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Sunday, June 11, 2006
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The Montrose Daily Press is running an article about Bob Beauprez's recent statements about trans-mountain water diversions. From the article, "A recent article in the Montrose Daily Press about statements made by Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez caused a stir with Western Slope water officials and his Democratic opponent. Last Friday, Beauprez met with local water representatives and supporters in Gunnison. At the meeting, the Congressman stated he opposed transmountain diversions from the Western Slope. 'Nobody has convinced me we need transmountain diversions,' Beauprez was quoted in the Daily Press Monday. Water professionals around the state and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter seized on the statement, believing that Beauprez was not taking a consistent position on transmountain diversions. Beauprez supported Referendum A, a 2003 ballot measure that would have allowed the state to borrow $2 billion for unspecified water projects. Many water professionals believe the ballot measure's goal was to divert water to the Front Range from the Western Slope...
"Ritter said Beauprez made the statement to satisfy residents on the Western Slope, but they don't represent his previous support for transmountain diversions. He cited a 2003 statement that Beauprez made during a hearing of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Water and Power that states, 'Trans-basin transfers: We must be willing to do the hard work of moving water from where it is generated to where it is needed...'
"Gunnison County resident Ken Spann, a strong voice on Western Slope water issues, said he was concerned about Beauprez's position. Spann, through the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservation District, is heavily involved in defeating the Union Park Project, which proposes transferring large quantities of Gunnison basin water to the Front Range. 'The reason so many civic groups, business leaders, elected bodies and ultimately the voters opposed Referendum A in every single county in the state was because it was bad for Colorado,' Spann said in a released statement. 'It clearly would have pitted Western and Eastern Colorado against one another. Congressman Beauprez was out of touch with what a clear majority of Coloradans were thinking, which raises questions about his experience and understanding of these issues.'"
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:28:53 AM 
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Bill Ritter wants to tie development plans to sustainable water supplies, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. Now there's an idea whose time has come.
From the article, "Colorado cities should have growth plans that require new developments to show they have a sustainable source of water before being approved, Bill Ritter, the Democratic candidate for governor said Friday. 'When the Denver Water Board says that it can cut use by another 20 percent just through conservation, that tells me they are starting to understand the concerns in rural Colorado about unlimited growth of Front Range cities,' Ritter said in a Pueblo interview. Ritter said that, as governor, he would want Colorado cities to base growth on a sustainable water supply that includes conservation, re-use and other steps to limit the need to take water from rural Colorado. He also supports legislation to let water court judges consider water quality when evaluating applications to change the use of a water right. Similar legislation was narrowly defeated in the Legislature last session...
"Asked about the debate over federal immigration laws, Ritter said he supports President Bush and those senators who want to establish a guest worker program to allow some of the 12 million illegal immigrants to obtain work visas. 'I prosecuted illegal immigrants who were felons in Denver and the (former Immigration and Naturalization Service) would rarely come pick them up,' Ritter said. 'So part of our immigration problem is rooted in (the federal government).' That said, Ritter added that he would support state legislation to prosecute employers who hire illegal immigrants - but he drew the line at wanting state and local police to take on the job of enforcing federal immigration laws. 'I believe enforcement is a federal responsibility,' he said. 'If you asked the Colorado State Patrol, they would tell you they don't have enough resources to do that job.' He is also opposed to the Defend Colorado Now ballot initiative - which would require anyone obtaining taxpayer-funded services to demonstrate their legal residency. Ritter noted that the two largest taxpayer expenditures on illegal immigrants, for emergency health care and public school expenses, are both mandated by the federal government."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:20:52 AM
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© Copyright 2006 John Orr.
Last update: 7/1/06; 9:36:04 AM.
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