Environmental News
Environmental News from Boulder, Colorado
Native Boulder sacred site to be cleaned
Dec 15th
Valmont Butte settlements reached; cleanup to begin
The City of Boulder, Honeywell International Inc. and Tusco, Inc. recently reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in the amount of $350,000, to resolve the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) costs for its past investigations at the Valmont Butte.
The Valmont Butte property, located at the intersection of 63rd Street and Valmont Road in Boulder County, is comprised of an abandoned ore milling complex and associated tailings ponds. The city purchased the property in 2000. In 2004 and 2005, the EPA investigated the site and prepared a site assessment report.
The City of Boulder also recently reached settlements with Honeywell and Tusco to resolve their liabilities as past owners and operators of the Valmont Butte mill site. Under those settlement agreements, Tusco will pay $300,000 and the remaining costs for remediation will be split 50/50 between the City of Boulder and Honeywell, with the option to resolve the final allocation of costs between the city and Honeywell in an abbreviated, mini-trial process. Honeywell will also be responsible for covering the EPA costs.
The city is now preparing to move forward with cleanup activities at the property. These activities will include the consolidation of contaminated soils into the area of the primary tailings pond, the placement of an engineered cap over the contaminated soils, and the preservation or removal of buildings and structures. Work is expected to begin January 2012 and is expected to be complete in late summer 2012. When work is being conducted in sensitive areas, a tribal monitor and/or an historic archaeologist will observe the excavations.
More information about the settlement agreement and about the Valmont Butte is available at www.valmontbutte.net. For questions about the upcoming work at the Butte, contact Bill Boyes at 303-441-4125.
Occupy & others create a Human Oil Spill in Boner’s Ohio office
Dec 14th
Occupy & 350.org Crash Boehner’s Office over Backroom Attempt to Revive Keystone XL
Fossil fuel industry spent over $42 million to elect politicians involved; Activists respond with “Human Oil Spill” on Boehner’s front door
Cincinnati, OH- Members of Occupy Cincinnati joined climate activists in storming House Speaker John Boehner’s West Chester, Ohio office this morning with a “human oil spill” in response to last night’s vote to force through Keystone XL. The fossil fuel industry has poured an estimated $42,000,000 into campaign coffers of the 234 House members voting in favor, including $1,100,000 to Rep. Boehner alone, according to OpenSecrets.org. The industry lists the pipeline as a top priority.
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“The House brings shame on itself when its members take tens of millions in big oil money and then do the industry’s bidding. Keystone XL creates no net jobs and pours carbon into the atmosphere. That’s why millions across the country opposed it,” said Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org. “Its only beneficiaries are the fossil fuel industry and the politicians they support.”.
A Cornell Global Labor Institute study found that any jobs stemming from the pipeline’s construction were likely be outweighed by the environmental damage it caused and a rise in gas prices in the Midwest.
Activists upset by corporate influence on the process created a “human oil spill” in front of Rep. Boehner’s office early today. Dressed in black, they used their bodies to represent the toxic tar sands oil that would likely spill over precious farmland and critical aquifers in the heart of our nation if the pipeline is built.
“Hundreds of Ohioans travelled to Washington, DC to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Now John Boehner is trying to push it through despite mass opposition from his constituents. I’m fed up with politicians doing the bidding of their corporate benefactors,” stated Casey Abernathy, a computer software engineer and member of Occupy Cincinnati
Today’s rally is the latest in a 4-month national grassroots uprising in response to the proposed pipeline. The campaign kicked off in August with a two-week protest that resulted in more than 1,200 arrests. The most recent featured 12,000 people circling the White House which resulted in President Obama delaying his decision on the pipeline
No consensus for GMOs, pesticides, “experimental farming” in #Boulder County’s cropland policy
Dec 13th
Commissioners to consider Cropland Policy at Dec. 20 public meeting
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Commissioners will deliberate on public testimony and comments received concerning the Cropland Policy Advisory Group’s (CPAG) policy recommendations for Boulder County Open Space croplands on Dec. 20 from 1-3 p.m.
What: Public meeting for the Board of County Commissioners to consider the proposed Cropland Policy for Boulder County Open Space agricultural lands
When: Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m.
Where: Commissioners’ Hearing Room, Boulder County Courthouse, third floor, 1325 Pearl St.
Alternative viewing: Watch the meeting live online the day of the deliberations
The meeting on Dec. 20 is open to the public, but no further public testimony will be taken. All comments submitted to the commissioners via regular mail, electronic mail, phone calls and in-person testimony leading up to the Dec. 20 meeting date will be taken into consideration.
The meeting will be Web streamed live on Dec. 20. Members of the public can view the meeting online at:www.bouldercounty.org/government/pages/hearings.aspx. A taped version of the meeting will also be posted on the website as part of the commissioners’ video archive.
Background
The CPAG, consisting of nine members appointed by the commissioners, held meetings over a nine-month period to create a comprehensive Cropland Policy for Boulder County Open Space agricultural lands. The policy recommendations address soil health, economic sustainability, pest management, program administration, water, livestock, recreation and natural resource protection on agricultural lands. Through a consensus process, CPAG developed more than 80 policy recommendations. Three areas failed to achieve consensus: genetically engineered crops, use of certain pesticides, and experimental farming practices.
On Dec. 8, the county commissioners held a public hearing attended by more than 500 people, many of whom signed up to speak. At the hearing, the commissioners and attendees received a staff presentation on the county’s existing practices and programs, an overview of CPAG’s recommendations and a summary of input from the Food and Agriculture Policy Council (FAPC), the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee (POSAC), and Parks and Open Space staff. The presentation was followed by 8 ½ hours of open public comment.
Members of the public have been providing input over the nine-month period, and all comments have been recorded as part of the public record. In addition to the many open meetings and hearings held by CPAG as they formed their recommendations for the cropland policy, several subsequent public meetings have been held to consider the draft policy: a staff presentation and joint public hearing on Nov. 15 to FAPC and POSAC, FAPC deliberations on Nov. 16, POSAC deliberations on Nov. 17, and the public open comment hearing with the Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 8.
For a copy of the Cropland Policy provided to the commissioners and information about the policy, please visit the Cropland Policy website or contact Resource Planner Jesse Rounds at 303-678-6271 or croplandpolicy@bouldercounty.org.
