Posts tagged Boulder
Boulder County to air decisions on oil and gas
Apr 5th
Boulder County, Colo. – The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public meeting on April 16 to further evaluate oil and gas development in unincorporated Boulder County.
What: Public meeting on oil and gas development
When: Monday, April 16 at 4 p.m.
Where: Commissioners’ Hearing Room, Boulder County Courthouse, third floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder
The meeting will also be streamed live at www.bouldercounty.org/gov/meetings/pages/hearings.aspx.
NOTE: The public is welcome to attend, and additional staff information may be presented, but public testimony will not be taken at this meeting. Comments were received in-person at a public hearing on March 1 and in writing for weeks prior to the hearing.
Background
On Feb. 2 the commissioners approved a temporary moratorium on the processing of the required development plans for local oil and gas permits under the county Land Use Code (Resolution 2012-16) and released a statement detailing their concerns about the potential for significantly expanded oil and gas drilling within the county.
At the conclusion of the four-hour public hearing on March 1, the commissioners directed staff to continue gathering information about the impacts of oil and gas drilling on air, water, land, roads and infrastructure.
Boulder County remains concerned about the potential for significantly expanded oil and gas drilling within the county, and supports appropriate, tighter restrictions on drilling and increased local control to mitigate the impacts of these activities. While the county endeavors to ensure its Comprehensive Plan and Land Use regulations are as thorough and up-to-date as possible, the moratorium will remain in place and could be extended if necessary.
The meeting on April 16 will allow the commissioners to:
- Discuss the information presented by staff and consider public comments made at the March hearing
- Provide direction to staff for pursuing amendments to the county Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Code or take other appropriate actions
- Make any additional necessary decisions regarding the nature and duration of the temporary moratorium
Visit www.bouldercounty.org/dept/landuse/pages/oilgas.aspx for more information.
Boulder police: photos of persons of interest in crimes
Apr 4th
Boulder police are investigating a burglary that took place in the 800 block of 18th St. on March 18, in the early-morning hours. Three roommates admitted that they didn’t lock their door while they left the residence for a short period of time. While they were out, a credit card and some electronic items were stolen from the apartment.
The credit card was used at a local deli. Attached are three photos of the males Boulder police would like to identify and speak with. Investigators consider all of the men persons of interest in this case.
The first male is described as:
- White male
- Very short, buzz-cut hair, nearly bald
- Medium build
- Wearing a hooded sweatshirt with a CU logo & black pants
The second male is described as:
- White male
- Short, dark hair
- Black, long-sleeve shirt with a “SF” (San Francisco) logo & black pants
The third male is described as:
- Olive-skinned male
- Short, dark hair
- Gray long-sleeve shirt with an unknown logo at the shoulder
The case number is 12-3694. Photos of the men are attached.
Anyone with information about these men is asked to contact Detective Kristin Weisbach at 303-441-4474. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website atwww.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.
Watch Out For Boulder Boomerang Effect With City Park Ban On Homeless by Rob Smoke
Apr 2nd
….DOES the possibility of increased wilderness usage by homeless people —
people who may have been affected or influenced by Boulder’s new rules
banning people from parks at night — indicate a higher risk of fire?
In fact, there’s no other conclusion that can be reached.
It should be pointed out that stating an increased risk is not bashing the homeless.
If someone is outdoors and physically exposed, and there are limited options,
a fire is something very useful, even if it is in violation of an ordinance.
Also, the circumstances that can lead to a campfire turning into a wildfire
can be as simple as leaving the fire unattended when it appears to be out —
and it’s a phenomena that need occur only in an extremely small fraction of all
instances of people using an outdoor fire to create a disaster, which is not to call homeless people
as a group “firebugs.”
If I’m not mistaken, the Fourmile and/or Dome fires were considered likely to have
been caused by outdoor campfires, according to sheriff Pelle.
The city of Boulder, and soon to be city of Denver, it appears, are enacting
ordinances which essentially ask homeless people to disappear.
One has to consider the availability of “disappearable” locations —
our wilderness areas comprise, geographically, the largest subset of
disappearable locations. It should also be noted, the new rules and
regulations — and the anti-camping ordinances — are essentially a violation
of civil rights, putting people in harm’s way without recourse.
Whilst officials tell their constituents they are “cleaning up” the homeless problem;
facts are, a wildfire caused by a homeless person who might have otherwise
stayed in a city park, without a fire, but closer to basic services —
would be a horrible boomerang effect — not a small price to pay for
relying on law enforcement to solve a social crisis.
People need to open their eyes — not because the homeless
somehow threaten to burn down Colorado, but because
the risk of fire is substantial enough that the only prudent thing
to do under these circumstances is everything in our power
to lessen risk. It would be one thing if every homeless
person represented a lost tree. The mathematics of the risk, in this case,
indicate that it could be one non-malicious homeless person out of thousands causing
the loss of a forest or homes or lives. That increased risk, in light of the new
laws, is a serious issue. The risk situation is analogous
to nuclear power safety. It’s perfectly safe, except when it isn’t.
Put another way, although many thousands of matches
may be lit that do not lead to a forest fire, it still takes only one lit match.
Another aspect, of equal concern I’m certain,
is that putting people into the wilderness — which is simply an obvious possible
result of the anti-homeless ordinances — exposes them to a spectrum of dangers.
People die out in the wilderness all the time for lack of food, water, warmth
or emergency medical services.
The immediate solution is to suspend enactment of ordinances
banning people from public places. If Boulder or Denver residents find the presence of homeless
people inconvenient or unpleasant, then solutions that don’t involve making them “disappear”
must be sought.
Rob Smoke is a political columnist for Boulder Channel 1 often writing about city politics. Rob is a critic and one man watch dog of the council and has been for over 20 years. He has been a writer and journalist for many local papers. Tuesdays nights he can be found at Boulder city council meetings.