President Obama to designate new national monuments

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

GOP goes ballistic over use of Antiquities Act

Rio Grande with Ute Mountain © Adriel Heisey.

Rio Grande with Ute Mountain © Adriel Heisey.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — In the midst of ongoing partisan battles over the budget and public land policy gridlock, President Barack Obama this week plans to designate five new national monuments, including a big swath of land around the Rio Grande River in northern New Mexico.

Conservation advocates welcomed the news, especially after a congressional session that yielded very little in the way of land conservation — the first Congress not to create any new wilderness in half a century. (more…)

Filed under: BLM, national parks, public lands | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Election 2012: Summit County still a Democratic stronghold

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

President Barack Obama won nearly two-thirds of the votes in Summit County on his way to winning the presidency.

For the first time in many years, Summit will be represented by a Republican in the State Senate

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Summit County and Colorado voters Tuesday helped propel President Barack Obama to a second term in office in a race that wasn’t nearly as close as many pundits and GOP operatives wanted it to be.

Obama beat Romney by 5 percentage points statewide, piling up a margin of more than 100,000 votes and helping the president cruise to a big electoral college win and contributing to the president’s margin of about 2 million votes nationally.

In Summit County, candidate Mitt Romney shaved about 5 points of Obama’s 65 percent win in 2008, but the president still easily carried the county, as independents — about one third of the electorate — overwhelmingly voted for Obama.

  • Obama (D) – 9,169 (60.9 percent)
  • Romney (R) – 5,495 (36.5 percent)
  • Johnson (L) -   255 (1.6 percent) (more…)

Filed under: Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Election 2012: Obama wins

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

President Barack Obama.

Colorado stays blue; votes to approve marijuana

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — In a race that wasn’t nearly as close as Republican pundits wanted it to be, Barack Obama won a second term to the White House by hanging on to Ohio, a white, working-class state that was crucial to Mitt Romney’s hopes for pulling off a GOP upset.

Obama was also leading by a razor-thin margin in Florida when major networks called the presidential election for the Democrat from Illinois.

The Democrats won by maintaining their margin of victory in traditional strongholds in the Northeast, the Midwest and along the West Coast, with a wide swath in the middle of the country remaining red, showing the deep ideological gulf between coastal urban areas and the country’s heartland.

In Colorado, voters approved Amendment 64, which legalizes possession and use of marijuana. Gov. Hickenlooper said the state will respect the will of the voters.

“The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly,” he said in a press release.

Mitt Romney conceded the election at about 11 p.m.

“This is a time of great challenges for America, I hope the president will be successful in leading our nation,” Romney said, thanking his family and his running mate, Paul Ryan.

“At a time like this we can’t risk bickering and political posturing,” he continued, calling on both parties to work together to tackle critical issues.

 

Filed under: world news | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Election 2012: Time to vote

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Barack Obama likely to carry Summit County

If the 7-11 coffee poll is correct, Barack Obama will serve another four years.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Voting day dawned bright and clear in the high country; weather won’t be a factor in keeping anyone from the polls this year in Colorado, one of several key swing states that could determine the outcome of the 2012 presidential election. While Summit County has been solidly blue in recent elections, there are a number of populated Denver suburbs that will likely determine which way Colorado goes, and there’s a lot at stake for the state. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado conservation groups urge feds to continue with careful review of massive new Colorado River diversions

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A Colorado River headwaters stream just below the Denver Water diversion point.

Letter to Corps of Engineers and EPA calls for careful scrutiny

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Colorado water and environmental advocates say they’re concerned that fast-tracking the federal environmental review for the Moffat Collection System Expansion Project could lead the responsible agencies to leave out important information and not fully address the impacts of new water diversions from the Colorado River.

“We’re worried that that we’re going to hit fast forward and miss some things,” said Becky Long, water caucus coordinator with the Colorado Environmental Coalition, explaining why several groups recently wrote a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA, reiterating their concerns about water temperatures and sediment loading in the Colorado River and its tributaries.

The fast-tracking was requested by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper back in June. In a June 5 letter to President Barack Obama, Hickenlooper touted a far-reaching water agreement as “removing” West Slope opposition to the Moffat project, and urged the Corps to release a final Environmental Impact Statement by the end of 2012, followed by a formal decision in early 2013. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Global warming finally gets some attention in campaign

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Obama calls climate change a “critical issue” in MTV interview; calls for more research to find energy breakthroughs

By Summit Voice

FRISCO —Climate change may not have been front and center during the three-round presidential debate series, but President Obama did address the issue Friday on MTV during a Q &A with host Sway Williams.

During the interview, Obama said climate is a critical issue and that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases are the root cause.

“I am surprised it didn’t come up in one of the debates,” Obama said in response to a question from Williams. “Gov. Romney says he believes in climate change. That’s different than a lot of members of his own party that deny it completely. But he’s not sure that man-made causes are the reason. I believe scientists who say we are putting too much carbon emissions into the atmosphere and it’s heating the planet and it’s going to have a severe effect.

“After hearing from thousands of young voters, we were glad that President Obama finally broke the silence on climate change, which is one of the most important issues to young voters,” said Maura Cowley, director of Energy Action Coalition. “President Obama acknowledged that ‘we’re not moving fast enough to address the climate crisis,’ and we couldn’t agree more.

“The climate crisis is a top issue for the youth vote because we have the most to lose if we don’t address it, and want to see more investment in creating a clean energy economy,” Cowley said. Thousands of young voters are turning out to demand climate action this election—in fact more than 10,000 have joined the PowerVote campaign to demonstrate that climate is their top priority. This election, and the climate crisis, are about our future, and we’ll continue to demand leadership from candidates on this issue, up to and through Election Day.”

(more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Polis, DeGette to speak at Democratic convention

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Colorado once again a key swing state

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO —During a convention that will probably spend a lot of time trying to solidify the diverse Democratic political base, will feature an early speech by Congressman Jared Polis making a plea for unity and inclusiveness — as well as a new Democratic majority in Congress.

“Diversity is part of America’s strength, but so is the fact that we are all, first and foremost, Americans who believe that if you play by the rules and work hard, you can get ahead and succeed,” said Polis, who represents Summit County citizens as part of his district.

Congresswoman Diana DeGette is also scheduled to speak.

“My message to the convention will be that we must heal divisions–not exploit them for political gain, and unite behind the common goal of strengthening our economy, creating jobs, and forging a better future for ourselves and our families.”

The Polis speech is set for Sept. 4 between 5:45 and 6:30 p.m.

In early proceedings the Hispanic caucus met Monday, with 800 delegates gathered, by some accounts the largest Latino presence at any convention.

A high turnout among Latino voters could be crucial in tipping a few swing states in Obama’s favor, including Colorado.

Illinois State Senator Iris Martinez said the caucus is focused on making that “no Latino stays home on Election Day.”

Filed under: Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

GOP message: ‘We’re more American than you’

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Opinion: GOP offers flawed interpretation of ‘American exceptionalism’

Mitt Romney. Photo courtesy Gage Skidmore via Wikipedia and the Creative Commons.

Barack Obama. Photo courtesy Daniel Borman via Wikipedia and the Creative Commons.

 By Bob Berwyn

Republicans are recycling the theme of American exceptionalism as part of their campaign to win the White House and take control of the U.S. Senate. I applaud the recycling as possibly the only part of the GOP platform that’s environmentally friendly, but take issue with their efforts to co-opt Americanism as political campaign weapon.

There’s a subtle but persistent message trying to convince voters that Republicans are somehow “more American” than Democrats. It’s an election tactic that may play well with part of the electorate, but it’s fundamentally divisive and destroys the consensus needed to govern, regardless of which party controls the White House and Congress.

It starts with the low-level background buzz questioning the authenticity of President Obama’s birth certificate and peaks with a nationalistic war cry that seems to put us on a path toward yet another bloody Middle East confrontation with Iran, based on an antiquated and unrealistic interpretation of foreign relations, with the U.S. as a militaristic world policeman. The Republican vision of American exceptionalism is based on the myth of the lone gunman — that’s why Clint Eastwood was a speaker at the GOP convention. (more…)

Filed under: commentary, op-ed, world news | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

President Obama urged to use Antiquities Act to designate SW Colorado’s Chimney Rock as national monument

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Chimney Rock, Colorado.

New study shows designation could significant economic benefits for the region

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Despite early bipartisan support, a bill to designate southwest Colorado’s Chimney Rock as a national monument appears to be stuck in pre-election political gridlock.

Chimney Rock, between Pagosa Springs and Durango, likely was an important settlement and spiritual site in the Chacoan culture.

With local community support for the designation, as well a new report showing the economic benefits of the designation, Democratic Colorado senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, along with Republican Representative Scott Tipton, are asking President Obama to make the designation under the Antiquities Act. (more…)

Filed under: Archaeology, Colorado, Travel | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado firestorm sparks political skirmish

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

State’s congressional delegation says it’s unified on wildfire issues

A military C-130 cargo plane modified to perform aerial firefighting missions. Colo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Daniel Butterfield)

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — The announcement that President Obama will visit Colorado Friday to view the destructive wildfires triggered a minor partisan skirmish, as some conservative Republicans suggested that the visit is politically motivated, and questioned the administration’s ability to respond to wildfires. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, forest fires, politics, wildfires | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 5,562 other followers