Testimony will be recorded and presented to BLM as part of the public record.  Here are some tips if you plan to make a statement in opposition to the lease sale:

• Sign up begins at 12:30 pm.
• Plan your statement so it fits in the 3 minute limit.
• Begin your statement with “I am here today to ask the BLM to remove the 22 parcels from the August oil and gas lease sale”.
• Make your most important points first in case you run out of time.
• Be as specific as possible about your concerns.  If you have personal knowledge of an area, be sure to mention it.

If you can’t attend the hearing, visit the BLM’s website to submit your comments before the Feb. 9 deadline.

The meeting is organized by Citizens for a Healthy Community.

Earlier this week, WCC members traveled to Denver to testify on Senate Bill 48, the Colorado Cottage Foods Act. Members from Mesa, Montrose and Delta Counties told the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources & Energy Committee that SB 48 would boost local economies by bolstering local foods systems and agri-tourism. The Bipartisan Bill passed out of Committee on a 5 to 1 vote.

Thanks for testimony in the committee hearing by WCC members Glenn Sommer, Claudette Konola, Marv Ballantyne and Monica Wiitanen.

Our team had clearly done some effective groundwork with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, local health departments, allies and opponents. We received excellent coaching from Director of Organizing Frank Smith and Lobbyists Chuck & Sol Malick.

Additional convincing testimony was delivered by representatives from the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, the San Luis Local Foods Coalition, Colorado Bee Keepers Association, Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers, San Luis Valley Early Childhood Council, and even the Colorado Farm Bureau.

And how could we not be thankful for the dedicated efforts of Senator Gail Schwartz and her staff for initiating the bill, balancing it for various interests, and skillfully shepherding it through the hearing? There may yet be some tweaking as to liability insurance requirements. We are optimistic the bill will pass the Senate.

Then it will move on to the house and House Sponsor Representative Don Coram. We will again need to provide supporting testimony in one or more House Committee hearings.

COLORADO COTTAGE FOODS ACT
Introduced to foster sales of value-added local foods directly to consumers, the Colorado Cottage Foods Act (SB-48) has bipartisan sponsorship. SB48 allows Non-hazardous, home processed foods that do not require refrigeration to be sold directly to consumers. Home processed goods would be sold at farm stands, farmers markets, and Community Supported Agriculture organizations. If passed, local producers would be able to sell:

• Spices, teas, dehydrated fruits &veggies, nuts, seeds
• Honey, jams, jellies, preserves, fruit butter
• Baked goods, including candies
• Farm Fresh eggs, if transported in accordance with applicable state rules.

How Much Can be Sold?

• The Cottage Foods Act won’t make people rich, but every penny helps in today’s economy.
• Home producers can earn $5,000 or less per year, per eligible product.
• Persons can sell 250 dozen farm fresh eggs per month to consumers.

What’s the Problem?

• Direct-to-consumer sale of home-processed food is illegal.
• Commercial kitchens are required for any food product intended for sale in Colorado.
• Small-scale producers can’t afford commercial kitchens.
• Producers lose potential profit, and consumers are left wanting local foods.

What are the Benefits?

• Nutrition! Fresh, local food is much more healthy than packaged, processed goods.
• Dollars! Producers could legally sell their homemade goods and make $5,000 per product.
• Local Prosperity! A dollar spent on local food stays in the community, it boosts agriculture and helps local families.

How You Can Help:

• Buy local!
• Talk with your State Senator [and later, your State Representative]!
• Tell your friends and local growers to support SB 48!

The forum is on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 pm in the Colorado Mesa University’s Ballroom. Featured speakers include Randy Udall [Energy analyst], Dr. Jeremy Boak [Colorado School of Mines] and Jim Spehar [former Mesa Co. Commissioner].

The forum is free and open to the public.  Sponsors include Mesa County Conservation Forum, Youth Policy Summit and the John McConnell Math & Science Center.

Business meeting

Luncheon

"Fishbowl" discussion

WCC members gathered at the Montrose Pavilion on Saturday, October 4 to celebrate our 28th Annual Meeting.  Highlights of the meeting included an open “fishbowl” discussion, musical entertainment from Gotta Be Girls of Montrose, and a keynote address from author David Sirota.

Even though recent headlines stated, “No Health Crisis in GarCo,” researcher Teresa Coons of the Grand Junction-based Saccomanno Research Institute noted there may be certain trends that warrant additional attention.   Other presenters repeatedly pointed to elevated background levels of benzene, a known carcinogen.  Benzene and other volatilized organic compounds (VOCs) escape into the atmosphere at all stages of natural gas development, said Dr. Russ Walker, professor of Environmental Sciences at Mesa State College.

According to the speakers, more data was needed to reach definitive conclusions about the health risks of living in Garfield County.   “Maybe we didn’t collect enough data,” said Jim Rada, Garfield County Environmental Health Specialist.  The researchers suggested more data collection and sample sites, different sampling techniques, and sampling at well pads during all stages of the drilling process.

Members of the audience, which included concerned citizens and energy company representatives, asked Dr. Russ Walker if he would live in a house that had a drilling rig installed nearby.  He responded by saying that it depends, but he’d “seriously consider moving” if the operators did not use “green completion” techniques.

Dr. Teresa Coons, researcher for the Saccomanno Institute, and Mayor Pro-Tem of Grand Junction, recently  explained her findings during an interview with Colorado Public Radio.

The report didn’t cost tax payers anything.  The study was funded by the fees collected from EnCana for their responsibility with the Divide Creek seep.

In an unusual case of allowing corporate giving to be guided by community input, the Denver store of outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia is asking area residents to select a local environmental organization to receive a $4,000 grant.  Consumers can cast their ballots in the Patagonia store from June 10 through July 19 in a “Voice Your Choice” campaign that marks the newest initiative in Patagonia’s well-known support of environmental causes.

Western Colorado Congress is one of five organizations on the ballot.  Our worthy competition includes Colorado Environmental Coalition, Colorado Wild, Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project, and the Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership. 

Consumers can cast one vote per store per visit.  No purchase is necessary.  The winner will be announced at a special Grants Reception in the store in early August.

Voice Your Choice is an extension o Patagonia’s corporate Environmental Grants Program, which has generated more than $31 million in grants since 1985 through a policy of giving 1% of annual sales to environmental organizations worldwide.

Patagonia has a long-standing commitment to environmental causes that extends far beyond its grants program.  The company uses 100% organic cotton for all Patagonia-branded apparel to avoid causing environmental damage from toxic chemicals used in growing conventional cotton.  It also has used fleece made from post-consumer recycled plastic soda bottles since 1993; recycles competitors’ garments as well as its own through a program that accepts worn-out fleece, organic cotton t-shirts and Capilene products for recycling into new fibers; is creating a national park in Chile; and encourages sustainability through a variety of other initiatives.

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!

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!

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.