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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
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Political Wire: "With two new polls in Iowa showing Mike Huckabee moving into a strong second place behind Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential race, Political Wire has learned that a poll coming tomorrow confirms the trend and shows the former Arkansas governor with a real chance at winning the Iowa caucuses."
Political Wire: "In a general election match up, Clinton edges Giuliani, 46% to 43%, a lead that is within the poll's margin of error. However, the more striking finding is that Giuliani leads Clinton among independent voters, 48% to 37%. This statistic feeds the 'electability' factor raised by John Edwards int he Democratic primary race."
Political Wire: "A new New York Times/CBS News poll in New Hampshire finds Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 37% support, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 22%, John Edwards at 9% and Gov. Bill Richardson at 6%. On the Republican side, Mitt Romney leads with 34%, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 16%, Sen. John McCain at 16% and Rep. Ron Paul at 8%."
Political Wire: "A new Strategic Vision (R) poll in Iowa finds Sen. Hillary Clinton leading the Democratic presidential race with 29%, followed closely behind by Sen. Barack Obama at 27%, John Edwards at 20% and Gov. Bill Richardson at 7%. In the GOP race, Mitt Romney leads with 30%, followed by Mike Huckabee moving into a strong second place at 19%, Rudy Giuliani at 12%, Fred Thompson at 11% and Sen. John McCain at 7%.
"However, a new New York Times poll shows a tight three way Democratic race with Clinton at 25%, Edwards at 23% and Obama at 22%. Among Republicans, Romney leads with 27%, followed by Huckabee at 21%, Giuliani at 15% and Fred Thompson at 9%."
"2008 pres"
7:05:35 PM 
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ZDNet: "Barack Obama unveiled plans for a chief technology officer, support for Net neutrality, improving education, next-generation broadband networks and more research spending. Oh yeah, and there will be more open government and feds using wikis and blogs."
"2008 pres"
6:10:31 PM
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Heath Haussamen (via Politics West): "Washington's inability or unwillingness to reform our broken immigration system has forced states to take some creative steps to deal with resulting problems. In 2003, New Mexico began offering driver's licenses and identification cards to undocumented immigrants. The controversial idea colored the most recent Democratic presidential candidate debate when Hillary Clinton and Chris Dodd argued about a similar proposal in New York. In New Mexico, the change, coupled with a new program that checks whether drivers are insured, has drastically reduced the number of uninsured drivers, but it's also led to a controversy over potential illegal voting."
David Kurtz (via Talking Points Memo): "Hillary comes out against driver's licenses for illegal immigrants after NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer drops his plan to do just that, providing instant fodder for her opponents."
"2008 pres"
5:57:39 PM
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Here's an update on the proposed wilderness designation for Rocky Mountain National Park from The Denver Post. From the article:
A protracted disagreement between the Bush Administration and a Fort Collins company is stalling legislation that would protect much of Rocky Mountain National Park from future development, a House panel learned Tuesday. A bill designating 250,000 park acres as wilderness also would insulate the manager of the Grand River Ditch from many lawsuits, a BLM official said. "This would set a dangerous precedent for all national parks and other public lands," testified Elena Daly, director of the Natural Landscape Conservation System at the Bureau of Land Management.
The testimony came during a House subcommittee hearing examining wilderness legislation from Reps. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs and Marilyn Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan. Their bill matches one from Sens. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., and Ken Salazar, D-Colo. Udall, Musgrave, Allard and Salazar reached agreement early this year on the legislation, after a nasty partisan split last year over what the wilderness bill should include. Udall and Salazar this year agreed to include language on liability for the Grand River Ditch operator in the joint legislation. It had not been in the Democrats' bill the year before. The ditch, a 17-mile water diversion project built before the park was created, supplies water to 40,000 acres of irrigated farmland in Weld and Larimer counties. Water Supply & Storage Co. of Fort Collins operates the diversion...
In 2006, the federal government sued Water Supply & Storage for a 2003 breach in the ditch that damaged park property. That case has not been resolved. And Tuesday the disagreement between the two over language in the bill did not appear close to resolution either. Currently, Water Supply & Storage Co. has an "absolute" liability for damage, which means the company must pay even for damages caused by a third party or an "act of God." The legislation would change the liability standard to one where the Park Service would have to prove negligence occurred in order to force the company to pay. Testifying at the hearing, Allard said the legislation needs to ensure that the water will be available. "If we do not recognize and protect the water provided by the Grand Ditch, the legislation cannot move forward," Allard said.
Potts said the government is willing to compromise with a liability standard used for all other national parks, which would eliminate the water company's liability for damages due to a third party or "act of God." But Dennis Harman, General Manager of Water Supply & Storage Co., testified that the compromise offer "from a practical standpoint is not a compromise," because act of God is "so narrowly defined" that it's never used. Potts said while negotiations are ongoing, it's likely to take time to resolve.
More coverage from The Boulder Daily Camera. They write:
The bipartisan bill -- sponsored by U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs -- would designate 249,339 acres, or 94 percent, of the park as wilderness. As a national park, Rocky Mountain already has significant protections; the designation would have the primary effect of enshrining its protected status into law, not just Park Service policy. The bill excludes 200 feet on either side of the Grand Ditch and the waterway itself, removing a liability clause that could have been costly for Water Supply and Storage Co., which owns the ditch. The Department of the Interior supports an amendment that would give more responsibility to the company for rock slides, floods and other damage. The National Park Service and the owners of Grand Ditch are in court over a small flood in 2003...
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Denver, said the liability provision is "sensible" and complies with Colorado law. He and Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, of Loveland, have drafted a nearly identical bill in the Senate. "I am proud this bill is a win-win for economic development and conservation, and accommodates the needs of a broad range of interests," Salazar said. The House subcommittee plans one more hearing before voting on the bill.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
"colorado water"
6:10:43 AM
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U.S. Senator Ken Salazar is urging caution over Powertech's proposed uranium operation in Weld County, according to The Greeley Tribune "reg". He wants a comprehensive study of the potential effects on the entire Denver Basin Aquifer system, not just the Laramie-Foxhills aquifer in the vicinity. From the article:
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said Tuesday he was asking the Environmental Protection Agency to keep northern Colorado's water in mind when the agency reviews the project for a permit. Salazar wrote to Robert Roberts, regional administrator for the EPA, urging him to address several concerns about possible environmental impacts, such as groundwater contamination as a result of the extraction process employed at uranium mines. Salazar asked that those concerns be addressed and analyzed as thoroughly as possible when the project's application for an Underground Injection Control Program Class III permit is reviewed by the EPA. Salazar said he was concerned that the EPA's review process will only take into account the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer, which is in the immediate vicinity of the proposed mine. He wants the EPA to also consider any potential impact on the larger Denver Basin aquifer system.
Salazar also requested a summary of the known history of environmental impacts of in-situ mining under EPA's Underground Injection Control Program, in the local area and throughout the United States. He also wants the EPA to provide a summary of its experience with the contamination remediation at in-situ leaching mines. Salazar said water was the lifeblood of Colorado. "It is critical that the citizens of northern Colorado receive the most complete and thorough examination of the potential impacts and risks this project may pose to their communities and their groundwater," he said in a statement.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"2008 pres"
6:03:34 AM
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Don't miss the first-ever presidential debate in Nevada Thursday night when the Democrats get together. Here's an article from The Nevada Appeal. They write:
Nevada voters are in the midst of a season of firsts: First combined visit from the key presidential candidates leading to the state's first presidential caucus in January, resulting in Nevada's political barometer possibly helping determine which candidate gets the nod in the primaries. Next on the schedule - the first ever 2008 presidential debate in Nevada, which looms on the immediate horizon. Thursday evening, the Democratic National Committee and CNN will host the debate in Las Vegas.
More coverage from The Rocky Mountain News. They write:
States like Iowa and New Hampshire might be hogging the national spotlight in the presidential contest, but the road to the White House must lead through more ethnically-diverse Western states, Sens. Ken Salazar and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada told reporters Tuesday. In a conference call, the senators said a Democratic debate scheduled for Thursday night in Las Vegas will force Western issues - like water, land use and rural struggles - onto the agenda...
Both Senators stressed the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the West, compared to the first caucus state, Iowa, and the first primary state, New Hampshire. And both rejected the suggestion that Iowa's clout has actually increased this election because of the front-loaded nominating calendar, which includes a mega, multi-state event on Feb. 5, 2008 - just a month after the first-in- the-nation Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, 2008.
"2008 pres"
5:47:15 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 1:43:48 PM.
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