In the News...

Committee accepts water-use bill

Monday, April 26 2010

The Durango Herald
By: Senator Bruce Whitehead
April 25th, 2010

Senate Bill 1051 was heard in the Agriculture and Natural Resources committee last week. This is a bill I have mentioned before that requires large water providers to report annually on water use. The data collected from this bill will be used to improve water-conservation efforts.

After much work and discussions with the Colorado Water Congress, Colorado Water Conservation Board, conservation groups and municipal water providers, we were able to craft a bill that was acceptable to the various organizations. The bill passed out of committee unanimously.

I received late-bill status in order to work on a bill that will reduce late fees to $10 on trailers weighing more than 2,000 pounds. My bill will complement House Bill 1211, which recently passed and will reduce late fines to $10 on trailers that weigh 2,000 pounds or less. I originally sponsored an amendment to HB 1211 that would have accomplished that, but it was not approved by the House.

After hearing from you and your frustration with newly added late fines on trailers, I decided to work on a bill that will reduce late fees on all trailers, regardless of weight. Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Cimarron Hills, will co-sponsor the bill, and it will be introduced next week.

On Monday, the governor signed HB 1365 into law. It is a bipartisan bill I sponsored along with Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, and Reps. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, and Ellen Roberts, R-Durango. The natural gas industry, the environmental community, the Department of Public Health and numerous other stakeholders worked together to propose this bill, which will help create jobs in the energy sector and reduce harmful emissions in our atmosphere.

The quality of our air is an important environmental and health consideration for everyone in Colorado. It is essential that we work toward reducing emissions to preserve our residents' health and the beauty of our state. I am confident this bill is an important step forward in achieving those goals.

On Tuesday, legislators wore red in support of equal pay for women. Many studies show that women are paid less than men performing the same work. Our society has made much progress to develop significant laws in Colorado and the United States that protect the civil rights of all citizens regardless of their gender, station or background. However, inequalities in workplace compensation still must be addressed. Last week, we took time to reflect on work that still needs to be done but also to take pride in how far we have come in securing equal status for everyone.

On Thursday, I co-sponsored a resolution acknowledging April 22 as Earth Day in Colorado. Most of the bills I sponsored this session promise in some way to create jobs and improve the health and quality of our environment. In my professional life as a water resource engineer, I understand how important it is for us to develop our resources in a way that protects the environment and Earth for our children and future generations.

On Friday, the Senate took time to honor the life of David Kinterknecht of the Montrose Police Department. Kinterknecht was killed in the line of duty in 2009. His name is the latest addition to a resolution that honors 236 police officers who gave their lives in service. The tradition of annually honoring peace officers killed in the line of duty has been observed by the Legislature since 1876. It was a somber moment on the floor as we honored Kinterknecht and his family as well as the many others who lost their lives in service to our state.