Envisioning our energy future
Re: “Meeting America’s natural gas demands,” Oct. 16 guest commentary
I found it predictable for a vice president in the oil and gas industry to believe that Colorado and our neighbors can be “proud” in our “role in securing America’s energy future.” This kind of mentality has helped to keep America in the fossil fuels quandary.
Sure, the vast untapped reserves located in Colorado Duane Zavadil speaks of will sustain the country for awhile, but not only at the cost of our environment. We will be (once again) lulled into a false sense of security.
I will be “proud” of Colorado in the active role of being a future energy provider when we develop energy sources agriculturally (ethanol), or meteorologically, (sun or wind).
Sharon Fairbanks, Berthoud
…
Drilling for natural gas in the Rockies is not “relatively simple.”. About 90 percent of the undiscovered gas on federal land is primarily trapped in tight sandstone formations.
The higher costs of drilling and fracturing to extract this gas helps explains why, even though production in the Rockies is soaring, gas prices have not come down. Nor is a “concerted effort by special interest groups to block natural gas production” a factor in high gas prices. The BLM continues to issue more drilling permits than industry can drill.
The hidden environmental costs are also substantial as tight sands gas and coal-bed methane require more wells, more pipelines, and more compressor engines per square mile than conventional gas.
We need forward-thinking policies that protect our best places and our pocketbooks. Investing in energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy are all more cost effective solutions than drilling marginal wells in the Rockies.
Pete Morton, Senior Resource Economist, The Wilderness Society, Denver
…
Duane Zavadil got it partly right. Colorado has already made a significant contribution to America’s energy security, and our state inevitably will continue to drill for and produce natural gas. But citizens concerned about our quality of life don’t want unfettered drilling to further compromise our scenery, wildlife, clean air and water.
There is nothing stopping energy development in Colorado. The industry is already drilling more wells in Colorado, and in the rest of the West, than ever before.
But, Coloradans have seen their natural gas bills go up significantly since 2000, and this winter we’ll see even more dramatic sticker shock.
Colorado voters clearly stated their support for expanded clean energy usage when we passed Amendment 37 last November.
It’s past time for our political leaders to listen to citizens. Clean energy technologies increase our energy security, make us more competitive in a global economy, and bring down fossil fuel prices as demand falls.
Jim Martin, Executive Director, Western Resource Advocates, Boulder
Readers debate C and D
Re: Recent letters, columns and editorials
In his letter of Oct. 16, Chuck Agins wrote, favoring Referendums C & D, “A more accurate analogy would be entering a shop to buy a $3 item with a $5 bill and learning from an expert in the shop that a better investment would be a $5 item.”
The problem comes with paying the extra money but not getting the better item.
Colorado has a history of passing ballot measures that were supposed to provide better things that apparently don’t get delivered.
Last year alone, we were promised that higher tobacco taxes would pay for better health care. We were also promised that Amendment 23 would give us better schools.
But by the words of C and D proponents, what we got instead for all that money was a failing health care system and schools that are falling apart.
Either the proponents are being deceptive, or the money earmarked for those things never got there.
In either case, by the time C and D expire, the recipients of that money will not want to relinquish it, and there will be calls for more taxes to fix the decayed roads, crumbling schools and failing health care system.
Dave Olson, Westminster
…
Once again the imperious attitude of John Andrews leaves one wondering if he lives in a time warp jumping between the 18th and 21st centuries.
He not only notes the future of transportation is toll authorities but his answer for health care is “Personal choice beats Big Brother.”
All he forgot to do was remind us that the law in its infinite majesty forbids rich and poor from stealing bread and sleeping under bridges.
George Scudella, Canon City
…
In his Sunday column, John Andrews referred to the woman who asked about his vision for Colorado and the kind of state we wanted to be.
I am that woman, and I was pleased that after some consideration, Mr. Andrews was finally able to generate an answer.
Unfortunately I think it is the wrong answer. Privatizing hospitals, school vouchers, toll booths, expanding the market place and shrinking government all ring of isolationism.
We are a community. Our prosperity, our quality of life, is inextricably connected to our neighbors.
Perhaps I understand that because I teach children, and I recognize that the life I cultivate for children will determine the life they create for my future.
I can tell you that the conservatives’ greed and shortsighted view of civic responsibility has failed the people of Colorado. Referendums C and D are not a spending plan, they are an investment plan, and far more affordable for taxpayers then a bankrupt government.
Colorado is a community and deserves a vision for our future that includes everyone.
Angela Engel, Centennial
…
Please help me. While reading “The Fight for TABOR” letters I became convinced I was actually reading a paid advertisement in favor of Referendums C and D.
If this is a true reflection of the opinion letters being received at the Post, those of us who are against these referendums must be remiss for not making our opinion known.
I can provide a much better rate of return for my children by keeping my tax refund. By dumping the money into the already extremely bloated bureaucracy, I would be lucky to realize a return of a penny on the dollar.
Doug Meyer, Littleton
Greeley will do better
Across the state, school districts are focused on how to improve student achievement and help all children succeed. In Greeley-Evans School District 6, we have the same commitment and focus. We are very much aware of our level of student performance, and are taking immediate action to improve. While our district is blessed with strong teachers and a supportive community, we have been struggling with poor test scores. Our student achievement, as measured by the CSAP tests, is below the state average across every subgroup of students. Some blame the district’s below-average CSAP scores on our student demographics. But demographics are no excuse. Many districts with demographics similar to ours are succeeding.
Our district should be no different. We know we can do better and we will.
We must ensure that every student in every classroom in our district is on task and focused on learning. And we want parents and our community actively involved in helping all children succeed.
In the Post article, one of our eighth- graders captured best what we hope will be the norm: “The teachers are strict here and on top of things. There is no messing around in classes.” To achieve these goals, we are taking immediate action by asking an independent team of educational experts to take a hard look at what is working well and where we can improve in the Greeley-Evans School District. Over the next several weeks, the team of seasoned educators will place the district and its schools under the microscope. The team will focus on nine “performance standards” for academic success.
The team will deliver its findings to the district in mid-December. In January, the school board will develop a comprehensive action plan in response. We are on a fast track, and with good reason: Our children are counting on us to give them the best education possible. Our business leaders are depending on us to provide a well educated and skilled workforce. Our community is relying on us to prepare our young people to participate as active, involved citizens when they graduate from our schools. Taxpayers expect that their hard-earned dollars will be spent wisely.
No excuses. We will identify the problems and we will fix them.
Renae Dreier, Superintendent of Schools, Greeley-Evans School District 6
Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation and mountain lion cubs
Re: “Back to the Wild,” Oct. 19 Page 1 story.
Thank you for your cover story on Sunday.
As the rehabilitator responsible for taking care of the lions for the past year, I am glad that the public had the opportunity to see inside the rehabilitation process.
Reporter Julie Marshall dedicated a great deal of time to the story and was passionate about covering the issue. Photographer R.J. Sangosti was professional and worked hard to get great photos from a distance, so he wouldn’t interfere with the process.
The Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation does not work for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, but we work closely with the DOW.
We are a non-profit rehabilitation center that is supported by the generosity of private donors. We count on continued donations so that we might continue our mission of returning wildlife to their proper place in the wild.
Nanci Limbach, Executive Director, Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation, Silt
Art quality important
Re: “Touring Colorado arts,” Oct. 16 Perspective.
Elaine Mariner’s column exemplifies what is wrong with arts administration in Colorado. Underlying Mariner’s entire narrative of art in rural and mountain towns is the idea that art is good for business. There is no consideration of quality; she thinks theater is good enough if it is about the “capture” of a way of life, or if it involves community engagement of whatever kind, or if, best of all, it is an “economic generator.”
Business is an important factor in the development of an arts community. But business success is not at all the appropriate rationale for art.
To support art, Mariner needs to be willing to drum up support for those who accomplish challenging new results instead of accepting the default positions that produce ornamental, secondary, repetitive, unchallenging work that arguably is not art at all and that has a primarily commercial rationale.
Art is good for something other than business, and in the end that is good for business. But art conceived in terms of sales is advertising, not art.
Elizabeth Deeds Ermarth, Lakewood
Bring the troops home
Re: “A unique perspective on Iraq war,” Oct. 16 David Broder column.
David Broder presented Melvin Laird’s opinions on the Iraq war. Laird’s credentials would be impressive, especially to Republicans, the last supporters of the war: World War II vet, Republican congressman, secretary of defense under Nixon. Laird says basically we should begin within weeks to withdraw troops, gradually. One problem with his recommendation: Already we have too few troops in Iraq; if we pull out “gradually,” we could expose our remaining troops to more danger. It looks as if our only course is to notify Iraqis in advance, strengthen the already formidable Shiite and Kurdish militias, then pull out completely.
Or else we could pull remaining troops back into safe Kurdish areas, ready to foil any conventional invasion of Shiite territories. But this we could do with airpower alone, not needing troops. Laird agrees with most other experts: We should bring ’em home!
Dan Lyons, Fort Collins
TO THE POINT: Short takes from readers
What has become perfectly clear is that fundamentalist religion makes people stupid. Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed are probably wondering why they bothered.
Norm Jain, Aurora
With energy prices going through the roof and the heating season just beginning, one can see Jimmy Carter pulling his cardigan around his shoulders and saying, “I told you so.”
Don Thompson, Alamosa
Mayor John Hickenlooper’s sky dive promoting Referendums C and D (in spite of a supposed fear of heights) shows one thing and one thing only: There are no lengths to which a politician will not go to get his hands on more of the taxpayer’s money.
G. Shawn Cadwell, Parker
The David Horsey/Seattle Post-Intelligencer cartoon on Sunday Oct. 16 shows Eve looking for Adam, who apparently has been gobbled up by a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a creationists’ view of the Garden of Eden. I wonder how Eve got that belly button since she didn’t have a mom.
Carolyn Sommerville, Denver
Theodore Roosevelt said, “Patriotism means to stand by the government. It does not mean to stand by the president.”
Leon Rodriguez, Denver
To have your comments printed in To the Point, please send letters of no more than 40 words to openforum@denverpost.com (no attachments, please) or 1560 Broadway, Denver, 80202. Writers are limited to one letter per month.
TO REACH OPINION EDITORS
Phone: 303-820-1331
Fax: 303-820-1502
E-mail: openforum@denverpost.com (only straight text, not attachments)
Mail: The Open Forum, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, 80202 or PO Box 1709, Denver, 80201
Letters guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 200 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.
