WORC launches biodiesel bus tour

At their semi-annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, staff and board members of the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) toasted the launching of the Homegrown Prosperity – Renewable Energy Biodiesel Bus Tour.  Seven WCC staff members and two WCC Board members participated in the event.

The 12-week bus tour, which will include seven states in the Rocky Mountain West, aims to foster homegrown prosperity by developing alternatives to fossil fuel-based energy, including biofuels, renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and local foods production and capacity. In addition, the tour hopes to highlight the urgent need to address climate change and our current dependence on fossil fuels.

The Biodiesel Bus will make its first official stop in Colorado on August 1 when it visits the Garfield County Fair.  From there, the bus travels to the Olathe Sweet Corn Festival in Olathe on August 2, the Ridgway Farmers Market on August 3, and several events in Grand Junction on August 7-8.  Stay tuned for more details!

 

New WCC intern

Western Colorado Congress would like to welcome Shannon Robinson as our new intern.  Shannon comes to WCC from Mesa State College where she’s studying Business Administration and Marketing.  She’s been active on campus as Student Body President, WeCAN member, and a participant in several other student organizations.  Shannon brings a wealth of experience and energy to the Grand Junction team.  Shannon will focus on WCC’s civic engagement work, event planning and help to revitalize WCC’s student organization, WeCAN.

In her spare time, Shannon enjoys transforming frogs into Princes. She also enjoys spending time with her three kids.  Help us welcome Shannon to Western Colorado Congress!

 

Speaking up for wilderness in Washington II

Written Tuesday, May 20, 2008, by Monica Wiitanen.

First thing Monday (yesterday!) morning, we went to the Wayburn Wilderness House for our orientation. Tips on lobbying, packets of information to hand out, maps, and a schedule of our meetings during the three days on Capitol Hill were provided to us. With guidance from Steve Smith (The Wilderness Society) and Marcia Argust (Campaign for America’s Wilderness), plans were made to ensure that all the important points would be covered at each meeting.

By Tuesday afternoon, we’d med with staff of 7 Senators and 3 Representatives, Congresswoman DeGette, as well as with staff of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.  After introductions, at each of these meetings we talked about the proposed Dominguez Canyon Wilderness within the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area. We talked about why Dominguez is such a special place and deserves protection, showed the photographs we’d brought along, and asked if there were any quesitons.

Responses included interest, enthusiasm (certainly for the photos!), and some reservation–no apparent opposition.

We’ve heard that the bill is likely to be introduced by Senator Salazar on Thursday, and that there’s hope of it being added to a bundle of other public lands bills and moving right along in the process, and also that it’s late in the session and probably won’t get very far until the next session.

Optimists, pessimists, realists? Just getting the bill introduced will seem like a big step toward ensuring the enduring protection we have been working toward.

The hotel we’ve been staying in is close to Capitol Hill, so we’ve been able to walk to the Senate and House offices. Some streets radiate out from the Capitol and Union Station and others are laid out in a grid, so there are all manner of angles at intersections which can lead to confusion. Once inside security at a Senate or House office building, there are tunnels to get from one building to another and stairs and elevators, some modern and serviceable, others ornate and/or beautiful, for vertical movement.

Elevators service three categories: freight only, Senators only, and everybody else.  You can guess who uses the ornate elevators. In the basements are to be found, among other things, cafeterias and dining rooms, which serve huge numbers of people at every meal, every day. All the food looks good, that which I ate tasted good—it was impressive. I imagined truck after truck pulling up to the loading docks to deliver vast quantities of produce and meats for the cooks and kitchen help to transform into the food that fuels our government.

One of the cafeterias touts that it sources food from within 150 miles (when possible, I’m sure—I doubt the pineapple and melons were grown within that distance).

Tomorrow we have a few more meetings scheduled and then we head to the airport and home.

 

Speaking up for wilderness in Washington

See also Salazars introduce Dominguez-Escalante NCA!

   Getting up Monday morning at 4:15 A.M. to catch an early train from
Philadelphia to D.C., I wasn’t so sure this whole lobbying trip was such a
great idea.  But upon arriving at the Campaign for America’s Wilderness
office on Capitol Hill, I was quickly impressed by the organization and
professionalism that had been invested in planning our trip. 

    We spent two and one-half days walking the halls and tunnels (and in
blessed moments, the outside pathways) that form the labyrinth where our
Senators and Representatives have their dominion.  By the second day, I had
determined that yellow was the most inviting color for a Congressperson’s
reception area; I had also fallen in love with the very large cut-out cow
that resides in the office of one of the senators from Vermont.  And I had
been almost universally impressed with the openness, knowledgeability, and
even patience of the many Hill Staffers with whom we met.

    It was surprisingly easy to develop (and when appropriate, to modify)
our spiel.  It was an honor and pleasure to work with Monica and Tony, and
later with Bill, all of them are WCC Board members.  It was enlightening to
listen to, and take guidance from, Steve Smith from The Wilderness Society
and Marcia Argust from the Campaign for America’s Wilderness.  They taught
us how the pros engage with our representatives; and they educated us on
specifics of the Dominguez-Escalante legislation.  And it was truly a marvel
to see Andy in a pin-striped suit exercising phenomenal self-control while
we “citizen lobbyists” led the charge.

    Outside of our “work” day, Steve and Marcia treated us to a couple of
wonderful meals.  On a personal note, I had an opportunity on our last
evening to meet up with 9 co-workers from my Ralph Nader days. With one
exception, I hadn’t seen any of them in 37 years.  It was exciting to learn
that they are all still engaged in doing important, non-profit work.  In
fact, it was somewhat disconcerting to be the only retiree, sandwiching in
my labors of love on behalf of WCC and other organizations between hikes and
travels and pottery-making!

    So it is with much appreciation that I thank WCC and the sponsors of
this trip for giving me an opportunity to champion a cause in which I
believe so passionately. In the process, they afforded me the chance to go
back to D.C. and to learn more about the legislative experience and the
people who care enough to do good things in this world.  I hope our efforts
continue to bear fruit.

 

Drilling good for wildlife?

Please consider writing a letter-to-the-editor in response to the article in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, “Drilling good for wildlife? Commissioners Meis, Rowland believe drilling helps the herds“.  While the Sentinel published its own, spot-on editorial (Out of the mouths of commissioners) on Meis’ comments, we need to reinforce the fact that reclamation is not happening in the gas patch. 

You can send a letter to the Sentinel at letters@gjds.com. Be sure to include your name, city and phone number, and keep your comments to 350 words.

 

Buescher, Penry champion waste pit bill

As the last day of the Colorado legislature came to an end yesterday, Representative Bernie Buescher and Senator Josh Penry helped push through important legislation for Mesa County citizens.  House Bill 1414, increases protection for communities that are effected by evaporative waste pits. Waste pits are created by the oil and gas industry when they need to dispose of toxic waste generated by the production of natural gas. 

The increase in oil and gas production has effected towns like DeBeque – a small, economically depressed town on the edge of Mesa County.  DeBeque residents have lived with a large waste pit (Black Mountain) in their community for years.  When two proposals for additional waste facilities hit the drawing board in the last year, residents fought back and avoided having their close knit community become an industrial wasteland.

DeBeque has been targeted by the industry as a waste dump because of the easy interstate access the town provides.  DeBeque also sits in the middle of two Colorado Counties that are seeing increased production: Garfield County is the epicenter of western Colorado oil and gas activity.  With BLM lands being leased all over the County, including inside the town of Palisade and Grand Junction watersheds, Mesa County is sure to see more activity in the coming years.

Thanks to Representative Buescher and Senator Penry for their leadership on this important human health and environmental issue. 

 

Support Safer Gas Drilling!

Rapid and careless oil and gas development in Colorado is hurting wildlife, water quality and the health of people who live in the gas patch.  New draft rules would protect our environment and human health in new ways.  Government officials need to hear that we support the draft rules and want them to be even stronger. 

WCC and two of our member groups have filed for party-status for the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission’s (COGCC’s) rule-making hearing scheduled from June 23 – 27.  We will be represented by Western Resource Advocates and Earthjustice.  Being a party to the rulemaking gives us the legal right to present testimony and expert witnesses and cross-examine other witnesses. 

However, you — as an individual citizen — can submit your own comments on the draft rules.  Comments must be sent by May 29 to Dave Neslin, Acting Director, COGCC, 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801, Denver CO 80203 or to dnr.ogcc@state.co.us

 

 

WCC meets with Bernie Buescher… King a No-show

WCC members met with Bernie Buescher (D-House Dist 55) on Saturday to discuss the 2008 legislative year.  Oil and Gas ruling making, public lands protection, and water issues were among the topics discussed.  It’s too bad that Rep. Steve King (R-54) and Sen. Josh Penry (R-7) weren’t there. Both were invited to the meeting more than 5 weeks in advance – and both said they’d be there.  Mr. Penry’s staff called two weeks later and canceled after a few letters to the editor from WCC members were published – letters that didn’t exactly thank him for his efforts to back the oil and gas industry’s position on the rule making process.  We thank Senator Penry for calling to let us know that he wouldn’t be able to meet with our members – Mr. King on the other hand, was a no-call, no-show.

My first job in high school was in the service industry. I worked at a restaurant as a short-order cook and dishwasher.  Whenever someone did a ‘no-call, no-show’ they were fired – no questions asked.  If you didn’t have the courtesy to pick up the phone to let your co-workers know that they’d have to pick up the slack that day due to your absence, you were gone.  Apparently Mr. King doesn’t feel the need to give a courtesy call?

 

WCC members headed to Washington

We’re GOING TO WASHINGTON!  WCC staff (me!) is gearing up to take 4-5 WCC members to our nation’s capitol to rub elbows with our elected leaders.  A dream assignment that I’ve been waiting three years to organize.  We’ll partner with our Washington-based coalition partners – Campaign for America’s Wilderness (CAW) – a top-notch, non-profit that supports local efforts to protect America’s public lands.  In fact, WCC sponsored a visit from Doug Scott, a wilderness expert from CAW, in February.  Doug visited four western Colorado communities to get us pumped-up about Wilderness!  Doug is a walking Wilderness encyclopedia -  He can spit out historical Wilderness information faster than Google.

CAW lobbyist will give WCC members a  ‘lobbying 101′ session on Monday morning then cut us loose on Capitol Hill to make our case for the red rock beauty of western Colorado – Dominguez Canyons!

This Dominguez legislation is one of the biggest victories for WCC in my four-and-a-half year tenure.  I’m proud to be part of it and I’d like to give a special shout out to all those west slopers that have sat through all the meetings, scoping sessions, congressional staffer visits, press conferences and conference calls.  Even I wasn’t sure that this campaign was going to find it’s way to Washington – In the end, persistence and love of our public lands has prevailed.

Congratulations!

 

Dominguez North

US Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) is poised to introduce a bill to establish the Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area, protecting over 210,000 acres of public lands. Salazar has included over 12,500 acres known as Dominguez North Special Managment Area.  WCC and other conservation groups as well as 90 local businesses support the inclusion of this area in the bill. However, an off-highway vehicle group wants the area to remain open and is pressuring Salazar to remove it from the bill.

Salazar needs to hear from you! Send him an email or call his Grand Junction office at (970) 241-6631. Please mention some of the points below but,  if you’ve been there, also mention what you consider are the most valuable qualities of this area and your own personal experiences. Please use your own words.

• Dominguez North Special Management Area has the support of the broad local community along with support from the Colorado Mule Deer Association, the conservation community and 90 local businesses.
• Dominguez North deserves protection – approximately 70% of the land in Mesa County is federal land with very little (under 5%) protected from off-highway vehicle use.
• Dominguez North is important for wildlife habitat, cultural resources and quiet recreation.
• Mesa County has only one other Wilderness area on the west end of the County. Now is the time to protect these lands for future generations.
• Specifically mention Dominguez North Special Management Area — Keep this in the proposed legislation!