Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Ken Buck (CO-04) introduced an amendment to the OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act that empowers state, local, and tribal governments to have a say in the regulatory process. The amendment passed the House unanimously and was included in H.R. 1009, which passed on a 241 to 184 vote.
Often, federal agencies issue proposed rules without adequately consulting the local governments who already have relevant regulatory frameworks and statutes in place, even though the law requires the federal agencies to cooperate with these local governments. In bypassing these state governors and local officials, the federal agencies disregard the practice of cooperative federalism that allows our state and local governments to coexist with the federal government. The introduced amendment strengthens the requirement for federal agencies to consult and coordinate with state, local, and tribal governments prior to issuing new rule proposals.
“State, local, and tribal officials often know best what our communities need, and this amendment simply requires that they have a say in federal regulations,” Congressman Ken Buck stated. “From interacting with state and local officials in Colorado, I know how much expertise and knowledge they can add to the writing of regulations. This amendment ensures they’re consulted before new federal rules are proposed.”
The need for consultation and cooperation between federal agencies and local governments was particularly apparent for both the EPA’s Water of the United States rule and the BLM’s Planning 2.0 rule. Both rules were proposed without adequate consultation of local government beforehand.
A bill to continue an organ donation awareness program passed the House after it was amended to honor former Rep. John W. Buckner.
Rep. Janet P. Buckner, D-Aurora, sponsored HB17-1027 to honor her late husband, who was an organ and tissue donor after his death in May 2015. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver, came as a surprise to Rep. Buckner, though she said she knew something was up when she saw her daughter Jennifer in the chamber this morning. The bill, House Bill 1027, removes the sunset date for the Emily Maureen Ellen Keyes Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Fund, continuing it indefinitely, and removes the expiration of the self-designation as an organ and tissue donor on a driver license.
During the third reading vote, the bill was amended to add to the title of the fund Rep. Janet Buckner’s late husband John W. Buckner, who died while representing House District 40. Representative John Buckner was an organ and tissue donor and made a significant tissue donation upon his death.
There are times during session when partisanship is put aside and we all come together to acknowledge a purely inspiring moment – the passage of this bill and tribute to Representative Buckner’s husband John was a memorable experience for all us. This bill ensures the organ and tissue donation fund will be an enduring source for life and naming it after John Buckner is a fitting tribute to a noble public servant and his heartfelt example as an organ donor, said Becker. In an emotional moment, Rep. Buckner came to the well to say her tears were tears of joy. “I am now at peace,” she told the House.
The bill that was sent unanimously to the Senate concerns a program that will forever be known as the Emily Keyes and John W. Buckner Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Fund.
Democrats on Committee Defeat Bill to Erode Federal Management of Colorado Public Lands
With a 6-3 party-line vote, the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee defeated a bill this afternoon that threatened to make federal employees subject to criminal charges simply for doing their job managing public lands.
HB17-1141 would criminalize the Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service for managing grazing on land being leased by grazers. The bill would set a dangerous precedent of creating penalties for a government employee doing their job and would threaten to embolden the small subset of ranchers who sympathize with the Ammon Bundy armed seizure of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon last year.
I cannot tell you how much respect I have for the ranchers of this state, I’m voting no on this bill because of the dangerous precedent that it sets, said Rep. Edie Hooton, D-Boulder.
Scott Braden, a public land and wilderness advocate from Mesa County described the bill as “a misguided attempt that would make it nearly impossible for federal managers to do their job. Colorado is blessed with over 23 million acres of public lands. These lands bolster our economy and our quality of life.”
I agree that our agricultural and ranching industries are important to our state and must be protected, but any perceived abuse by federal employees against ranchers won’t be resolved by this bill, said Rep. Adrienne Benavidez, D-Adams County.
Organizations opposed to the bill include Conservation Colorado, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and the Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
Humans have dramatically increased the spatial and seasonal extent of wildfires across the U.S. in recent decades and ignited more than 840,000 blazes in the spring, fall and winter seasons over a 21-year period, according to new University of Colorado Boulder-led research.
After analyzing two decades’ worth of U.S. government agency wildfire records spanning 1992-2012, the researchers found that human-ignited wildfires accounted for 84 percent of all wildfires, tripling the length of the average fire season and accounting for nearly half of the total acreage burned.
The findings were published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
There cannot be a fire without a spark. Our results highlight the importance of considering where the ignitions that start wildfires come from, instead of focusing only on the fuel that carries fire or the weather that helps it spread. Thanks to people, the wildfire season is almost year-round, said Jennifer Balch, director of CU Boulder’s Earth Lab and an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and lead author of the new study.
The U.S. has experienced some of its largest wildfires on record over the past decade, especially in the western half of the country. The duration and intensity of future wildfire seasons is a point of national concern given the potentially severe impact on agriculture, ecosystems, recreation and other economic sectors, as well as the high cost of extinguishing blazes.
The annual cost of fighting wildfires in the U.S. has exceeded $2 billion in recent years.
The CU Boulder researchers used the U.S. Forest Service Fire Program Analysis-Fire Occurrence Database to study records of all wildfires that required a response from a state or federal agency between 1992 and 2012, omitting intentionally set prescribed burns and managed agricultural fires. Human-ignited wildfires accounted for 84 percent of 1.5 million total wildfires studied, with lightning-ignited fires accounting for the rest.
In Colorado, 30 percent of wildfires from 1992-2012 were started by people, burning over 1.2 million acres. The fire season length for human-started fires was 50 days longer than the lightning-started fire season (93 days compared to 43 days), a twofold increase.
These findings do not discount the ongoing role of climate change, but instead suggest we should be most concerned about where it overlaps with human impact,” said Balch. “Climate change is making our fields, forests and grasslands drier and hotter for longer periods, creating a greater window of opportunity for human-related ignitions to start wildfires.
While lightning-driven fires tend to be heavily concentrated in the summer months, human-ignited fires were found to be more evenly distributed across all seasons. Overall, humans added an average of 40,000 wildfires during the spring, fall and winter seasons annually — over 35 times the number of lightning-started fires in those seasons.
We saw significant increases in the numbers of large, human-started fires over time, especially in the spring. I think that’s interesting and scary because it suggests that as spring seasons get warmer and earlier due to climate change, human ignitions are putting us at increasing risk of some of the largest, most damaging wildfires, said Bethany Bradley, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and co-lead author of the research.
The most common day for human-started fire by far, however, was July 4, with 7,762 total wildfires started on that day over the course of the 21-year period.
“Not all fire is bad, but humans are intentionally and unintentionally adding ignitions to the landscape in areas and seasons when natural ignitions are sparse,” said John Abatzoglou, an associate professor of geography at the University of Idaho and a co-author of the paper. “We can’t easily control how dry fuels get, or lightning, but we do have some control over human started ignitions.”
The new findings have wide-ranging implications for fire management policy and suggest that human behavior can have dramatic impact on wildfire totals, for good or for ill.
“The hopeful news here is that we could, in theory, reduce human-started wildfires in the medium term,” said Balch. “But at the same time, we also need to focus on living more sustainably with fire by shifting the human contribution to ignitions to more controlled, well-managed burns.”
Co-authors of the new research include Emily Fusco of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Adam Mahood and Chelsea Nagy of CU Boulder.
The research was funded by the NASA Terrestrial Ecology Program, the Joint Fire Sciences Program and Earth Lab through CU Boulder’s Grand Challenge Initiative.
BROOMFIELD, CO – The Colorado Tree Coalition (CTC) is awarding nearly $35,000 in grants to eleven Colorado communities and organizations to help fund the planting of more than 500 new community trees in 2017. A diverse array of tree planting, maintenance and education projects are receiving funding. Communities receiving grants include Grand Junction, Durango, Alamosa, Aurora, South Suburban Parks & Recreation District, Monte Vista and Pueblo.
One project receiving funding this year is Durango’s Mountain Middle School’s, “Trees are the answer!” project. This project will help encourage and educate future generations on the principles of planting, nurturing and sustaining a healthy tree population. Durango’s Mountain Middle School is focused on two areas of the campus that are void of all trees.
Another organization receiving 2017 funding is the City of Pueblo Parks and Recreation Department. They will receive $2,000 for their Municipal Tree Nursery Project. The purpose of the project is to strengthen community ties and partnerships with the City of Pueblo’s Urban Forestry Program. Additionally, Pueblo Parks and Recreation will work with a local non-profit organization, Tree’s Please, in two ways. First, Tree’s Please and the City of Pueblo will create a City-Wide Tree Board. Secondly, the project will initiate a tree nursery to provide trees for future planting projects in the City of Pueblo.
While grant recipient projects vary, a few will add trees to parks, trails, schools, and downtown areas. Many will also focus on countering the threat posed by emerald ash borer (EAB), a non-native pest discovered in Boulder, CO, in 2013. EAB attacks and kills ash trees, which make up about 15% of the state’s urban trees. Grant-funded EAB projects this year will plant native and diverse trees beneath existing ash, preparing for their likely eventual decline as EAB spreads across the state.
Each year, the CTC awards thousands in grant money to Colorado communities to help preserve, renew, and enhance one of Colorado’s most valuable resources: its urban forest. Aside from aesthetic benefits, urban trees protect the air and water from pollution, save energy by shielding homes from summer sun and winter wind, increase property values, and improve the economic viability of commercial areas.
The Colorado Tree Coalition awarded nearly $50,000 to 17 organizations in 2016. Along with matching funds provided by the grant recipients this helped plant more than 360 trees in communities across Colorado. Each of these projects allowed residents the opportunity to make a difference in their community with a combined total of 3,117 hours of volunteer service. CTC grants are made possible through the support of the USDA Forest Service, the Colorado State Forest Service, Xcel Energy Foundation, Xcel Energy Vegetation Management, Colorado Public Radio and other private donors, and our Colorado Tree Coalition members and supporters. Since 1991 the Colorado Tree Coalition has awarded 501 grants totaling over $844,000. These grants have been matched with over $7.8 million in community money and/or time. As a result of these grants over 74,110 trees have been planted throughout the state.
The Colorado Tree Coalition is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization leading statewide efforts to preserve, renew and enhance community forests. Programs administered by the CTC include, among many others: Trees Across Colorado, ReForest Colorado, the Select Tree Evaluation Program, and the 5th Grade Poster Contest.
Washington – U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Jerry Moran (R-KN), along with nine of their colleagues, this week encouraged the President to assess the future operations and detention of detainees held at the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) in a letter to the President.
“Congress has continuously opposed and prohibited the closure of GTMO as well as the transfer of GTMO detainees to U.S. soil since 2010 in response to the previous administration’s attempt to fulfill a campaign promise,” the Senators wrote. “Despite the growing number of threats to our nation from terrorists around the globe, the Obama administration demonstrated a serious disregard for the safety of the American people and the will of Congress by dramatically reducing the number of detainees housed at GTMO to justify those remaining to be transferred to the U.S.”
In the letter, the Senators shared with President Trump a number of recommendations for the future of the detention facility as the president and Congress work to ensure the safety of the American people. They requested an immediate hold on transferring detainees approved for release by the Periodic Review Board (PRB) and the suspension of the PRB itself – which was established in 2011 to assess and determine the transfer of detainees – along with a full and judicious review of the PRB’s role and responsibilities. They also requested the consideration of military value analysis and recommendations of the nation’s most senior military leaders.
Click here to read the full letter.
Washington – U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) today released the below statement following the White House press secretary’s comment that “President Trump has made it very clear that he expects the Russian government to de-escalate violence in the Ukraine and return Crimea.”
“I welcome news that the White House has laid out a clear and unequivocal stance on Russian aggression in Ukraine,” said Gardner. “Russia’s destabilizing actions must be met with resolve from the United States, and today’s statement from the White House is a positive step toward that goal.”
This past week, Gardner led a group of Senators in sending a letter to President Trump urging his Administration to pursue a principled and tough-minded Russia policy, highlighting Russia’s aggressive behavior in Ukraine, Syria, and cyberspace.
Washington – Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) today released the below statement after the United States, South Korea, and Japan released a joint statement condemning North Korea’s ballistic missile launch:
“I’m encouraged by today’s joint statement from the U.S., South Korea, and Japan because it represents a unified front against North Korean aggression. The statement also sends a message to North Korea and our adversaries around the world: the U.S. will stand up to those who threaten our allies,” said Gardner. “I urge the Administration to continue to pursue and strengthen this important trilateral alliance, an effective policy tool to deter Pyongyang and promote peace in the region. Additionally, I’m hopeful that the Administration expedites the placement of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and show-of-force exercises near North Korea. Together, the U.S., South Korea, and Japan can work toward changing North Korea’s behavior and disarming the regime.”
Gardner’s statement on North Korea’s launch along with a letter he sent to the Administration urging the prioritization of the North Korean threat can be found here. Additionally, earlier this week Gardner sent a letter with his Senate colleagues to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requesting that the department pursue a full range of financial sanctions against the regime.
Colorado – Gov. John Hickenlooper and Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne today welcomed refugees to Colorado during a celebration at Union Station honoring the many contributions refugees make to Colorado. The event, sponsored by Union Station Alliance, brought together 75 refugees – most of whom had arrived in Colorado just weeks or months earlier – from countries including Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.
The event also brought together Coloradans who work to support refugees as they begin their new lives, including Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, as well as leaders of Colorado’s three resettlement agencies: the African Community Center, the International Rescue Commission and Lutheran Family Services.
Colorado — A team of assessors with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA®) will visit the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to examine all aspects of the Bureau, including policies, procedures, management, operations and support services beginning on March 12, 2017.
The CBI must comply with 189 standards to continue the current CALEA accreditation status. Verification by the assessment team that the CBI meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain re-accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. The CBI received its initial accreditation in July 2014.
As part of the on-site assessment, Bureau employees, agencies and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session beginning at 4:00 p.m. on March 13, 2017. The first portion of the session will be for call-ins from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. a public meeting will be conducted at the CBI headquarters (690 Kipling St., Lakewood, CO 80215). If for some reason an individual is unable to call in or attend in person, but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, information can be shared via email at .
To participate in the call in session from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., please call 1 (646) 749-3131, access code 814-586-733.
Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to 10 minutes and must address the Bureau’s ability to comply with CALEA standards. Local contact is Susan Medina (303-239-4423).
Persons wishing to offer written comments about the CBI’s ability to meet standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155.
The assessment team is composed of law enforcement practitioners from similar agencies. The assessors review written materials, interview individuals, and visit offices and off-site locations where compliance can be witnessed. The assessors are:
Team Leader: Chief Humberto I. Cardounel Jr., Henrico County Police Division
Team Member: Mr. John Bailey Tucker, South Carolina CALEA PAC President
Once the CALEA® assessors complete their on-site review of the Bureau, they report to the full Commission, which will then determine if the CBI is to be granted re-accredited status.
Accreditation is for three years, during which time the agency must submit annual reports attesting continued compliance with those standards under which they were originally accredited, and must undergo annual compliance audits by CALEA certified compliance management officers.
For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. please call (800) 368-3757 or write to the Commission at:
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)
13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320
Gainesville, Virginia, 20155
Denver – Senate Republicans passed SB17-035 that would change “tampering with oil and gas equipment” from a class two misdemeanor to a class six felony.
Colorado Senate Republicans have decided to join Republican legislators across at least eight other states to repress political dissent and allow for a pathway to crackdown on protest activities. In Colorado, there has only been one reported incident over the past 3 years of tampering with oil and gas equipment.
The way the bill is written would also make a peaceful protester blocking a road that inhibits a vehicle carrying oil or condensate a class six felony, even though there was no act of vandalism. Republicans in Colorado have positioned themselves in complete opposition to the right to protest and the right to free speech. More importantly, they have stifled Coloradans right to protect their environment and home.
“Why carve out something for oil and gas when we’re not adequately protecting people?” asked State Senator Matt Jones, D-Louisville. “We should be focusing our attention on protecting Colorado families around oil and gas industrial operations, not oil corporations. These are dangerous industrial operations that are being plopped into neighborhoods. Let’s worry about our neighbors. The bottom line is we should be protecting Colorado families — not oil and gas corporations.”
These are strong points Senator Jones poses that highlights the bill’s intent to protect big corporations from the people, instead of protecting people from big corporations. The Lafayette City Council recently passed the Climate Bill of Rights and Protections that supports civil disobedience against environmentally harmful drilling methods. As it is in Lafayette’s model, we should be passing bills to protect people rather than protecting corporations.
“This is a felony in search of a protester to convict. In Colorado, we do not live in a dictatorship nor do we have an authoritarian form of government. We live in a democracy that should not suffocate but protect our right to protest, our right to free speech, and our right to assemble to safeguard our community,” said State Senator Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora.
Division of Oil and Public Safety ensures accuracy at the gas pump
Denver –Gov. Hickenlooper has issued a proclamation declaring March 1 – 7 as Weights and Measures Week in Colorado. Each year, the first week in March commemorates President John Adams signing the first weights and measures law in the United States on March 2, 1799.
The week provides an opportunity to remind consumers and businesses about the work done every day to ensure the accuracy of all commercially used weighing and measuring equipment. Coloradans buy gasoline by the gallon and purchase meat and produce by the pound. Scales at DIA determine allowable luggage weights. Every day, commercial scales, meters and scanning equipment ensure equity in the marketplace and the regular inspections of those devices protect consumers.
Inspectors at the Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS) at the Department of Labor and Employment play an important role in helping to ensure that Colorado consumers are getting what they are paying for. These inspectors are responsible for inspecting more than 50,000 retail motor fuel dispensers in the state.
“Our inspectors verify the calibration of gas pumps and test motor fuel to ensure compliance with fuel quality standards,” says OPS Director Mahesh Albuquerque. “Through our work, Coloradans can be confident they are getting what they pay for at the pump, while businesses are assured of an even playing field with their competitors.”
OPS also inspects bulk propane, gasoline and diesel truck meters and retail propane, compressed and liquefied natural gas dispensers for accuracy. In addition, inspectors verify that the calibration mechanisms are sealed from tampering. They look for leaks and evaluate advertising practices and price computations. “We don’t favor the retailer or the consumer,” Albuquerque says. “Our inspectors ensure accuracy and equity in the marketplace.”
Consumers who have a complaint or question about a retail motor fuel purchase or believe they are not getting precisely what they have paid for, can call 303-866-4967 and request an inspection.
Committee Advances Hamner-Exum Bill to Continue Home Heating Program – A bill to enact a five-year extension of a home heating and home insulation assistance program for Colorado’s most vulnerable families unanimously passed the House Transportation & Energy Committee this morning.
HB17-1116, sponsored by Reps. Millie Hamner, D-Dillon, and Tony Exum Sr., D-Colorado Springs, extends the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, which is helping heat and/or insulate the homes of more than 58,000 Colorado low-income families and individuals this winter.
The average benefit under the program for the current year is $342. Payments are sent directly to the heating fuel provider, electric utility or insulating contractor. Colorado’s oil and gas severance tax pays part of the tab and private groups like the Colorado Oil and Gas Association and the rural electrical associations also pitch in.
Rep. Exum talked about growing up one of 11 children in a low-income family. “You learn how to get by with the little that you have, but you also appreciate the assistance when it’s needed,” he told the committee.
Rep. Exum elaborated further later in the day: “This bill is very, very important for a lot of families all over the state to give them assistance when times are tough. This is literally the difference between staying warm and not during harsh winter months.”
The bill rides a 13-0 vote to the Appropriations Committee.
Tri-County Health Department is alerting parents that mumps continues to spread in the Denver metro area. Ask your doctor about mumps if you develop acute painful swelling around the cheek area. Mumps is contagious so stay home for 5 days after swelling begins. Measles, mumps, rubella vaccine protects against mumps. Children could be exposed in schools so check MMR vaccination records. Unvaccinated children could be kept home if mumps breaks out in their schools. Visit www.tchd.org for more information.