Tuesday, August 1, 2006

Oil and gas drilling initiative off fall ballot? It doesn't look like the Colorado Landowners for Fairness initiative will make the fall ballot, according to the Durango Herald. From the article, "Backers of a ballot initiative on oil and gas surface rights are scrambling to get petition signatures after homebuilders abandoned their cause in favor of joining Gov. Bill Owens in talks with the gas industry. The lead proponent of the initiative, John Gorman, said there is a 'low probability' that his volunteers will be able to get the required 68,000 signatures by Aug. 7, the deadline to get the measure on November's ballot. 'I have to give credit where credit's due. The oil and gas industry did a superb job of maneuvering,' Gorman said. "The talks convened by Owens effectively splintered an unusual coalition of Realtors, developers and environmentalists, who joined last year to support state legislation to give landowners more power when gas companies want to drill wells on their property. The bill - by Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, and Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus - set off one of the biggest fights of the 2006 Legislative session. Isgar ultimately killed the bill when environmentalists and the real-estate industry pulled their support. That shifted the action to the ballot initiative sponsored by Gorman's group, Colorado Land Owners for Fairness. After Isgar's bill died, Owens summoned developers and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association and urged them to work out their differences, said Dan Hopkins, Owens' spokesman. But Western Slope residents worry that they will be left out if the homebuilders and gas industry concentrate on a solution specific to Weld County, where intensified drilling is colliding with a subdivision boom." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:10:09 AM     Convert grass into beef Pressure is mounting to develop more water from the Yampa River basin, according to the Longmont Daily Times-Call. From the article, "The living river system that sustains the people of the Yampa Valley faces an uncertain future. Powerful water interests are focusing their gaze on the Yampa River. They are looking for ways to satisfy unmet demand for water - enough for the next 30 years. As water managers and politicians look for answers, the Yampa is conspicuous for its abundance of water. Steamboat Springs attorney Tom Sharp, who holds posts on several boards that oversee water planning in this part of the West, says the Yampa River system yields about 1.2 million acre-feet of water every year. But Northwest Colorado communities and residents use just one-tenth of that, or about 120,000 acre-feet. Put those facts together, and it's plain to see why the Yampa is the subject of increasing attention. Russell George, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, spelled it out during a speech he gave in the Hayden High School auditorium June 1. He said that in the future, the Yampa River and its tributaries may be needed to help satisfy the needs and obligations of the state. That could involve cross-basin 'shifting' of water, George said, and construction of new water storage facilities. He was blunt in saying that resisting the coming changes would be an exercise in futility... "Eric Kuhn, general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, estimates that of the waters bound by the compact, there remains just 250,000 acre-feet that could be stored behind new dams. Other water experts dispute Kuhn's numbers. But if he is right, Colorado's margin for growth is small. Kuhn's estimate takes into account another 250,000 acre-feet already tied up in planned water projects. His agency was formed to balance Western Slope water interests with those of the Front Range. Brown said he agrees with Kuhn on some significant points, but he estimates the state still could develop between 450,000 and 1.2 million acre-feet of water for consumptive use. But there are tradeoffs to be weighed, he cautioned. If the state comes close to developing all the water it is entitled to, it must weigh the risk that a prolonged drought could force it to cut back on use to fulfill its obligations. That could result in economic hardship... "'In this country, the only thing we can grow is grass,' he said. 'We're lucky to have 60 days between frosts. Our job here is to convert grass into beef - period. If they take our water, we're out of business. It's that simple.' And it's been that way in the Yampa Valley for more than a century. But change may be just over the horizon." Category: Colorado Water 5:58:58 AM     More wells to be shut down? Property owners, on the Blue River, using well water to irrigate their landscapes, are being targeted by an enforcement effort, according to the Summit Daily News. From the article, "State officials are looking at almost 4,000 wells, with 2,700 of those located in the Upper Blue. At issue are state laws that limit well water for indoor, domestic use. The general idea is that if you use groundwater to irrigate a lawn or wash a car, at least a portion of that water doesn't make it back into the aquifers, which are considered tributaries to surface streams. In effect, that water is lost to a potential downstream user with senior water rights. The problem grows as more well-users get hooked up to sewer systems, resulting in an even greater net loss to groundwater flows. To make up for the consumptive use, there are two local augmentation plans, enabling well users to buy surface water rights to replace the water they are using. Problem is, there are significant parts of the county that apparently aren't served by either of the augmentation plans, mainly in the Upper Blue, between Breckenridge and Dillon Reservoir, described as a critical reach by [Scott Hummer, Division 5 water commissioner for the State Engineer's Office] said his agency's enforcement efforts will focus on those areas where augmentation is available, to try and bring people into compliance with their permits." Category: Colorado Water 5:39:26 AM     Green conservatives Here's a short article about "green conservatives" from the Denver Post. They write, "Hunters and anglers are increasingly joining environmentalists in efforts to block oil and natural- gas drilling and other development on wildlife-rich lands in the Rocky Mountain West. Traditionally a Republican constituency, hunters and anglers have won over GOP lawmakers and land administrators in Washington who often view environmentalists as radicals aligned with the Democratic Party... "In the past few weeks, pressure brought by hunting and fishing groups has helped drive a spate of measures blocking drilling in three areas of the Rocky Mountain West: Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., reversed his stance on drilling Montana's scenic Rocky Mountain Front. Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., often a supporter of oil and gas development, came out against a drilling plan in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest, adding that there shouldn't be drilling in most national forests. The Republican-controlled House passed a bill blocking drilling in the 101,000-acre Valle Vidal section of New Mexico's Carson National Forest. In those and other cases, grassroots lobbying by hunters and anglers was not the only factor in the outcome of the proposals. But key Republicans on resource issues say that their opinions were crucial... "Some hunters and anglers even say the GOP is starting to lose their support because of its aggressive drilling policies. The Bush administration has approved intense drilling in areas such as southwest Wyoming, which has crucial winter range for mule deer, elk and antelope. It's also poised to approve drilling atop Colorado's Roan Plateau, which is home to large herds of game and the rare Colorado River cutthroat trout." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 5:24:17 AM     Big Thompson Flood The Rocky Mountain News was on hand yesterday as survivors of the Big Thompson flood remembered the day 30 years ago. They have the flood stats: "Converging storms poured 12 inches of rain into the narrow mountain drainages feeding into the canyon between 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., creating Colorado's worst natural disaster; 144 Number of lives lost; 418 Number of homes destroyed; Other lost property - 52 businesses, 438 vehicles, numerous bridges, roads and power and telephone lines; $115 million Cost of flood in 2006 dollars; 20 feet Peak water height, measured at an area known as The Narrows; 31,200cubic feet per second, Peak water flow; Normal flow at the time was 210 cfs." More coverage from the Greeley Tribune. They write, "Thirty years have passed since the waters of the Big Thompson River washed the canyon clean of homes, roads and the people who weren't able to escape to higher ground. Those who remember gather at a memorial below Drake each year on July 31. They've written songs and books, built plaques and spoken about the people who died. Nearly 200 people filled a small park east of Drake Monday night to remember. The story of Sgt. Hugh Purdy of the Colorado State Patrol stands out as one of many heroic acts. Newspapers reported the final words Purdy spoke to a dispatcher in Greeley as he acknowledged the end was near in one breath, ordered the low ground cleared to save others in the next. Depending on the report, 144 or 145 people died in the flood. Purdy probably saved hundreds more. 'I'm stuck. I'm right in the middle of it. I can't get out . . . about one-half mile east of Drake on the highway. Tell them cars to get out of that low area down below. As soon as the water starts picking up . . . (static) . . . high ground. . . . ' -- Sgt. Hugh Purdy, July 31, 1976." The Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald has a section devoted to the flood in their section on the flood. Category: Colorado Water 5:17:12 AM

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