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February 28, 2007
Lawmakers Say NO to Abstinence
February 28, 2007 5:29 PM
Abstinence only sex education programs would be banned under a new bill in the statehouse. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Sorry, no transcript available, listen here.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:29 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Education , Politics
Denver Is A Hub For Human Trafficking
February 28, 2007 5:26 PM
A new state report says Denver is a hub for human trafficking. The report identifies at least 25 victims in Colorado and says most of them were forced to work in the sex trade. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Sorry, no transcript, listen here
Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:26 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Crime , Immigration
Pueblo Woman Sells Baby, Human Trafficking #s Hard to Find
February 28, 2007 5:22 PM
A woman has been arrested in Pueblo for allegedly selling her baby. Newspapers are reporting that 23-year-old Nicole Uribe-Lopez was arrested Tuesday on charges of felony trafficking in children. Police say she sold her five-month old boy to Jose and Irene Lerma, ages 47 and 27 respectively. All three are now being held at the Pueblo county detention center.
To get some perspective on these kinds of crimes, we talked to Amanda Finger, who is the coordinator of the Polaris Project in Denver. The Polaris Project is a nationwide organization that focuses on human trafficking and tries to help victims of the crime. She says baby selling doesn’t seem to be common in Colorado.
FINGER: It’s not something that we typically see on a regular basis here in the US, let alone Colorado. So this is a fairly new case for the state, in terms of mobilizing the network to figure out how to address it.
KRCC NEWS DIRECTOR ERIC WHITNEY: But, Finger says, the state doesn’t have a good idea of how many people might be victims of human trafficking here, whether they’re infants being sold, agricultural workers being exploited, or people working in the sex trade.
FINGER: It is a significantly underreported crime and there’s still a lot of training that’s going on to be able to identify victims of trafficking.
WHITNEY: Three federal grants have been awarded to groups in Colorado, including the Polaris Project and the Salvation Army to help law enforcement officials and others learn to recognize victims of human trafficking, and where they can turn to help victims get help. But, Finger says, no one in the state has a budget to go out and look for victims before crimes are reported.
FINGER: There’s no funding for outreach services.
WHITNEY: Newspapers are reporting that all three people arrested in Pueblo this week are Mexican nationals, but that the child that was allegedly sold was born in Pueblo, and is therefore a U.S. citizen. Finger says that because human trafficking crimes very often involve people with illegal immigration status, there hasn’t been much in the way of services for U.S. citizens who are victims of trafficking crimes, but that’s changing.
FINGER: Most of the funding prior to 2006 was really focused on providing services to foreign nationals. So organizations and agencies are just now able to receive some funding, and in here in Colorado we’re still searching for that funding to be able to provide U.S. citizens who are victims of trafficking the services they need, too.
WHITNEY: Last year the Colorado launched a study of human trafficking in the state. It recommends creating a system to more accurately track victims of the crime, and increasing penalties for perpetrators. At present, human traffickers face 12 years in prison.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:22 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Immigration
February 27, 2007
Springs Culture Cast, Edition 2
February 27, 2007 1:04 PM
[From www.newspeakblog.com ] This week reporter Sue Spengler interviews and examines the work of Brooklyn-based artist Marina Zurkow. Her multimedia installation Nicking the Never can be seen at Colorado College's Coburn Gallery until April 12. [ WEBSITE ]
Read More -->
[From www.newspeakblog.com ] This week reporter Sue Spengler interviews and examines the work of Brooklyn-based artist Marina Zurkow. Her multimedia installation Nicking the Never can be seen at Colorado College's Coburn Gallery until April 12. [ WEBSITE ]
Posted by Delaney Utterback at 1:04 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Arts & Culture
February 26, 2007
Oil/Gas Reulators Too Industry-Friendly
February 26, 2007 4:25 PM
For years many land owners on the western slope have complained the commission that regulates energy development in Colorado is too industry friendly. Now the state is seeking to overhaul the commission and change how it regulates the oil and gas industry. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
Sorry, no transcript available.
http://www.capcov.org/cgi-bin/showpost.cgi?341
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SEN. SALAZAR SKEPTICAL OF SUPERMAX SECURITY
February 26, 2007 4:22 PM
Last week Democratic Senator Ken Salazar stood shoulder to shoulder with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, assuring the public that Supermax prison in Florence is safe. But, in a swing through Colorado Springs Saturday, Salazar was more skeptical of improvements that have been made to the prison since last fall.
Read More -->SALAZAR: Im not convinced at this point in time that weve provided adequate security there at Supermax.
WHITNEY: Last fall investigations revealed that prisoners have been able to have unmonitored communications with the outside world, and that the facility was dangerously understaffed. Last week Gonzales says those problems have been fixed. But Salazar sounds skeptical, and still wants a perimeter fence built around Supermax.
SALAZAR: The issues that have been raised are still on the table. I think there have been some steps taken to enhance security, including the additional guards that have been assigned into Supermax, but I think there are probably additional steps that need to be taken.
WHITNEY: Salazar spent about an hour touring Supermax with Attorney General Gonzales and others last week. He says he could use outside help in determining if security has really improved.
SALAZAR: What the wardens will tell us is one thing, but I think when you have a third party independent review of the security issues it will give us a much greater level of comfort that we have the right security there.
WHITNEY: The union that represents correctional officers at Supermax and many other federal prisons in Colorado and across the country says Gonzales visit to Supermax was mostly for show. It says that nationwide federal prisons are dangerously understaffed and that this week hundreds of its members will be in Washington lobbying for more guards.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 4:22 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to
SALAZAR: TOO EARLY TO CONDEMN PINON CANYON EXPANSION.
February 26, 2007 4:14 PM
Democratic Senator Ken Salzar was in Colorado Springs Saturday. He spent much of the morning meeting with officials at Ft. Carson, to talk over the bases expansion, both in Colorado Springs and at Pinon Canyon between La Junta and Trinidad.
Salazar said he thinks the city and Army post are making good progress in addressing growth issues like transportation and schools, and that hes hearing a lot from constituents about Pinon Canyon.
SALAZAR: There have been many people who have asked me to do everything I can to kill Pinon Canyon, and as a senator there are ways in which a senator can stop or to at least prevent an expansion at Pinon Canyon from happening for a very long time.
WHITNEY: Salazar says hes not ready to do that, yet.
SALAZAR: We need to wait to see what proposal it is that the Army comes up with.
WHITNEY: Earlier this month Ft. Carson got the OK from the Army to begin pursing acquisition of 417,000 acres of land in southeastern Colorado to expand its Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site. Many landowners in the area are vehemently opposed to selling their land, or having it condemned by the Army. Salazar says he hopes outright land sales may not be necessary, and that traditional uses for the land may be able to continue.
SALAZAR: It may be that with the acquisition of the lands that the Army is talking about, grazing and other rights will in fact be protected.
WHITNEY: Until a specific plan for acquisition and use for Pinon Canyon is released, Salazar is advising opponents to, quote, keep their powder dry.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 4:14 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to
February 23, 2007
Oil Shale: Just Hype?
February 23, 2007 4:24 PM
WHITNEY: Colorado is already one of the top energy-producing states in the nation.
We rank sixth in production of natural gas, and 11th in terms of oil. There is also
a vast deposit of oil shale in the state, which some say will one day yield vast
amounts of fossil fuel.
But energy production comes at a price. We have two reports from Kirk Siegler at
Aspen Public Radio, which tracks energy issues closely. In the first, Kirk talks
to a group of environmentalists and sportsmen who are urging Congress to pass special legislation to protect a cherished piece of wildlife habitat in Western Colorado
known as the Roan Plateau.
[ LISTEN ]
WHITNEY: In his second piece, Kirk Siegler interviews Randy Udall, head of a renewable energy advocacy group based in Carbondale. It’s called the Community Office of Resource Efficiency, and it’s a vocal critic of the hype being generated about oil shale in Colorado. Oil shale is a type of rock that contains petroleum, and for decades energy companies have been trying to figure out ways to get the oil out efficiently and profitably. Lately there’s been renewed interest in oil shale, but Udall tells Siegler he doesn’t think the state can take any of it to the bank.
[ LISTEN ]
Posted by Eric Whitney at 4:24 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Energy , Environment , Politics
February 22, 2007
Perlmutter Stumps for Mental Health Insurance Parity
February 22, 2007 6:12 PM
Millions of Americans suffer from temporary depression and drug and alcohol addictions, but many health insurance plans don’t cover those problems. The federal and state government have bills aimed at expanding health care coverage to include more mental disorders, but some in the business community say the legislation would drive up health insurance costs and make plans too expensive. Colorado’s newest Congressman Ed Perlmutter, a Democrat from the 7th congressional district held a field hearing in Aurora to examine the problem. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
No transcript available, listen here.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 6:12 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business , Capitol Coverage
Springs Soldier Gets 7 Months for Being AWOL
February 22, 2007 5:51 PM
A soldier from Colorado Springs was sentenced to seven months in prison today for deserting his unit as it prepared to deploy to Iraq for a second time.
Read More -->Twenty-three year old Specialist Mark Wilkerson, a graduate of Widefield High School pleaded guilty to desertion and missing troop movement in Ft. Hood Texas today. He sentence was part of a plea bargain. Wilkerson will be kicked out of the army with a bad conduct discharge and have his rank reduced to E-1, and will forfeit some of his pay.
A Widefield High graduate was sentenced today to seven months in prison for going AWOL as his unit readied to head to Iraq for a second time.
Spc. Mark Wilkerson, 23, pleaded guilty to desertion and missing troop movement in a courtroom in Fort Hood, Texas, as part of a plea agreement.
The judge ordered forfeiture of all of Wilkerson’s pay and allowances and reduced his rank to E1, or private. He also will be given a bad-conduct discharge.
Wilkerson says he quit the army without permission after being denied conscientious objector status. He was absent without leave for a year and a half before turning himself in last August, saying he was tired of being on the run.
Wilkerson joined the army at age 17 and took park in the March, 2003 invasion of Iraq, but later became disillusioned about the war.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:51 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Military , Politics
Animal Cruelty Reports Up Sharply In El Paso County
February 22, 2007 5:49 PM
El Paso county saw a 75 percent jump in animal cruelty cases last year. That according to Sheriff Terry Maketa.
And 2007 is getting off to a bad start, as earlier this week the Sheriff’s office seized 26 animals from a property in Black Forest after neighbors reported dead and dying animals. On Tuesday members of the Sheriff’s office, with help from the Humane Soceity of the Pikes Peak Region and the State Brand Inspector served a search warrant on a property on Volmer road, where they found at least 11 dead animals. They seized five horses, six llamas, six goats, a sheep, a dog and two hens from the property. The sheriff’s office did not identify the property owner, but said possible animal cruelty charges are pending.
The Sheriff’s office is also asking for help from people who might be able to provide care and sheltering for animals seized in such incidents. They’re asked to contact the sheriff’s office and ask to be put on the animal aid help list.
The Sheriff’s office says the number of cases of animal cruelty being reported probably has to do with population growth on Colorado Springs’ east side. People living closer together, a press release says, are more likely to notice the condition of their neighbors’ animals, and recent publicity about animal cruelty cases have raised awareness among the public.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:49 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Crime , Environment
Ira Glass talks to KRCC's Noel Black
February 22, 2007 5:32 PM
[ LISTEN ]
Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:32 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Arts & Culture
Energy Taxes For Colorado Schools?
February 22, 2007 11:16 AM
Lawmakers this week are considering a number of proposals aimed at mitigating the impacts of widespread oil and gas development in Colorado. The House Finance Committee unanimously passed a proposal that would use industry taxes to fund energy efficiency programs in public schools. It’s part of a plan to make sure Colorado gets its fair share of money from the state’s energy boom. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver
(No transcript available, listen here)
Posted by Eric Whitney at 11:16 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Education , Energy
Bill Would Protect Wildlife From Energy Extraction
February 22, 2007 11:13 AM
A new bill aims to make sure the state’s booming energy industry doesn’t harm wildlife. Currently Colorado can issue oil and gas drilling permits without consulting wildlife experts, but a bill from a rookie lawmaker would change that. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
(No transcript available for this story, listen here)
Posted by Eric Whitney at 11:13 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Energy , Environment
Gonzales: Supermax safe. Union: Skeptical.
February 22, 2007 11:08 AM
Supermax is safe and security is getting better. That’s the message from U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who visited the federal lockup in Fremont County Wednesday, Feb. 21. But a guard’s union says fixes are just masking a bigger nationwide problem.
[ LISTEN ]
KRCC NEWS DIRECTOR ERIC WHITNEY: Supermax is home to some of the worst of the worst in the nation. Like Ted Kaczynski, and al-Qaida conspirator Zacharias Moussaoui.
Last year the union for the officers that guards them charged that staffing cuts had rendered the facility dangerous. A federal arbitrator agreed. This came at the same time that separate federal investigations found convicted terrorists and gang leaders whose phone calls and mail went unscreened.
Attorney General Gonzales was pressured by Colorado’s Senators to act. His hour-long visit to Supermax was more symbolic than an inspection. But he said he could tell that the 30 new officers the facility hired were helping.
GONZALES: We learned that there have been steps taken, there has been additional staffing.
WHITNEY: But John Gauge, president of the National Federation of Government Employees, who represents correctional officers, says Gonzales’ actions are only putting a bright façade on an agency reeling from staff cuts across the country.
GAUGE: We want really a comprehensive look at the Bureau of Prisons and what’s going on there.
WHITNEY: Colorado’s senators, who accompanied Gonzales on the tour said they’re satisfied with security improvements for the most part, but will follow up with hearings in the future. Improvements included hiring more translators, but Gonzales says more are still needed.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 11:08 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Crime , Politics , Prisons
February 21, 2007
Springs Culture Cast Debuts
February 21, 2007 5:11 AM
More at: www.springsculturecast.com
Posted by Delaney Utterback at 5:11 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Arts & Culture , Colorado
February 20, 2007
State Addresses Taxi-Limo Rift
February 20, 2007 5:33 PM
Sorry, no transcipt available:
Listen to the story here.
http://www.capcov.org/cgi-bin/showpost.cgi?337
Posted by Matthias Barker at 5:33 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Business , Capitol Coverage , Transportation
Attorney General Gonzales to Visit Supermax
February 20, 2007 5:29 PM
WHITNEY: U.S. Attorney Alberto Gonzales will visit the Supermax prison in Florence tomorrow. Supermax came under fire last fall when federal investigations found that convicted terrorists and gang leaders were able to communicate with associates outside the bars, and even run criminal operations from inside the facility.
Part of the reason for the security breaches was understaffing. So said the union that represents correctional officers at Supermax. And last fall a federal arbitrator agreed. The result has been 30 new staffers being added to Supermax. Union representative Mike Schnobrich, who works at the facility, says thats a good start.
[ LISTEN ]
Read More -->SCHNOBRICH: I think its much better than it was a few months ago. I think at this point in time were getting pretty well staffed. 07
WHITNEY: But, Schnobrich says, many of the new employees at Supermax were brought in from the federal penitentiary next door.
SCHNOBRICH: and one of the concerns the union has at this point in time is that, those facilities are now becoming quite problematic in their staffing, in terms of being able to maintain the security and safety of the institution. 12
WHITNEY: Schnobrich says he believes that problems at Supermax had a lot to do with the federal Bureau of Prisons being able to get its budget increased by half a billion dollars in Fiscal Year 2007. But he says it remains to be seen how much of that money will be allocated to adequately staffing federal prisons in Colorado and across the country.
Attorney General Gonzales is expected to spend about an hour at Supermax tomorrow. He will be joined on the tour by Colorado Senators Allard and Salazar, as well as Congressman Doug Lamborn and representatives of the federal prison workers union.
Posted by Matthias Barker at 5:29 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Crime , Politics , Prisons
February 15, 2007
Colorado Finds Anti-Immigration Law Costly
February 15, 2007 12:07 PM
WHITNEY: Seven months ago Colorado passed one of the toughest sets of anti-immigration laws in the country. Now, heads of state agencies report that illegal immigrants really didn’t use state services, and that the new laws cost more to implement than they save. We have this story by Jeff Brady, which originally aired on the NPR news program “Day to Day.”
Sorry, no transcript available.
Listen here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7382343
Posted by Eric Whitney at 12:07 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Immigration
February 14, 2007
Army OK's Pinon Canyon Land Acquisition
February 14, 2007 11:22 AM
KRCC NEWS DIRECTOR ERIC WHITNEY: The Department of Defense has given Ft. Carson the go-ahead to pursue expansion of it’s Pinon Canyon maneuver site located between Trinidad and La Junta.
Read More -->WHITNEY: Base officials announced a desire to grow the Pinon Canyon site last year. It currently stretches across nearly 370 square miles of prairies and canyons in southeastern Colorado. Ft. Carson wants to add another 650 square miles to train with new technology, and to handle the training needs of thousands of additional soldiers in coming years.
ROBERTSON: We understand that it’s not necessary and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
WHITNEY: That’s Lon Robertson, a rancher and business owner in the tiny town of Kim. Robertson is a leader of the Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition. The coalition has been frustrated that the Army hasn’t given many details of its plan for expansion. Robertson says that, although his group is disappointed that Ft. Carson got the go-ahead, the decision should at least result in more information.
ROBERTSON: This is the reason that they said they can’t give us any specifics, and that’s also been the reason that legislators couldn’t give us any direction on what their support or non-support if it were, is to be.
WHITNEY: Both of Colorado’s Senators have said they’ll only support expansion if the Army gets all the land it wants from willing sellers. The Army has the right to use eminent domain powers to condemn land and force owners to sell. It has said it would prefer not to condemn land, but reserves the right to do so if necessary.
Speaking to reporters this morning, Democratic Senator Ken Salazar says he won’t pass judgment on expansion plans until he sees exactly what they are, but that it’s important that area landowners and surrounding towns are protected.
SALAZAR: I don’t want southeastern Colorado to get another kick in the teeth, and we’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.
WHITNEY: Both Salazar and Republican Senator Wayne Allard met with Army undersecretary Kieth Eastin yesterday about the expansion plan.
When the Army created the original Pinon Canyon maneuver site in the 1980s it said local economies would benefit from so-called Payments in Lieu of Taxes or “PILT” money. That’s money the federal government pays when private land is taken off of local tax rolls. Senator Salazar says PILT payments won’t be enough this time.
SALAZAR: That’s very insignificant relative to the economic impact it would have on those counties and those communities. I told Secretary Eastin that I thought it was insufficient, and if they did decide to move forward with this acquisition, that the acquisition plan itself should include significant economic incentives for southeastern Colorado to be able to thrive and prosper.
WHITNEY: Salazar said Undersecretary Eastin was open to that idea.
But Ft. Carson is a long way from starting to make offers on land. That won’t happen for a few years, if at all. The next step is for the Army to conduct an environmental impact study and write a formal environmental impact statement. That statement will propose a number of alternatives, including taking no action. If expansion is approved, Congress must then appropriate money for the land purchase, which is sure to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Opponents of expansion, many of them the same ranchers reeling from the impacts of the historic December blizzards that killed thousands of cattle, say they think they stand a good chance of turning the Army back. Lon Robertson:
ROBERTSON: A big reason is because we have so much support. Anybody that finds out about it is against it. If you’re not military or a military contractor, you’re against it. And I think that’s the majority of the population of the United States.
WHITNEY: Ft. Carson officials disagree. In an interview with KRCC last fall, their Pinon Canyon Coordinator Karen Edge said expanding Pinon Canyon is of interest to all Americans.
EDGE: We are responsible for training soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines. If training those soldiers here who are going to war and fighting the battle in Iraq and in countries away from America to keep that war from coming to us is not vital to national security, I don't know what else is.
WHITNEY: Late this afternoon Governor Bill Ritter said he’s aware “how concerning the Army’s expansion plans are to the farming and ranching communities in southeast Colorado,” he says he shares those concerns and talked them over with Ft. Carson Commander General Robert Mixon today. Ritter says “the process must be open, transparent and inclusive.
With local news on KRCC, I’m Eric Whitney.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 11:22 AM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Environment , Ft. Carson , Politics
February 13, 2007
Ft. Carson Shows Off New Mental Health Training
February 13, 2007 5:18 PM
KRCC NEWS DIRECTOR ERIC WHITNEY: Last Thursday 24-year-old Jessica Rich, an Iraq war veteran, was killed in a car accident she caused while driving drunk on Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs. Press accounts say Rich was struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, related to her experience in a combat zone.
[ LISTEN ]
Officials at Ft. Carson discourage people from coming to conclusions about how the Army does in helping soldiers with mental health issues based on isolated incidents like this one. They say that the vast majority of soldiers who face PTSD are seen quickly, and that most recover fully.
Today, commanders invited the media to sit in on a new training class that is now mandatory for all leaders at Ft. Carson. It’s aim is help leaders identify soldiers who might need mental health counseling, and to make sure they know how to help those soldiers get help. Everyone from the rank of sergeant on up to the highest-ranking officers have to take the training.
SOUND: Training lecture
WHITNEY: The class is taught by Col. Steve Knorr, the psychiatrist who is in charge of mental health treatment at Ft. Carson’s hospital. He says it’s important that non-commissioned officers, or NCOs, understand when the soldiers serving under them need help.
KNORR: Because we realize, at Ft. Carson, and the leadership realizes, that we want our NCOs and our soldiers to be aware of PTSD, to recognize the signs and decrease the stigma as much as possible. So this is educating them, and getting them smart, and making sure they know that the important thing is getting soldiers into treatment.
WHITNEY: Stigma is a big barrier to people at Ft. Carson admitting they need help, but, commanders say that’s true outside the military, too. A lot of the class dealt with reducing stigma – letting leaders know that it’s normal for 10% to 20% of soldiers who come back from combat to have symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or other mental health problems. Dr. Knorr said that if those symptoms are addressed early, especially when soldiers are close to the front lines, some 96% of sufferers can be returned to mission-ready status quickly. Those numbers drop to about two-thirds if a soldier is seen at a combat hospital, and lower if they’re treated at facilities elsewhere.
Dr. Knorr says the Army and Ft. Carson have made great strides in reducing stigma. Evidence, he says, is the number of soldiers now being treated for mental health problems at Ft. Carson’s hospital.
KNORR: Sixteen-hundred to 1,700 patient visits are being seen in psychiatry and psychology alone every month. So I think that speaks volumes for how much the leadership is doing to decrease stigma and making sure soldiers get in for the treatment and care they need.
WHITNEY: The new training on recognizing and treating PTSD and other mental health problems was made mandatory two months ago. That’s about the same time that Senators Barak Obama and Barba Boxer asked for an investigation into the treatment of soldiers at Ft. Carson who have PTSD.
Ft. Carson also received a visit in January from a separate Pentagon special task force on mental health. That group visited 31 military installations worldwide and is expected to release its findings in May.
Meanwhile, Col. Knorr says, he expects there to continue to be a need for psychiatric services in the Army.
KNORR: I would say that as the war continues, and if the current frequency of deployments continues, we’ll remain busy.
WHITNEY: Last year 590 Ft. Carson soldiers were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post officials say nearly all of them were successfully treated and returned to duty.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 5:18 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Ft. Carson
February 12, 2007
A Day In The Life of A Freshman State Legislator
February 12, 2007 6:11 PM
During Colorado’s four-month legislative session, lawmakers will hold hearings on about 700 bills. They’ll debate for hundreds of hours and log many late nights. It’s a demanding schedule even for legislators who’ve done it before, but for freshmen, it’s even tougher. Bente Birkeland got a taste of the challenges first-year senators face by tagging along for a day with Gail Schwartz, a Democrat who represents much of central Colorado.
LISTEN:
http://www.capcov.org/cgi-bin/showpost.cgi?332
BENTE: It’s a typical morning for Democratic State Senator Gail Schwartz and she doesn’t have a minute to spare. After eating breakfast with a constituent from Alamosa she walks briskly to the senate chamber just before the session starts at 9:00.
SCHWARTZ: Right on time....- Good morning. Good morning. Senator, how are you?
BENTE: Schwartz steps inside and takes her seat. Her desk sits on the left side of the chamber in the third row. She stores bills in a filing cabinet underneath her desk. The senate clerks organize it.
SCHWARTZ: They come through every day and they add to these bill files, any amendments, any updated documentation because the bills move through pretty quickly. So to keep track of amendments or committee reports and fiscal notes, all that is the stuff. I think a freshman legislator has the hardest time keeping tabs.
BENTE: Schwartz says trying to understand all the issues is another big challenge. She brings bills home every night and says she tries to read every one that’s introduced, that’s about 700 bills.
SCHWARTZ: I thought I might have more time during the course of the day to actually sit down for doing work. I am a little bit surprised how literally every minute every time you’re walking from one room to another there is someone wanting to talk to you about a pending bill, a pending issue or setting up appointments. This is a pretty involved process.
SCHREIBER: Senator Schwartz’s office this is Sarah....
BENTE: Schwartz shares an office on the third floor with a Democratic senator from Arvada. A makeshift wall separates the two areas.
SCHREIBER: It’s kind of like working out of a dorm room.
BENTE: That’s Sarah Schreiber, Schwartz’s legislative aide.
SCHREIBER: It’s aesthetically pleasing but it’s a small space to move around in and we’ve got a lot crammed in here.
BENTE: The office has one large window overlooking the capitol grounds and one large desk, that’s where Schreiber sits.
SCHREIBER: Just to let you know Melanie Mills called and she’s not going to be able to come visit us but I talked to Carry, the other person we were discussing
BENTE: Schwartz usually has a line of lobbyists waiting to talk to her between hearings and appointments. On this particular day, Schwartz sat through two committee hearings, went to a presentation on preserving historic places and talked to lobbyists about renewable energy and affordable housing. She did a newspaper interview and set up people to testify for one of her bills. But there’s one thing she didn’t do.
SCHWARTZ: Oh, eating (laughs) I forgot about that. No, I did come back. I had a little yogurt.
BENTE: Schwartz wraps up the day a little after six, the earliest she says she’s ever left.
SCHWARTZ: There’s nothing about the day that I don’t thoroughly enjoy. And the only maybe frustrating part would be having enough time to sit down and obviously listen to the issues you’re not just trying to absorb an issue in two minutes walking up a staircase. I know some days are going to be tougher than others and it’s not a predicable process but I know I will hit my stride and be able to make sure my workload will stay contained to the week. I’m grateful to know I’m going to be here four more years and hopefully will carry on for another term.
BENTE: Twenty-six new lawmakers are facing similar challenges. Each has to attend a month long training session and some lawmakers such as Schwartz have mentors to help them navigate the process. I’m Bente Birkeland in Denver.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 6:11 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Politics
Feds Deny SE Colo Ranchers Disaster Aid
February 12, 2007 12:54 PM
KRCC NEWS DIRECTOR ERIC WHITNEY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has denied Governor Ritter’s request for disaster assistance for ranchers in southeastern Colorado. Ritter had asked federal agency for crop-disaster declarations for ten counties after a series of blizzards in December left an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 cattle dead. But in a letter made public today, the federal agency says it didn’t find losses sufficient to meet their criteria for a disaster declaration. Ranchers in the area say they find that hard to believe.
ROBERTSON: I don’t know what constitutes a disaster if this doesn’t.
WHITNEY: Lon Robertson raises cows in Las Animas County, one of the counties denied crop-loss assistance. He says that in addition to the cows that were killed, those that survived are struggling because the pastures they normally graze this time of year are still covered with snow. That means ranchers have to buy lots of extra feed.
ROBERTSON: we’re probably going to use 5- to even 10-times as much hay as we normally do.
WHITNEY: With hay prices having doubled and tripled since December, continuing to feed cows has become a losing proposition for many ranchers. And, Robertson says, the cattle market is so soft, and transportation so difficult, that even selling their cows is no longer an option.
ROBERTSON: There’s no place to ship ‘em to. So you’re darned if you do, darned if you don’t, you have to just go ahead and feed ‘em and hopefully find enough feed to get us through.
WHITNEY: Governor Ritter says he’s disappointed, and that the Department of Agriculture based its denial on criteria that’s nearly impossible to meet. According to Ritter, the federal agency won’t declare a disaster in cases like this unless it finds a 30 percent loss in production. Evan Dreyer is a spokesman for the governor:
DREYER: we don’t know yet if we’ve lost 30% of our cattle, we probably haven’t. But we may lose 30% of our calfs (sic) once calving season gets fully underway.
WHITNEY: Dreyer says the governor’s office may re-submit its request for disaster relief once more is known about the total losses in southeastern Colorado. The governor also asked Colorado’s congressional delegation for disaster relief independent of the Department of Agriculture.
The 10 counties denied the disaster declarations are Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Crowley, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Lincoln, Otero and Prowers.
Posted by Eric Whitney at 12:54 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Politics
February 9, 2007
The Conservation Paradox: An Interview with High Country News Publisher Paul Larmer
February 9, 2007 5:48 PM
[ LISTEN ]
Every couple of weeks on KRCC News, we hear from the editors at High Country News, the Paonia, Colorado-based magazine that covers Western natural resource issues.
This time, we hear about their latest cover story, the Conservation Paradox. It seems that efforts to conserve water in the Colorado river, might actually having a negative impact downstream in Mexico. Kirk Siegler, news director at KAJX in Aspen, talks the issue over with High Country News Editor Paul Larmer. Larmer explains the unintended consequences of making more efficient use of the Colorado River.
Posted by Matthias Barker at 5:48 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado
Forest Service Sets New Public Input Dates for Forest Plan
February 9, 2007 5:44 PM
People in the Colorado Springs area will get another chance to weigh in on the new master plan for the Pike San Isabel National Forest. A meeting two weeks ago in Black Forest saw more than 50 people turned away due to insufficient space.
The new meeting is set for Tuesday, March 6th at the Doubletree Inn, World Arena on Cheyenne Boulevard. (Schedule for other area meetings is below).
The Forest Service is asking for public input on the plan that will guide activities on the Pike-San Isabel for the next 10 to 15 years. The forest stretches from Trinidad to just south of Denver, and from Colorado Springs to west of Salida. This is one of the first Forest Plans in the nation to be written under controversial new rules that allow the agency to skip performing an environmental impact statement as part of the plan. The Forest Service says the new process is more efficient and will save time, critics are already suing over the rules.
There are three other public input session on the plan scheduled for this month. One will be held in Westcliffe on February 14th, Pueblo on the 15th and in Fairplay on February 22nd. The most up to date information on meeting dates, times and locations can be found on the Pike-San Isabel pages of the U.S. Forest Service web page.
Westcliffe, CO: 2/14/07; 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.; Rancher’s Roost
Café & Bowling Alley, 25 Main St.
Pueblo, CO: 2/15/07; 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.; El Pueblo Museum,
301 N. Union Ave.
Fairplay, CO: 2/22/07; 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.; Alma Town Hall, 59
E. Buckskin Rd. (Alma)
Colorado Springs, CO: 3/06/07; 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.; Double-
tree Hotel—World Arena, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd.
Click Here to go to the U.S Forest Service web page:
Posted by Matthias Barker at 5:44 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Environment
Energy Lobby Split On New Excise Tax Bill
February 9, 2007 5:40 PM
Last year the state issued a record number of oil and gas drilling permits. But there are concerns Colorado is missing out on tax revenues from the energy boom. A new bill aims to increase transparency in the industry. But as Bente Birkeland reports, two of the states Oil and Gas Industry lobbying groups are on opposite sides of the legislation.
Listen to this story here:
http://www.capcov.org/cgi-bin/showpost.cgi?330
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Gov. Ritter Issues Controversial Labor Bill
February 9, 2007 5:13 PM
http://www.capcov.org/cgi-bin/showpost.cgi?331
Governor Bill Ritter vetoed a bill that would make it easier for unions to organize. Ritter says
he agrees with the legislation but opposes the cynical partisan debate that surrounded it. He called was over-heated politics at its worst. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
BENTE: The Business community said the bill would cripple economic development and accused Democrats of fast-tracking the legislation and leaving them out of
discussions. Governor Ritter says Democrats didnt fast-track the bill, but he says the two
groups should have tried to reach a compromise.
RITTER: Were going to do business differently, and were going to do all we can when there are communities of interest that have different sentiments about a public policy we want to do all we can to search for the common good.
BENTE: At present in Colorado it takes two votes in order for unions to create so-called closed shops. Thats where all employees in a workplace must join a union or at least pay dues in exchange for the union negotiating collective contracts.
The bill Ritter vetoed would have required only one vote.
Republicans opposed the bill. Representative David Balmer is the assistant minority leader.
BALMER: Governor Ritter campaigned as a
moderate and in his first test he came down on the
right side. Were very excited that hes listened to
our arguments on this bill.
BENTE: The Governor says he doesnt agree with
Republicans or the tactics they used to try and block
the bill. Ritter says he supports the bill and would
consider signing it, but that doing so now would
send the wrong message to the state.
RITTER: There were just concerns expressed again and again about how debates seem to get so polarized and deeply divided and that communities of interest dont inform each other about how things are going to move forward.
BENTE: Democratic state Representative Michael Garcia from Aurora sponsored the bill. He says he understands the governors reasons for vetoing it, but he's disappointed.
GARCIA: At the end of the day, this is where it is. I dont know if any further discussion would have changed anyones mind. I don't think it would have.
BENTE: Garcia says he will not introduce the bill again.
GARCIA: I wouldve never introduced this bill had I known the uproar it would cause.
BENTE: The Governor sent the bill back to the House. Democratic leaders were tight lipped and would not say whether a different legislator will introduce the bill at a later date.
Posted by Matthias Barker at 5:13 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Politics
February 8, 2007
Greasing the Wheels for New Electrical Transmission Lines
February 8, 2007 5:26 PM
Listen to this story here: http://capcov.org/cgi-bin/showpost.cgi?329
Utility companies in the state say Colorado needs to spend billions on new electric transmission lines to keep up with the states growing energy needs, and new renewable sources of energy. Bente Birkeland reports.
BENTE: Transmission lines can cost up to $1 million per mile to build, and some lines need to be nearly 80 miles long.
CONNOLLY: Its a nationwide problem in trying to attract capitol into transmission.
BENTE: Thats Paula Connolly, an attorney with Xcel energy. The company supplies electricity to about 70% of the state. Under the current system, Xcel cannot recoup the money it invests to build transmission lines until a project is finished. That can take more than a decade. Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, a Democrat, says waiting that long drives up costs. Her bill would let companies recoup their money before a project is complete.
FITZGERALD: To use todays dollars to save the money and not have a big spike in the cost at the end of the building of the lines. Its going to go along gradually.
BENTE: Fitz-Gerald says cheaper transmission lines will lead to more transmission lines. She says building more transmission lines is critical, especially when it comes to transporting wind power from rural to urban areas.
FITZGERALD: Even if we did it just the way were doing it today Colorado is a growing state. It has growing demands. We know we have rural areas that have no way of having any improvement in heir rural economy unless they have delivery of more power. We also have the issue of wanting to diversify our energy package and having these lines go to sources that are not the traditional sources of generation.
BENTE: Transmission lines are just one part of the Democrats energy package. They also want to double the states renewable energy requirements. Utility companies would be required to get 20% of their energy from renewable sources by the year 2020. Democratic Senator Chris Romer from Denver says that wont happen unless new transmission lines are built.
ROMER: What I hear again and again and again is you cant even get in the queue for the turbines unless you basically have the infrastructure so we are at tremendous disadvantage we cant get our selves in a position when we are even on the playing field.
BENTE: Some lawmakers worry that building transmission lines first could leave the state with lines to no-where, if wind farm projects fall through. But Sandra Johnson with Xcel energy says that wont happen.
JOHNSON: Were not talking about building speculative transmission. Weve already identified constraints on the system today. We have wind generation on our system today that weve located in areas where we conventional generation but both cannot operate at the same time. This is not just build it they will come, its build to areas we already know are constrained.
BENTE: The bill passed unanimously and now heads to the senate floor for final approval.
Posted by Matthias Barker at 5:26 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Capitol Coverage , Colorado , Energy , Politics
Ari Zavaras Takes the Reins at Department of Corrections, Again.
February 8, 2007 5:22 PM
Sorry, no transcript available for this story. Listen to it here:
[ LISTEN ]
Posted by Matthias Barker at 5:22 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Crime , Politics , Prisons
Abolish the Death Penalty in Colorado?
February 8, 2007 5:19 PM
KRCC NEWS, Thursday, February 8, 2007
Listen to this story here: http://capcov.org/cgi-bin/showpost.cgi?328
Louisville Democrat Paul Weissman wants to take the money the state currently spends pursuing death penalty cases and use it to fund cold case investigations into Colorados 1,200 unsolved homicides. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
BENTE: The bill would use the money spent on death penalty cases to set up a seven member statewide cold case unit. Democratic Representative Paul Weissmann from Louisville is the bills sponsor.
WEISSMAN: To me its such an amazing thing that theres 1,200 unsolved homicides in this state. From a public safety standpoint that means theres close to 1,200 murderers walking our streets.
BENTE: Currently two people in Colorado sit on death row, and Weissmann says under bill theyd stay there. And Even though Weissmann says he opposes the death penalty, he says thats not what the bill is really about.
WEISSMAN: You could debate the moral issues forever and never resolve it. Does an eye for an eye trump though shalt not kill? I dont know and I dont think Ill ever know that answer. But the economics are cut and dry.
BENTE: Wiessman says the state will save $750,000 by not continuing to pursue death penalty cases. Most of that money would go towards the cold case units. But opponents of the bill say the death penalty is a necessary form of punishment. They also say diverting money from death penalty cases is a bad funding mechanism. Democrats and one Republican voted for the bill. It now heads to an appropriations committee.
JOHNSON: Were not talking about building speculative transmission. Weve already identified constraints on the system today. We have wind generation on our system today that weve located in areas where we conventional generation but both cannot operate at the same time. This is not just build it they will come, its build to areas we already know are constrained.
BENTE: The bill passed unanimously and now heads to the senate floor for final approval.
Posted by Matthias Barker at 5:19 PM| Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Crime , Politics , Prisons
Biodiesel From Algae
February 8, 2007 4:30 PM
Listen to this story here: [ LISTEN ]
When it comes to clean-burning biofuels, Colorado is a national leader. One of the nations largest corn-to-ethanol plants, Great Western in Greeley, buys from growers in several states. BlueSun Biodiesel outside of Alamosa does something similar, turning soy, canola and other oilseed crops into a bio-diesel blend. These industries are growing and demand for alternative fuels is strong, but in the race for biofuel cash-crops a new contender might end up the superstar. Its a small plant, familiar to tropical fish owners as the green scum that forms on their aquarium glass. From Fort Collins, Shelley Schlender reports on the fuel potential from algae.
TRUCK SOUNDS
SCHLENDER: Black smoke belches from a diesel-powered truck as the driver throttles the engine.
Diesel fuel powers trucks, boats, trains and other engines. But the foul-smelling fumes are linked to increased rates of cancer and asthma, and they add greenhous gases to the atmosphere.
Oil-rich plants such as soy offer a cleaner energy alternative, but Jim Sears says these food crops cant meet all our diesel needs. The Colorado-based entrepreneur says, even in America's bountiful croplands, farmers couldn't grow enough oilseed crops to meet demand.
SEARS: Right now, if we were to use all the normal sources we know about, such as canola oil, soy, things like this to make biodiesel, the industry thinks they could make 1 billion gallons (3.7 billion liters) a year, which sounds like a lot, but we currently use 60 billion gallons (227 billion liters) a year of diesel.
SCHLENDER: Fortunately, Sears says, an unconventional crop could produce 100 times more biodiesel per acre than either canola or soy. It can thrive in places where other crops cant grow at all, and it only requires the equivalent of 5 centimeters of rain a year.
To demonstrate his crops potential, Sears leads the way inside a former coal coal-fired electric power plant thats now the Engines and Energy Conversion laboratory at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins. CSU and Sears' small company, Solix Biofuels, have teamed up for this research.
Sears passes a two-story tall engine that may soon be running on his biodiesel, and he heads to a quieter room where test batches of algae grow in glass beakers. The water ranges from pale yellow to soft Irish green, thanks to millions of microscopic algae. Biologist Nick Rancis lifts a favorite specimen.
SOUNDS OF CLINKING GLASS.
RANCIS: Here we have a species of green algae that grows in fresh water. As you can see, it grows very high density. You cant even see through it when you hold it up to the light.
SCHLENDER: Rancis says this strain produces enormous amounts of fatup to 50 percent of its body weight. And while producing oil from soy or canola generally requires a three- to five-month growing season, some algae are so prolific, over half a batch can be harvested for oil production every day.
RANCIS: They can double or triple overnight.
SCHLENDER: For industrial production, the researchers are designing enormous growing troughs, wider than two trucks side by side, as long as a football field, and grouped by the thousands around processing plants. In this way, Sears says, algae could supply all U-S diesel on a fraction of the nations farmland.
SEARS: We farm about 1 billion [400-million hectares] acres of land in the United States. To cover all our diesel needs, wed need to convert just 1% of that. And actually we wouldnt have to convert any of our arable land. We could use desert land to grow this algae. It doesnt require good soil, just flat land, carbon dioxide and sunlight.
SCHLENDER: Carbon dioxide helps algae grow fast and fat, so the team plans to siphon it from fossil fuel power plant exhaust, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And there are other ways to get the gas.
SEARS: It would actually start with biomass such as switch grass or wood, where in some countries are the only type of fuel that they have anyway. In that case, the grass, the trees, the wood, pull the carbon dioxide out of the air, then we burn it as fuel and feed the carbon dioxide to the algae. So then, we have a truly carbon neutral technology. No carbon was added to the atmosphere during all these conversion steps. Its essentially solar powered fuel.
SCHLENDER: To conserve water, Sears says, the growing troughs are sealed. The algae grows under a clear plastic lid that allows in plenty of sunlight, but keeps the water the plants are floating in from evaporating.
SEARS: It is about 1,000 times more efficient to produce fuel from algae than it is from an irrigated crop. Theres enough water even in the desert from natural rainfall to support this technology.
SCHLENDER: Affordable biodiesel is an important focus of the research team, and Brian Wilson, who directs this Engines and Energy Conversion lab, says the projections look promising.
WILSON: We believe the technology could be cost competitive with $50 a barrel oil, which is basically where we are right now. Even last year, we were up to $70 a barrel.
SCHLENDER: Because building a vast new production system is an enormous undertaking, Sears predicts that it will be five to ten years before biodiesel from algae becomes commonplace.
However, Eric Jarvis, a senior scientist at the National Renewable Energy Lab, cautions that it may take longer.
JARVIS: I wouldnt expect it to meet a large demand for diesel in that time frame, but Im hoping to see some good demonstrations in the next 5 to 10 years.
SCHLENDER: He adds that in the last two years, the interest in this technology has grown tremendously.
JARVIS: I get phone calls every week from people trying to get into this area.
SCHLENDER: Whether it takes five years, a decade or a little longer, Jim Sears says hes certain that biodiesel from algae will become commonplace.
SEARS: This is by far the most scalable and reasonable way to make biofuels in the future in an endlessly sustainable method.
SCHLENDER: As he considers that future, a train whistle sounds in the distance.
SEARS: That train is the train that used to bring the coal to this power plant, and indeed it is one of the future customers.
SCHLENDER: The National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden plans to step up their research and development of biodiesel from algae within the year, and they estimate that along with Colorado State and Solix Biofuels, roughly a dozen other groups around the world are developing similar projects, increasing the likelihood that someday soon, clean-burning algae biodiesel will be the fuel of choice for trucks, boats, and trains.
Posted by Matthias Barker at 4:30 PM| Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0) | Posted to Colorado , Energy , Environment
February 2, 2007
Pike-San Isabel National Forest Plan
February 2, 2007 4:20 PM
2-1-07
HOST LEAD: Time now for local news on KRCC.
The Forest Service got more than it bargained for last night. It asked the public to come to a meeting to talk about the new master plan for the Pike National Forest, and then had to turn people away. The hall they rented filled up and there wasnt enough parking. KRCC News Director Eric Whitney managed to get in and has this report.
WHITNEY: At least 50 cars were turned away from the snowy La Foret Conference Center in Black Forest last night. Forest officials apologized and promised another meeting in the Springs soon to get more input on the Forest Plan theyre writing for the Pike-San Isabel National Forest. The plan is supposed to guide management of the 1.1 million acre forest for the next 10-15 years.
WHITNEY: The more than 200 people who managed to get into the conference center were assigned numbers, and then told to go sit at a table matching that number. The idea being to put people with differing ideas and goals for the forest together, and get them talking. Larry Hillard of Colorado Springs had a list of things he wants the forest to prioritize.
HILLARD: things like maximizing public access for bicycles, equestrian, generally for all the users.
WHITNEY: Hilliard says he wants his voice to be heard, although hes unsure how much good it will do.
HILLIARD: Its a habit of these kinds of forums to kind of try to exclude people, so I try to work the other side of that and include as many users as we can.
WHITNEY: Before everyone started talking, Forest Service officials explained the overall process for writing the new forest plan, which they said should take about a year and a half. They also explained that theyre using a new process, one thats designed to be more streamlined and efficient than the way Forest Plans were written in the past. Hilliard says hes taking a wait and see approach on the new process.
HILLIARD: I think the number of cycles one pass through well see how it works, ha ha.
WHITNEY: A major change in the new planning process is that Forest Service planners no longer have to write Environmental Impact Statements for Forest Plans. Environmental groups are already suing over that, saying the lengthy documents and the detailed analysis that fill them are fundamental to projects as comprehensive as Forest Plans. But Vince Mautino, also at the meeting to give his input, says skipping Environmental Impact statements might not be such a bad idea.
VINCE: theres a very good poem by Baxter Black in the outhouse.
WHITNEY: Forest Planners still have several months to decide whether to write an Environmental Impact Statement for the Pike Forest Plan. Mautino says hes never seen one that has done much good, but he still thinks forest planners will end up writing one.
VINCE: I think its wishful thinking if they think they can put major changes without doing that?
WHITNEY: Mautino thinks the forest will end up being sued if they try to write their plan without an Environmental Impact Statement, and a lawyer for the environmental group Earthjustice has said as much. But he also says the group is likely to sue even if a statement is written. Environmentalists are critical of other aspects of the new planning rules, too.
At the same time, the same environmental groups are telling the public to stay involved in the forest planning process. Sarah Tracey, from Monument, says shes not too familiar with all the ins and outs of writing forest plans, but that she thinks its important to express her opinions, even if the final plan isnt something shell be totally happy with.
TRACEY: I dont think its about being happy, I dont know if all our needs of what the people want.
WHITNEY: Forest officials havent yet set a date for the second public input session theyve promised for Colorado Springs. The next scheduled meeting Februay14th in Westcliffe. Theres one the following night in Pueblo. The final scheduled meeting is set for Fairplay on February 22nd. Then this spring Forest Planners say theyll issue reports on what they heard at all the public input sessions, and start working on a so-called need for change document, spelling out what people want to see changed on the Pike-San Isabel, and what theyd like to stay the same.
With local news on KRCC, Im Eric Whitney.
1-29-07
WHITNEY: An attorney for a national environmental group says the Pike San Isabel National Forest can expect a lawsuit if it uses the loosest rules available to write its new forest plan.
Trent Orr, a lawyer with Earthjustice in Oakland, California says his group is already suing Forest Service headquarters of new planning rules approved in 2005. Under those new rules, individual forests like the Pike no longer have to write Environmental Impact Statements when they create forest plans, the overarching vision documents that guide forest uses for the next 15 years.
He says leaders on the Pike could be among the first to try and write a plan without the statement.
ORR: thats a very hot topic with the environmental community. Were all watching to see who does that where, and probably the first forest will find itself a test case for whether that will hold up in court.
WHITNEY: Pike officials are asking for public input on the plan tomorrow (Tue, 1.30.07) night in Lakewood. Theyre calling it a workshop for forest users to suggest what should and shouldnt change on the forest, and are hoping to have a final forest plan written in about 18 months.
Click Below to listen to the story as it was aired on KRCC
[ LISTEN ]
1-28-07
WHITNEY: Two weeks ago, the Pike-San Isabel National Forest launched its process for writing a new forest plan. Thats the overarching vision document that will guide what will and wont happen on the entire
forest for the next 10-15 years.
This Tuesday, the Forest Service is asking the public to come to workshops to help write the plan in Denver. A similar workshop is scheduled for Wednesday in Black Forest.
Last week we talked a member of the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition. He said there need to be more motorized trails on the Pike San Isabel National Forest.
BAUER: It really seems to be healthier for the forest if theyll set up some good designated areas.
Carl Bauer, a member of the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle coalition, owns the Liars Lodge bed and breakfast in Buena Vista. Last week Bauer went to the first two meetings in a series in which the U.S. Forest Service is asking for public input, they were held in Leadville and Salida.
BAUER: what weve learned over the years is when they shouldnt be doing.
WHITNEY: Last week's meetings in Leadville and Buena Vista drew close to 300 participants.
WHITNEY: More on re-writing the Pike San Isabel National Forest Plan in a moment.
WHITNEY: Every year millions of people visit the Pike San Isabel National Forest, which stretches up, down and across the Front Range from Trinidad to just south of Denver.
The master plan for the Pike San Isabel has not been re-written since 1984. But a re-write has just begun, with public input sessions happening last Thursday and Friday in Leadville and Salida.
The goal is to write a better plan, faster than the way things used to be done. 28
MASINTON: And its really grounded in the concept of adaptive mgmt.
WHITNEY: Thats Barb Masinton, the team leader for the Forest Plan revision. She says the old rules were written in an era that emphasized commodity extraction from forests, like how much timber could be brought out. The new rule, she says, is different.
MASINTON: Were going to be dealing more with outcomes under this new planning rule. In other words, social or economic type attributes as well.
WHITNEY: But the new rule is also controversial. It calls for far less analysis than the old rule, which required forest planners to abide by the National Environmental Policy Act. That meant a long and involved process that resulted in a formal Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS. No EIS is required under the new rule. Thats brought a lawsuit at the national level from the environmental group Earthjustice, and healthy doses of skepticism from other forest watchdogs.
MASINTON: and then another significant change is, under the 82 planning rule, people were allowed to appeal a decision that was made, and under the 2005 planning rule what comes out in the final plan.
WHITNEY: Forest plans in the past could be appealed by anyone, and often were. That was part of the reason that it often took five years or more to write a plan that supposed to remain in effect for the next 15 years. People on both sides of the political spectrum criticized the old process as being slow and cumbersome, but where industry groups and the Bush administration are embracing the new forest planning rules, Democrats and environmental groups are asking for more process.
The new chairman of the U.S. House Resources Committee, Democrat Nick Rahall of West Virginia, says that the Forest Service is slashing forest laws with a chainsaw under the new rules, when it should be using a whittling knife.
The Pike San Isabel will be one of the first forests in the country to write its plan under the new rules. Whether its process will stand up to legal appeals remains to be seen. Meanwhile, planners are going ahead and gathering the publics opinion of the big issues that need attention on the forest.
FIBIDEAUX: I guess I would maybe summarize four that I heard consistently.
WHITNEY: Thats Ron Fibideaux, from the Pike San Isabels planning office. He went to both the public input sessions held so far, which drew close to 300 people. He says people are worried about forest health, specifically fire danger due to drought and excess fuel loading from a century of almost total wildfire suppression. People want the forest service to do more about pine beetle infestations, too.
FIBIDEAUX: I think I also heard universally, the importance of access to the Pike San Isabel National Forest. And this involved motorized, non-motorized trails, inside and outside of wilderness importance of access was stated.
WHITNEY: Fibideaux also said people want more active management of recreation on the Pike San Isabel, theyre reporting that the growth in the number of people using the forest over the years is resulting in degraded experiences for forest users.
FIBIDEAUX: There was a real feeling that many of the impacts were seeing to the land, vandalism, illegal off road travel and do the right thing when theyre out in the woods.
WHITNEY: The next public input sessions on the master plan for the Pike San Isabel National Forest will be January 30th in Denver and January 31st in Black Forest. In February, there will be meetings in Pueblo and Fairplay. Check the Pike San Isabels web page for the best information on times and locations for those meetings.
[ LISTEN ]
1-23-07
HOST LEAD: Time now for local news on KRCC. Heres News director Eric Whitney.
WHITNEY: Thanks, Charlotte.
Every year millions of people visit the Pike San Isabel National Forest, which stretches up, down and across the Front Range from Trinidad to just south of Denver.
The master plan for the Pike San Isabel has not been re-written since 1984. But a re-write has just begun, with public input sessions happening last Thursday and Friday in Leadville and Salida.
The goal is to write a better plan, faster than the way things used to be done. 28
MASINTON: And its really grounded in the concept of adaptive mgmt.
WHITNEY: Thats Barb Masinton, the team leader for the Forest Plan revision. She says the old rules were written in an era that emphasized commodity extraction from forests, like how much timber could be brought out. The new rule, she says, is different.
MASINTON: Were going to be dealing more with outcomes under this new planning rule. In other words, social or economic type attributes as well.
WHITNEY: But the new rule is also controversial. It calls for far less analysis than the old rule, which required forest planners to abide by the National Environmental Policy Act. That meant a long and involved process that resulted in a formal Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS. No EIS is required under the new rule. Thats brought a lawsuit at the national level from the environmental group Earthjustice, and healthy doses of skepticism from other forest watchdogs.
MASINTON: and then another significant change is, under the 82 planning rule, people were allowed