In the News...

Session over, but work continues for senator

Tuesday, July 6 2010

by Bruce Whitehead, Sunday, July 04, 2010  The Durango Herald

The duties of a senator continue well beyond the session, and it has been great to be out in the district meeting with constituents in all eight counties.

We continue to host town hall meetings, with the most recent in Dove Creek and Norwood. The next town hall will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the meeting room of the La Plata County Courthouse in Durango. I hope many of you will be able to attend.

I recently was appointed chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. I also am a member of the Inter-Basin Compact Committee and serve as a board member on the Colorado Foundation for Water Education.

I attended the Inter-Basin Compact Committee meeting last month in Keystone with other water leaders from around the state to discuss statewide water supplies and projected demands for multiple uses. The timing of these meetings has been accelerated so recommendations can be presented to the Legislature and governor by the end of the year.

The Colorado Foundation for Water Education hosted a tour of southwestern Colorado in early June, and I was asked to provide the opening remarks and address the tour on water issues during the three-day event. There were about 90 participants from throughout the state, which included some of my fellow legislators from the Front Range.

The foundation board met last week in Boulder, and I was impressed to see the level of commitment the members have to providing water education.

I also spoke at the Micro-Hydro conference in Ouray as part of the Colorado Renewable Energy Conference coordinated by the Delta-Montrose REA. It was a good opportunity to meet with professionals in this field and discuss the development of hydro-electric power in this state.

The governor was in Cortez and Durango to sign bills I sponsored. They included legislation that reduced the late fees for trailer registration from $100 to a maximum of $10. This bill went into effect Thursday, so you will see the results if you have to go in to register your trailers.

The governor also signed a bill regarding the pesticide container inspection program for the Department of Agriculture and numerous water bills related to reporting standards, efficiency and conservation, and funding for future water supplies in this region.

Last week, I participated in meetings with the State Land Board, the director of the Department of Natural Resources and representatives from Fort Lewis College to discuss the future of the Old Fort Lewis property south of Hesperus. This is an issue I have been closely following since I took office. An event was hosted on the property by the college and members of the Buffalo Council, which included numerous Native American students, to share their vision for the property with members of the board. I was encouraged by the discussions that took place throughout the day, and I would like to thank the State Land Board for considering the views of FLC and the local community while developing long-term plans for the "Old Fort." Significant progress has been made since Colorado State University first announced last fall it would be leaving the property, which will include an interim lease for a portion of the property by FLC.

Thanks for all of your positive comments about this column, and I hope to see you in the district during the next few months. I value your input. I wish you a safe Fourth of July weekend as we celebrate our country's independence.

Bruce Whitehead, D-Hesperus, represents the 6th District, which includes Durango, in the state Senate. Reach him at the Capitol by phone at (303) 866-4884; by fax at (303) 866-4543; by e-mail at bruce.whitehead.senate@state.co.us; or SenWhitehead on Twitter.