Hi Poudre River Lovers! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. YOU CAN DONATE ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE. We're aggressively working to protect and restore the Cache la Poudre River by suing in court, fighting for better regulations, and countering the lies and propaganda. First, we are actively in the 'briefing' schedule in our state district court case against the proposed, massive, river-destroying reservoir called the "Northern Integrated Supply Project" (NISP). Recall, the former Larimer County Commissioners, Steve Johnson and Tom Donnelly, gave a permit to NISP over 2 years ago and we immediately sued the County. That case is playing out in court and we may have a decision by the district court judge in the next 6 months. We're arguing tenaciously that NISP would irreparably damage the Poudre River by diverting so much water out of the river through Fort Collins. Win, lose, or draw, we will keep fighting and take the case all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court if we have to! We're also continuing to prepare our lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for giving a permit to NISP. That case will play out in federal court in Denver, and who knows, the Poudre River may get its day in court with the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington D.C. as well. Second, the Fort Collins City Council recently considered new "1041 regulations" that would be required of NISP, and we testified to the Council to make sure the regulations are as strong as possible. Recall, the City has voted to "OPPOSE NISP", which was great news two years ago, and we are keeping the river's health front and center in the minds and eyes of the City Council. NISP would further degrade the Poudre River through Fort Collins as well as partially ruin the new $20 million Whitewater Park by removing so much water out of the river. We will do everything we can to protect the river in Fort Collins and get as strong of regulations from the City as possible. Finally, at that same Fort Collins City Council meeting on Feb. 8th, proponents of NISP stood up and told their tired, false story about how they think NISP would "improve the health of the Poudre River". This propaganda is ridiculous, and we continue to confront it at every turn. Take a look here on our Facebook page (click here to read it) for our rebuttal to this propaganda. NISP has one single purpose -- to drain the river before it reaches Fort Collins and send the Poudre's precious water out to sprawling towns mostly in Weld County. We will counter the lies and propaganda at every turn. Thank you for your support! It's your support that keeps us in court, keeps us testifying, and keeps us rebutting the propaganda. You can donate online by clicking here. Gary Wockner and Mark Easter, Save The Poudre
MEDIA STATEMENT: Save The Poudre Statement on Home Builders Association Letter to Larimer County Commissioners
Hi Colorado Environmental Media,
Yesterday, the “Home Builders Association of Metro Denver” and the “Colorado Association of Home Builders” sent a comment letter to the Larimer County Commissioners about the proposed “Thornton Pipeline”. The Home Builders’ letter, pasted in below and posted here, is uninformed, harasses the Commissioners, and is filled with false information.
Statement by Gary Wockner, Director of Save The Poudre:
- “The Home Builders are uninformed and spewing false information to the County Commissioners and the public. It is Thornton, not Larimer County, who is refusing collaborate and delaying the delivery of water. We’ve been in contact with Thornton for 14 years about this issue, and it was Thornton who originally planned to send the water down the Cache la Poudre River, not put it in a pipeline. It is Thornton, not Larimer County, who changed its mind and spent more than a decade and millions of dollars trying to get a permit to build a pipeline in Larimer County. It is Thornton, not Larimer County, who filed a lawsuit, spending more millions of dollars, which further delayed the delivery of water and refused to collaborate.
- In fact, if Thornton simply would’ve collaborated with us and stuck to their original plan and sent the water down the Poudre River — using the River as a conveyance — and then diverted the water in Weld County near Windsor, Thornton would not have even needed a permit in Larimer County and Thornton would’ve had its water 10 years ago.
- We encourage the Home Builders to get their facts straight and stop harassing elected officials and the public in Larimer County.”
I’m happy to chat with any media on the phone about this.
Gary
— Gary Wockner, PhD, Director
Save The Poudre: Poudre Waterkeeper
Author: “River Warrior: Fighting to Protect the World’s Rivers” (2016)
PO Box 20, Fort Collins, CO 80522
http://savethepoudre.org
http://www.facebook.com/SaveThePoudre
https://twitter.com/savethepoudre
970-218-8310
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Home Builders Association of Metro Denver and Colorado Association of Home Builders Comments Letter – Thornton Water Pipeline Project
Morgan Cullen
to kefa…@co.larimer.co.us, kste…@larimer.org, JShadduc…@larimer.org, vol…@co.larimer.co.us, fri…@larimer.org, Ted Leighty, t…@hbacolorado.com
Dear Commissioners Kefalas, Stephens and Shadduck-McNally:
I am writing to submit formal comments on the ongoing legal challenges surrounding the Thornton Water Project. These comments are being provided on behalf of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver and the Colorado Association of Home Builders.
The HBA of Metro Denver represents over 500 homebuilders, developers, remodelers, architects, mortgage lenders, title companies, subcontractors, suppliers, and service providers in the eight metro-area counties we serve. The Colorado Association of Home Builders has over 2,000 members across the state, representing over 40,000 jobs that play a crucial role in providing housing for Coloradoans.
For many years, Colorado has established itself as one of the best places to live, work and raise a family. Colorado has a proud history of communities working together to tackle tough issues, solve problems and improve the prosperity of all its residents through collective reciprocity and regional collaboration. Be it in politics, business or our shared civic responsibilities, we have always prospered because of that reason – We work together.
However, we have grown concerned that this spirit of regional collaboration and problem solving is being threatened over a critical issue in northern Colorado. By refusing to allow Thornton to access the water it has owned for nearly forty-years, Larimer County is impacting the livelihood and ability for families and individuals to live closer to where they work and inadvertently exacerbating Colorado’s housing attainability crisis along the front range.
The HBA of Metro Denver and the Colorado Association of Home Builders has included the attached letter to this email, outlining our concerns regarding these ongoing delays and the need reconcile the situation in an expedited manner. In the spirit of regional cooperation and housing attainability in Colorado, we respectfully request that Larimer County work in earnest with the City of Thornton to come to an agreement on this issue that has gone on for too long.
Thank you for your time and consideration of our concerns.
Sincerely,
Morgan Cullen
Director of Government Affairs
Home Builders Association of Metro Denver
cell: 303-217-6858
9033 E Easter Place | Suite 200 | Centennial CO 80112
National Discounts, Local Member Savings available at
