The Colorado Independent » letter

Bennet in letter to EPA warns of ‘potential toxic effects’ of uranium mining

David O. Williams — Tue, 17 May 2011 20:24:59 +0000

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet on Friday sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 administrator Jim Martin reminding him that the “EPA needs to be especially mindful of the adverse health effects that past uranium booms have had on workers.”

Sen. Michael Bennet

Bennet was referencing the proposed Piñon Ridge Mill in western Montrose County near the Utah state line, which opponents say the EPA is poised to approve despite outdated air quality regulations for radon emissions. Two Colorado environmental groups have asked the EPA to withhold approval until the federal agency updates its radon rules.

Bennet wrote that he’s heard from “Coloradans worried about the potential for toxic effects that uranium mining could have in this particular region. They have pointed to the nearby Uravan Mill as an example. As you know, the Uravan Mill is on your agency’s Superfund cleanup list because EPA worries hazardous releases from the site may endanger public health, welfare or the environment.”

The Democrat also noted that American taxpayers have already spent $120 million cleaning up Uravan and that he’s currently working to pass the Charlie Wolf Nuclear Workers Compensation Act and Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments to better compensate the families of workers sickened or killed mining or milling uranium or working in the nuclear industry.

Bennet urged Martin to seriously consider the concerns of local governments that have sent similar letters to the EPA regarding what would be the first new uranium mill in the United States in nearly three decades. The state and Montrose County have already approved the proposed mill, although the Telluride-based Sheep Mountain Alliance has sued both governments to block the mill’s permit approvals.

Maes backers question Tancredo’s conservative principles

Scot Kersgaard — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:52:02 +0000

Some “concerned citizens” from Northeast Colorado sent an “open letter” to American Constitution Party gubernatorial nominee Tom Tancredo Monday. The letter, signed by 12 people, was sent to a number of newspaper, as well as to The Colorado Independent.

The Colorado Independent was able to reach one of those people, and Maureen Paterson described herself as a supporter of Republican nominee Dan Maes and a past Republican delegate to the state assembly.

Tom Tancredo

She said the other signers were friends, but added she didn’t know if they were all Republicans or supporters of Maes. “We are mostly just concerned about Tom Tancredo,” she said.

The Colorado Independent forwarded a copy of the letter to Tancredo’s office Monday morning and offered him the chance to respond. He did not.

Here’s the letter, which included all the web addresses that are linked to:

Dear Mr. Tancredo,

As concerned citizens and Republican delegates, we were able to meet, interview and vet many of the candidates who respected the caucus process enough to solicit our support in their bid for candidacy. Since you elected not to participate in that process, we feel that the following questions must be answered before you can be deemed worthy of support:

1. You made a solemn term-limits vow to serve no more than three terms as a Congressman, not once but on numerous occasions, and you also headed the Colorado Term Limits Coalition, by saying: “We want to reinvigorate the electoral process by introducing people into the system who think of government service as a temporary endeavor, not as a career.” This sounds like Dan Maes. Then you said, “I will live up to the pledge. That’s it. That’s the overriding issue.” Why did you break your pledge and betray your supporters by running for a fourth term in Congress in 2004? Would it not have served your cause better to mentor a younger Congressman who could carry on your torch?

2. Since you are such a strong crusader of illegal immigration, please explain why, when you hired a construction crew to renovate your basement, you did not express concern that only two of its members spoke English, nor bother to check the workers documentation to see if they were legal residents of the United States. You could have been a trail blazer for us all in discovering ways to be on guard when we encounter similar situations.

3. You voted for the TARP bailouts twice, and not against the General Motors bailout as you promised. Then requested earmarks over $220 million for 17 projects, from a light-rail system west of Denver to a Center for Audio and Video Forensics at the University of Colorado. How does this support a free market and conservative principles?

We are committed to stamping out the corruption and “politics as usual” that have plagued our legislators and distorted the constitution for decades. Each of the questions above address areas of your political career where you have failed to uphold your promises or consider your constituents’ best interest, from breaking a pledge for term limits to ignoring your crusade against illegal immigration to failing to detect illegal immigrant labor when it suits your needs to supporting big business through the TARP bill at the expense of ordinary American taxpayers. Presently, you are backpedaling on your advice to the Tea Party/912 groups to not split votes by running as a third party.

‘We the People’ are looking for a candidate with integrity and principles, and since your campaign ads seem to constantly attack the character of your Republican opponent, we believe it’s imperative that you answer for these inconsistencies in your own.

Looking forward to your response,

Sincerely,

Doug & Maureen Paterson, Clint & Erika Sattler, Paul & Sharon Steiner, Tony & Claudean Boatman, Martha Maxwell, Hal Brown, Robert C. & Lauree Bunderson, et. al.

Top economists urge lawmakers to shun deficit slashing policies

Annie Lowrey — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:51:01 +0000

Today, more than 300 economists and policy experts released a letter warning that “the still-fragile economic recovery will be undercut by austerity economics of the kind being pushed by conservative politicians and by the Deficit Commission.”

The group argues that President Obama and Congress should press for legislation to create jobs, including infrastructure investment, state aid and public-service jobs programs — and should ignore calls for immediate cuts to reduce the deficit and start bringing down the national debt.

On a call with reporters, Robert Borosage, the head of the Institute for America’s Future and an author of the letter, argued that “to constrict spending will not only deepen the stagnation and spread the misery, it will ironically fail to reduce the deficit.” Unless the economy starts moving again towards full employment, any efforts at deficit-reduction will falter, he said.

He argued that austerity plans, such as Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) Roadmap for America’s Future, assume a return to economic growth and a drop in the unemployment rate — changes that have not yet happened. Deficit reduction would hamper growth and worsen joblessness, as the government would essentially withdraw demand from the economy before regular consumers and businesses started providing it. Plans such as Ryan’s fail to “address the remaining gaps” and kick-start growth, Borosage said.

Dean Baker, an economist and the co-chair of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, agreed, noting that deficit hawks have pushed “a narrative through this downturn that is 180 degrees from reality.” The economy needs more demand and more jobs from somewhere, and absent demand from other sources, the government should give it. He and others argued for Congress to focus on things like infrastructure investment, rather than slashing the federal budget. “Anyone with a whit of business sense” would know now — given the low interest rates and a enormous pool of construction workers idled — is a good time to build.

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich also argued “the right way to approach and address long-term deficits” is growth. He noted that the country is “not just in danger of a double-dip recession, but we are not getting out of the doldrums at all.” Economists expect “rapid economic growth” after a deep recession. That growth has not happened.

The Obama administration has in recent week proposed a series of measures to gin up growth and jobs — including a new infrastructure package. And policymakers within the White House certainly would like to push for much bigger, more expensive bills. The problem is Congress — and specifically the Senate. No measure that cannot overcome a Republican filibuster by winning a Republican cross-over vote will pass. And Republicans thus far have proved intransigent on most spending measures, insisting on deficit-neutral bills and eschewing the idea of big spending programs.

That said, Republicans aren’t exactly focusing on deficit reduction either. This week, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the minority leader, proposed a $4 trillion tax cut, without naming where he would cut the budget to pay for the bill.

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Pitkin County seeks drilling ban in White River National Forest

David O. Williams — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:41:07 +0000

Pitkin County, neighbor to the much more heavily drilled Garfield County, clearly has a different agenda when it comes to natural gas production. The Pitkin County commissioners demonstrated that vividly earlier this week by asking the U.S. Forest Service to shut down drilling in the massive White River National Forest as oil and gas leases expire.

According to the Aspen Times, Pitkin County – a home-rule county with five commissioners as opposed to the standard three-member board – unanimously signed and fired off a letter to the federal administrators of the 2.3-million-acre forest asking for greater emphasis on tourism and outdoor recreation.

“Given the significant amount of oil and gas that has been produced on the Western Slope over the last 15 years, we request that consideration be given to analysis of the socio-economic and resource benefits of administratively closing lands to future leasing,” the letter read.

“The undeveloped public lands on the White River National Forest provide visitors and residents with extraordinary opportunities for experiencing the natural environment, and are central to our economy.”

The Thompson Creek Divide area of the county near Carbondale has significant natural gas resources, but grassroots environmental groups have been organizing to prevent drilling in that area, which is a major outdoor recreation destination for state and local residents.

The Pitkin County commissioners are set to take up a new set of oil and gas drilling regulations next week.

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Calls for Salazar’s head coming from both left and right

David O. Williams — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:40:43 +0000

You know you’re having a bad month or two at the office when the calls for your head are coming from both the left and the right. Interior Secretary and former Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar increasingly finds himself in that unenviable position these days.

More than 100 scientists and environmental groups recently signed a WildEarth Guardians letter calling for President Barack Obama to oust Salazar for his failure to clean house at the Minerals Management Service and possibly prevent the growing Deepwater Horizon-British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ken Salazar

Other environmental groups, according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, are still backing Salazar for doing more to balance environmental concerns and energy development demands than any interior secretary in the last 25 years.

Still, Salazar’s “new sheriff in town” proclamation in Lakewood last year, when he vowed to clean up the MMS in the wake of a drugs, sex and influence-peddling scandal, are coming back to haunt him. Even Republicans such as Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman are using that one against him.

But Salazar maintains he inherited eight years of entrenched “drill, baby, drill” bureaucracy from the Bush administration – a mess it will take some time to clean up. Since his appointment late in 2008, though, conservation groups have been somewhat divided on Salazar’s past record and his potential to reform deeply entrenched pro-industry policies.

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Bennet’s public option supporters mystified by Udall’s ‘weird’ silence

John Tomasic — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:58:19 +0000

A trio of groups that has been rallying support for the public option health insurance plan is puzzled over the fact the Colorado Democratic Senator Mark Udall has not come out as a supporter of the plan. Udall’s silence on the matter is particularly notable given that Colorado’s other Democratic U.S. Senator, Michael Bennet, has spearheaded a push to pass the public option through reconciliation, a parliamentary procedure that precludes filibusters and requires less votes to pass. Bennet sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid last week that is gathering an expanding number of Senator signatures. Reid himself has given support to the plan.

“By not joining Mike Bennet, [New Mexico Senator and Mark Udall's cousin] Tom Udall, and 18 other senators on the Bennet public option letter, Mark Udall is weirdly not standing up for one of the only popular health care proposals on the table. It’s time for him to take a stand — and embrace this opportunity to do the will of the people and be on the right side of history,” Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told the Colorado Independent Monday.

Progressive Change commissioned a nonpartisan Research 2000 poll along with Democracy for America, and Credo Action at the end of January that shows overwhelming support for the public option in Colorado. The poll tapped 600 statewide likely 2010 general election voters. The majority of respondents not only favored the public option as a way to control health care costs and provide coverage to more citizens, they also supported bold action on the part of Democratic lawmakers to push health reform through the legislative process and, as Green puts it, they favored “a good health bill over a bipartisan bill.”

The current Senate bill, which Udall supports, garners only 32 percent support from poll respondents. A bill with a public option garners 58 percent support.

Three relevant poll questions and answers:

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Poll: Bennet right on the public option; Norton wrong

John Tomasic — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:16:37 +0000

U.S. Senate candidate Jane Norton railed against Sen. Michael Bennet this week for a letter he wrote in favor of passing health reform legislation that includes a public insurance option. She believes Coloradans don’t want a public option because she thinks they don’t want lawmakers to pass any health reform legislation at all. She says Bennet was treating the wishes of Coloradans with contempt. But a Research 2000 Colorado poll suggests it’s just the opposite, that the majority of Coloradans want reform and are in favor of a public health insurance option.

The public option was at the heart of the Democratic vision of health reform last year but it was put aside when it appeared it would fail to pass through regular Senate voting procedures. Bennet, following from a proposal drawn up by Colorado Congressman Jared Polis earlier in the month, is asking Senate leaders to now pass legislation with a public option through the process known as reconciliation, which eliminates the possibility of a filibuster.

Reconciliation was developed in 1970s as an answer to legislative gridlock. Safe to say, the government is suffering a whopping case of gridlock now, and the Research 2000 poll suggests Colorado voters want Democrats to take action to pass legislation and that they are in favor of the public option by large margins.

According to the poll, 87 percent of Colorado Democrats approved of Polis’s move to pass legislation with the public option. More surprising, given the rhetoric of politicians like Norton, 30 percent of Republicans and 63 percent of Independents also supported the move.

Norton, though, is sure Bennet is not acting in the interest of Coloradans. From her press release this week:

Senator Bennet has reliably demonstrated a disconnect with Coloradans on the issue of healthcare, but today’s letter crossed the line into outright contempt for their wishes…

This is exactly the kind of political gamesmanship that has people fed up with Congress and Senator Bennet in particular.”

The Bennet letter, originally co-signed by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, now has gained ~~ten~~ eleven senator signatures. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., added her signature Wednesday night in the wake of news that Anthem Blue Cross planned to raise insurance rates 39 percent in California.

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, one of the organizations that commissioned the Colorado poll, believes Norton is the politician who is disconnected. He’s not sure where she’s getting her data.

“If Jane Norton wants to pander to the teabagger fringe within her own party, that’s fine. But if she seriously doesn’t get that nearly 60 percent of Colorado’s independent voters want the public health insurance option that she’s trashing and Mike Bennet’s championing, she’s in for the rudest of awakenings in the general election, if she makes it that far.”

The Norton campaign did not return requests for comment on why she thinks the majority of Coloradans don’t support health reform and the public option.

Green’s Progressive Change Campaign Committee commissioned the poll along with Democracy for America, and Credo Action on January 30 and 31. The poll tapped 600 statewide likely 2010 general election voters.

Here’s one of the relevant questions asked by the Research 2000 pollsters:

Green also released another question from the poll exclusively to the Colorado Independent today. The answers suggest Coloradans don’t trust the free market to fix health care the way Norton imagines they do.

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The Polis public-option letter and its supporters

John Tomasic — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:36:54 +0000

Colorado U.S. Rep. Jared Polis drafted a letter with fellow Democratic freshman Chellie Pingree, urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to revisit the Senate version of the legislation in order to add a public option and then pass the bill through the process known as reconciliation, where it would only take 51 votes. A Senate bill that includes a public health insurance option, according to Polis, could not fail to pass in the House. The proposal has sparked interest among constituents and among members of Congress. By the end of day Wednesday, when Polis sent the letter to Reid, 120 representatives had signed on in support. The letter and a list of supporters after the jump.

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis

The Honorable Harry Reid
Office of the Majority Leader
United States Senate
S-221, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Majority Leader Reid:

As the Senate continues to work on health reform legislation, we strongly urge you to consider including a public option.

Here are the reasons for this request:

1) The public option is overwhelmingly popular.

A December New York Times poll shows that, despite the attacks of recent months, the American public supports the public option 59% to 29%. And a recent Research 2000 poll found 82% of people who supported President Obama in 2008 and Scott Brown for Senate last week also support the public option. Only 32% of this key constituency is in favor of the current Senate bill – with more saying it “doesn’t go far enough” rather than it “goes too far.”

Support for health care legislation started to fall as popular provisions like the public option were stripped out and affordability standards were watered down. The American people want us to fight for them and against special interests like the insurance industry, and it is our responsibility to show them that their voices are being heard.

2) The public option will save billions for taxpayers, speaking to the fiscally-responsible sensibilities of our constituents.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the public option will save taxpayers anywhere from $25 billion to $110 billion and will save billions more when private insurers compete to bring down premium costs. The stronger the public option, the more money it saves.

By including the public option, we can simultaneously reduce tax increases and the deficit. This is a common-sense way to temper the frustration of Americans who question whether Congress is spending their money wisely and fighting for the middle class.

3) There is strong support in the Senate for a popular public option.

It is very likely that the public option could have passed the Senate, if brought up under majority-vote “budget reconciliation” rules. While there were valid reasons stated for not using reconciliation before, especially given that some important provisions of health care reform wouldn’t qualify under the reconciliation rules, those reasons no longer exist. The public option would clearly qualify as budget-related under reconciliation, and with the majority support it has garnered in the Senate, it should be included in any healthcare reform legislation that moves under reconciliation.

As Democrats forge “the path forward” on health care, we believe that passing the public option through reconciliation should be part of that path. We urge you to favorably consider our request to include a public option in the reconciliation process.

Sincerely,

Jared Polis, Member of Congress
Chellie Pingree, Member of Congress

The list of supporters so far, according to the Progressive Change Committee.

Name Status
Rep. Neil Abercrombie HI-01 Supporter
Rep. Gary Ackerman NY-05 Supporter
Rep. John Adler NJ-03 Unknown
Rep. Jason Altmire PA-04 Unknown
Rep. Robert Andrews NJ-01 Unknown
Rep. Michael Arcuri NY-24 Unknown
Rep. Joe Baca CA-43 Unknown
Rep. Brian Baird WA-03 Unknown
Rep. Tammy Baldwin WI-02 Supporter
Rep. John Barrow GA-12 Unknown
Rep. Melissa Bean IL-08 Unknown
Rep. Xavier Becerra CA-31 Unknown
Rep. Shelley Berkley NV-01 Unknown
Rep. Howard Berman CA-28 Supporter
Rep. Marion Berry AR-01 Unknown
Rep. Timothy Bishop NY-01 Unknown
Rep. Sanford Bishop GA-02 Unknown
Rep. Earl Blumenauer OR-03 Supporter
Rep. John Boccieri OH-16 Unknown
Rep. Dan Boren OK-02 Unknown
Rep. Leonard Boswell IA-03 Supporter
Rep. Rick Boucher VA-09 Unknown
Rep. Allen Boyd FL-02 Unknown
Rep. Robert Brady PA-01 Supporter
Rep. Bruce Braley IA-01 Unknown
Rep. Bobby Bright AL-02 Unknown
Rep. Corrine Brown FL-03 Supporter
Rep. G. Butterfield NC-01 Unknown
Rep. Lois Capps CA-23 Supporter
Rep. Michael Capuano MA-08 Supporter
Rep. Dennis Cardoza CA-18 Unknown
Rep. Russ Carnahan MO-03 Unknown
Rep. Christopher Carney PA-10 Unknown
Rep. Andre Carson IN-07 Supporter
Rep. Kathy Castor FL-11 Unknown
Rep. Ben Chandler KY-06 Unknown
Rep. Travis Childers MS-01 Unknown
Rep. Judy Chu CA-32 Supporter
Rep. Yvette Clarke NY-11 Supporter
Rep. William Clay MO-01 Supporter
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver MO-05 Supporter
Rep. James Clyburn SC-06 Unknown
Rep. Steve Cohen TN-09 Supporter
Rep. Gerry Connolly VA-11 Unknown
Rep. John Conyers MI-14 Supporter
Rep. Jim Cooper TN-05 Unknown
Rep. Jim Costa CA-20 Unknown
Rep. Jerry Costello IL-12 Unknown
Rep. Joe Courtney CT-02 Supporter
Rep. Joseph Crowley NY-07 Unknown
Rep. Henry Cuellar TX-28 Unknown
Rep. Elijah Cummings MD-07 Supporter
Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper PA-03 Unknown
Rep. Artur Davis AL-07 Unknown
Rep. Susan Davis CA-53 Supporter
Rep. Lincoln Davis TN-04 Unknown
Rep. Danny Davis IL-07 Supporter
Rep. Peter DeFazio OR-04 Supporter
Rep. Diana DeGette CO-01 Unknown
Rep. Bill Delahunt MA-10 Supporter
Rep. Rosa DeLauro CT-03 Unknown
Rep. Norman Dicks WA-06 Unknown
Rep. John Dingell MI-15 Unknown
Rep. Lloyd Doggett TX-25 Supporter
Rep. Joe Donnelly IN-02 Unknown
Rep. Michael Doyle PA-14 Supporter
Rep. Steve Driehaus OH-01 Unknown
Rep. Chet Edwards TX-17 Unknown
Rep. Donna Edwards MD-04 Supporter
Rep. Keith Ellison MN-05 Supporter
Rep. Brad Ellsworth IN-08 Unknown
Rep. Eliot Engel NY-17 Supporter
Rep. Anna Eshoo CA-14 Supporter
Rep. Bob Etheridge NC-02 Unknown
Rep. Sam Farr CA-17 Supporter
Rep. Chaka Fattah PA-02 Supporter
Rep. Bob Filner CA-51 Supporter
Rep. Bill Foster IL-14 Unknown
Rep. Barney Frank MA-04 Supporter
Rep. Marcia Fudge OH-11 Unknown
Rep. John Garamendi CA-10 Supporter
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords AZ-08 Unknown
Rep. Charles Gonzalez TX-20 Supporter
Rep. Bart Gordon TN-06 Unknown
Rep. Alan Grayson FL-08 Supporter
Rep. Al Green TX-09 Supporter
Rep. Gene Green TX-29 Supporter
Rep. Raul Grijalva AZ-07 Supporter
Rep. Luis Gutierrez IL-04 Supporter
Rep. John Hall NY-19 Supporter
Rep. Debbie Halvorson IL-11 Unknown
Rep. Phil Hare IL-17 Supporter
Rep. Jane Harman CA-36 Supporter
Rep. Alcee Hastings FL-23 Supporter
Rep. Martin Heinrich NM-01 Unknown
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin SD-01 Unknown
Rep. Brian Higgins NY-27 Supporter
Rep. Baron Hill IN-09 Unknown
Rep. Jim Himes CT-04 Unknown
Rep. Maurice Hinchey NY-22 Supporter
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa TX-15 Unknown
Rep. Mazie Hirono HI-02 Supporter
Rep. Paul Hodes NH-02 Unknown
Rep. Tim Holden PA-17 Unknown
Rep. Rush Holt NJ-12 Supporter
Rep. Mike Honda CA-15 Supporter
Rep. Steny Hoyer MD-05 Unknown
Rep. Jay Inslee WA-01 Supporter
Rep. Steve Israel NY-02 Unknown
Rep. Jesse Jackson IL-02 Supporter
Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee TX-18 Supporter
Rep. Hank Johnson GA-04 Supporter
Rep. Eddie Johnson TX-30 Unknown
Rep. Steve Kagen WI-08 Unknown
Rep. Paul Kanjorski PA-11 Unknown
Rep. Marcy Kaptur OH-09 Supporter
Rep. Patrick Kennedy RI-01 Supporter
Rep. Dale Kildee MI-05 Supporter
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick MI-13 Supporter
Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy OH-15 Supporter
Rep. Ron Kind WI-03 Unknown
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick AZ-01 Unknown
Rep. Larry Kissell NC-08 Unknown
Rep. Ron Klein FL-22 Unknown
Rep. Suzanne Kosmas FL-24 Unknown
Rep. Frank Kratovil MD-01 Unknown
Rep. Dennis Kucinich OH-10 Unknown
Rep. James Langevin RI-02 Supporter
Rep. Rick Larsen WA-02 Supporter
Rep. John Larson CT-01 Unknown
Rep. Barbara Lee CA-09 Supporter
Rep. Sandy Levin MI-12 Unknown
Rep. John Lewis GA-05 Supporter
Rep. Dan Lipinski IL-03 Unknown
Rep. Dave Loebsack IA-02 Unknown
Rep. Zoe Lofgren CA-16 Supporter
Rep. Nita Lowey NY-18 Supporter
Rep. Ben Lujan NM-03 Supporter
Rep. Stephen Lynch MA-09 Unknown
Rep. Dan Maffei NY-25 Supporter
Rep. Carolyn Maloney NY-14 Supporter
Rep. Betsy Markey CO-04 Unknown
Rep. Ed Markey MA-07 Supporter
Rep. Jim Marshall GA-08 Unknown
Rep. Eric Massa NY-29 Unknown
Rep. James Matheson UT-02 Unknown
Rep. Doris Matsui CA-05 Supporter
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy NY-04 Unknown
Rep. Betty McCollum MN-04 Unknown
Rep. Jim McDermott WA-07 Supporter
Rep. Jim McGovern MA-03 Supporter
Rep. Mike McIntyre NC-07 Unknown
Rep. Michael McMahon NY-13 Unknown
Rep. Jerry McNerney CA-11 Unknown
Rep. Kendrick Meek FL-17 Unknown
Rep. Gregory Meeks NY-06 Supporter
Rep. Charlie Melancon LA-03 Unknown
Rep. Mike Michaud ME-02 Supporter
Rep. George Miller CA-07 Supporter
Rep. Brad Miller NC-13 Supporter
Rep. Walter Minnick ID-01 Unknown
Rep. Harry Mitchell AZ-05 Unknown
Rep. Alan Mollohan WV-01 Unknown
Rep. Dennis Moore KS-03 Unknown
Rep. Gwen Moore WI-04 Supporter
Rep. James Moran VA-08 Supporter
Rep. Scott Murphy NY-20 Supporter
Rep. Chris Murphy CT-05 Supporter
Rep. Patrick Murphy PA-08 Supporter
Rep. John Murtha PA-12 Unknown
Rep. Jerrold Nadler NY-08 Supporter
Rep. Grace Napolitano CA-38 Supporter
Rep. Richard Neal MA-02 Unknown
Rep. Glenn Nye VA-02 Unknown
Rep. Jim Oberstar MN-08 Supporter
Rep. David Obey WI-07 Unknown
Rep. John Olver MA-01 Supporter
Rep. Solomon Ortiz TX-27 Unknown
Rep. Bill Owens NY-23 Unknown
Rep. Frank Pallone NJ-06 Unknown
Rep. Bill Pascrell NJ-08 Unknown
Rep. Ed Pastor AZ-04 Unknown
Rep. Donald Payne NJ-10 Supporter
Rep. Nancy Pelosi CA-08 Unknown
Rep. Ed Perlmutter CO-07 Unknown
Rep. Tom Perriello VA-05 Supporter
Rep. Gary Peters MI-09 Unknown
Rep. Collin Peterson MN-07 Unknown
Rep. Chellie Pingree ME-01 Supporter
Rep. Jared Polis CO-02 Supporter
Rep. Earl Pomeroy ND-01 Unknown
Rep. David Price NC-04 Supporter
Rep. Mike Quigley IL-05 Unknown
Rep. Nick Rahall WV-03 Unknown
Rep. Charles Rangel NY-15 Unknown
Rep. Silvestre Reyes TX-16 Unknown
Rep. Laura Richardson CA-37 Supporter
Rep. Ciro Rodriguez TX-23 Unknown
Rep. Mike Ross AR-04 Unknown
Rep. Steve Rothman NJ-09 Supporter
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard CA-34 Supporter
Rep. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger MD-02 Unknown
Rep. Bobby Rush IL-01 Unknown
Rep. Tim Ryan OH-17 Unknown
Rep. John Salazar CO-03 Unknown
Rep. Linda Sanchez CA-39 Supporter
Rep. Loretta Sanchez CA-47 Unknown
Rep. John Sarbanes MD-03 Supporter
Rep. Janice Schakowsky IL-09 Supporter
Rep. Mark Schauer MI-07 Supporter
Rep. Adam Schiff CA-29 Supporter
Rep. Kurt Schrader OR-05 Unknown
Rep. Allyson Schwartz PA-13 Unknown
Rep. David Scott GA-13 Unknown
Rep. Robert Scott VA-03 Supporter
Rep. Jose Serrano NY-16 Supporter
Rep. Joe Sestak PA-07 Unknown
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter NH-01 Supporter
Rep. Brad Sherman CA-27 Supporter
Rep. Heath Shuler NC-11 Unknown
Rep. Albio Sires NJ-13 Unknown
Rep. Ike Skelton MO-04 Unknown
Rep. Louise Slaughter NY-28 Unknown
Rep. Adam Smith WA-09 Unknown
Rep. Vic Snyder AR-02 Unknown
Rep. Zack Space OH-18 Unknown
Rep. Jackie Speier CA-12 Supporter
Rep. John Spratt SC-05 Unknown
Rep. Pete Stark CA-13 Unknown
Rep. Bart Stupak MI-01 Unknown
Rep. Betty Sutton OH-13 Supporter
Rep. John Tanner TN-08 Unknown
Rep. Gene Taylor MS-04 Unknown
Rep. Harry Teague NM-02 Unknown
Rep. Mike Thompson CA-01 Supporter
Rep. Bennie Thompson MS-02 Unknown
Rep. John Tierney MA-06 Supporter
Rep. Dina Titus NV-03 Unknown
Rep. Paul Tonko NY-21 Supporter
Rep. Edolphus Towns NY-10 Supporter
Rep. Niki Tsongas MA-05 Supporter
Rep. Chris Van Hollen MD-08 Unknown
Rep. Nydia Velazquez NY-12 Supporter
Rep. Peter Visclosky IN-01 Unknown
Rep. Tim Walz MN-01 Unknown
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz FL-20 Unknown
Rep. Maxine Waters CA-35 Supporter
Rep. Diane Watson CA-33 Supporter
Rep. Mel Watt NC-12 Supporter
Rep. Henry Waxman CA-30 Unknown
Rep. Anthony Weiner NY-09 Supporter
Rep. Peter Welch VT-01 Supporter
Rep. Charles Wilson OH-06 Unknown
Rep. Lynn Woolsey CA-06 Supporter
Rep. David Wu OR-01 Supporter
Rep. John Yarmuth KY-03 Supporter

Plus: Delegates Donna M. Christensen (D-VI) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

Bold Polis strategy to pass a public option gains momentum

John Tomasic — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:34:22 +0000

Colorado Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis’s bold move to pass health reform legislation that would include a public health insurance option has gained significant support in the week since he first began circulating among lawmakers and on the web a letter that he co-authored with Maine Democrat Chellie Pingree outlining the idea. Polis sent the letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today with the signatures of 120 Representatives attached.

The plan aims to guard against any watered-down legislation coming from the Senate, where Democrats seem poised to concede to Republican demands in the wake of the GOP Scott Brown Senate victory in Massachusetts.

Polis is urging Democratic Senators to revisit the Senate version of the legislation, not to thin its provisions, but to add a public option and then to pass the bill through the process known as reconciliation.

Letter signers included six so-called Blue Dog conservative Democrats. A coalition of progressive advocacy groups has been leading efforts to back the effort by urging citizens to call their Representatives. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, and Credo Action were behind the campaign that saw tens of thousands of phone calls placed to local House Democrats from constituents asking them to sign the letter.

“This letter states loud and clear that the public option is gaining momentum and is alive and well in the eyes of the American public,” said Polis in a release Wednesday.

“Our job now is to convince Washington what the American people already know—that a public option is essential to challenging the insurance companies and ensuring the choice and competition we need to drive prices down.”

A freshman letter

So far, it looks like none of the Colorado delegation has signed onto the plan, and Polis spokesperson Lara Cottingham told the Colorado Independent that Polis has yet to speak directly with Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet about it.

Responses from some of the Colorado delegation suggest the letter may seem especially noteworthy to those unfamiliar with the ways of Washington.

Kristofer Eisenla, spokesman for veteran Hill operator Diana DeGette, noted that the First District Congresswoman, who is serving her seventh term, is a strong supporter of the public option. “She talks to members of leadership about this and many other issues, but rarely signs letters to the Speaker or Majority Leader in the Senate.”

Ben Marter, spokesman for Rep. Betsy Markey, likewise said the Fourth District Freshman Democrat was a strong supporter of the public option but that she has been busy working on her own health care initiative– an amendment she has written with Virginia Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello that would repeal the anti-trust exemption that presently benefits only health insurance companies, medical malpractice insurance companies and Major League Baseball.

In the letter to Reid, Polis argues that the legislation sent to the House by the Senate last year fails to please both conservative Democrats tied to anti-abortion restrictions on services and progressives tied to the public option. If health reform is to pass, the Senate needs to pick which bloc to woo, the progressive bloc or the conservative bloc. Through the reconciliation process, the Senate would need only 51 votes to pass a bill with a public option. Reconciliation is meant only to cover proposals that impact the budget, however, so drafting a bill that would seek to limit abortion doesn’t exactly fit. The public option does concern the budget directly, though, and Polis believes progressives have the votes to pass the bill in the House.

The phones lit up

Of course, leaning on the budget reconciliation process would deal a blow to bipartisanship, an operating ideal that has gained weight after the Brown victory and after the President’s State of the Union speech urging lawmakers to work less like campaigners and more like problem solvers. But reconciliation would certainly move the bill through the Senate and, if Polis is correct, lead to a strong victory for the kind of reform Democrats have said they have been fighting for over this past highly contentious year, one that they have said would guarantee real competition for the insurance industry and greater savings for individual Americans and for the country.

There’s certainly no guarantee the Majority Leader will read the letter or that he hasn’t been weighing a similar plan himself. Cottingham, however, said Polis’s office was surprised and cheered by the response the letter received among the public and among members of Congress in the past week and would have sent it earlier to Sen. Reid but waited as the number of signatories mounted.

“Progressive groups got a hold of the letter and saw what we were doing and the phones just lit up. I was getting emails myself asking me to convince my Representative to sign onto the letter.”

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, and Credo Action commissioned a Research 2000 poll last week on the Polis letter and the public option over the last two days of January. The pollsters called 600 unaffiliated voters randomly. The organizations released early data exclusively to the Colorado Independent that showed wide support for the public option here.

A first question asked:

Would you favor or oppose the national government offering everyone the choice of buying into a government administered health insurance plan — something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get — that would compete with private health insurance plans?

The respondents showed strong support. Eighty-five percent of Democrats agreed, 59 percent of Independents and 58 percent of respondents in swing Congressional District 4, represented by Democrat Betsy Markey, who has so far not signed onto the letter.

A second question:

This past week, Colorado Congressman Jared Polis led the charge in the House of Representatives to add a public health insurance option into health care reform, resulting in over 70 other House members joining him on a public statement of support for the public option. Is this the kind of leadership you expect from those who represent Colorado, or do you disapprove of Polis’s actions?

Again the respondents showed strong support. Eighty-seven percent of Democrats agreed, 63 percent of Independents and 57 percent in Markey’s swing district.

The organizations will be releasing additional results from their poll later this week.

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Polis weighs into fray over ‘Hidden Gems’ wilderness proposal

David O. Williams — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:44:42 +0000

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Boulder) is clearly trying to head off health care town hall-style lynch mobs at the pass by getting out in front of the broiling rhetoric over the proposed “Hidden Gems” wilderness plan.

The proposal is still being drafted – and seeking a congressional sponsor – but basically proponents hope to lock up more than 400,000 acres of the White River and Gunnison National Forests, as well as some nearby BLM land, with a wilderness designation that would prohibit wheeled traffic, road building and development of any kind.

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis

Most of Hidden Gems would impact the White River National Forest — by far the state’s most popular for recreational users — which Forest Service officials recommend should get about 82,000 additional acres of wilderness protection.

Off-road enthusiasts such as ATV riders and snowmobilers have rallied en masse to fight the proposal, jamming local meetings with “passionate” backers of open access. But conservationists counter our public lands are getting used to death, and they also want to block extractive industries such as oil and gas.

Polis, whose sprawling Second Congressional District reaches from Boulder to western Eagle County and includes much of the White River National Forest, looks like a likely congressional sponsor under the Wilderness Act of 1964.

In a recent letter to local papers, Polis said his office will begin hosting local open houses in the coming weeks and months to gauge public sentiment and narrow down the most appropriate areas of the national forest for wilderness designation. It’s clear, though, he’s expecting a public and political battle royal.

“Undoubtedly and unfortunately, extreme points of view will enter this discussion, but we must all work together to put passions aside and stick to the facts,” Polis wrote.

“My office has already heard some examples of confusion and misinformation and I hope that I can be helpful in getting to the bottom of any questions and concerns. Individuals have cited old or incorrect maps and trails, have confused the ‘Hidden Gems’ wilderness proposal with other proposals, have heard incorrect timeframes, have assumed that draft proposals are final, or are unaware of solutions that are being worked out between opposing viewpoints. This is exactly why process counts in the question of wilderness designation.”

Polis also invited public comment by phone at his Frisco office at (970) 668-3240 or his Boulder office at (303) 484-9596), and online comment at www.polis.house.gov.