2011
Press Release Archive
- December 21, 2011: WRA notes that the deadline for public comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission passed on Monday with just 1 supportive comment out of more than 5,000 total submissions.
- December 15, 2011:WRA announced that it will file formal objections with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today regarding the Flaming Gorge Pipeline proposal. The objections are being filed by WRA along with the Colorado Environmental Coalition and the National Parks Conservation Association. The entire filing can be viewed on the FERC website.
- December 13, 2011: The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission approved new regulations for hydraulic fracturing. WRA responds and encourages more proactive rulemaking in 2012.
- December 8, 2011: WRA Lands Program Director Mike Chiropolos comments on a landmark new report from the EPA linking fracking with water contamination in Wyoming. Click here to see WRA's poster on the dangers of the "trade secret loophole" for fracking.
- December 6, 2011: The Chief Counsel for WRA's Energy Program, Steve Michel, takes center stage in New Mexico as hearings begin over landmark greenhouse gas regulations that Michel developed.
- November 29, 2011:Amid news that oil pollutants are seeping into Metro Denver's Water Supply, WRA produced the following map highlighting the manner in which contamination can reach food and water supplies for hundreds of thousands of people.
- November 17, 2011: Colorado is set to become the national leader in water conservation thanks to new data reporting guidelines approved by the Colorado Water Conservation Board. WRA played a significant role in the drafting of the guidelines, as well as the legislation that preceded them.
- November 15, 2011: Power plants are straining water resources across the country, according to a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists. WRA Energy/Water Policy Analyst Stacy Tellinghuisen is one of the contributors to the report released today.
- November 9, 2011: Western Resource Advocates announced today that it will push for stronger regulations than those outlined under a new draft rule regarding the disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.
- October 31, 2011: WRA comments on Colorado report on hydraulic fracturing, says STRONGER report fails to address vital issues of setbacks and self-regulation.
- October 14, 2011: WRA Energy/Water Policy Analyst Stacy Tellinghuisen on the latest submission regarding the Flaming Gorge Pipeline: "Trying to classify this pipeline proposal as an energy project is like a tobacco company saying that cigarettes are really just intended to keep people warm. The Flaming Gorge Pipeline doesn't make any sense no matter what you call it."
- October 3, 2011: Arizona's Water Resource Development Commission submitted its 100-year water supply evaluation report to the Governor and state legislature that provides a comprehensive look at the entire state's water supply and anticipated demands. For the first time, water for natural resources has been included for consideration. WRA played a role in the report's findings.
- September 14, 2011: The Colorado Water Conservation Board passed a scaled-back version of a funding proposal for a study of the Flaming Gorge pipeline. WRA, and partner groups, released a statement saying the study is duplicative of other efforts and still not a wise expenditure of public funds.
- September 12, 2011: Three billboards in the vicinity of Grand Junction, Colorado raised an important question about the proposed Flaming Gorge pipeline -- is it worth the financial risk? The billboards were in place for an important vote by a state water board voting on funding a study of the controversial project,
- September 6, 2011: The most expensive water in the history of Colorado. That would be the dubious distinction of the proposed Flaming Gorge Pipeline. A new report written by economist George Oamek outlines the costs of the proposed pipeline to Front Range water users, impacts on the tourism and recreation economy on the Green River, and some of the financial risks that Westerners would bear.
- August 24, 2011: The Clean Energy Vision Project released a report that makes the case for developing a western clean energy grid by comparing its outcome to a business-as-usual approach. As a partner in its release, WRA issued a statement in support of the "Western Grid 2050: Contrating Futures, Contrasting Fortunes" report.
- August 16, 2011: The practice of using short-term renewable energy contracts with out-of-state utilities to meet Nevada's renewable energy standard is actually working against the intended goal of increasing investment in renewable energy in the state. WRA is challenging this practice with the state's Public Service Commission.
- July 5, 2011: A judge threw-out a water district's water rights that were likely to be used for oil shale development when local residents in Meeker, Colorado area showed that developing these rights would cause great harm to this rural valley. The amount of water that would have been developed equals the amount used by the 1.3 million residents of the Denver Metro area.
- May 2, 2011: Linda Stitzer, a highly regarded water expert in Arizona, joins WRA's Water program staff as Arizona Senior Water Advisor. Linda will be working with local and regional water providers, governments and policymakers to advance water planning, conservation and efficiency programs in Arizona.
- March 1, 2011: Colorado is at a crossroads as it looks for ways to meet anticipated water supply shortfalls. Western Resource Advocates, Trout Unlimited, and the Colorado Environmental Coalition released a plan that outlines how Colorado's Front Range communities can meet projected human water demands through 2050 while keeping rivers healthy. In the new report, "Filling the Gap: Commonsense Solutions for Meeting Front Range Water Needs," the conservation groups detail an approach that relies on low-impact water supply projects, conservation, water reuse, and agricultural-urban water cooperation to meet Colorado's growing water demands.
- February 2, 2011: Local governments can reap the rewards of using solar energy by incorporating creative solar power projects into public infrastructure. Buildings, airports, parks, shade structures, water supply systems, sound barriers, and even public art can feature photovoltaic (PV) solar systems that generate electricity. A WRA report, “Solar Solutions: Incorporating Photovoltaics into Public Infrastructure,” details how local and regional governments can, and do, integrate sustainable energy generation into their public facilities.
- January 26, 2011: New Mexico's Supreme Court issued a ruling requiring that a state records office print rules, among them rules regulating carbon emissions, that were held up by the incoming governor and therefore not allowed to take effect. The rules can now proceed forward. WRA's Steve Michel issued a statement praising the court's actions.
