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Saturday, March 15, 2008
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The Oil Shale/Tar Sands PEIS Comment Period is open until 3/20/08, according to the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Programmatic EIS Information Center. Be sure to get your comments in on the efforts to produce cheap hydrocarbons from rock with an energy density the same as that of potatoes, using a process that will require more CO2 belching coal-fired power plants and use up the remaining undeveloped water in the Upper Colorado River system.
"2008 pres"
9:07:32 AM 
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From The Boulder Daily Camera: "Winter storms and snow notwithstanding, this winter was still warmer than average worldwide, the government reported Thursday. The global temperature for meteorological winter -- December, January and February -- averaged 54.38 degrees Fahrenheit, 0.58 degrees warmer than normal for the last century, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. Temperatures have been rising over recent years, raising concerns about the effects of global warming, generally attributed to human-induced impacts on the atmosphere. While it was warmer than normal, the just-completed winter was the coolest since 2000-01, which climate experts attributed to the presence of moderate-to-strong La Niña, or cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, which can affect conditions around the world. For the United States, this winter's average temperature was 33.2 degrees, 0.2 degrees above the 20th century average."
"cc"
8:45:24 AM
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Here's an update on the proposed uranium operation in South Park from The Fairplay Flume. From the article:
Staking for proposed uranium mines in a 4,000-acre area of land northeast of Hartsel will begin at the end of March and could last as long as a week. Horizon Nevada Uranium Inc., the company that is proposing the mines, has 60 days to complete the staking process as of March 25, a process that is not expected to take long to complete. It would have until May 24 to complete the staking. If a plot of land is selected for a proposed mine, the landowner would be compensated, said Bill Wilson, president of Horizon Nevada Uranium Inc. The exact amount of compensation for a land lease or royalties for removing uranium from a site haven't been decided, but Wilson said it would be similar for every property owner who had a mine set up on his or her property. Not all property owners who received a notice of intent to place a mine claim will have a mine on their property. A map of the properties to be staked isn't available yet, Wilson said, because his company isn't done creating it.
Wilson said he intends to go in front of the board of county commissioners sometime in April with his plans and to answer questions, something he said he isn't required to do. No county approval for the uranium mining is required, he said. That meeting hasn't been scheduled yet, according to the County Commissioners Office. Park County Commissioner John Tighe said the county is currently "auditing the situation" of the proposed uranium mines. Tighe wasn't sure if the county could do anything to affect the progress of the mines, but he said he was speaking with Developmental Services Coordinator Tom Eisenman and County Attorney Lee Phillips to determine what power the county would have. "The health, safety and welfare of the community is what we're looking at," he said.
Proposed Colorado legislation could place tighter restrictions on the mining process and give counties more control over what type of mining to allow. House Bill 1161 would require the water quality in all uranium mines in Colorado to be returned to the pre-mining water conditions...
"The uranium rush could trample our open spaces and poison our waters," Pam Kiely, legislative program director of Environment Colorado, said in a Feb. 20 press release. Wilson was critical of the legislation, telling The Flume that in order to return the well to it's pre-drilling state, uranium would have to be pumped back down into the aquifer...House Bill 1165 gives counties the right to control mining inside their boarders[sic]...
Because of the uranium and other minerals already present in the aquifer, Wilson said, that water probably wouldn't meet the Environmental Protection Agency's standard for drinkable water, making it something called an exempt aquifer. The exempt aquifer is below the aquifer that is used to supply drinking water. It is possible to drill through an existing aquifer, with clean, drinkable water, to the one below it without contaminating the upper level. Although contamination is a risk, Wilson said safeguards are in place to prevent contamination. Wells are pressurized and monitoring wells are drilled around the mining site. If contaminants are spreading, the monitoring wells detect the seepage and the pressure is adjusted, stopping the seepage, according to Wilson.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here, here and here.
"2008 pres"
8:04:00 AM
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It was 35 years ago today that John McCain was released from captivity in North Vietnam. No matter your politics you should be able to stop for a moment and reflect on the bravery, endurance and will power that it took to live through that hell. We're glad you made it Senator McCain. No one would blame you for taking a few hours from the campaign trail today to celebrate.
Here's a post from the McCain blog: "Saturday marks the 35th anniversary of the day John McCain was released from a North Vietnamese prison. It was on March 15th in 1973 that he left the 'Hanoi Hilton' and finished his 5 1/2 year journey to freedom."
"2008 pres"
7:06:06 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 2:13:52 PM.
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