In a significant legal victory for Navajo campaigners, a federal judge has voided a permit for the expansion of one of two operating mines on the Navajo reservation, calling for a more thorough review of the project’s impact on the environment and on cultural sites.

In a decision issued Friday, Judge John L. Kane of United States District Court for the District of Colorado ordered the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, part of the federal Department of Interior, to reassess the proposed expansion of the Navajo Mine on tribal land in New Mexico.

BLUE GAP, Ariz. − For decades, coal has been an economic lifeline for the Navajos, even as mining and power plant emissions dulled the blue skies and sullied the waters of their sprawling reservation.

But today there are stirrings of rebellion. Seeking to reverse years of environmental degradation and return to their traditional values, many Navajos are calling for a future built instead on solar farms, ecotourism and microbusinesses.

Dr. Marcia Angell, a single-payer advocate, doesn´t think there´s much in the President´s plan to feel good about. But it´s not just the particular version that she objects to − rather that the bill doesn´t address what´s fundamentally wrong with the American health care system.

The League of Women Voters of Montezuma County will celebrate the 90^th anniversary with a cake cutting at the general meeting "Legislative Lowdown" for interested public on Saturday, February 20 at 2 P.M. in the Calvin Denton Room of Empire Electric Association, 801 N. Broadway, Cortez. Our State Senator, Bruce Whitehead and Representatives Ellen Roberts and Scott Tipton are invited to discuss 2010 Colorado Legislative efforts and issues.

The League of Women Voters (LWV), a nonpartisan political organization that works to improve our system of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy, is celebrating its 90^th anniversary in 2010. Not coincidentally, the 19^th amendment to the United States Constitution that gave women the right to vote celebrates its 90^th anniversary in 2010, as well.

"The women who started the movement to give women the right to vote really didn´t know where it would end, how it would end, or when it would end," said League of Women Voters president, Mary G. Wilson. "And yet they persevered. They persevered in a time when it wasn´t fashionable for women to speak out on any issue − let alone try to get some rights for themselves. They worked against all odds − and succeeded."

Health Care Education Background Papers
The Health Care Education background papers examine various questions. State and local Leagues may use these papers as bases for their own discussion and as reprints in League newsletters.

Developers of the proposed Desert Rock power plant on the Navajo Nation reservation near Farmington have lost their bid for $450 million in stimulus money to install an expensive carbon−capture system in the facility, which would be the third coal−fired power plant in the Four Corners.

The proponents, the Navajo Nation and Sithe Global, in April were stripped of the air−quality permit they were granted in the summer of 2008 by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The WWA, in conjunction with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), presented the "Dealing with Drought-Adapting to a Changing Climate" workshop series during October in three locations around Colorado. These workshops built on themes and information from the October 2008 Governor’s Conference on Managing Drought and Climate Risk. The 80 participants represented diverse sectors and interests affected by drought and climate, including water resource management, agriculture, land-use planning, forest and range management, watershed protection, environmental organizations, and tourism & recreation.

The Intermountain West Climate Summary (IWCS) provides the latest climate information in a simple compact document aimed at water managers, planners and policy makers with water-related interests. By improving awareness and understanding about forecasts as well as climate phenomenon, the climate summary helps WWA facilitate a dialog among potential users, researchers, and operational providers of climate information with the ultimate goal of providing enhanced climate services...(more)

June 1 Summary:

Summary

May´s warm and dry weather patterns have contributed to an early meltout of Colorado's mountain snowpack. With nearly uninterrupted snowmelt occurring throughout May, only remnants of last winter's snowpack now remain across southern Colorado. With the early melt, streamflows have responded accordingly with earlier than normal high volumes. Seasonal volume forecasts have not changed significantly from last month in most basins. For most of the state near average spring and summer runoff is forecast, with below average runoff forecast across the southwestern portion of the state. As expected, reservoir storage has improved significantly with the early snow melt and is currently in the best condition in a decade.

The scientific evidence is clear: the Earth´s climate is warming. Multiple independent measurements confirm widespread warming in the western United States.

in Colorado, temperatures have increased by approximately 2ºF between 1977 and 2006. Increasing temperatures are affecting the state´s water resources.

The Colorado Climate Report is a synthesis of climate change science important for Colorado´s water supply. It focuses on observed trends, modeling, and projections of temperature, precipitation, snowmelt, and runoff. The report summarizes Colorado—specific findings from peer—reviewed regional studies, and presents new graphics derived from existing datasets. The state is home to many experts in climate and hydrology, and this report also draws from ongoing work by these scientists...(more)

The scientific evidence is clear: the Earth’s climate is warming. Multiple independent measurements confirm widespread warming in the western United States; in Colorado, temperatures have increased by approximately 2°F between 1977 and 2006. Increasing temperatures are affecting the state’s water resources...(more)

WASHINGTON — Generating electricity by burning coal is responsible for about half of an estimated $120 billion in yearly costs from early deaths and health damages to thousands of Americans from the use of fossil fuels, a federal advisory group said Monday.

A presentation by Mike Silverstein (PDF), Colorado Air Pollution Control Division´s deputy director and the manager of the division´s Planning and Policy Program given at the Air Quality and it´s Impact on Health Forum, October 8, 2009.

Mike´s main area of expertise is in air quality planning, which involves working with industry, government agencies and citizens to develop plans for areas that have violated National Ambient Air Quality Standards, such as the ozone standard. Mike also leads the division´s efforts to assess air quality issues in Rocky Mountain National Park and the Four Corners region. Mike holds B.S and M.S. degrees in Geography from the University of Colorado. Prior to joining the division, Mike was an environmental scientist with the E.P.A. in Denver and an environmental consultant.

Developers of the proposed Desert Rock power plant on the Navajo Nation reservation near Farmington have lost their bid for $450 million in stimulus money to install an expensive carbon−capture system in the facility, which would be the third coal−fired power plant in the Four Corners.

The proponents, the Navajo Nation and Sithe Global, in April were stripped of the air−quality permit they were granted in the summer of 2008 by the Environmental Protection Agency.