Continued politics over the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission‘s proposed rule changes: foes are striking as extreme a position as possible so the new rules won’t go into effect. More than that, they’re working very hard to make sure the same kind of rules don’t get implemented elsewhere, which seems likely to happen. At some point, more citizens are going to stand up for their localities long-term health, including environmental concerns. If these rules pass now, they stand a good chance of spreading. Additional rules might even be in store in the future. The longer oil and gas interests delay, the longer they can operate under older, less restrictive rules.
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Mark Udall maintains his moderate advantage over Bob Schaffer in another poll, this one from Quinnipiac University. Similar to the Rasmussen poll I discussed earlier this week, the Q-poll has Udall 48 – Schaffer 38, a 10-point spread. Oh, the independent numbers are mighty interesting: Udall 54 – Schaffer 27. Bob’s going to have to work much harder this year due to voters’ well documented shift from Republican to “Independent” and from “Independent” to Democrat.
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Here’s Governor Ritter’s planned activity for Tuesday:
Gov. Ritter will take part in a dedication ceremony for a new solar array at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale. The 150-kilowatt system sits on a half-acre of ranchland owned by the high school and is the largest solar electric installation in Western Colorado. It will power the school’s science building, and excess energy will be fed onto the town of Carbondale’s power grid. The voter-approved project is a joint venture that also includes the Aspen Ski Co., Community Office for Resource Efficiency, Town of Carbondale and Xcel Energy.
I’ve read plenty of disparaging comments on newspaper blogs that are trying to push the meme that Gov. Ritter’s New Energy Economy isn’t actually doing anything. This is but one example that demonstrates those comments are based solely on ideology and not on fact.
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The U.S. Drought Monitor has identified the panhandle of Oklahoma as being in “Exceptional Drought”, its most severe category. Neighboring areas in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas and Texas are classified as “Extreme Drought”. Locals who were around for the Dust Bowl in the 1930s say its drier now than it was then. The record speaks for itself: with less than an inch and a half of rain so far this year, the area is drier than the Sahara Desert. Under a new climatic regime, severe droughts are just as likely as severe flooding. Will conditions convince Oklahomans to rid themselves of the virulently anti-science Sen. Tom Coburn when his term is up?
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