URGENT ACTION NEEDED BY WEDNESDAY: HELP PROTECT THE ROAN PLATEAU

Last Friday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a Record of Decision authorizing oil and gas leasing atop the Roan Plateau in western Colorado. CTU is reviewing the details of the final Record of Decision, but it is based upon the BLM's plan in its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) - a plan that failed to include adequate protections for fish and wildlife. The BLM's decision effectively dismissed the concerns of hunters, anglers, and conservationists who were troubled by their proposed plan and final EIS. It came despite a request from Colorado Governor Bill Ritter for a 120-day delay, to allow his administration time to review the plan and coordinate with BLM on issues and concerns. The BLM appears committed to moving forward - and quickly - to issue leases atop the Roan.

This Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to take up the Interior Appropriations bill, and to consider an amendment proposed by Representatives John Salazar and Mark Udall, that would place a funding restriction on BLM that would prevent them from issuing leases atop the Roan Plateau in the next year. The amendment would provide a much-needed "time out" to allow Congress, the Ritter Administration, conservationists, and other stakeholders to work with BLM on a more appropriate long-term plan for the Roan. Please contact your Representative, let them know that you are an angler (also a hunter if you hunt), and urge them to vote "Yes" on the Salazar/Udall proposal for a one-year funding limitation for leasing on the Roan Plateau. If you live in Representative Salazar or Udall's district, please contact them and thank them for their leadership on this issue. It is okay to leave a message after hours. A list of Colorado's delegation and their contact information appears below. You can also email Governor Ritter to thank him for his support of conservation on the Roan.

BACKGROUND:

Within the Roan Plateau there are some of the singularly most remarkable and unique natural creations in Colorado. There is an abundance of deer and elk that spend summers on top of the Roan Plateau and for whom the cliff areas along the southern and eastern sides of the plateau provide essential winter range. The top is a mix of rolling grassland, aspen and spruce forests and unique hanging gardens. In three of the streams exists very rare conservation populations of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout - populations of high genetic integrity that are highly valuable in conservation and recovery of the species. On the western side, these same streams tumble from the Roan as two of the highest waterfalls in Colorado.

In the midst of the ongoing energy development boom, the Roan Plateau has been an island of refuge - until now. The Roan Plateau lies atop some of the most dramatic cliff scenery in Colorado. The Roan Plateau comprises a very small area by comparison to the rest of the public and private lands being opened for energy development. It should also be noted that 80 to 90% of the gas beneath the Roan Plateau can be reached by directional drilling from around the base with no need to drill from the top. There is simply no need to sacrifice sensitive habitats in order to secure energy resources.

Unfortunately, the BLM issued a proposed management plan for the Roan that calls for drilling along the top. The plan's habitat protections are woefully inadequate. For example, while "no surface occupancy" sounds like a high level of protection for sensitive watersheds, in areas to be protected by "no surface occupancy" restrictions the BLM plan would actually allow surface occupancy for oil and gas development for two years or more! Publicly-touted limitations on the extent of surface disturbance at any given time actually refer to active construction - far more of the Plateau will actually be occupied at any given time. And most troubling: the BLM's own analysis indicates that loss of the cutthroat trout populations is a likely result of their proposal.

Please contact your U.S. Representative and Senators today and urge them to support the Salazar/Udall amendment to protect the Roan Plateau now, before BLM sells leases and sets the Roan on an irreversible course for habitat degradation and fishery loss. The BLM recently issued its Record of Decision for the Roan, so the need for Congressional action is urgent - otherwise, leasing could begin as soon as this fall!

To learn more about the Roan Plateau and CTU's concerns with BLM's plan, visit our Roan Plateau web page. A copy of Governor Ritter's letter to the Secretary of the Interior also appears below.

CONTACTS:

House of Representatives

1st District: The Honorable Diana DeGette (303) 844-4988 (Denver) or (202) 225-4431 (Washington); or comment online

2nd District: The Honorable Mark Udall (303) 650-7820 (Westminster), (970) 827-4154 (Minturn), or (202) 225-2161 (Washington); or comment online

3rd District: The Honorable John Salazar 970-245-7107 (Grand Junction), 970-259-1012 (Durango), 719-587-5105 (Alamosa), 719-543-8200 (Pueblo) or 202-225-4761 (Washington); or comment online

4th District: The Honorable Marilyn Musgrave (970) 663-3536 (Loveland), (720) 494-4336 (Longmont), (970) 352-4037 (Greeley), (970) 522-1788 (Sterling), (719) 456-0925 (Las Animas), (970) 867-4414 (Ft Morgan), or (202) 225-4676 (Washington); or comment online

5th District: The Honorable Doug Lamborn (719) 520-0055 (Colorado Springs), (202) 225-4422 (Washington), or comment online

6th District: The Honorable Tom Tancredo 720.283.9772 (Centennial), 303-688-3430 (Castle Rock), 720-283-7575 (Littleton), or 202.225.7882 (Washington), or comment online

7th District: The Honorable Ed Perlmutter (303) 274-7944 (Lakewood), or (202) 225-2645 (Washington), or comment online

Governor Bill Ritter:

email to: Governor.ritter@state.co.us

Governor Ritter's letter to the Interior Department:

June 11, 2007

U.S. Department of the Interior

Secretary Dirk Kempthorne

1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240

Dear Secretary Kempthorne:

I am writing today to express my extreme disappointment with your decision to deny the State of Colorado’s request for a 120-day period to review the Roan Plateau Resources Management Plan prior to your issuing the Record of Decision. I am equally disappointed by your decision to lease the Roan for oil and gas development at this time.

As a new state Administration, we requested the limited additional review time to have the opportunity to recommend approval or modification of the plan, particularly with the enormous public concern over future leasing decisions. As you know, the Roan is a place of exceptional environmental and recreational qualities, and is of great importance to local communities. The 75,000 comments received by the Bureau of Land Management during the public review process reflected a 98% desire to refrain from leasing the top of the Roan. Your decision to ignore these public comments and limit my Administration’s participation in the process undermines efforts to build what should be a cooperative federal/state relationship.

Equally concerning is your immediate push to lease the Roan at this time. The Plateau is surrounded by other BLM land where the agency has already committed to extensive drilling. For example, your White River Management Plan adjacent to the Roan calls for 22,000 new wells over the next 15 years. The nearby Glenwood/Kremmling Management Plan calls for an additional 15,000 new wells. The Little Snake and Hiawatha Management Plans call for 6,000 additional wells. These projections are additive to tens of thousands of wells projected on nearby private lands. With approximately 120 rigs currently available in Colorado, it will be many years before the Roan would be needed to meet additional demand. There is absolutely no reason why certain special places, like the Roan, cannot be deferred for leasing while these other projects go forward.

BLM Director James Hughes’ reliance on the Naval Shale Oil Reserve statute as the reason for expedited leasing of the Roan is clearly a misstatement of the law. Nothing in the statute prevents deferring leasing decisions during the near term. In fact, BLM’s original set of alternatives for the Roan included “no-drill” options.

Similarly, Director Hughes’ reference to an earlier Colorado Department of Natural Resources plan for the Roan omits the fact that an election was held in Colorado, and that I lead a new Administration. The citizens of this State are concerned about the management of our public lands, the scale and pace of energy development, and the ability of our local communities to plan for and manage the extraordinary impacts that inevitably come with increased leasing and extraction. I am intent on finding the balance between protecting our environment, traditional economies, and special places with allowing and planning for responsible future oil and gas development.

Your decision has led me to take a more active role in working with Congressmen John Salazar and Mark Udall, as well as other members of Colorado’s Congressional delegation, to support funding limitations on the Department of Interior’s Appropriations Bill, or other legislation that will restrict BLM from going forward with leasing of the Roan during the coming year.

Finally, I share Director Hughes’ concern about the impact of his decision on the cooperating agency relationship between Colorado and the Department of Interior. This relationship must be based on a mutual respect for our respective values and missions. In the past, this relationship has worked to overcome initial disagreements and to find mutually acceptable land management plans. Unfortunately, the Department of Interior’s actions on the Roan undermine this past spirit of cooperation.

Sincerely,

Bill Ritter, Jr.

Governor

The Denver Post - Roan drilling sets up a fight

Reps. Salazar, Udall will seek one-year delay

By Nick Martin Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 06/11/2007 12:32:08 AM MDT

var requestedWidth = 0; Some of Colorado's top elected officials are preparing to battle a federal agency over its plan to allow drilling on vast amounts of the Roan Plateau.

if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px"; } U.S. Reps. Mark Udall and John Salazar will try this week in Congress to put a one-year hold on the plan, their staff members said Sunday.

Meantime, Gov. Bill Ritter said he will back the congressmen's efforts. He criticized the Bureau of Land Management, which announced Friday that it would lease 70 percent of the plateau for drilling without giving state officials time they sought to review the plan.

"No harm would have come from (the extra time)," Ritter said by phone Sunday from South Dakota, where he is attending the annual Western Governors' Association meeting. He added, "We're hoping that Reps. Salazar and Udall would be able to delay that funding."

The delay would come from an amendment the congressmen will try to add to a bill giving the BLM more than $1 billion. The bill is expected to reach the House floor this week.

The political wrangling began last week, when the bureau told Ritter it would not give his administration an extra four months to review its plan, seven years in the making, that allows companies to lease land in the Roan wilderness area and drill for gas.

Some of Colorado's officials felt the way the announcement came down was brash.

"I thought it was pretty arrogant, frankly, to release the plan when they did," said Alan Sala zar, Udall's chief of staff.

But on Sunday, a spokesman for the BLM's Glenwood Springs office, which oversees the Roan Plateau area, said the agency was just doing what Congress had ordered it to do.

"Right now, we're under direction from Congress to lease it," said spokesman David Boyd. "But should we get new direction, then we'll follow it."

Boyd said there is a 60-day period during which anybody can comment on the plan. At the end of the period, the bureau will review all comments and act accordingly, he said.

Residents who live near the plateau have long been concerned about added drilling in the area.

"This is just a very pristine piece of land that people are concerned about because it does generate money for the local economy," said Salazar spokeswoman Tara Trujillo.

But Boyd emphasized that the plan was the result of years of meetings and talks with residents and local officials in and around Rifle, Glenwood Springs and Parachute, and the counties of Garfield and Rio Blanco.

Neither Ritter, nor the staffers for Udall and Salazar, would say explicitly what should be done with the Roan Plateau. But none ruled out drilling.

As Ritter said: "That's the whole reason that we wanted the extra time."

Good Samaritans could be answer to old mines

By ROBERT E. ROBERTS

Something big happened in Washington, D.C., this week - something with the potential to move the earth - actually to move contaminated dirt and rock, and a lot of it, in communities throughout the Rocky Mountain West.

You may not have noticed, but on Wednesday the Environmental Protection Agency released a “Model Good Samaritan Agreement” for its regional offices to use to encourage volunteer efforts to clean up contaminated mine sites. This action is a long-awaited policy tool that will help accelerate the pace of environmental progress in watersheds across the West.

There are an estimated 500,000 abandoned mines nationwide, mostly hardrock sites, and most in Western states. These sites - piles of crushed rock and barren areas tinted with telltale shades of orange, yellow and red - litter the mountainsides in historic mining districts. They often contain harmful metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium or zinc. When it rains, and when snow melts, the acid runoff they produce can render local rivers and streams lifeless.

EPA and its partners have worked on this problem for decades, and we have been able to clean up many of the biggest and worst mine sites by making the companies responsible for pollution pay for cleanup actions. But for most of these sites - called “orphan sites” - the company that operated the mine is long gone. There is no responsible party to fund the cleanup.

An unintended consequence of the Superfund law is that volunteers who want to clean up such sites face the possibility of taking on responsibility for all the past and future pollution. These Good Samaritans have nothing to do with the pollution that has already occurred or will occur. And they certainly have no interest in contributing to further pollution. But the size of the potential liability they may take on by working on the site makes most of them unwilling to take on such projects.

EPA's release of the Model Good Samaritan Agreement is a big step toward eliminating that obstacle. This tool will allow Good Samaritans who want to work on orphan mines to enter into agreements with EPA that minimize the Superfund law liability concerns. Beneficial cleanup projects, many with blueprints that have been sitting on shelves for years, now have the green light to proceed.

As one watershed group leader from Colorado exclaimed upon hearing the news, “It feels like someone has taken my handcuffs off.”

President Bush and the EPA are clearing legal roadblocks to help protect America's watersheds. While additional obstacles for Good Samaritans remain, legislation that will provide further relief for mine cleanup projects is now pending in Congress. Our continued progress on this issue is good news for everyone who cares about clean water.

Robert E. Roberts is regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8, which includes Montana.

70% of Roan to drillers

The ruling allows immediate drilling on the Western Slope plateau for a likely mother lode of natural gas. Foes consider lawsuits.

By Nancy Lofholm Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 06/09/2007 12:25:16 AM MDT

From the halls of Congress to living rooms in Garfield County, criticism is being heaped on the Bureau of Land Management for its decision to allow immediate drilling on nearly 70 percent of the Roan Plateau.

The controversial plan, announced Friday after a more than seven-year battle, places restrictions on drilling and puts some areas of the plateau along Interstate 70 west of Rifle off-limits. But critics charge the decision was made without proper comment and ignores requests from Gov. Bill Ritter's office and some of Colorado's congressional delegation to hold off on drilling.

"BLM's decision contradicts years of public involvement and should not stand," said Duke Cox of the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance, one of the groups considering a lawsuit to block implementation of the decision.

The decision pertains to more than 50,000 acres of the 73,602 acres included in the Roan planning area. The other 21,000 acres are being set aside for two more months of public comment.

The plan allows only 350 acres of the plateau to be drilled at one time. Drilling will take place in stages and will be done directionally to minimize surface disturbance.

Evan Dreyer, a spokesman for Ritter, expressed strong disappointment that the BLM issued the decision without giving the governor time for review as he had requested last week.

"This is one of the most important public-policy questions facing the state of Colorado right now. There was no imminent crisis. There was no reason for the BLM to rush a decision on this," Dreyer said.

"We are now reviewing all of our options."

Sen. Ken Salazar, who had joined Ritter in asking for a four-month review of the Roan Plateau Management Resource Plan, said he will look at options to stop the imminent drilling.

"The BLM has failed to establish a pressing need for such a rushed process and immediate development," Salazar said.

The Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, the only group publicly applauding the decision Friday, issued a statement saying the plan provides "limited and balanced energy development" of what the group considers probably the richest unleased reserve of natural gas in the Lower 48 states, holding enough natural gas to heat 4 million homes for up to 20 years.

The Roan has been a flash point in oil and gas development in the Piceance Basin because the plateau soars to 9,000 feet in places and is home to rare fish and plant species. It is one of the few nearly untouched places in an area dotted with 20,000 gas wells. The Roan has long been used for hunting and recreation. Some drilling has taken place on private land on the plateau.

The plan approved Friday was crafted nearly a year ago after more than five years of public-comment gathering. Of the 75,000 comments submitted, 98 percent opposed drilling on the top of the plateau.

None of the plans the public reviewed were chosen.

Instead, a group of cooperating agencies, including the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, issued a plan in 2006.

The public did not have a chance to comment on that plan.

In releasing the record of the decision Friday, the BLM called the plan "the result of a highly collaborative public-planning process."

BLM opening Roan Plateau to drilling

By Nancy LofholmDenver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 06/08/2007 02:43:52 PM MDT

var requestedWidth = 0;

if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px"; } The Bureau of Land Management will open up the Western Slope's Roan Plateau to gas drilling under a decision released today.

Drilling at the plateau, west of Rifle and north of Parachute, will be restricted and done in stages.

Under the decision, only 350 acres of the plateau can be disturbed at one time. No drilling will be allowed on steep slopes, and most of it will be done directionally, which causes less surface disturbance.

The BLM also said no drilling will be allowed now in 21,034 acres of critical habitat. Those acres are being set aside for more consideration.

The Record of Decision was released after several years of tussling between the Bureau of Land Management, the oil and gas industry, and environmental and conservation groups, as well as local municipalities and state and federal representatives.

There has been heavy opposition to drilling on top of the plateau, which holds some critical habitat and unique fish and plant species.

Environmental coalition honors water activist

http://www.aspendailynews.com/archive_20037

Carbondale water has a friend in Ken Neubecker. The 55-year-old Carbondale resident was named Conservation Activist 2007 last week by the Colorado Environmental Coalition (CEC).

The award was presented in Denver at the group's annual Rebel with a Cause gala dinner. Three hundred people were in attendance, including Gov. Bill Ritter, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter. The eponymous Rebel with a Cause award went to Denver-based nature photographer and author John Fielder.

"Ken has been a tenacious voice for Colorado's rivers and wild places for more than 20 years," said T.J. Brown, the Front Range field director for the CEC. Neubecker was picked over 30 other nominees from the CEC's 90 member organizations.

The current vice president of Colorado Trout Unlimited, Neubecker founded the Eagle River Watershed and Trout Unlimited chapters in Eagle and Granby. Recently he has worked to protect the Roan Plateau as the environmental representative on the Colorado River Basin Round Table, a state-appointed planning group that advises state agencies on matters pertaining to the river basin. Set up by House Bill 1177 (the Colorado Water for the 21st Century act), nine such round tables exist in river basins throughout the state, operating on a total annual budget of $40 million.

"I helped draft the environmental impact statement for the oil and gas development on the Roan Plateau, along with about 75,000 other people," quipped Neubecker on Tuesday. "When the BLM turned in a management proposal that was completely different from what we expected, I wrote the protest letters."

When he's not fighting to keep Colorado waters clean, Neubecker works as a land surveyor for an engineering firm in Glenwood Springs. He holds 1870s surveyor Ferdinand Hayden as one of his mentor/heroes and even named the Roaring Fork and Eagle Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited after "that other surveyor-not (John Wesley) Powell."

"Hayden was the first to survey this entire area, between here and Yellowstone, in a scientific way at least," said Neubecker. "He was also the first to locate and document and the Mount of the Holy Cross in the Holy Cross Wilderness. Spanish conquistadors looking for gold had mentioned seeing a mountain with a crucifix shaped by couloirs, but no one knew for sure if it was a myth until Hayden."

"Ken is a thoughtful advocate for non-consumptive needs and advises the other (Colorado River Basin Round Table) councils. He informs and educates so they learn to work within the system. It's invaluable work," said Becky Long, water caucus coordinator for the CEC.

HABITAT STAMP SALES FINANCE PERPETUAL FISHING EASEMENT

The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) has announced the first project funded by sales of the Colorado Habitat Stamp.  "We are pleased to announce the acquisition of a perpetual easement to a mile and half stretch of the Arkansas River in Lake County," said DOW Director Bruce McCloskey. The easement, known as the Hardeman Property, runs along both sides of the Arkansas just north of the current site of the Granite State Wildlife Area.

Previously, the Hardeman section was open to public access through a short term lease.  The availability of funds from the sale of Habitat Stamps made it possible to secure a perpetual easement to ensure public access forever.

The cost of the perpetual easement was $99,000.  Funds collected from the sale of the habitat stamp covered $89,000 and Trout Unlimited pitched in $10,000.

"The addition of the Hardeman Property to existing State Wildlife Areas along the river creates a terrific destination for anglers heading to Lake and Chaffee Counties," said Salida resident Dan Larkin, chairman of the citizen's committee that reviews Habitat Stamp projects.

"Lake County has been fully supportive of this project," said Lake County Commissioner Ken Olsen.  "I have nothing but praise to the Division of Wildlife and their efforts to ensure public access to a critical stretch of river that just keeps getting better and better," he said.

The upper Arkansas River is one of the finest brown trout fisheries in Colorado.  Throw in a wild rainbow or two, and anglers can look forward to perpetual public access to a stretch of water that is open year around.

"The Hardeman property is one of the few sections of the upper Arkansas that doesn't ice over in the winter," said Mark Cole, the president of the Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited.  "TU is proud to help fund a portion of this project to keep public a very productive fishery," Cole said.

"It's gratifying to have the first parcel preserved with habitat stamp funds located along the Arkansas River," said Colorado Wildlife Commissioner Tim Glenn who lives in Chaffee County.  "The Habitat stamp program is an absolutely wonderful program.  This purchase represents an excellent opportunity for public fishing access and to preserve the wildlife related habitat along the river.  It is a huge benefit to the state of Colorado as well as Lake and Chaffee Counties," Glenn said.

The Hardeman easement is divided into two sections along both sides of the Arkansas River.  The lower section begins at the Lake-Chaffee County line and runs north for one mile.  There is a small section of private land, and then public access starts again and runs north for a third of a mile.  The public access portions are marked with green and white Division of Wildlife signs.

The Colorado Habitat Stamp concept was developed by concerned hunters, anglers and conservation organizations, and approved by the Colorado State Legislature in 2005.

Funds are raised through the sale of a $5 mandatory habitat stamp purchased by hunters and anglers for the first two licenses they purchase during each calendar year. The maximum sportsmen are required to pay is $10 a year.

People who do not buy a hunting or fishing license, but want to support efforts to preserve wildlife habitat, can purchase a Colorado Habitat stamp wherever hunting or fishing licenses are sold. 

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

The BFC Flagship Project

On May 15, 2007 a presentation was made to the Department of Wildlife Fishing is Fun Committee for a $169,330 grant on the $235,030 project to restore one-half mile of Middle Boulder Creek nine miles from the City of Boulder and four miles from Nederland. The presentation can be seen on our website.

Fishing Is Fun program funds come from federal excise taxes collected on the purchase of fishing equipment, boats, motor boat and vehicle fuels. Those funds are subsequently distributed back to the states for sportfish programs.

According to the DOW, projects totaling more than $20 million have been selected through the Fishing Is Fun program to receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $400,000. The 250 FIF projects in nearly every county in Colorado have increased annual angler recreation days by an estimated 1,800,000 days.

The Project committee headed by Roger Svendsen has expended a considerable amount of time on bringing this project forward. The partnership with the City of Boulder, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, and the Colorado Department of Transportation has been of significant help.

We believe our chances for approval in June with a 2008 start date are excellent.

In our recent membership survey there was a fair amount of input concerning the BFC commitment to improving local fisheries. For those of you who are concerned about this issue and want to make a difference on both Middle and South Boulder Creek I’d suggest you get in touch with me to translate that concern into action.

Remember that getting DOW approval is only part of the way – there are significant funds that will need to be raised.

I think that the same Chapter that made the Boulder Creek Path happen, can step up to the challenge and get the community at large behind this phase of improving Boulder Creek.

Paul Prentiss

Hearing to look at Fry-Ark impacts

Congressional subcommittee meets today at Pueblo Community College.

Scheduled to testify at the hearing are: Drew Peternell, Boulder, director of the Colorado Trout Unlimited Colorado Water Project.

http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1180683495/2

A congressional subcommittee will meet today in Pueblo to review the 45-year history of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project.

The water and power subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., will meet at 9 a.m. today in the Pueblo Community College Ballroom to look at the project that brought water from the Colorado River basin into the Arkansas River basin.

Two members of the subcommittee, Reps. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., and Mark Udall, D-Colo., will attend today’s hearing. Reps. John Salazar and Rep. Ed Perlmutter, both Colorado Democrats, also plan to be at the hearing.

The hearing is not intended to debate current legislation regarding the Fry-Ark Project, although most of the speakers intend to discuss projects of concern to them, such as the need for more storage, the Arkansas Valley Conduit and the Southern Delivery System.

In Congress, there are competing water storage bills.

Salazar’s Fryingpan-Arkansas legislation would authorize a $10 million state study of the impacts of Arkansas basin water transfers, as well as a $4 million feasibility study that would include looking at enlargement of Lake Pueblo.

Lamborn is sponsoring a different version of the bill, nearly identical to former Rep. Joel Hefley’s failed version of a PSOP bill in 2004. It would authorize the $4 million study along the lines of PSOP.

A fundamental difference in the two bills is the authority of the Bureau of Reclamation to enter contracts with out-of-basin entities such as Aurora. Salazar’s bill specifically prohibits such contracts, while Lamborn’s specifically allows them.

The public will not be given an opportunity to testify, but may observe.

Scheduled to testify at the hearing are:

Bill Long, president, Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

Mike Ryan, Great Plains regional director for the Bureau of Reclamation.

Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

Lionel Rivera, mayor of Colorado Springs.

Terry Scanga, general manager, Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District.

Bill Thiebaut, Pueblo district attorney.

Jay Winner, general manager, Lower Arkansas Water Conservancy District.

Sandy White, La Veta water lawyer.

Ed Tauer, mayor of Aurora.

Drew Peternell, Boulder, director of the Colorado Trout Unlimited Colorado Water Project.

Chris Treese, external affairs manager of the Colorado River Conservation District.

Wally Stealey, rancher and former president, Southeastern district.

Snake River cleanup plan eyed; possible treatment

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070530/NEWS/105300061

SUMMIT COUNTY - State and federal water quality experts will take a close look at the polluted water leaking from the abandoned Pennsylvania Mine into Peru Creek this summer, eying designs for a treatment plant that could remove some of the toxic heavy metals.

Zinc and cadmium oozing from the mine taint the creek all the way to its confluence with the Snake River and beyond - creating a dead zone, where trout don't survive for long. The collaborative Snake River Task Force has been working for years to develop a cleanup plan for the drainage, and will meet today for an update.

The biggest question marks include what sort of technology is best suited for the remote site, how to fund construction and operation, and how to deal with potential Clean Water Act liability of taking action, said Summit County environmental planner Brian Lorch.

Along with treating the water coming out of the mine, state experts will also try to determine other ways of improving water quality in Peru Creek and the Snake River, maybe by moving some of mine waste material or re-routing surface flows away from the polluted tailings piles.

Similar tactics were used at the Shoe Basin Mine last summer, where the county completed a remediation project that will reduce the amount of zinc reaching the water.

Snake River cleanup plans have started to look more promising since Trout Unlimited, a cold-water fisheries conservation group, took a lead role in the process. Fresh from a model mine cleanup in Utah, the organization hopes to bring a similar approach to table for Peru Creek.

Along with site-specific projects, the task force will also get an update on a watershed approach to stream health in the Snake River Basin, as well as the potential for re-evaluating water quality standards in the basin.

The task force meetings are the best way for citizens in the Snake River Basin to find out the latest on the status of the cleanup plans.

Information is also available at http://instaar.colorado.edu/SRWTF/.