Allard said...
Other major Colorado projects in the water projects bill include: $10 million for the Boulder County Pipeline; $5 million authorization for a statewide selenium study; $13 million authorization for use in partnership with state and local entities to complete flood mitigation, habitat restoration, and improved recreation along the South Platte River in Denver; $25 million for the Rio Grande Environmental Management Program in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas; $1 million for water and wastewater infrastructure for the Ute Mountain Project in Montezuma and La Plata Counties...
The Congressional Budget Office in an analysis released Monday said the bill includes projects that if fully funded would cost $11.2 billion over the next four years and $12 billion in the decade after that. It said various projects related to hurricane mitigation in Mississippi and Louisiana, including ensuring 100-year levee protection in New Orleans, would total $7 billion over the entire period. The Corps now has a budget of about $2 billion annually.
More coverage from The Greeley Tribune "reg". They write, "The funding includes more than $13 million for use in partnership with state and local entities to complete flood mitigation, habitat restoration, and improve recreation along the South Platte River in Denver. It will be matched by more than $7 million in non-federal funds."
More coverage from The Cherry Creek News. They write:
Today, with passage of the conference report for the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA), United States Senator Ken Salazar announced over $120 million for critical water-related projects in Colorado. The report authorizes federal spending on water development, infrastructure, flood control and other projects conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. Contained in this year's WRDA is funding authorization for several projects in Colorado, including an authorization for construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit, all included at the request of United States Senator Ken Salazar. The conference report will now go to the President for his signature.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
"colorado water"
6:52:15 AM 
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Opponents of Powertech's proposed uranium mining operation in Weld County have collected over 2000 signatures for a petition against the mine, according to The Greeley Tribune "reg". From the article:
Coloradans Against Resource Destruction continues to bring attention to and petition against the proposed uranium-mining project. After having several meetings in rural northern Colorado near the site, CARD has started efforts in Fort Collins, attracting more than 200 residents. When Davis started nunnglow.com in March, few residents were aware of the project, she said, and few were aware of the issues that surround uranium mining; critics of the different processes of uranium mining cite environmental, health and economic impacts, especially groundwater contamination. CARD has collected about 2,000 signatures on its petition, which encourages state and county officials to "avoid providing any permits that would allow uranium mining until all questions ... are answered by those who propose to mine" and to make regulations against in situ leaching, which has been found to contaminate groundwater. Larimer County Commissioners Randy Eubanks and Kathay Rennels were in attendance Tuesday night.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"2008 pres"
6:30:36 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 1:29:19 PM.
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