Colorado Pols: "Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr announced today he's running for president as a Libertarian."

From The Denver Business Journal: " A report issued Monday by the federal Department of Energy --- saying that wind power could meet 20 percent of the nation's needs by 2030 --- could boost Colorado's fledgling wind industry. 'We're really been positioning ourselves as the center for the new energy economy,' said Craig Cox, executive director of Interwest Energy Alliance, a renewable energy trade association based in Conifer."

If you're following the public comment period for the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for oil shale development click here for the public comments and here for the written comments.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Now here's something to shake up the Republican base. Republicans for Environmental Protection sent out email linking to John McCain's speech in Oregon today on global warming. Here's the link to the speech. A couple of excerpts:

Today I'd like to focus on just one of those challenges, and among environmental dangers it is surely the most serious of all. Whether we call it "climate change" or "global warming," in the end we're all left with the same set of facts. The facts of global warming demand our urgent attention, especially in Washington. Good stewardship, prudence, and simple common sense demand that we to act meet the challenge, and act quickly.

Some of the most compelling evidence of global warming comes to us from NASA. No longer do we need to rely on guesswork and computer modeling, because satellite images reveal a dramatic disappearance of glaciers, Antarctic ice shelves and polar ice sheets. And I've seen some of this evidence up close. A few years ago I traveled to the area of Svalbard, Norway, a group of islands in the Arctic Ocean. I was shown the southernmost point where a glacier had reached twenty years earlier. From there, we had to venture northward up the fjord to see where that same glacier ends today - because all the rest has melted. On a trip to Alaska, I heard about a national park visitor's center that was built to offer a picture-perfect view of a large glacier. Problem is, the glacier is gone. A work of nature that took ages to form had melted away in a matter of decades...

We have many advantages in the fight against global warming, but time is not one of them. Instead of idly debating the precise extent of global warming, or the precise timeline of global warming, we need to deal with the central facts of rising temperatures, rising waters, and all the endless troubles that global warming will bring. We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that time is short and the dangers are great. The most relevant question now is whether our own government is equal to the challenge.

Memo to Barack and Hillary. McCain just stole your natural position on this issue. Have you figured out who white people are going to vote for? Sigh.

Here's an update on Rueter-Hess Reservoir from The Denver Post. From the article:

The reservoir will store both future water acquisitions and recycled water from the system's two wastewater treatment plants. The water district also will be able to divert and store water from Cherry Creek. The expansion will allow the reservoir to store 72,000 acre-feet of water and be 1,140 acres on the surface. That is enough water for 140,000 homes. The first phase of the reservoir, which already is built, can store 16,000 acre-feet. The total price at completion is estimated at $165 million...

Recent studies have found that the [Denver Basin Aquifers] are being depleted at about 30 feet a year. That is why Jaeger and others think the area needs to secure more water options by gaining rights on one of the state's river basins, such as the Arkansas or South Platte. "I believe we will have to import water in the long term, that being only 20 years," Jaeger said. "We need to be working diligently to develop water from other river basins and import water through pipelines."

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

TalkLeft: "The San Francisco Chronicle has an article today on the presidential candidates and their positions on federal raids of marijuana dispensaries. It gets it somewhat right, but is a little misleading in my view. With the Oregon vote coming up, it paints Barack Obama as the only true friend of the medical marijuana user. (None are a friend to the recreational user, although Obama once said he was.)"

Colorado Confidential "The war over rules for establishing unions in Colorado workplaces is being funded by unions and corporations rather than by individual donors, recent financial reports show. State and national labor unions have contributed more than $1.5 million in only two months to defeat a so-called "right-to-work" ballot initiative that would prohibit union shops from requiring nonunion members to join and pay dues or fees and to support two counterproposals that would make corporate executives liable for any fraud that happens in their companies and make employers give a reason when workers are fired. All three measures are slated for Colorado's November election, but at this time only right-to-work has gained the required petition signatures to make the ballot."

Political Wire: "A new Research 2000 poll in West Virginia finds Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Barack Obama, 58% to 31%, in tomorrow's Democratic primary. However, in general election match ups both Democrats get crushed by Sen. John McCain. McCain leads Clinton, 53% to 41%, and tops Obama, 58% to 33%,"

Political Wire: "Just a day before the West Virginia primary, a new Suffolk University poll finds Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Barack Obama among Democratic voters by a wide margin, 60% to 24%."

Discussing the anti-affirmative action ballot measure Amendment 46 on the May 11 broadcast of KNUS 710 AM's Backbone Radio, host John Andrews and guest Ward Connerly extolled Jessica Peck Corry as the leader of the campaign for the measure -- known as the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative -- without identifying her as a policy analyst and political strategist with the "free-market" Independence Institute. Corry also serves as director of the think tank's Campus Accountability Project.

Connerly, who is founder and chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute, described Corry as "well-informed about the issue" of affirmative action, while Andrews called her "a good friend of this radio program." But both failed to mention that Corry supported a controversial anti-affirmative action bake sale held by College Republicans in 2004 at the University of Colorado in Boulder that charged different prices for baked goods depending on the customer's skin color, as Colorado Media Matters has noted.

From the May 11 broadcast of KNUS 710 AM's Backbone Radio:

ANDREWS: Here in Colorado, I wouldn't be surprised if you have essentially a lonely battle as far as elites not rallying to your flag either, but if the people are just given a chance to vote on this, if judges will step back as the other side sometimes wants to de-legitimize you with litigation -- I'm confident we can get a result as we did in Michigan.

CONNERLY: I think we will. And we're very, very tickled to have leading the effort now Jessica Corry, who is very bright, well-informed about the issue, as was Valery Pech Orr [Colorado Civil Rights Initiative executive director]. Jessica is going to carry this ball across the goal line.

ANDREWS: Well, she's a good friend of this radio program. She wrote a terrific piece; I just looked it up in the Rocky, and we'll make sure it's linked on BackboneAmerica.net, telling the goals of the initiative and some of the lies and dirty tricks put up by the other side. But Jessica's a fighter; she has in you the example of a very well-seasoned fighter, a general for the whole national effort, Ward Connerly. And we're with you all the way. We'll check in with you again in a month and continue to advocate for it in the meantime.

On her May 9 1310 KFKA broadcast, Amy Oliver, director of operations for the "free-market" Independence Institute, uncritically allowed frequent guest Sean Conway to misrepresent Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and current U.S. Rep. Mark Udall's position on energy development on Colorado's Roan Plateau by stating that Udall "want[s] to prohibit all development" there. In fact, on April 17, U.S. Rep. John Salazar (D) introduced on behalf of himself and Udall legislation "[t]o provide for orderly and balanced development of energy resources within the Roan Plateau Planning Area of Colorado."

Conway further asserted inaccurately, referring to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), that "there is more oil reserves (sic) in ANWR than in Saudi Arabia." In fact, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), "Saudi Arabia contains about 260 billion barrels of proven oil reserves," while at the upper end of its estimates, EIA gives "a 5 percent probability that at least 16 billion barrels of technically recoverable undiscovered oil are in the ANWR coastal plain."

Conway, who is chief of staff for Colorado U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard (R), included Salazar among Colorado members of Congress who "want to prohibit all development on the Roan Plateau."

From the May 9 broadcast of 1310 KFKA's The Amy Oliver Show:

CONWAY: Your caller just said, "When are we gonna get Congress out of the business of regulating and allowing us to produce this oil and gas domestically?" In Colorado there's a big division. In fact, in the United States Senate race this year, there's gonna be a big distinction between Mark Udall and his approach in terms of trying to deal with $4-a-gallon gasoline and Bob Schaffer's -- i.e., the Roan Plateau. You even saw a transformation with Governor [Bill] Ritter on exploration, which still Mark Udall and John Salazar want to prohibit all development on the Roan Plateau in this state.

CALLER: Can we make that, you know, a large part of the campaigning, to point out the differences?

Contrary to Conway's assertion that Udall and Salazar "want to prohibit all development on the Roan Plateau," on April 17 Salazar "for himself and Mr. Udall of Colorado" introduced H.R. 5851, which "provide[s] for balanced development of the energy resources of the Roan Plateau in a manner that minimizes the adverse impacts on fish and wildlife habitats and environmental resources and values while increasing the financial returns to the United States and the State of Colorado." Grand Junction's NBC affiliate KKCO 11 News reported April 5 after Udall toured the Roan Plateau that he voiced his support for phased development of the Roan, consistent with an approach that Ritter had advocated:

During a visit to Grand Junction Saturday, U.S. Representative Mark Udall took an airplane tour over the Roan Plateau.

The Congressman has been at the center of the firestorm surrounding natural gas drilling atop the natural landmark. Udall says he's in favor of drilling, but not at the expense of damaging the environment.

He says he supports the plan laid out by Governor Bill Ritter, which calls for leasing out sites in specific areas, and only leasing out so many at one time. That plan was rejected by the Bureau of Land Management, but Udall says he hopes push it through Congress and turn it into federal law.

"It's truly a unique resource," said Rep. Udall. "It really defines all of us who love Western Colorado. There's no reason we can't develop the gas in a responsible way and also protect surface areas at the top of the Roan."

In an April 18 article about H.R. 5851, the Rocky Mountain News similarly reported, contrary to the distinction Conway drew between the Ritter and Udall positions on Roan energy development, that the plan favored by Udall, John Salazar, and U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar (D) "mirrors most of the provisions Gov. Bill Ritter has said he wants in place before more gas drilling begins."

Further distorting energy issues, Conway falsely asserted that "[t]here is more oil in ANWR than in Saudi Arabia," later restating the claim as "there is more oil reserves (sic) in ANWR than in Saudi Arabia":

OLIVER: And you know what, Progress Now -- I don't know if you've seen these, [caller] -- but Progress Now, which is the uber-leftist, just radical leftist group that is trying to smear Bob Schaffer. They have put "Big Oil Bob" -- they have it all over websites and everything else. You know what -- what's funny about it, I'm thinking, "Big Oil Bob," like, it should have some sort of negative connotation. I'm thinking thank you, thank you, thank you, for looking domestically at sources for energy as opposed to, you know, those who would like to, first of all, halt economic growth. I think that's the number-one reason why enviros don't want domestic drilling. As far as they're concerned, they don't care if we go backwards economically.

CONWAY: Well, here's a statistic that isn't said enough, so I'm gonna say it. There is more oil in ANWR than in Saudi Arabia. If you, do you hear that in the mainstream media? Do you hear that discussed?

OLIVER: No, 'cause you're gonna destroy the tundra. [laughs]

CONWAY: Think about that for a second. We are not allowing ANWR -- and we've all talked about the small imprint that that represents in terms of exploration, from domestic exploration -- and there is more oil reserves in ANWR than in Saudi Arabia. But environmentalists say, "Oh, it'd only be a trickle." Well, if it's only a trickle, why are we so dependent on imported oil from Saudi Arabia?

OLIVER: Well, the other thing you hear, "It's gonna take forever." Hey, [caller], good call.

Conway did not cite the source for his "statistic" about oil reserves in ANWR compared with those in Saudi Arabia. According to information from the EIA, estimated oil reserves in ANWR are a fraction of Saudi Arabia's proven oil reserves. Regarding ANWR, the EIA states:

The 1.5 million-acre coastal plain of the 19 million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the largest unexplored, potentially productive geologic onshore basin in the United States. The primary area of the coastal plain is the 1002 Area of ANWR established when ANWR was created. A decision on permitting the exploration and development of the 1002 Area is up to Congress and has not been approved to date. Also included in the Coastal Plain are State lands to the 3-mile offshore limit and Native Inupiat land near the village of Kaktovik.

The USGS estimated:

• a 95 percent probability that at least 5.7 billion barrels of technically recoverable undiscovered oil are in the ANWR coastal plain,
• a 5 percent probability that at least 16 billion barrels of technically recoverable undiscovered oil are in the ANWR coastal plain, and
• a mean or expected value of 10.3 billion barrels of technically recoverable undiscovered oil in the ANWR coastal plain. [emphases added]

In contrast, the EIA notes of Saudi Arabia:

According to the Oil and Gas Journal, Saudi Arabia contains about 260 billion barrels of proven oil reserves (including 2.5 billion barrels in the Saudi-Kuwaiti Divided, or "Neutral" Zone), or around one-fifth of proven, conventional world oil reserves. Around two-thirds of Saudi reserves are considered "light" or "extra light" grades of oil, with the rest either "medium" or "heavy." Although Saudi Arabia has over 100 oil and gas fields (and more than 1,500 wells), over half of its oil reserves are contained in only eight fields, including the giant 1260-sq mile Ghawar (the world's largest oil field, with estimated remaining reserves of 70 billion barrels) and Safaniya, including Khafji and Hout (the world's largest offshore oilfield, with estimated reserves of 25-35 billion barrels). [emphases added]

Say hello to the International Stormwater BPM Database. From the website, "Welcome to the International Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) Database project website, which features a database of over 300 BMP studies, performance analysis results, tools for use in BMP performance studies, monitoring guidance and other study-related publications. The overall purpose of the project is to provide scientifically sound information to improve the design, selection and performance of BMPs. Continued population of the database and assessment of its data will ultimately lead to a better understanding of factors influencing BMP performance and help to promote improvements in BMP design, selection and implementation."

Thanks to The Environmental News Network for the link. They write:

- More data. With the recent addition of 65 new BMP studies, the database now includes over 300 studies.

- New data analysis results. A new analysis of all the BMPs in the database identifies how different BMP types performed in removing a variety of pollutants. The performance descriptions can assess achievable effluent concentrations, assess effects of BMPs on total loadings (i.e., TMDLs), and identify the frequency of potential exceedances of water quality criteria or other targets.

- Website upgrade. A new website provides ease of navigation based on the type of user. Data retrieval tools have been improved.

- Simplified data entry. New Excel-based data entry spreadsheets, a corresponding user's guide, and a data upload tool simplify data collection and entry from data providers.

- Additional data partners. The project is working with large data providers to "open the pipeline" of BMP study submissions. Several large data providers are using or adapting the database as their data storage tool and are regularly providing information to the database. If you have data that you are interested in submitting, please contact Jane Clary at clary@wrightwater.com.

- U.S. EPA collaboration. The project is providing support to U.S. EPA through its Urban BMP Performance Tool, a search engine offered on EPA's stormwater NPDES program website. The EPA website links to the database site for more detailed BMP study information.

- Information dissemination. The project continues to distribute findings from the database and remains a reliable source of information. Two recent articles include "15 Reasons You Should Think Twice Before Using Percent Removal to Assess BMP Performance" and "Can Stormwater BMPs Remove Bacteria?" in the Jan. and May issues of Stormwater Magazine, respectively. Category: Colorado Water

Polis, a philanthropist millionaire from Boulder who ran several successful Internet ventures, garnered 40 percent of the delegates. A third Democratic hopeful, conservationist Will Shafroth of Boulder, is trying to petition his way onto the primary ballot. He attended Saturday's assembly, gathering signatures and addressing the gathering of approximately 800.

By winning the highest number of delegates, Fitz-Gerald earned the top line on the Aug. 12 ballot. Shafroth needs at least 1,000 signatures of registered CD2 voters by May 29 in order to make the primary ballot.

Two Republicans, Scott Starin and Rich Mancuso, have also announced their intentions to challenge for the seat that's heavily favored by most analysts to remain in Democratic control.

The Polis campaign claimed an 8-percent bump in delegates from the Boulder County assembly March 15, in which Polis earned 30 percent of the delegates. Boulder accounts for more than 50 percent of the delegates in CD2, which also includes a number of rural Western Slope counties.

"You can make numbers say anything," Fitz-Gerald campaign manager Mary Alice Mandarich said. "Going into this assembly there was virtually no change from where we had finished after all of the county assemblies. The thing (the Polis) campaign needs to look at is they spent a lot of resources on the CD2 assembly, and we feel very comfortable with where we ended up for being outspent the way we were outspent."

Fitz-Gerald has decried the amount of money being spent on the CD2 race, one of the costliest in the country, including more than $600,000 of Polis's own money injected into his campaign.

"We are the Democratic Party," Polis told the crowd Saturday, according to a Polis campaign release. "But this election is not about us, it's not about my opponent, it's about the very future and soul of our country."

A focal point for the Polis campaign is a plan to get U.S. troops out of Iraq. Co-authored by Polis and endorsed by a number of other candidates nationwide, the plan can be found at www.theresponsibleplan.com.

For Fitz-Gerald, Saturday's result means the focus is now entirely on the primary. Mandarich said she isn't sure if Fitz-Gerald will even attend the state Democratic convention in Colorado Springs May 17 since there is nothing at stake for the CD2 candidates. Fitz-Gerald may be out going door-to-door in the various districts, she said.

"Having gone through the caucus process, this is our foundation to move forward knowing we can move though any county districts and there are a number of people truly committed to Joan," Mandarich said. "That was the reason we chose to go through the caucus in the first place, to build the foundation and the ground game moving into the primary."

Shafroth has said that's the same reason he's going the petition route, because he feels it will ultimately put him in front of the highest number of potential voters, so he can hear their concerns and respond accordingly. He compares it to the vetting process going on between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama right now.

"In the same way for me it's been a great experience because going door to door can be kind of tough," Shafroth said. "These people are not easy on you. You have to have your message down ? and be at your best."

He added that attending an assembly where the majority of delegates had committed to Fitz-Gerald or Polis was somewhat daunting.

"I felt very warmly received by most of the people," he said. "It was a little odd being in front of 800 people, all of whom had shown up to support somebody else. Having said that, I felt welcomed by my fellow Democrats in this process. Most people were fine and understood this is what Mark Udall did 10 years ago."

While Rush Limbaugh luxuriates in his Operation Chaos hijinks, it seems that some long-time GOP members have launched a new mischief-making campaign -- on their own party.
Former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr, a stalwart of the 1994 conservative revolution, announced today that he will seek the Libertarian Party nomination for president. 

The Reason.com blog notes that the room was positively crawling with reporters for Barr's expected cross-over bid. Demonstrating either that "Mr. Privacy," a moniker given him for his long-time conservative civil liberties advocacy, still has some star power or that a rain-soaked nation's capitol is hungry for any news today -- political or otherwise -- besides Weather Channel flash flood bulletins.

The ex-congressman wasted no time in launching the "Liberty for America" Web site following the introduction of his presidential exploratory committee last month. The issues page is a veritable siren song to the libertarian movement: government spending, national defense, personal liberty and border security.

On the site, he also takes a swipe at his former hawkish congressional colleagues stating that he joined the Libertarian Party "because at this time in our nation's history, it is essential to join and work with a party that is 100 percent committed to protecting liberty."

Now, Barr must win the nod at the National Libertarian Convention to be held in Denver on May 22-26. He will compete against a field of 10 potential candidates, including Vegas oddsmaker Wayne Allyn Root, Florida businessman Daniel Imperato, tech entrepreneur Michael Jingozian, ex-Democratic presidential candidate and former Sen. Mike Gravel, and "none of the above."

Conventional wisdom, such that it is, predicts that Barr will siphon votes from Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. And that's likely to bring a smile to the face of Ron Paul supporters.

The LA Times blog posted a story today claiming that:

...the forces of Rep. Ron Paul have been organizing across the country to stage an embarrassing public revolt against Sen. John McCain when Republicans gather for their national convention in Minnesota at the beginning of September.

The Times also writes that Paul supporters have embarked on a deliberate strategy of wresting control of party committees from long-time Republicans -- tactics not unlike those succesfully used by the social conservatives in the 1980s to usher in the Reagan era.

The Paul-ites aim? To influence platform debates and secure a prominent speaking role for the congressman, who, like Barr, is also a dual Republican and Libertarian party member.

Stay tuned to Colorado Confidential for previews and on-the-ground reporting from the Libertarian convention later this month.

Newsradio 850 KOA's Mike Rosen asserted on his May 9 broadcast that drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) "would have little or no impact on the Alaskan wildlife reserve," but omitted that the federal government has stated that the 1.5 million-acre 1002 Area coastal region targeted for oil drilling "is the most biologically productive part" of ANWR.

Rosen similarly claimed on March 27 that drilling in ANWR "is not going to affect wildlife," as Colorado Media Matters pointed out.

From the May 9 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's The Mike Rosen Show:

ROSEN: It costs billions to explore, discover, extract, and transport oil. It takes a lot of lead time as well. Congress has for decades refused to permit the extraction of vast oil reserves in ANWR despite the fact that it would have little or no impact on the Alaskan wildlife reserve. In addition, Congress has declared 85 percent of the nation's coastal offshore areas off-limits to any exploration for oil or natural gas. And we should also note that governments own three-quarters or more of proven oil reserves. That's worldwide.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website about ANWR:

The 1002 Area, 1.5 million acres of the refuge's coastal plain, has long been a subject of controversy. The area includes habitat important to the Porcupine and Central Arctic Caribou Herds, as well as many other species. It may also contain significant quantities of oil and gas. In 1980, the U.S. Congress mandated studies of the petroleum potential and biological resources of the area. Today, the refuge conducts ongoing biological studies of the 1002 Area as the development debate continues.

Further, according to the "Final Legislative Environmental Impact Statement" issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior to Congress in April 1987, "The 1002 area is the most biologically productive part of the Arctic Refuge for wildlife and is the center of wildlife activity." The assessment continued:

It serves as an important calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd; it contains a high percentage of the refuge's observed muskoxen range; it is an important fall staging area for lesser snow geese; it provides nesting habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds; and it is frequently used by denning polar bears from the Beaufort Sea population. Migrating caribou and the postcalving caribou offer an extraordinary spectacle. The area presents many opportunities for scientific study of a relatively undisturbed ecosystem.

Jeffrey Scott Hawn, a Texan, was charged with animal cruelty and theft in the deaths of 32 buffalo in Fairplay last month.  A Texan.  Figures.

It was a weird session.  But exactly why it was so weird was hard to pin down, lawmakers said.

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."  Hunter S. Thompson

More after the jump.
The flood outlook is looking better in the San Luis Valley.

How much of a difference does Obama make vs. Clinton in Colorado?  A lot of difference.  Don't take my word for it, read this web page, which pegged the Indiana stalemate.

How much difference does Democratic leadership make in Colorado's renewable energy industry?  Vestas will open the world's largest wind tower factory in Colorado.  And Governor Ritter will be there to throw the switch!

Governor Ritter is also throwing the switch (off) on Oak Creek's school boiler, which is the last fired by coal in Colorado.

Yes, there is a WINTER STORM WATCH in effect for Pitkin County tonight.

Stoopid criminal news:  A Colorado Springs woman notified police that she was being kidnapped by calling them on her cell phone.  Now, you just KNOW that kidnapper was a Doug Bruce voter.

Why does the best coverage of Saturday's CD 2 convention come from Summit County?  The Boulder Daily Camera sucks.

Best coverage of the CD 1 convention goes to that bastion of left-wing journalism, the Rocky Mountain News.  Also ran: Durango Herald.

Why does our delegate selection process have to be so convoluted anyway?  Do we have money to burn or what?

I give you the Denver Post's verdict on this year's legislative session:

In making their case for progress in the legislative session that wrapped up Tuesday, Democrats point to:

? An 8 percent spending increase for higher education this year, which brought funding back to levels seen in the early part of the decade.

? The estimated $600 million in federal oil- and gas-lease revenues that the state will use for college construction projects over 10 years.

? An expansion of eligibility in the State Children's Health Insurance Program that would cover an estimated 9,040 more kids over three years as well as efforts to enroll others already eligible that could bring the total to nearly 16,000.

? Passage of a bill that would require health-insurance companies to get state approval before hiking premiums.

? New legislation to align state education standards more closely with national testing standards.

? An estimated $500 million in new funding for rural school construction needs.

Unbelievable.  The Greeley Tribune, not to be confused with the Chicago Tribune, doesn't even list insurance reform as one of the successes of the legislative season.  Incredible.

Gary Hart is at it again.  But he does illustrate why it is so important that we make McCain throw Hagee under the bus.