Thursday, May 4, 2006

Snowpack Snowpack dropped precipitously over the last month, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Warm, dry weather in April has led to Colorado's mountain snowpack levels falling quicker than usual, federal officials said Wednesday. The statewide snowpack dropped from 94 percent of average on April 1 to only 65 percent of average on May 1, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service... "Every one of Colorado's river basins posted a drop, from 20 percent to 38 percent, the agency reported. The biggest drop came in the Gunnison Basin, from 94 percent of average last month to 56 percent of average this week. Every Colorado river basin is reporting below-average snowpack totals for the first time this season, said Edward Biggers, acting state conservationist for the federal agency... "A breakdown, by river basin, of Colorado snowpack levels, as reported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service: Gunnison 56 percent; Colorado 78 percent; South Platte 74 percent; North Platte 87 percent; Yampa- White River 84 percent; Arkansas 66 percent; Rio Grande 41 percent; San Juan- Animas-Dolores 44 percent." Category: Colorado Water 6:49:52 AM     HB 1352 House Bill 1352 [Concerning an expansion of water judges's jurisdiction to address the effects of a water right adudication on water quaility] won narrow approval in the state Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee yesterday, according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel." From the article, "A water bill that languished for weeks in the House for lack of votes picked up some unexpected steam Wednesday. House Bill 1352, which would allow water judges to take deteriorating water quality into account when ruling on change-of-use cases, followed up its squeaker victory in the House on Tuesday with a narrow endorsement by the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee. Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, joined one Republican and two Democrats on the panel in forwarding the bill to the full Senate for consideration. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, argues the measure is needed because downstream water users must deal with degraded water quality when water is diverted farther up the stream and transferred from agricultural to municipal use. The bill's co-sponsor, Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, stressed the bill would not require judges to weigh water quality when considering a change in use of a water right... "Opponents who testified against the bill Tuesday painted it as a bill dressed up as a water quality measure intended to stop water transfers. HB 1352 would permit a water judge to include conditions that address damages to water quality when a water right is transferred, based on standards established by the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission. Sen. Jack Taylor, R-Steamboat Springs, one of the agricultural panel's three dissenting votes, said he wasn't comfortable with the bill coming before the committee so late in the session. The Legislature must wrap up its work by May 10." Category: Colorado Water 6:24:48 AM     Kempthorne hearings start today Here's an article, from the Arizona Republic, about Dirk Kempthorne, President Bush's nominee for Secretary of Interior. They write, "He is a pro-development Western governor and former U.S. senator who some say is not to be trusted with protecting the country's national parks, mountains and other natural resources. But supporters say that portrayal is not the full picture of Idaho Republican Dirk Kempthorne, President Bush's nominee for secretary of the Department of Interior. They describe Kempthorne, also a former Boise mayor, as a true 'urban Westerner' with 'a pro-states-rights agenda.' He is more likely to push the Bush administration for stronger collaboration with states, localities and Native Americans on water and wildlife decisions rather than letting Congress and federal agencies dictate what to do... "A Senate committee today is to begin hearings to confirm Kempthorne, 54, as the nation's 49th Interior secretary. He would succeed former Colorado Attorney General Gale Norton at a time when the agency is under increasing public scrutiny and the nation is facing heightened concerns about energy. Kempthorne, who has declined media interviews, will have to articulate his positions on a wide range of topics likely to be raised by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee... "Some of today's questioning undoubtedly will focus on Kempthorne's role as the new point man for the Bush administration's efforts to open up millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic to drilling for oil and natural gas. But as secretary, he also would be involved in battles over changes to the Endangered Species Act, development of forest areas and the Bush administration's plans for bulk sell-offs of some federal lands; deteriorating maintenance of national parks; and a long-running lawsuit demanding a full accounting by the department of its Indian trust accounts. Questions today also are likely to touch on accusations that the 70,000-employee department has in recent years catered to cronyism and special interests. Norton's departure came amid suspicions that at least one of her former top aides may have been influenced on Indian gaming issues by lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Abramoff has pleaded guilty to charges of influence-buying in Congress and bilking tribes of millions of dollars. Many national environmental groups have registered their stiff opposition to Kempthorne. Most point to what they depict as a political career more interested in helping timber, oil and other development interests rather than in protecting wildlife, land and water. As a senator from 1993 until 1998, Kempthorne averaged scores of 1 percent on annual legislative report cards by the League of Conservation Voters. That means that on 70 votes watched by the group during those years, Kempthorne rarely voted in ways the group considered favorable to the environment... "But others look to Kempthorne's work during two terms as Idaho governor and see a different view. For instance, Kempthorne has drawn praise from most of his fellow governors, including Democrats such as Arizona's Janet Napolitano, who heads the Western Governors' Association. In a bipartisan letter sent to the U.S. Senate on Monday, Napolitano and 38 other governors strongly supported his nomination... "Within Idaho, environmentalists such as [Rick] Johnson and others describe Kempthorne's record as governor as mixed but 'certainly not anti-environmental.' One of his most notable achievements was in getting a deal with the Nez Perce Tribe, ratified in 2005, that resolved fishing claims on the Snake River and its tributaries that were more than 100 years old. That agreement protected state sovereignty over control of the water while resolving virtually all the tribe's claims and putting measures in place to protect endangered salmon and steelhead habitat. Kempthorne may not always make tribes happy and has angered some Idaho tribes for environmental positions he has taken, said Rebecca Miles, chairman of the Nez Perce executive committee. But Miles said her tribe appreciated his effort to get it a seat at the table... "Still, some national environmentalists point with criticism to such things as Kempthorne's fights with the Environmental Protection Agency over who should control cleanup of metals contamination in the Silver Valley in northern Idaho, even at one point saying he wanted to ask the EPA to leave the state. They also note that Kempthorne drew headlines in 2000 when he sued the federal government to block the reintroduction of grizzly bears to the state, eventually forcing the plan to be dropped. But Kempthorne also has sought and received more latitude from the federal government to manage Idaho's wolf population, Johnson said. And he opposed as governor a Clinton administration rule largely banning road building in millions of acres of undeveloped national forests, arguing it did not give states and localities enough say on the issue." Category: Colorado Water 6:14:55 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 11:33:59 AM.