Laramie County marches forward into the future with new NWSC and visitor center facilities

Two building dedications take place during the next two weeks in Laramie County. They point the way toward a future that local Know Nothings and no-growthers and Agenda 21 wingnuts are trying to stop.

The first and most spectacular of these buildings is the new NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) in the North Range Business Park just north of the gigantic Wal-Mart Distribution Center and just east of the Big Wind-Power Farm on the Prairie. The building is a marvel of energy efficiency, taking advantage of Wyoming's weather to super-cool the super-computer. The facility will get at least 10 percent of its energy from wind power.

The NWSC will be open for initial public tours from noon-4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16; and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17. Thereafter, self-guided tours of the visitor center will be offered 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. Large groups are asked to call ahead to make reservations at (307) 996-4321.

This comes from a UW press release:

The visitor center contains several display stations, which will focus on science, supercomputing and the NWSC, plus a section dedicated to younger visitors.

The science section will focus on science and research from NCAR, the University of Wyoming and the atmospheric sciences community. Some examples include climate models, wildfire simulations, wind shear studies and carbon sequestration. How these examples affect people’s everyday lives, improve safety, and help inform policy and decision making will be included.

The computational science display will provide an introduction to computational science; convey challenges and research, including limitations and explorations of new frontiers; university collaborations and programs; and the role of computational science in everyday life.

Finally, the exhibit also includes a section about the societal impact of research conducted at the NWSC. Climate, microbursts, wildfires, winds, aviation safety, solar phenomena, extreme weather and advances in forecasting are among the subjects covered.

There will be a center dedicated to younger visitors. It will have touch screens and a video of a mini-tornado simulation that kids can play with. There will be a station that measures how quickly you can swipe your hand across a sensor, and then tells you how many calculations the supercomputer can do in that amount of time.

Gizmojo, a Cheyenne company, was chosen to create and build the visitor center.

The second dedication is for the Southeast Wyoming Visitor Center. It opens for public inspection at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. The $13 million center is on I-25 at the new High Plains Road exit near the Wyoming/Colorado border. It's a LEED-certified building with some of its power coming from solar panels and some from aerodynamic windmills atop the rise leading up to the building. On the building's northeast side is an art installation by Laramie's Stan Dolega. Stan thinks big and works big. BTW, his sculpture is funded through the state's 1% for Art Program, in which a percentage of a public building's costs go toward exterior and/or exterior art, often (but not always) created by a Wyoming artist.

Inside the visitor center are exhibits. One if a Columbian Mammoth cast. These also are hands-on stations for kids, wildlife exhibits and video displays. You can also peer through the many windows at the snow falling outside, the traffic zooming by, and the huge McMurry Business Park sprouting up on the other side of the interstate. One will be able to see the sprawling tank farm for the storage of oil being pumped via fracking out of the Laramie County underground. Another aspect of the state's multifaceted energy economy.

Sometimes all of this new development seems a bit haphazard. You wonder if anyone in the city and county are planning for the future. Growth is good, but there should be a plan.

Forget "the dirty dozen” – Wyoming Congressional delegation "the dirty trio”

This comes from Kate Wright, executive director of Wyoming Conservation Voters

Today [Feb. 7, 2012], Wyoming Conservation Voters joined the national League of Conservation Voters in releasing the 2011 National Environmental Scorecard, revealing scores for the Wyoming delegation in the first session of the 112^th Congress. 

The 2011 Scorecard reflects the most anti-environmental session of the U.S. House of Representatives in history, featuring unparalleled assaults on our nation’s bedrock environmental and public health safeguards.

The good news is that while the House voted against the environment a shocking number of times, both the U.S. Senate and the Obama administration stood fast against the vast majority of these attacks.  Indeed, not only did our cornerstone environmental protections emerge from 2011 largely unscathed, the Obama administration also made major progress through administrative actions to protect our air and water. 

 “We are disappointed in those members of the Wyoming delegation who supported the attacks on public health and environmental protections in 2011,” said Kate Wright, Executive Director of the Wyoming Conservation Voters. “It is deeply upsetting that the entirety of the Wyoming delegation, Rep. Lummis and Sens. Enzi and Barrasso, chose to put corporate polluters and other special interests ahead of the health and well-being of Wyoming families.” 

The 2011 Scorecard includes 11 Senate and a record 35 House votes on issues ranging from public health protections to clean energy to land and wildlife conservation. The House votes included in the 2011 Scorecard are simply many of the most significant votes taken in a year that saw the House voting more than 200 times on the environment and public health.

“In 2011, the House Republican leadership unleashed a truly breathtaking and unprecedented assault on the environment and public health, the breadth and depth of which have made the current U.S. House of Representatives the most anti-environmental in our nation’s history,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “LCV is grateful to the Obama administration for helping to ensure that the House Republican leadership did not succeed in gutting our nation’s cornerstone environmental and public health protections in 2011.”

Senator John Barrasso, 9%
Senator Mike Enzi, 9%
Representative Cynthia Lummis, 11%

For over 40 years, the National Environmental Scorecard issued by LCV has been the nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental, public health and energy issues.

The full 2011 National Environmental Scorecard can be found at www.lcv.org/scorecard 

Old King Coal not such a merry old soul

Laramie River coal plant near Wheatland 

China burns half of the world's coal production every year. It pollutes its air and kills its people, making heart disease the nation's number one killer. China's fossil-fuel habit is one of the main culprits of global warming.

Wyoming and Montana companies dig thousands of tons of coal from the ground every day. Our power plants can't burn all that coal to send power to Colorado and Texas and Utah. Other U.S. plants can't burn that much coal. Many states, Texas included, are scrubbing plans for new coal-fired plants.

To fill China's endless coal appetite, and to contribute to the further spread of cardiopulmonary illnesses, our states want to export more coal to China. There's money to be made, too. Not only for the coal companies, but for severance taxes which pay the salaries of government workers such as myself.

But Washington state is getting in the way of progress.

The Cowboy State and The Treasure State want to ship their coal directly to Asia through a port in Cowlitz County, Washington (a.k.a. The Gateway to Mt. St. Helens). Officials in the county have approved an upgrade to its Columbia River port, but environmental groups say not so fast (from the Casper Star-Tribune). 

On Tuesday, the Washington Department of Ecology petitioned to intervene in the appeal filed by Earthjustice. Ecology spokeswoman Kim Schmanke said the agency wants a seat at the table because it may be asked to approve other permits for the project.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer plans to travel to Washington state next week to seek support for the project. He said he's going to tell state officials it's irrational for them to oppose a port to export Montana coal when utilities that serve Washington state burn Montana coal.Freudenthal said Thursday that he would not expect Schweitzer to accomplish anything but making the trip. 

Freudenthal doubts Washington state officials will receive advice from someone from another state any more than Wyoming officials do when they get similar visits from an outsider. 

The immediate problem, Freudenthal said, is how to get the port exporting Wyoming coal. The larger issue is the need to figure out carbon capture and sequestration in order to receive support from the "rational" environmental groups, he said.

Meanwhile, Gov.-elect Matt Mead is working on a letter of support to send with Schweitzer next week, Mead spokeswoman Susan Anderson said Thursday. Mead takes office Monday. 

Freudenthal said people need to realize that the coal industry is "at risk" whether they agree that climate change is real or not. "This is about coal production, market share and jobs," Freudenthal said.

We're going to see more of these conflicts as we attempt to switch from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources that don't melt the ice caps and lead to the flooding of port cities from Seattle to San Diego. Red states want to ship their coal to China but the coastal blue states won't let them. No alternative but to send it to Houston and then on to the Panama Canal and then on to China. But that route would add time and miles and make the whole enterprise less cost-effective. The states could send the coal to Vancouver, B.C., which shipped about 26 million tons of coal to China this year. But how would that look, red-state Wyoming shipping its coal from Socialist Canada?

Even George Will is getting into the act. In a column this week, he could barely contain his glee that millions of tons of global-warming-contributing coal could be shipped out of a port adjacent to the Green Capital of the U.S. and maybe the world -- Portland, Oregon.

Cowlitz County in Washington state is across the Columbia River from Portland, Ore., which promotes mass transit and urban density and is a green reproach to the rest of us. Recently, Cowlitz did something that might make Portland wonder whether shrinking its carbon footprint matters.

I wonder why conservatives take such delight in destroying the planet? The fundies are all convinced that the end is coming anyway so why fight it? Doesn't matter to them if it's flood or fire. But George Will isn't in this Know Nothing camp. He's smarter than that. While he will no longer be with us when Washington Post columnists commute by gondola, one wonders why he doesn't care for the future of his family or your family or my family.

George Will makes his living by being the conservative curmudgeon in the bow tie. He's also a language scold and a know-it-all baseball fan. That's his platform and to turn Green (or even hint at it) at this late date will cost him.

He provides several quotes from James Fallows' recent cover story about coal in The Atlantic. In "Dirty Coal, Clean Future," Fallows makes the case that we can only get out of this hydrocarbon dilemma by trusting in China's new technologies to burn coal cleaner. The only way out is through. I just read the synopsis, but it seems as if Fallows would give a green light to the shipping of coal from Washington state. And the more we can ship, the better.

I'll read the article and respond. Meanwhile, here's a few parting words from George Will:

If the future belongs to electric cars, those in China may run on energy stored beneath Wyoming and Montana. 

And so run the hopes of the Govs of Wyoming and Montana. 

Cowboy boots making smaller carbon footprint

I was glad to see recycling bins on the grounds of Cheyenne Frontier Days events this week. Cheyenne's 10-day summer event must generate tens of thousands of plastic bottles and cans. So many thirsty parade-goers and rodeo fans and music-lovers. Not all the containers find their way into the recycling bins, but installing one next to every trash can helps a lot.

The greening of the CFD may have been caused, in part, by similar efforts at the Greeley Stampede that takes place early in July in Greeley, about 45 minutes south of here. Cheyenne Frontier Days is the older and bigger event, but Stampede P.R. people inundated regional media this year with their "going green" promos. Here's how it was described in the June 18 Greeley Tribune:

The annual event, scheduled for June 25-July 5, has partnered with Waste Management, Coors Brewing Co. and the city of Greeley to initiate a multi-phase, environmentally friendly program. The endeavor aims to reduce waste, save energy and leave a lighter carbon footprint during this year's celebration.

Guests will be able to ride their bikes to the Stampede and park them for free. Bike racks will be available by the 14th Avenue entrance, near the Splash Park and by the Poudre River Trail entrance. Guests are not able to ride bicycles through the park during the event, but will now have a place to secure their bikes.

Visitors also can enjoy Coors products served in Greenware disposable cups. Greenware is a line of premium cups made of natural materials that are fully compostable — made entirely from an renewable resource, corn. Once used and disposed of, the cups will be completely composted in about 50 days.

Specially marked blue containers will be available where visitors can place empty plastic bottles and cans. The city of Greeley will collect plastic bottles and aluminum cans for Waste Management to collect and transport to recycling centers.

That's a pretty good start. No word yet on how they plan to cut down on ozone-depleting steer farts.

On a similar note, the CFD recycling plan includes carting thousands of tons of manure to Laramie County's composting facility. That's a dirty job but I'm glad they're doing it. Local gardners make use of that composting facility which in turn leads to tasty veggies and pretty flowers and healthy trees. Conservative cowpokes and hippie-dippy veggie wranglers are more intertwined than either camp will admit.

Here's more green news from the CFD web site:

Cheyenne Frontier Days, Trihydro Corporation (a Laramie-based engineering and environmental consulting firm), Swire Coca Cola and the City of Cheyenne have agreed to partner again in a major recycling program at Frontier Park. According to Concessions Chairman Matt Jones, the recycling program that was started last year was a great success. "We recycled 5 tons of plastic last year, and we hope to beat that amount this year," said Jones. "We encourage all of our guests to use the recycling cans, located with trash cans, on the park."

Trihydro provides engineering and environmental services to industrial, commercial, and government clients. The firm, founded in 1984, has grown strategically to employ approximately 260 professionals and support staff, of which 160 are based in the firm’s Wyoming offices (Cheyenne, Casper, Lander, and Laramie).

CFD has recycled all the manure collected during the ten day event at a local composting facility for many years. "We have also separated and collected our cardboard for recycling for a few years now," said Jones. "This year we will also be recycling aluminum cans along with the plastic bottles." Jones and CFD officials met with Swire Coca Cola, Dennis Pino (City Sanitation), Trihydro, and others earlier this year to discuss the continuation of collecting plastic during CFD for recycling. Working with the City of Cheyenne, CFD will collect as much plastic and aluminum on the park during the celebration as possible, separate these items from the general waste, and send the plastic and aluminum for recycling, thereby keeping it out of the landfill.

In addition to separating plastic bottles and aluminum cans from the trash during show time, CFD will also recycle these items from committee buildings around the park and the headquarters building. Last year, CFD officials made an effort to replace old bathroom fixtures with newer more water efficient models where appropriate. Parking lot lights were replaced with updated fixtures which provide more light while decreasing power usage. In addition, every year, the CFD grounds crew winterizes the park to shut down buildings with only seasonal usage, thereby decreasing energy and water usage. They also pull weeds by hand rather than using chemical pesticides while maintaining the park.

There is a bandwagon effect here that people who put on parades know very well. It's patriotic to fly the green flag, and cowboys are all about being patriotic.

Here at home, my family and our visitors from afar are going through hundreds of plastic water bottles, aluminum soda cans and craft brew bottles. My son Kevin has hauled many containers of recyclables to the Big Blue Bins at the K-Mart parking lot. We're also cutting down on water usage by taking only one shower per week. Just kidding -- that's just me. Hey, I'm on vacation!

The City of Cheyenne has made great strides the past few years toward cutting down on water use. It's expanding its curbside recycling program. The greenway is terrific and it prods residents to get out and walk and run and ride bikes to work. On the negative side, our public transportation system is laughable and sprawl continues to the north and east. Laramie County has no wise-growth plan. Cheyenne needs to support downtown residential efforts, such as those promoted in Sheridan this summer at "Living Upstairs in Wyoming."

We're getting there -- but still playing catch-up to some of Colorado's communities, such as our neighbor Fort Collins and our bigger neighbor, Denver. Read about some of their efforts at http://smartercities.nrdc.org/

E85 returns to my Cheyenne minivan

Driving down Lincolnway in Cheyenne last week, I spied an E85 sign. "Whoa, minivan," I said, whipping a U-turn and coming to rest at the ethanol pumps at Smoker Friendly Gas and Cigarette Shop. I was surprised to see an E85 pump after a long dry spell for my flex-fuel Dodge Caravan.

Some of the first blogging I did was about my search for an alternative to regular unleaded. Alternative fuels were all the rage back in 2005-2006. Corn seemed to be the answer to importing oil from desert sheikdoms and the newly liberated land of Mesopotamia. The Corner Stop station in Cheyenne opened a couple ethanol pumps and that's where I filled up. No war for oil, I would say to nobody in particular. And then I would pump my Nebraska-grown corn-based fuel, not realizing that it had its own drawbacks. But it made me feel good, which is an American right and privilege. It was cheaper than gasoline, too, by about 20 cents.

But then reality came crashing in. The prices went up, and then Corner Stop ceased carrying E85. I looked high and low for flex-fuel stations. There was (and is) one up in Buford along I-80 between Cheyenne and Laramie. But it's a good 30 miles away any benefit I would get from gasing up there would be lost in the 60-mile round trip. During travels in Colorado to Fort Collins and Greeley I saw E85 pumps but, again, unless they were on my way, it made little sense to make those stops a destination.

The E85 prices at Smoker Friendly were a lot lower than gas -- $1.90 per gallon to $2.33. I topped off the tank and felt pretty good paying with most of a $20 bill. If I was a smoker, I would have enough change to buy a couple cigarettes, but nowhere near an entire pack. Did you know that you can fill a minivan with E85 for a lot less than it costs to buy a carton of cigs? Glad I quit smoking 25 years ago.

When I went inside to pay, I asked the proprietor how long she'd been stocking E85. About six months, she said. I told her that I'd been loooking all over for it and and guessed that hers was the only store in town that stocked it. That's kind of the idea, she said with a smile, adding that she sells quite a bit but didn't know how much exactly.

Meanwhile, I save about 40 cents per gallon and get to feel superior -- for a brief while -- over my gasoline-loving brethren and sistren.

Wind power available in Cheyenne this fall

I noticed that the summer's first energy bill from Cheyenne Power & Light is higher than last year's at this time. The rates are creeping up, and they're expected to go through the roof this winter.

But steps are being made locally to put renewable energy sources online. Good for global warming, but not necessarily a harbinger of lower energy prices.

This comes from a July 8 press release:

Duke Energy Generation Services, a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp. has completed construction and is currently in start-up testing of its Happy Jack Windfarm project near Cheyenne. The new facility will provide enough energy to power up to 8,500 homes for the city of Cheyenne and the surrounding community through a 20-year power purchasing agreement with Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power Co., a subsidiary of Black Hills Corp. According to Cheyenne Light, the wind farm was built on land owned by the city of Cheyenne adjacent to the city’s Happy Jack Landfill. Fourteen wind turbines, with the expected production of about 100 million kilowatt-hours annually, were on the drawing board. At that time, the company predicted that power from the wind farm would be available to its customers in the fall of 2008.

When the project was announced, Tierra Energy was the selected developer of the wind farm. Tierra was purchased by Duke in May of 2007.

On the Web: Duke Energy: http://www.duke-energy.com/; Cheyenne Power & Light: http://www.cheyennelight.com/

WYO GOP doesn't buy climate change

Anyone who doubts the differences between Wyoming Republicans and Democrats only need look at a few planks in their respective platforms.

The AP reported that a plank adopted at the state Republican Convention in Rock Springs last Saturday opposes any new laws or regulations related to the "hypothesis of man-made climate change."

Contrast that with the following planks that came out of the platform committee at the May 23-24 Democratic Party convention in Jackson (there may be some revisions to the wording, as contentious Democrats discussed and amended the platform ad nauseum at the convention).

In "The Environment" section under "Confronting Climate Change:"

1. Wyoming Democrats believe that our country must address climate change by working with others at local, state, national, and global levels to reduce greenhouse gases.

2. We call for development of alternative, renewable energy resources, including solar and wind power, through federal and state incentives.

3. We insist that government policy work to increase energy-use efficiency throughout our economy, including raising the fuel efficiency of the nation’s vehicles.

The Democrats have moved way beyond the hypothesis of global warming to cold, hard facts. That approach is supported by most of the climatologists in the known universe.

At their convention, Republicans also decided to oppose a federal designation of any Wyoming stream as a Wild and Scenic River. This is in response to the efforts in Teton County to declare the Snake as a Wild and Scenic River, providing it special protections under federal law. I believe a plank to that effect was added to the platform (I have to keep better notes). If not, it should have been.

"Freewheelin" to bring bikes to DemCon08

As a possible delegate or blogger to the big Dem convention in Denver this August, I've been receiving a slew of e-mails from the host committee. Some of these e-mails contain crucial info, others are notices of press conferences, "green" initiatives, contracts with major vendors/sponsors, etc.

Yesterday I received one about a "greening effort" press conference set for today at the Colorado Convention Center for this project:

The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, along with representatives from Humana and Bikes Belong have joined to bring 1,000 bikes to Denver for people to use during the week of the Democratic National Convention. Freewheelin is a national bike-sharing program developed by Humana and bike industry leaders like Bikes Belong to encourage healthy living and environmental sustainability. The 1,000 bikes can be used free of charge by anyone looking for an alternative to automobiles while the convention is in town.

Denver is an excellent cycling city. This was true in the 1980s, when I lived there. I rode the South Platte River and Cherry Creek bikepaths, as well as the Highline Canal Trail. While there wasn't as many bike lanes as there are now, I still felt fairly safe riding the streets. Denverites are used to bicycle commuters and don't seem to intentionally go out of their way to run them off the road. Denverites have lots of options for non-auto transportation. Car is still king, but the crown is slipping a bit as gas creeps up to $4 a gallon (diesel's already above $4).

When I lived in Denver's Platte Park neighborhood, I walked to work at the Gates Rubber Company, just five blocks away (now falling to the wrecker's ball). My family and I walked to the library and parks and shops and restaurants along South Pearl Street. If we still lived there still, we could catch the light rail trains a few blocks away that could take us downtown or out to the Tech Center.

Cheyenne is no slouch when it comes to cycling. We boast an incredible Greenway, and voters just approved a major extension. There are bike lanes on some of the major streets, and more and more of us seem to be commuting when the wind is not peeling the skin off our faces and the snow is not forming icicles on our noses. Until I blew out a knee two years ago, I commuted to work by bike four months of the year. Now that the surgeons have fixed me up, I'm back commuting this spring and summer.

We still lack a bona fide public transportation system. We have buses, but their routes and hours are limited. During the summer, there's a downtown circulator bus. Maybe once a week we should all ride the bus, just so the city can boast to federal funders that ridership is growing and we need more buses and longer hours and more frequent service.

It's tough to pry Wyomingites out of their cars and trucks. But higher gas prices has people pondering alternatives.

This summer in Denver, I may grab one of those Freewheelin bikes and cruise around town. One complaint: Did the Dems have to bring Humana in on this? It is one of the biggest of the health care conglomerates, and their concern is always the bottom line. Do we really need Humana's money this badly?

Why I voted against a new rec center

Can a prog-blogger really be progressive if he/she/it votes against cultural and recreational amenities to the city?

On Tuesday, Laramie County held a special election. The ballot had four items seeking funding through the county's sixth-penny tax. The largest and fourth ballot initiative, the one that generated a lot of heat but very little light on the op-ed pages, asked voters to approve a $55 million recreation center. It was a fine-looking rec center, one designed to have an amenity for every taste. Want kilns to bake your pottery? We got it. Want several pools for lap swimming? We got it. Want an indoor walking/running track to avoid winter frostbite and wind attacks? We got it? Want a special section for old codgers to work out in peace while they talk about how rotten the government is? We got it.

In the end, it was too much. The rec center initiative went down in flames while the other three initiatives passed. So, no rec center. But voters okayed almost $3 million for the very popular Greenway, and more than $2 million for design work for the very popular Botanic Gardens and the not so popular airport terminal. We also gave thumbs up on $60,000 for a new sprinkler system in the Pine Bluffs cemetery, and $137,000 so the town of Burns can buy a garbage truck and lease a police car.

I voted yes on 1, 2, and 3, but no on 4. The rec center was too big and unwieldy. City leaders could never decide how much money it was going to cost to run. It was not "green" enough -- designers hadn't incorporated enough energy-saving technology. But most of all, I voted against it because the city had not consulted with the non-profit YMCA and the for-profit exercise centers to see how they could all work together on making Cheyenne a healthier place. I have to admit that my wife works at the YMCA, so I'm far from unbiased. But why didn't people from the city rec department talk to the YMCA? Did they look upon the Y as a threat to their own project? Probably. But the YMCA of the USA is the biggest non-profit in the country and has decades of experience in sports and fitness and even cultural programs. They specialize in programs for youth and families. They have daycare and after-school care for kids. They offer scores of programs for Active Older Adults. Could the YMCA staff have provided valuable advice to the city? Yes. Was it sought out? No.

So I voted "No" on the rec center.

Editor of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Reed Eckhardt, wrote in his Saturday editorial today that "the city's reach finally exceeded its grasp." Reed was a champion of the rec center, his paper one of its primary promoters. He sees the rec center as an amenity necessary for a progressive city. When he says "progressive," he means "progress," as in Cheyenne is making progress "with the idea that it can be a great Front Range community." He's always railing against the "naysayers" who want Cheyenne to remain the same high plains backwater it has always been. He promotes the plans of Cheyenne's progressive major, Jack Spiker, and the more forward-looking members of the City Council, such as bicycle shop owner Patrick Collins.

"Cheyenne has come a long way under their direction -- and they need to show the voters just that. They must not concede the direction of this community to go-slowers and naysayers who fret that Cheyenne is going to become Wyoming's Fort Collins, whatever that means."

For readers outside of this region, some explanation may be in order. Fort Collins is the Colorado city 45 minutes south of Cheyenne. To many in Cheyenne and Laramie, it is the land of (soy) milk and (organic) honey, a common destination for those seeking Thai food, independent films, and a plethora of shopping opportunities. On Friday nights, teens motor to Fort Collins to cruise College Avenue in search of ways to get into trouble further from home. In 1988, I dragged my family from Denver (Gomorrah of the Front Range) to Fort Collins so I could attend grad school. To Denverites and especially those citizens of Boulder (Sodom of the Flatirons), Fort Collins was a hick town, home of the aggie college, second-rate when compared to CU. But I loved The Fort, as did my wife and son. When I graduated and went to work in Cheyenne, our friends in F.C. looked on in wonder and asked, "Where's Cheyenne?" You see, it's a lot farther from F.C. to Cheyenne than it is from Cheyenne to F.C., as it's uphill all the way.

One more Fort Collins note. When city leaders were looking for a new slogan, they asked residents for their responses. One of the funniest was this: "Fort Collins -- Where Cheyenne Shops."

Funny, yet true, at least at the time. In the early 1990s, before Sam's Club and Super Wal-Mart, we used to travel to F.C. to shop. Our family had blossomed with another issue, and this issue needed a lot of diapers and stuff. The rest of us continued to eat with no let-up in sight. So every couple weeks we hopped in the car and joined the weekend exodus to The Fort.

Cheyenne still doesn't have a Thai restaurant, although the Mexican and Chinese food selections are pretty good. We now boast a Sam's Club and Super Wal-Mart. Alas, I no longer need their services as the son has flown the coop and the daughter is a vegetarian and is satisfied with occasional helpings of birdseed and tofu.

Maybe I'm getting less progressive in my old age. But I did not vote no on the rec center because I am afraid that Cheyenne is becoming like Fort Collins. I voted no on the rec center because city leaders had not done their homework and they were not following their own advice to seek out collaborations when there's something big you want to accomplish.

Why conservatives hate Al Gore

Why do conservatives hate Al Gore? Because he keeps being correct on so many issues, and they can't take him down with their smear tactics.

Here's Paul Krugman's take in the New York Times:

The worst thing about Mr. Gore, from the conservative point of view, is that he keeps being right. In 1992, George H. W. Bush mocked him as the "ozone man," but three years later the scientists who discovered the threat to the ozone layer won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In 2002 he warned that if we invaded Iraq, "the resulting chaos could easily pose a far greater danger to the United States than we presently face from Saddam." And so it has proved.

At least my fuel is refined locally

Always in search of a smaller carbon footprint, I've give up on ethanol (can't find any) and focused on getting uinleaded gas that's cheap and is refined locally at the Frontier Refinery. So I've begun filling up the 2000 Dodge Yuppievan at King Soopers. Frontier, only two miles away, provides the fuel, so there's no major transportation cost. Not sure if the crude comes from Wyoming or Saudi Arabia, but hope it was drilled in the U.S. If not, I may have another problem as I seek consciousness-raising through fuel economy and look for fuel from non-Middle East suppliers. I know that oil is one of the reasons we're in Iraq. I don't want to be a part of that supply chain.

Cheneys arrive, CO2 emissions rise

In Sunday's papers, we read about a new study that shows Wyoming leads all other states when you measure its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on a per capita basis. This is what people are talking about when they say "carbon footprint." We are the Bigfoot of the USA.

Those rose dramatically Sunday when Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne spoke to groups in Douglas, Wyoming. They arrived by limo from the Casper airport and the Veep spoke to those gathered for the annual Wyoming Boys' State convention at the state fairgrounds.

Dick Cheney was guilty of a number of nonsensical CO2 emissions. Here's one: "The fact of the matter is Iraq is part of the global war on terror."

Read more in today's Casper Star-Tribune.