Election '09

Election Highlights from Around the Rockies

The elections that attracted national attention Tuesday were all on the East Coast, with New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine (suddenly burdened by his previous job as head of Goldman Sachs) going down to defeat and conservative Republican activists like Sarah Palin failing in their effort to override the local party and elect a fellow-traveler to an open Congressional seat in upstate New York. Unsurprisingly, voters across the country were worried about the economy, not too keen on incumbent office-holders, and wary about measures that might cost them money.

In Colorado, open space and marijuana were the issues of the night, in Boise, the streetcar desire played a role in the elections and in Montana, the liberal bastion that is Missoula finally has a liberal city council.

Here’s a quick and dirty roundup of highlights from election night: 

WASHINGTON TO THE RESCUE?

Roadless Rule Bill: the Timing is Right, so Just Pass It

Unnoticed by many, two members of Congress from Washington have decided it’s about time to do something to resolve the seemingly endless debate over the future of our last roadless lands.

Senator Maria Cantwell and Representative Jay Inslee, both Democrats, have re-introduced the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act (S.1738, H.R. 3563) to codify the Clinton-era Roadless Rule that has been on a legal roller coaster for the past nine years.

GAME OVER, FINALLY, GUN GUYS WIN

Political Irony Reigns as President Obama Signs “MasterBlaster Bill”

I suppose I should let it go, but nobody else does, so why should I?

This is my third column about the now-infamous administrative rule to allow loaded, concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges (links at end of column). The rule evolved into a symbolic and high priority political battle, and both pro-gun and anti-gun groups seized on it as a way to find out who had the power.

And now we know. The gun lobby wins, easily, which is no surprise to me.

WHAT TO CALL IT?

Branding Wilderness Lite

Editor's note: Second in a two-part series on resolving the conflict between mountain bikers and hikers over protecting roadless lands. Click here for the first part, plus a very interesting comment thread.

Last week, I wrote about options hikers and wilderness groups had to make peace with mountain bikers so the two key constituencies could work together to protect roadless land. One option was urging Congress to pass another organic act creating a true alternative land designation. But what to call it?

In past commentaries, I'm used the words "Wilderness Lite" to refer to various land designations that provide almost as much protection as the "Big W" Wilderness Congress designates under the Wilderness Act of 1964. Basically, cutting to the chase, I can more precisely define "Wilderness Lite" as "Wilderness that allows mountain biking."

Q&A

Mark Udall: ‘Boulder Liberal’ or ‘Conservadem’?

When Mark Udall was running for Colorado’s open Senate seat last November, his opponent blasted him as a “Boulder liberal.” So he caught a lot of attention recently when the Senator joined a group of centrist Democrats, the Moderate Dems Working Group, that critics saw as anti-Obama. Popular MSNBC host Rachel Maddow labeled them “conservadems.”

We caught up with Udall on a tour through western Colorado and asked him about his decision to join the group, and the political and economic changes that have taken place since Udall moved from the House to the Senate.

New West: It’s sort of a different world now.

Mark Udall: It is, although the changes that emerged in the last weeks of the campaign are front and center. Who would have thought 18 months ago that we wouldn’t be talking at all about the Iraq war, that we wouldn’t be talking at all about the Bush administration’s policies at Guantanamo Bay? Instead we’d be talking about the world’s greatest economy on its back and how do we help it stand upright again? But the president said you don’t get to pick your challenges.

IDAHO'S FIRST WILDERNESS SINCE 1980

Crapo, Conservationists Laud Passage of Public Lands Bill

UPDATED 6 pm, March 30. President Barack Obama signed the public lands bill today. George Cooper, President and CEO of the Theordore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, attended the White House signing ceremony and invoked the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt in assessing the president’s actions. “Theodore Roosevelt once said, ‘We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.' With today’s events, Roosevelt’s words take on a new and deeper meaning. Ratification of this historic measure represents an important victory for sportsmen, as well as for our natural resources and activities that rely on our nation’s public lands."

After years of compromise, delay, failed votes, parliamentary games, all frequently sprinkled with vitriol from detractors, but countered with the hard work by many thousands of supporters, Congress has, finally, passed the Omnibus Public Lands Bill. The 1,300-page behemoth is actually a compilation of around 170 pieces of legislation, including Idaho's first wilderness in 29 years, protection for the Wyoming Range, and wilderness and wild river designations in nine states, not including Montana.

The Senate passed the massive bill, again (click here to read about it), last week. Yesterday, the House voted 285-140 to pass the same bill. Since the House passed an exact copy of the Senate-passed bill, it won't be stalled in a conference committee and subject to re-votes. Instead, it goes directly to the White House where everybody involved expects President Obama to sign it, probably next week.

IT'S BECOME A REAL BATTLEFIELD BILL

House Votes on Public Lands Bill Today

THIRD UPDATE: March 25, 12:15 PM. The House voted 283-140 to pass public lands bill with 136 Republicans and 4 Democrats voting "nay." This would have been enough to pass for a super-majority, two-thirds vote.

SECOND UPDATE, March 25, 9:15 am.

UPDATED March 19, 11 a.m. at end of article.

Anybody interested in protecting public land knows about S.22, a massive piece of legislation, a compilation of 190 bills that Congress has been working on for years. Six days ago, it unexpectedly failed (click here), unable to get a super majority in the U.S. House of Representatives by a mere two votes, 282-144, even though the Senate had passed it 73-21.

That bad beat made political insiders scratch their heads. Why would the House leadership bring S. 22 up for a vote under suspension of rules, which requires a two-thirds majority, without the votes to pass it?

I've been calling around on to get the answer to that question and to find out what might happen next. Here's the skinny on the House vote and alas, how President Obama will have the opportunity to sign this bill into law as early as next week. You could call it "revolutionary" politics.

Political Commentary: Joan McCarter

Oil or Water?

A little closer to home, the Western Resource Advocates have already made their contribution to the general water discussion by cataloging "all the water rights that have been acquired by oil shale interests, or could be used by them, to develop oil shale on a commercial scale." A perusal of their resulting report (available at this link), justifies their general conclusion: "The volume of both water and rights is staggering," and that the six energy companies involved have "cornered the market" on northwestern Colorado's water.

NOTHING THERE BUT POLITICAL DOWNSIDE

Obama, Get Real on “Assault Weapons,” Put a Cork in Holder

I went to my first gun show a couple of weeks ago, but when I wrote about it, I left out the buzz concerning the proposed reauthorization of the so-called "Assault Weapon Ban (AWB)." I have a lot to say about it, so I saved it for this column.

For starters, with all the massive messes the Obama administration has to unravel, why is our new president allowing his attorney general to embark on a meaningless mission to nowhere? And in conflict with his campaign commitments and his party's plans to stay in power?