Sen. Udall keeps pushing for release of torture report

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO).

Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO).

Vice President Joe Biden says secret congressional report should be released

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — While many Americans may have a vague idea of some of the atrocities committed against prisoners and detainees in the war on terror, Congress knows much more, and most of the information is included in a still-secret report compiled by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Along with a few allies, Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) has been pushing the Obama administration to declassify the report and to make it public, and Udall said recent remarks from Vice President Joe Biden are encouraging.

In a policy forum with Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Biden said very clearly that the report should be made public, and McCain left no doubt that the United States violated international law and broke treaty commitments when the CIA and its private contractors tortured detainees. You can watch the discussion on YouTube (the discussion starts at minute 40). (more…)

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

Sen. Udall to host a renewable energy Twitter chat

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Colorado lawmaker a longtime leader on energy policy

An offshore wind energy farm near Copenhagen, Denmark. Image courtesy Wikipedia and the Creative Commons.

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — U.S. Senator Mark Udall has long been a passionate advocate for renewable energy. In recent months, he’s been one of the leaders in the fight to renew the wind energy production tax credit, which has been an effective mechanism to spur the growth of renewable power.

Next week, Udall will host a town hall Twitter chat to answer constituents’ questions about renewable energy and discuss the role it plays for our environmental, military and economic future.

Twitter uses can ask questions about renewable energy using the hashtag #AskUdall. On Oct. 16, @MarkUdall will answer the questions via Twitter. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, energy, Environment, renewable energy | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Forest Service chief fields budget questions

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell.

Bark beetles, climate change and firefighting among the key concerns in U.S. Senate hearing

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Intertwined concerns about overall forest health, bark beetles, climate change and wildfires took center state Tuesday at a full hearing of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle questioned Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell about his agency’s ability to meet its obligations to address the multiple challenges.

U.S. Senator Mark Udall, a Colorado Democrat, said it’s critical to engage the private sector and encourage the use of beetle kill products by expanding markets for forest products. That requires streamlining contracting procedures and giving incentives to companies that use beetle-killed wood for construction, as well as wood pellets and biomass for energy production. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Environment, forest fires, Forest health, forests, global warming, pine beetles and wildfires | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Morning photo: Wilderness

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A new push in the U.S. Senate may help add more Colorado wilderness

Gore Range views in the Eagles Nest Wilderness.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Sen. Mark Udall visited Frisco this weekend to advance a new plan for wilderness additions in Colorado, including many of the parcels that have long been part of the controversial hidden gems proposal. For me, looking at pictures like this is more than enough reason to advocate for as much wilderness preservation as possible. I know there are people who like to quibble over technicalities and semantics of wilderness designations, all while environmental degradation continues around us. I’m not OK with that. I say protect as much as we can, now. Later, if for some reason we decide we don’t want it to be wilderness, we can always change our minds, but once the land is committed to other uses, it’s almost impossible to get it back. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, forests, public lands | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Udall says Afghanistan aid dollars subject to fraud

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

U.S. aid to Afghanistan is under scrutiny.

U.S. has spent $70 billion on reconstruction, but there’s a risk that some of the money may be funding insurgents

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — U.S. aid to Afghanistan is under scrutiny once again after an Inspector General report last week showed that little accountability for where the funds are going.

Sen. Mark Udall said the report suggests that some of the funds are at risk of being diverted for fraudulent purposes or to insurgent networks, potentially helping the enemy.

“We absolutely need strong measures in place to ensure that the billions of dollars we send through Afghanistan’s banks and financial sector are used in the way they were intended,” Udall said in a press release. “I read the IG’s report with dismay. It appears that there isn’t sufficient coordination among U.S. agencies or sufficient controls over how U.S. funds are used. The stakes here are enormous, since the inadvertent diversion of aid dollars to insurgents could result in funding the very forces who oppose our goals in Afghanistan. (more…)

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Colorado: Udall seeks relief for struggling sawmills

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Sen. Mark Udall is asking the Forest Service to change some existing timber contracts to give relief to Colorado's struggling sawmills.

Democratic senator says continued operation of wood processing plants critical in ongoing efforts to clear beetle-killed trees from forests around the state

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Colorado’s struggling timber mills are getting some high-level help from Sen. Mark Udall, who is urging the U.S. Forest Service to modify several timber contracts that are putting financial pressure on the mills.

Udall wants the the Forest Service to rework the timber sale contracts with the sawmills. In addition to employing hundreds of Coloradans, the mills play a crucial role in the fight against the bark beetle and wildfire by providing the infrastructure to help clear 4 million acres of hazardous fuels and beetle-killed trees and processing them into wood products, the senator said in a press release.

The downturn in the housing market and the state’s forest-management economy led to financial trouble for the mills: Intermountain Resources (Montrose), Mountain Valley Lumber (Saguache) and Delta Timber (Delta). Basically, they are losing money on older timber sales, with rates that are higher than what it costs to remove the dead trees from the forest. (more…)

Filed under: agriculture, business, climate and weather, Colorado, economy, Environment, forest fires, Forest health, forests, global warming, pine beetles, pine beetles and wildfires, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Sen. Udall tackles Patriot Act excesses

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Sen. Mark Udall.

Controversial provisions allow secret wiretaps and access to library records; Udall says he will vote against extension unless the law is amended

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Sen. Mark Udall, (D-Colo.) stepped up as a strong defender of civil liberties this week by objecting to the U.S. Senate’s move to shut down debate on the PATRIOT Act.

At issue are several key provisions of the law that give the government too much power to invade the privacy of Americans without any accountability. Some senators from both parties object to the excessive leeway the provisions give law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Check the ACLU’s Patriot Act page for more information.

In a May 24 press release, Udall said he will vote against the four-year extension later this week unless the measure is amended to prevent abuse by the government. (more…)

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

Politics: Senate trys – but fails – to cut Big Oil subsidies

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Washington. PHOTO BY WALTER SIEGMUND VIA THE CREATIVE COMMONS.

Republicans block measure that would have saved taxpayers $21 billion

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — When it comes to deficit reduction, Republicans talk the talk, but often aren’t willing to walk the walk, at least when it comes to big subsidies for Big Oil.

Senate Democrats this week tried to move a bill that would have cut subsidies and closed tax credit loopholes for five big oil companies, which hardly need government support based on their most recent earnings statements.

But Republicans apparently would rather cut spending on education, the environment and healthcare.

Colorado Sen. Mark Udall joined a majority of his colleagues in voting to begin debate on the oil subsidy measure, but it failed to win the 60 votes needed to proceed. According to a press release from Udall, the legislation would have saved the taxpayers over $21 billion over 10 years ‚ money that could have been put toward deficit reduction. Experts said that eliminating the tax credits will not impact gas prices. (more…)

Filed under: business, economy, energy, oil drilling, renewable energy, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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