Wyoming - Colorado; Flaming Gorge Pipeline Project
flaminggorge.jpgThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has extended the public comment period for the scoping of the Regional Watershed Supply Project (RWSP) proposed by Million Conservation Resource Group.  As proposed, the RWSP project would draw up to 250,000 acre-feet of water annually from the Green River, primarily to serve municipal needs in Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo.  The water would be transported via a pipeline system (approximately 578 miles in length with diameters of 6 to 10 feet) fueled by 16 new natural gas-powered pump stations. There are currently no contracts for the water in front range. 

The public comment period has been extended to July 27th:
Click here for the Army Corps of Engineers Public Notice... (ok to trust security certificate)
Click here to view our guide to submitting public comment...
Click here for a recent news story on the proposed project...

Comments should be submitted to:
Rena Brand, Project Manager
US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District
Denver Regulatory Office
9307 S. Wadsworth Blvd.
Littleton, CO  80128-6901
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 17 June 2009 )
 
Embracing a Civic Republican Tradition in Natural Resources Decision-making
eastfaceofsteensmountainfromeaststeensroadnearthealvordranch_500px.jpg
An article by Professor Mark Squillace, University of Colorado, Natural Resources Law Center

Public participation processes in agency decision-making are commonplace today and they consume substantial portions of agency resources. But agencies often struggle to design processes that meaningfully engage the public. The lack of meaningful engagement is often excused as the fault of the other side. The agency faults the public for comments that lack specificity or that fail to account for the factual and legal constraints underlying the proposal, and the public faults the agency for ignoring its comments or failing to take them into account in making it final decision. Public frustrations with agency process often exacerbate public disenchantment with agency decisions.

This paper offers a prescription for making public processes more meaningful in the context of policy decisions impacting natural resources. It begins by tracing the history of public participation in government action. It then reviews the arguments that support public participation, as well as several reasons that may counsel against it. Participation processes will surely endure, but a better appreciation of the challenges that participation processes present can help agencies tailor their processes to be more meaningful.

The chapter then analyzes the theoretical foundations for public participation, concluding that the civic republican tradition offers the only viable approach for meaningfully engaging the public in natural resources decision-making. Various modes of participation are then evaluated in light of the civic republican model, with suggestions for modifying these processes to enhance their utility in engaging the pubic. Finally, the chapter discusses some of the ongoing problems with current public processes and suggests possible reforms.
Download the full paper (.pdf; 28 pages)...
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 01 April 2009 )
 

Upcoming Event

Bridging the Gap: Collaborative Conservation from the Ground Up
September 8-11, 2009; Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO
Co-hosted by the Center for Collaborative Conservation, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Colorado State Forest Service, and Extension at Colorado State University, this conference will bring together people with experience in tribal nations, rangelands, forests, watersheds, agricultural lands, and urban areas to discuss ad hoc collaboration and new strategic approaches to environmental challenges.  Session panelists will discuss their collaborative work on climate change, energy, water, invasive species, ecosystem service payments, local food systems, rural-urban connections, and other issues. We will identify strategies to build a broader system for networking, support and learning across collaborative conservation initiatives.
Learn more...
 

Syndicate