Headlines — December 14, 2022

December 14, 2022

Listen:

[Download Audio]

Road Closures Continue As Storm Passes

A winter storm has caused major highway closures in eastern Colorado, including interstates 70 and 76, because of whiteout conditions and high-wind warnings. The National Weather Service advises against driving in the affected areas. The storm also affected Denver International Airport, with 120 departing and arriving flights canceled and 707 departing and arriving flights delayed.  Colorado’s Department of Transportation advised over Twitter that drivers should plan ahead as icy/ snow-packed roads continue through Colorado during the evening commute. Blizzard conditions continue with high winds and blowing snow in Northeastern Colorado.

Mountain View Cemetery’s veterans will be honored for National Wreaths Across America Day

Mountain View Cemetery in Longmont will hold a wreath-laying ceremony Saturday to honor military veterans as part of National Wreaths Across America Day. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature performances by the American Legion Post 32 honor guard and the Mead Middle School choir. Over 1,500 veterans are buried at Mountain View Cemetery, the only Wreaths Across America location in Boulder County.

President Biden Signs Gay Marriage Law

A celebratory crowd gathered to watch President Joe Biden sign the Respect for Marriage Act into law yesterday. The new law explicitly protects the right of same gender and interracial couple to marry and have their marriages recognized nationwide. President Biden said at the event, “This law and the love it defends strike a blow against hate in all its forms.”

Colorado Advocates Make A Call To Action To Improve The State’s Air Quality.

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission is holding three days of hearings this week to define its plan to reduce ozone emissions in the state. The hearings will include public input before the commission votes on whether to submit the plan to the Environmental Protection Agency for approval. Environmental advocates say the plan does not move quickly or aggressively enough to address the state’s poor air quality. The commission is expected to vote on the plan on Friday. 

In September EPA regulators reclassified Colorado’s front range as a severe violator of federal air quality standards.

Denver Prepares For Upcoming Wave Of Migrants

Denver continues to prepare to receive asylum seekers with no place to go. An unexpected self-funded influx of migrants has prompted Denver to open emergency shelters, some of them including churches and homeless shelters. 

City officials began operating the shelters last week after a bus with 150 migrants abruptly arrived in the city .

According to the Denver Post, 50 to 100 migrants have been arriving in Denver every day and over 600 have arrived in recent months. Most of the migrants are Venezuelan, looking to escape the situation their country is experiencing raging from political persecution to humanitarian crisis. 

Many are facing the Title 42 policy that makes them unable to seek asylum within the limits of the U.S. without a sponsor and have looked for other ways to enter the country. Denver is expecting more migrants in the months to come and is partnering with non-profit organizations like Annunciation House to meet the needs of the upcoming migrants. Denver shelters are also asking for donations and volunteers.

Oil Train Plans Draw Protests

Environmental advocates are asking US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to revoke the permits for the Uinta Railway.

In addition environmental activist were in Washington DC to deliver formal letter signed by over 750 organizations opposing the efforts to include harmful fossil fuel provisions in upcoming legislation. The 88-mile railroad would connect oil fields in northeast Utah to existing rail lines, allowing more crude oil to travel by rail across Utah and Colorado. A coalition of activists called “Stop the Uinta Basin Railway” led a national day of action on Saturday. .Organizers worry derailments could cause devastating spills along the Colorado River and on indigenous land.If built, up to ten trains with one hundred and ten rail cars could carry crude oil along this route every day.

US Army Corps of Engineers Issues Permit Approval For Proposed Reservoirs Under the Northern Integrated Supply Project

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has approved a 404 permit allowing the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District to build two reservoirs for the Northern Integrated Supply Project. 

The stated objective of the Northern Integrated Supply Project is to supply 15 water providers with a combined 40,000 acre feet of water yearly for communities along Colorado’s northern front range, including Erie, Lafayette, Fort Collins, Loveland, Dacano, Frederick, and Firestone.  

A 404 permit, titled under a section of the federal Clean Water Act, is an authorization issued by the Corps of Engineers that will allow for the discharge of dredged or fill material into all waters of the United States, including wetlands. 

Environmental groups and activists have met the project with resistance throughout its planning history, with the group Save The Poudre (POO-DER) issuing a statement on Friday saying they plan on filing a lawsuit in response to the federal approval. 

In regards to other permits and site plan applications, Save The Poudre (POO-DER) and other environmental groups are currently suing the Larimer County Commissioners, the city of Fort Collins, and Northern Integrated Supply Project in two other lawsuits. 

The Corps of Engineers issuance of the permit is the final approval for Northern Water to start the project, which Northern Water has been planning for almost 20 years and estimates will cost $2 billion [dollars].

Podcast: Play in new window | Download