President (To Win Colorado) See Full Big Line

(D) Kamala Harris

(R) Donald Trump

80%↑

20%

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

(R) V. Archuleta

98%

2%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

(R) Marshall Dawson

95%

5%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Hurd

(D) Adam Frisch

50%

50%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert

(D) Trisha Calvarese

90%

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Crank

(D) River Gassen

80%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

(R) John Fabbricatore

90%

10%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) B. Pettersen

(R) Sergei Matveyuk

90%

10%

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(R) Gabe Evans

52%↑

48%↓

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
September 18, 2014 10:47 AM UTC

Rep. Scott Tipton Alters The Deal

  • 12 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
Scott Tipton finds your lack of faith disturbing.
Tipton finds your lack of faith disturbing.

​Staff writer Iulia Gheorghiu of the Durango Herald reports, locals are crying foul over a proposed amendment to legislation to protect the Hermosa Creek watershed that Rep. Scott Tipton has been working on allegedly in cooperation with them:

U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton recently released a potential amendment to the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act, changing the House bill from the agreed-upon wording drafted by community consensus…

“People are very disturbed that this process, which was designed locally and has very strong local consensus with support from Congressman Tipton, has become a very different piece of legislation,” said Jimbo Buickerood, the public-lands coordinator at San Juan Citizens Alliance, an environmental protection group based in Durango…

But Josh Green, Tipton’s press secretary, said the bill is inherently the same.

“The amendment will in no way change the outcome of the legislation’s goals agreed upon by the stakeholders,” Green wrote in an email…

But that's not what the stakeholders say.

The amendment has removed a small paragraph on “Use of Conveyed Land.” Currently, certain areas are open to hard-rock mining and logging. The five-line paragraph that was removed acted as a safeguard against future exploitation of the land.

“There’s nothing in here that says they couldn’t turn it over to a developer of oil or a developer of gas,” senior director of the Wilderness Society Jeremy Garncarz said of the effect of dropping the paragraph…

The bill had been a collaboration involving two counties, multiple conservation groups and outdoor recreational groups, and more than 200 local businesses in La Plata and San Juan counties.

“The amendment guts it,” Garncarz said. “It throws all of that work out the window.” [Pols emphasis]

Partisan political considerations being what they are, conservationists start out leery of Republicans like Tipton for self-evident reasons. To the extent that Tipton has been able to mollify them by appearing willing to work with conservation minded stakeholders, it's been good for him politically. In other cases, like the still unresolved controversy over drilling in the Thompson Divide, Tipton has professed indecision, and tried to keep himself on the "persuadable" side of the persuadable vs. political adversary divide. It can mean a lot in an election year simply to keep stakeholders guessing–just enough to not risk attempting to hold you accountable (see Mike Coffman on immigration).

This could be the kind of swindle to make those local stakeholders regret giving Tipton the benefit of the doubt.

Tweet
Share

Comments

12 thoughts on “Rep. Scott Tipton Alters The Deal”

  2. Tipton is typical gop/bagger…says one thing and does another…Dis-honest is a word that can't come close to describing Tipton, maybe smarmy would fit better…Now, Abel Tapia is a very good choice to stop the gop/bagger Tipton from selling the rest of us out, again…

    1. Abels' campaign is having a pancake event in GJ at 7:00 Saturday morning. I'm going to make a point of being there.  I agree that Abel is a great choice to replace Tipton. He has one characteristic in abundance that is not to be found in any definition of Scott Tipton…integrity.

      He was too nice to Tipton at the Club 20 debates…we are working on convincing him to swing a heavier bat the next time they face off. Does anyone know if there has been another debate since the one in Grand Junction?

      1. If Abel's campaign isn't jumping on this in Durango, hope you encourage him to do so.  One of the key swing counties/areas in the district!

        P.S.  Trusting Scott Tipton to keep his word is for fools or for those that don't know him.

      2. No, but there are other debate nights scheduled in Pueblo Thursday, Oct 2, for Governor, Tuesday, Oct 7 for CD3 (Tapia -Tipton) , and Thursday, Oct 9 for Senate (Udall – Gardner) candidates. See Action 22 link. I'll put up another diary about it.

        I guess that there will be another debate series scheduled in Denver, as well.

         

         

         

  3. The U.S. House is in session only a couple more days prior to the election. I'll be motre interested in what might happen with the Hermosa legislation in a lame duck session.

    1. mama, do you think this dust-up might actually be enough to bring Tipton down, or is he simply too insulated and well-protected as a Red in a Red district ever to be threatened with defeat?

      1. As dustpuppy's soul sister, I am always optimistic – and I give Tapia better odds than Pols does. He's been campaigning hard, all over CD3, and Tipton's strength has been that he is supposedly "good on water".

        I think that this exposure of his double-dealing ways will erode some of Tipton's rural support, especially if Abel is there to promote his alternative policies.

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Yadira Caraveo
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

230 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!