Monday, April 28, 2008

H.R. 2421, Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 Toledo Blade: "Nobody doubts that Vern Ehlers, who represents the Grand Rapids area in Congress, is a conservative. He is a pillar of the Christian Reformed Church and a stalwart Republican; at 74, he shares a birthday with one of his political heroes, Ronald Reagan. But he is also genuinely worried about the Great Lakes, and the water supply generally, which is why he is the major co-sponsor of the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007." More from the article: "Conservatives ought to remember their legacy of conservation, and that to be conservative means to conserve what is good," he said in an interview. "We are the party of Teddy Roosevelt, who started the modern conservation movement. But unfortunately, some vocal members of our party tend to forget that." Mr. Ehlers came to Washington in a special election just a few months before Newt Gingrich's "Contract With America" warriors took control of Congress in 1994. He is often identified with that generation of Republicans, especially since Mr. Gingrich named him to his transition team. But Vernon Ehlers is unlike most of his colleagues in a couple ways. For one thing, he is a scientist. He has a PhD in physics, and was a professor before seeking a seat in the Michigan legislature in 1982. Perhaps because of this, he normally insists on solid research before backing legislation. He also is far more open to compromise than many of his colleagues. Yet he doesn't think there is any room to compromise on protecting our drinking water. Unfortunately, as he sees it, the U.S. Supreme Court helped make a mess of things two years ago. Back in a more environmentally friendly era, Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, which was meant to do just that - keep the nation's water clean. Then, in 2006, John Rapanos, a Michigan developer from Midland sued because he had been barred from developing wetlands. Their decision threw everything into confusion. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for a 5-4 majority, ruled that isolated wetlands and ponds and remote tiny streams were protected only if a "significant nexus" could be shown connecting them to a navigable body of water downstream. This has been a disaster, environmentalists contend. More than half the nation's duck population may be threatened. They spend summers in an area called the "Prairie Pothole," that stretches from Minnesota to Montana, and winter in a series of lakes in the Texas Panhandle. None of their waters are protected any longer... All water needs to be protected, he says, "because all water flows downstream." He has talked to colleagues who were around when the original Clean Water Act was passed, and he knows that protecting all America's waters was what was intended. So he has co-sponsored, with U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, a Minnesota Democrat, a Clean Water Restoration Act. It would clear up the confusion by substituting for "navigable waters" the words "waters of the United States." In case that phrase is insufficiently clear, the sponsors define the protected area as "all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams) mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all ... activities affecting these waters." The act has run into some tough sledding; it is opposed by both ultraconservatives, who tend to oppose regulation of anything, and some sportsmen. Nor is it clear whether President Bush would sign the Clean Water Restoration Act, even if it made it through both houses of Congress this session, as now seems unlikely. Category: 2008 Presidential Election 4:50:45 PM     Amendment 47: Right to work? Politics West "Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman's office has cleared the right-to-work initiative for November's ballot after a review of the signatures the group submitted this month met the requisite number and were deemed valid, according to Denver Post reporter Andy Vuong. Labor groups had challenged the validity of the signatures submitted." More coverage from The Denver Business Journal. They write: According to a release from A Better Colorado, the right-to-work campaign, supporters gathered an estimated 94,546 valid signatures -- 124 percent of the 76,047 required under state law. Proponents gave the Secretary of State more than 133,000 signatures earlier this month. The right-to-work amendment will appear on the ballot as Amendment 47. Its formal title is "Prohibition on Certain Conditions of Employment." Organized labor strongly opposes the right-to-work initiative, which bars unions from collecting mandatory dues in collective bargaining workplaces... "With one-third of their signatures deemed invalid, the special interests behind Amendment 47 have raised serious questions about signature fraud," said Jess Knox, executive director of Protect Colorado's Future, an advocacy group that opposes the right-to-work amendment. Knox said the organization will conduct a more detailed examination of the signatures and petitions. Unions are working on their own ballot initiatives, including measures that require employers to give employees annual cost-of-living wage increases and provide major medical coverage to all workers. Union leaders say the initiatives would be necessary for Coloradans -- particularly if voters approve a right-to-work initiative. Some fear that a showdown between businesses and labor unions over the proposals could cost millions of dollars as business interests the fight union-backed initiatives business leaders characterize as "anti-business."[...] "When voters pass right to work in November, it will guarantee that all workers in Colorado have the freedom to choose for themselves whether or not to join a union," said Jonathan Coors, the 28-year-old nephew of Molson Coors executive Pete Coors. "It will constitutionally guarantee the basic rights that all Coloradans deserve." Coors, government relations director for CoorsTek (a ceramics manufacturing spinoff of the brewing company) is expected to play a key role in voter education and public outreach for the right-to-work proposal. Supporters of right to work include the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry and the Associated Builders and Contractors Rocky Mountain Chapter. Along with several labor unions and advocacy groups, the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce has come out in opposition to the proposal. Category: Denver November 2008 Election 4:24:59 PM     Aspinall Unit, Black Canyon From email from Reclamation (Dan Crabtree): -April 15th forecasted 2008 spring runoff into Blue Mesa is around 1,060,000 af or 146 percent of average. Blue Mesa is expected to fill and use of the Crystal spillway is very likely. - Flows in the Black Canyon and Gunnison Gorge should remain above 3,000 cfs well into July with flows in the 1,000-1,500 cfs range in late summer and fall. Under most probable conditions, a spill at Crystal is likely to occur. The timing of the spill is dependent on runoff timing and whether a decision is made to “force” a spill earlier than would occur naturally. -Priority for operations this spring will be flood control. If you have any suggestions on improving the operation meetings or summaries, please let us know. The next operation meeting will be on Thursday, August 21 at the Elk Creek Visitors Center on Blue Mesa. If you have any questions, please call me at 970 248-0652. Category: Colorado Water 8:16:55 AM     Lake Pueblo boat inspections Here's a report on the first weekend of boat inspections at Lake Pueblo, from The Pueblo Chiftain. From the article: Every boat launched onto Lake Pueblo now will be issued a time card, but not every vessel is subject to a detailed zebra-mussel inspection. "Not every single boat has to sit there and wait for an inspection," said Frank Marincich, a senior ranger at Lake Pueblo, on Sunday. The new time card and inspection policy began at the lake Saturday as boat owners prepared their vessels for the warm summer months. The exact number of boats that visited Lake Pueblo over the weekend was unknown, but Marincich said only seven boats met the criteria for an inspection. He said boats coming from out-of-state, mussel-contaminated areas will automatically be checked before launching, according to the new mussel inspection criteria. Rangers will be stationed at boat ramps 24/7 from now until November. They're tasked with assuring that every boat that leaves Lake Pueblo will "pull all drain plugs and/or drain as much water as possible from the motor, ballast, live well, bilge, transom wells, etc.," according to a Colorado State Parks news release. Said Marincich: "We're trying to limit the wait for boaters while making sure we're not letting anything in or out of the lake. We're basing this (protocol) off what they're doing back East. We're not limiting the time people can be out on the lake." Depending on the size of the vessel, inspections for small crafts take 2 to 5 minutes and 10 to 12 minutes for the larger crafts... Other prevention tips offered by state parks officials include thoroughly cleaning boats of mud and debris and making sure boats sufficiently dry before being launched in other waters. If a watercraft is found with zebra mussels, it'll be decontaminated by power washers shooting water heated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit... Vessels left in the lake longer than 24 hours, however, are at a greater risk of mussel-contamination. Boat inspections and monitoring how long a vessel has been on the contaminated waters of Lake Pueblo hopefully will prevent the spread of zebra mussels to other bodies of water, according to state parks officials. "The primary way these mussels are spread is through trailered boats," according to the state parks statement. "The adult mussels attach to boats, aquatic plants carried by boats, bait buckets and other water recreation equipment. Microscopic larvae are transported in water held in the live well, bilge, engine cooling system, bait buckets and ballast tanks."[...] Lake Pueblo boat inspections - Boats coming from out-of-state, mussel-contaminated areas will automatically be checked before launching - Before unloading at the ramps, boaters will receive a date/time stamp card from a ranger who will document the unloading date and time on the card. - Upon return to the boat ramp, boaters will be required to then present their date/time stamp card to a ranger before leaving. - Any boater who has lost the date/time stamp card or has been on the water for 24 hours or longer will be required to have their boat inspected. - If no zebra mussels are found attached to the boat, boaters will be advised to drain, clean and completely dry their boat before launching into other waters and then permitted to leave the boat ramp. The inspection process should last no longer than five minutes. After draining, boaters will be advised to clean and completely dry their boat before launching into other waters and then will be permitted to leave the boat ramp. - If zebra mussels are found attached to the boat, boaters will be directed to a designated wash area where park staff will decontaminate the boat using a high-pressure hot water sprayer before leaving the park. The decontamination time will vary depending on the extent of infestation on the boat. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. Category: Colorado Water 8:01:21 AM

© Copyright 2008 John Orr. Last update: 5/1/08; 7:54:05 AM.