http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/ en Copyright 2008 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:09:48 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar submitted a bill Thursday seeking Congress to authorize $40 million in funding to fix a Leadville drainage tunnel. Colorado congressmen Doug Lamborn and Mark Udall also introduced legislation that makes a single federal agency responsible for removing up to 1 billion gallons of contaminated water trapped in the tunnel. Salazar's bill also would direct the Secretary of the Interior, along with the state and the EPA, to study whether the water quality downstream from and in the Arkansas River has been affected. “The residents of Leadville deserve straight answers to their concerns and straight fixes to the Leadville mine drainage tunnel that will avoid any contamination or harm to their homes,” Salazar said. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030499 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030499 Environment and Conservation pueblochieftain.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:09:48 -0700 Gov. Bill Ritter will push the federal government for as long as it takes to prevent a potential disaster with the Leadville Tunnel, he told a gathering of editors and reporters on Thursday. The governor said he's satisfied so far with the progress that the federal Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are making in dealing with about 1 billion gallons of toxic water that Park County officials fear could burst, contaminating the Arkansas River all the way to the Kansas border. Currently, the Bureau and the EPA plan to pump water from inside the mountain and send it to a nearby Reclamation water treatment plant. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030500 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030500 Environment and Conservation pueblochieftain.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:09:32 -0700 Two lawmakers Thursday backed a measure to clear what they called a “legal blockage” to fixing the dammed-up Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Republican, held a telephone conference for reporters with Democratic Rep. Mark Udall to announce legislation that clarifies who is responsible for removing water backed up in an underground pool. Collapses in the tunnel have caused water to build up underground, leading to seepage into the Arkansas River and fears of a catastrophic blowout. “This will clearly put the responsibility for cleaning up the backlog of contaminated water, 1 billion gallons of it, with the (U.S.) Bureau of Reclamation,” said Lamborn, whose district includes Leadville. The two-mile tunnel, built during World War II, drains water from many of the historic mines outside Leadville. There has been little work on the tunnel over the years, largely because the Bureau of Reclamation runs a treatment plant at the mouth but does not view maintaining the tunnel as its responsibility. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030507 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030507 Environment and Conservation www.gazette.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:06:28 -0700 Members of Colorado's congressional delegation introduced bills Thursday to untie bureaucratic knots delaying efforts to drain water backed up behind a collapsed Leadville tunnel. Bills were introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate to direct the Bureau of Reclamation to treat water pumped out of the mine drainage tunnel, and clarify that the agency has the legal authority to do so. "Interestingly enough, not only do we have a physical blockage with the tunnel, we have a legal blockage," said U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs. He joined with Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn, of Colorado Springs, on legislation designed to do away with questions over legal authority by federal agencies to deal with the problem. Lake County commissioners, weary of what they perceived to be bureaucratic delays, declared a state of emergency this month. The clogged tunnel, they said, threatens to burst, flooding a nearby community of homes and the Arkansas River with metals-contaminated water. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030531 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030531 Environment and Conservation www.rockymountainnews.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:51:24 -0700 The federal Bureau of Reclamation will take responsibility for the flooded Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel, whether the agency wants to or not, Capitol Hill lawmakers from Colorado said Thursday. Reps. Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Springs Republican, and Mark Udall, an Eldorado Springs Democrat, introduced legislation requiring the bureau to manage the tunnel and prevent future buildups of metals-laden mine runoff. Under the bill, the bureau also must shore up the structure to reduce the risk of collapse. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., introduced a similar bill. His legislation also would require the Interior Department to study whether the tunnel's water buildup has affected water quality in the Arkansas River. "We could have serious property damage and even loss of life" if the water blows out of the tunnel, Lam born said. The bureau has said that although it will drain the water in this emergency situation, it does not have the legal authority to do so in the future. At a congressional hearing this week, bureau Commissioner Robert Johnson said the EPA is responsible because the water is part of a Superfund site. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030452 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030452 Environment and Conservation www.denverpost.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:14:01 -0700 Emergency sirens and loudspeakers have been tested and sensors installed. Bulldozers have cut an escape route. Townspeople have been warned to assemble “grab-it-and-go” kits with first aid supplies, water, flashlights and blankets. A concealed threat is hanging over this old Wild West mining town: A billion gallons of toxic water is trapped in a collapsed drainage tunnel in the hills overlooking Leadville and could blow at any moment with devastating effect, sweeping away mobile homes in the town of 2,600. “I’m scared. It could happen while the kids are at school, when I’m home by myself or when we’re asleep,” said Kathy Medina, a homemaker in this winter tourist town lined with Victorian-era brick buildings, old-time saloons and an opera house where Harry Houdini, John Philip Sousa and Oscar Wilde performed. The danger is a legacy of Leadville’s long-gone boom years. Between the mid-1800s and the 1990s, gold, silver, lead, zinc and finally molybdenum, a substance used to harden steel, were extracted from the ground around this 10,200-foot-high town 100 miles west of Denver. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030412 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030412 Environment and Conservation www.timescall.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:08:22 -0700 Rural homeowners are one step closer to getting tax breaks for clearing flammable brush and dead trees. But senators still might vote the bill down over worries about the state budget. House Bill 1110 would let homeowners deduct half the cost of fire mitigation from their taxable income, as much as $5,000. At Colorado's current tax rate, that would translate to a maximum deduction of $116. The sponsor, Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, said the state needs a way to give rural homeowners an incentive to create firebreaks, because thinning projects won't be effective unless everyone in the neighborhood participates. The Senate Finance Committee approved the bill 4-1 Thursday. It now moves to the Appropriations Committee. Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, was the lone "no" vote. She is worried about giving out tax breaks that could reduce the budget in future years. The Legislature's budget experts predict the bill would cost the state $411,000 next year and $822,000 the year after. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030465 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030465 Environment and Conservation durangoherald.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:32:10 -0700 High Country Citizens’ Alliance, which has been fighting molybdenum mining on Mount Emmons for years, says a recent state permit approval could allow mining to start this spring. Bob Salter, mineral resources director for the alliance, said the state Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety recently approved changing the exploration permit for mining firm Kobex to create a new mine shaft instead of using the old Keystone Mine site, as originally planned. Salter said creating a new horizontal mine will harm the local water supply. He also claims that Kobex and partner U.S. Energy Corporation have misled the public in the past about their intentions toward mining on Mount Emmons, which locals call Red Lady. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030488 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030488 Environment and Conservation www.gjsentinel.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:14:29 -0700 Rural economies are tied to water and how it will be used in a “new energy economy,” Gov. Bill Ritter said Thursday. Ritter was the keynote speaker at the 17th annual Governors Forum on Colorado Agriculture. Strengthening foreign markets for state agricultural projects, increased production of crops for biofuels, developing more wind power and using farms to help take carbon out of the atmosphere are steps the state will take in the next few years, Ritter said. In the process, the decline of rural communities could be stopped. “We have to understand that agriculture is the fiber of the state,” Ritter said. “We’re challenged as a state with agriculture as to how we preserve that tradition for our children.” http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030502 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030502 Environment and Conservation pueblochieftain.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:08:35 -0700 A draft environmental impact study on the proposed Southern Delivery System will be released today by the Bureau of Reclamation. Reclamation is considering seven alternatives, including a plan by Colorado Springs to build a 66-inch-diameter pipeline 43 miles north from Pueblo Dam. The $1.1 billion project could be on line as soon as 2012 and would serve Colorado Springs, Fountain and Security. Pueblo West would tap into the line if the route from the dam is chosen. SDS would serve the water needs of the communities through 2046 and pump up to 78 million gallons per day to El Paso County communities. Colorado Springs is paying for and will receive 95 percent of the benefit from the project. The draft EIS will contain a specific recommendation for the SDS route, and is open for review and comment for 60 days, said Kara Lamb, Reclamation public affairs officer. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030504 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030504 Environment and Conservation pueblochieftain.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:08:08 -0700 Avon is still grappling with some of the big environmental ideas, the ones that would take major investments but could also have some of the biggest pay-offs. “These tend to cost more money up front, but in the long term, they will save money,” said Jenny Strehler, director of public works. For instance: should the town start installing solar power systems on new or existing buildings? They cost a lot of money, and can take 25 to 30 years to pay back. But, it is a renewable source of energy, one that never runs out. Streets in the new downtown are being designed to include solar-powered lighting, but beyond that, it’s hard to say now how extensively solar energy will be used in Avon in the future. Town planners are studying what sort of solar power, if any, would work best for the town. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030470 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030470 Environment and Conservation vaildaily.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:26:35 -0700 It's not uncommon for Dan and Katharine Gregory to have a $7.08 utility bill for their 2,800-square-foot house. The couple's house runs completely on electricity, 70 percent of which is generated through the 35 solar panels that sit on the south side of the roof. A geo exchange system uses the earth's heat to warm the house and displaces the house's heat back into the earth to cool it. The entirely green house is the couple's dream home. But it's also going on the market. The winner of the Colorado Built Green Home of the Year award in 2006 and the 2008 EnergyValue Housing Award, the Gregorys are ready to sell the house and move back to their old neighborhood. "It's never a good idea to speculate," said Lara Williams, a certified eco-broker and founder of the Green Team Real Estate. "But I think there will be a lot of interest in this house." The Gregorys have not set a date to put the house up for sale but plan to ask for $450,000 when they do. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030409 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030409 Environment and Conservation coloradoan.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:09:44 -0700 Wildlife advocates were cautious as they waited to see whether the proposal would stick, while some were upset no area in the southern Rockies was included. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday it wants to designate 42,753 square miles in six states that could come under tighter federal oversight as critical habitat. That's more than 20 times the 1,841 square miles in three states the agency designated in late 2006. A final decision might not come until Feb. 15, 2009. Fish and Wildlife said it was accepting public comments on the proposal until April 28. The agency reconsidered its earlier rulings about the lynx and seven other species after allegations that Julie MacDonald, a deputy assistant secretary of the interior, interfered in the decisions. She has resigned. States where land would now be designated as critical lynx habitat are Maine, Minnesota, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030428 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030428 Environment and Conservation dailycamera.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:00:59 -0700 Colorado has again been left out of the "critical habitat" area for the Canada lynx, despite the state's effort to bring back the threatened species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday proposed an expanded territory for the reclusive cat across the northern Rockies Colorado's reintroduced population of an estimated 125 lynx was not yet "biologically sustainable," the agency said. Conservationists said not having a critical habitat designation, which requires federal and private landowners to take into consideration the impact of land-use activities on species recovery, was a setback. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030454 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030454 Environment and Conservation www.denverpost.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:43:14 -0700 The Colorado Division of Wildlife is reminding Summit residents and visitors that moose are common ... and a little jittery. “Surprising a moose is never a good idea,” said Kirk Oldham, district wildlife manager for the Grand Lake area. According to the Division of Wildlife, it is important for people to be aware that moose are generally found in places where willows grow. Willow is the preferred food of moose and tall willow stands provide not only food but protection from danger. People hiking around willow stands should be alert to the possible presence of moose. Another dangerous situation can occur when people are out with their dogs. “I would say that 95 percent of the moose incidents I hear about start with someone saying ‘I was walking my dog when ...’” added Oldham. “Because wolves are a moose’s main natural predator, moose are extremely aggressive toward dogs, regardless of the dog’s domestic nature.” http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030474 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/29/#030474 Environment and Conservation summitdaily.com Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:23:17 -0700 Although divers have failed to turn up any colonies of zebra mussels in Lake Pueblo, state and federal officials are still concerned more will begin showing up when water temperatures warm. “They begin breeding when water temperatures reach 52 degrees (Fahrenheit), and that’s usually mid-April for Lake Pueblo,” said Peter Soeth, spokesman for the Bureau of Reclamation. Divers will return to Lake Pueblo then to resume their search for evidence of the spread of zebra mussels, after finding nothing alarming as of Wednesday. Last week, cameras failed to locate any colonies of zebra mussels, indicating they have been detected early, but there is still concern they could spread this year. Two shells of mussels were found attached to a substrate device - basically a plastic pipe suspended on rope - in November. Subsequent testing found larvae in the water, which DNA testing later confirmed as zebra mussels. Biologists are concerned because the larvae indicate the mussels have bred at least once. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030271 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030271 Environment and Conservation pueblochieftain.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:41:59 -0700 Gov. Bill Ritter on Wednesday said the attorney general's and district attorney's offices may get involved in an investigation into abuses of the state's conservation easement program. The Colorado Division of Real Estate launched an investigation in November, issuing 30 subpoenas to people who were connected to deals involving five ranches and an Arvada land trust, then called Noah Land Conservation. More recently, it subpoenaed the records of The Greenlands Reserve, a Summit County-based land trust. Speaking at the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts conference, Ritter said the next step is to talk to the district attorney and attorney general. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030217 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030217 Environment and Conservation www.denverpost.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:21:01 -0700 Lawmakers fretted Wednesday over what would happen if a major dust storm coated the state's voluminous snowpack before the spring runoff. "If we had dust layers in there like we've had in previous years, potentially we'd be looking at buying sandbags," said Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus. The comments came during a morning joint Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee meeting, at which a researcher told lawmakers how dust storms that dirty mountain snowpack reduce the snow's reflectivity and cause faster runoff. Earlier melting usually means the water comes too soon to help farmers, said Rep. Rafael Gallegos, D-Antonito. But with seasonal snowpack levels reaching as high as 173 percent of average, a faster runoff could also cause widespread flooding. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030232 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030232 Environment and Conservation www.denverpost.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:06:04 -0700 Wyoming officials issued an unprecedented health alert Wednesday in a rural gas-drilling area for a buildup of ozone — usually a summertime air pollutant in urban areas. The Pinedale area had high ozone readings a week after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criticized the federal Bureau of Land Management for planning thousands of new gas wells in the area without adequate air-quality protection. "This should be a wake-up call for the Bureau of Land Management," said Linda Baker, director of the Upper Green River Valley Coalition. "What's going to happen to our air when we have 4,400 . . . additional wells, as the BLM proposes?" In Colorado, state regulators are targeting gas wells as a major contributor to the Denver metro area's troublesome ozone levels and are considering new restrictions on equipment and operations. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030239 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030239 Environment and Conservation www.denverpost.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:01:43 -0700 For years, the federal Bureau of Reclamation and the Environmental Protection Agency have bickered over what to do about the aging tunnel, which stretches 2.1 miles and has become dammed by debris. The debris is holding back more than a billion gallons of water, much of it tainted with toxic levels of cadmium, zinc and manganese. The threat posed by the tunnel is the latest misfortune for the town, which is grappling with the wreckage of more than a century of mining. “Everybody made a lot of money in Leadville,” said Ken Olsen, a county commissioner. “They left years ago, and we’ve had to clean up after them ever since.” In the late 1800s, a gold and silver boom made Leadville one of Colorado’s most colorful places, drawing the likes of the Guggenheims. Legend has it that Doc Holliday fought his final gunfight here. Gold and silver gave way to zinc and lead mining, encouraged by the federal government for the war effort during World War II and the Korean War. Molybdenum, used to fortify steel, was blasted out of the mountains for years at the Climax mine. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030104 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030104 Environment and Conservation www.nytimes.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:50:55 -0700 Farmers will face additional struggles to make sure they have enough water as the state's population continues to grow, the state's agriculture commissioner told Fort Collins Rotary Club members Wednesday. Less water will be available for irrigation as more houses are built, said John Stulp, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture. "As you grow houses you need to water people," he said. "The demand for water is going to get greater." The demand for green energy should help the agriculture business he said, as farmers are increasingly called upon to raise crops that can be used to create biofuels. He compared the price of oil to an "800-pound guerrilla in the corner of the room." He also said the need for green energy will help generate jobs in rural areas, which should encourage young people to remain on farms and in agri-businesses. Also on Wednesday, the club honored Bill Markham and his family with the Master Agriculturist Award. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030194 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030194 Environment and Conservation coloradoan.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:39:49 -0700 Trout found in five lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park have both male and female sex organs, says a massive new federal report highlighting the problems that air pollution poses for national parks. The report released by the Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project said detectable levels of contaminants ranging from mercury to two banned insecticides and a flame-retardant chemical treatment were found in eight parks in the western United States, including Rocky. The report said air pollution from coal-burning power plants is a major source of contamination, which can drift in the atmosphere for long distances before being dropped in rain or snow. "It's certainly a cautionary lesson that supports that what goes up into our air does come down," said Rocky spokeswoman Kyle Patterson. "Parks are not immune from human activities from hundreds or even thousands of miles away." The report said the pollution could have many different ramifications and that more study is needed. "In Rocky Mountain and Glacier national parks, some individual trout were 'intersex,'" the report said. "This condition is commonly associated with exposure to certain contaminants (dieldrin and DDT) that mimic the hormone estrogen.” http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030199 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030199 Environment and Conservation coloradoan.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:36:37 -0700 Colorado must step up efforts to police an innovative conservation tax-credit program to ensure that questionable deals are stopped and that the public interest is protected, Gov. Bill Ritter said Wednesday. "We do not stop programs we have helping us protect land in this state," Ritter told a packed room of open-space officials. "At the same time, we have to assure people there is not fraud and abuse." The program gives lucrative state income tax credits to landowners who agree to prohibit development on their properties using legal tools known as conservation easements. The tax credits then can be sold for cash. Investigations by the Colorado Division of Real Estate and the Department of Revenue are likely to be handed over to the Colorado attorney general and could result in criminal and civil prosecutions by the state, Ritter and other state officials said. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030303 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030303 Environment and Conservation www.rockymountainnews.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:20:16 -0700 In 2007, the levels of carbon dioxide burped out by town-owned vehicles, by the generation of lights and computers in town offices, by the operation of the water treatment plant, the ice rink, the Galloping Goose, the campground restrooms and all other public facilities, was roughly 7.2 million pounds. The good news: This represents a 6 percent decrease in the town government’s carbon footprint from 2006, when carbon output was roughly 7.67 million pounds. This is a positive step for Telluride, which cemented its intent to reduce its carbon footprint in recent years by signing onto The Canary Initiative, The US Mayors Climate Protection Initiative and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization — a trio of organizations bent on reversing climate change. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030243 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030243 Environment and Conservation www.telluridenews.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:59:02 -0700 The Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado is sponsoring a talk on how solar activity may have affected parts of the "little ice age." The 1600s brought an unusually cold period during the little ice age. Tom Woods will talk about how this historical climate change may have been affected by solar activity. Woods will discuss current understanding based on satellite measurements of variations in the sun, which will establish what extent solar influences play in our climate today. http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030210 http://media.progressnowaction.org/clips/2008/02/28/#030210 Environment and Conservation dailycamera.com Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:28:07 -0700