County seeks to redraw district lines
La Plata County is leaning a little too far to the right, as least on the map.

According to the 2010 Census, the county’s easternmost commissioner district, District 3, had 11 percent more residents than the farthest west district, District 2; and 9 percent more residents than the central district, District 2, which includes the City of Durango.

 As a result, La Plata County is seeking to redraw district boundaries in an effort to keep the playing field even. Furthermore, state law requires counties be divided into three districts as nearly equal in population as possible based. The county has come up with three options in redrawing the districts, which will be discussed during a round of upcoming public meetings.

Option 2-4 (Option 1 is to leave things as they are) propose moving Grandview, which currently is part of District 3, into District 2, with Durango. Option 2 also proposes moving the Vallecito area from east to west, District 3 to District 1. Option 3 proposes the Vallecito and Grandview shifts, with the addition of a small area north of Elmore’s corner moving from District 3 to 1 as well. The fourth and final option proposes leaving Vallecito in District 3 and moving an area south of Grandview from District 3 to 1.

County commissioners’ preferred choice is Option 4, which moves Grandview to District 2 and keeps Vallecito where it is, in 3.

Despite the recent battle over state redistricting boundaries, the county’s decision should not be nearly as controversial. Right now, commissioners are elected at-large, so district lines don’t affect election outcomes. The redistricting will affect only potential candidates who must live in their district for a year in order to run for office.

The County Clerk’s office will hold public hearings about the proposed redistricting changes as follows:
- Thurs., May 23, 5:30 – 7 p.m., Pine River Library, Bayfield
- Thurs., June 6, 5:30 – 7 p.m., Ignacio Library, Ignacio
- Tues., June 11, 5:30 – 7 p.m., Durango Library

For a map of the proposed options, go to http://co.laplata.co.us. Submit comments to Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Parker by email at tiffany.parker@co.laplata.co.us or mail to La Plata County Clerk and Recorder, 98 Everett St, Suite C, Durango, 81303. Comments are due by 5 p.m. Fri., June 14.

Interior releases revised fracking rule
The Obama Administration has taken another stab at regulating fracking with last week’s release of a draft set of rules that would govern the controversial practice on federal and Indian lands.

The update supplants a rule released in 2012, which was widely opposed by the oil and gas industry on grounds it would hinder the nation’s current natural gas boom.

The administration touts the new rule as an “all-of-the-above strategy” that establishes “commonsense safety standards” such as disclosure of fracking fluids and requirements for well construction and wastewater disposal. However, environmentalists have expressed displeasure over the new rule, saying it is a watered-down version of the original.

Under the new rule, drillers would be required to file the contents of the fracking cocktail on fracfocus.org, an online database used by Colorado and 10 other states to track fracking chemicals. The website was formed by industry and intergovernmental groups in 2011 and allows users to search for well-specific data on thousands of drilling sites.

The new rule is also meant to better integrate drilling that occurs on both state and tribal lands.

“We are proposing some commonsense updates that increase safety while also providing flexibility and facilitating coordination with states and tribes,” Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said Thurs., May 16, the day the draft was released. “As we continue to offer millions of acres of America’s public lands for oil and gas development, it is important that the public has full confidence that the right safety and environmental protections are in place.”

Approximately 90 percent of wells drilled on federal and Indian lands use hydraulic fracturing. However, the Bureau of Land Management’s rules governing drilling are more than 30 years old, predating modern hydraulic fracturing. The revised rules propose to modernize BLM’s management of fracking and help establish baseline environmental safeguards.

The updated draft maintains the three main components of the initial proposal:
- Requiring operators to disclose the chemicals used in fracking;
- Improving verification that fracking fluids are not contaminating groundwater;
- Requiring oil and gas operators have a water management plan for handling fluids that flow back to the surface.

The updated draft addresses the more than 170,000 public comments received since the 2012 rule was released as well as feedback from forums and meetings with American Indian tribes.

“Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling methods can be used safely and effectively, employing many of the best management practices reflected in this draft,” BLM Principal Deputy Director Neil Kornze said. “Our thorough review of all the comments convinced us that we could maintain a strong level of protection of health, safety and the environment while allowing for increased flexibility and reduced regulatory duplication.”

The proposal revises the tools operators can use to show that water is being protected and provides more guidance and flexibility on trade secret disclosure according to the BLM.

The proposal rule would defer to states, such as Colorado and Texas, that already have their own rules, provided they meet or exceed the federal standards.

Environmental groups say the new rule is weaker than last year’s and is yet another “shoddy” example of the government bowing to industry demands. “The Bureau of Land Management caved to the wealthy and powerful oil and gas industry and left the public to fend for itself,” Earthjustice’s Jessica Ennis stated.

Environmentalists also took issue with FracFocus, a voluntary site with “loose reporting standards” that allows companies to avoid disclosure by claiming certain chemicals are “trade secrets.” A report by Harvard last month said the site is plagued by loopholes, calling government reliance on FracFocus “misplaced or premature.”

The updated draft will be subject to a 30-day public comment period, which ends June 15. For see the draft, go to: www.blm.gov.

Lokken earns spot on National team
Durango Whitewater product and DHS grad Zach “Lug” Lokken is paddling his way to the World Cup.
Lokken, 19, took third in the Men’s Single Canoe (C1) division at last weekend’s U.S. Slalom National Team Trials/Deep Creek Open, held in McHenry, Md.

The three-day competition involved six runs down the whitewater course at Adventure Sports Center International against the top paddlers in the nation.

Lokken will be joined by Casey Eichfeld (Drums, Pa.) and Fabien Lefevre (Bethesda, Md.) on the mens C1 team in representing Team USA at Senior, U23 and Junior events this season.

“It’s really an honor just to be able to paddle with them and to train with them,” said Lokken of teammates and two-time Olympians Eichfeld and Lefevre. “They push me and I push them to get even better. It’s really exciting to paddle with them.”

On his first run Fri., May 17, Lokken finished fourth overall in the pack, which included international paddlers, slightly edging out five-time Olympic medalist Michal Martikan of Slovakia. “It’s a really good mood-booster to know that I’m up there and have the potential to be as good as him,” said Lokken.

The trials also served as a chance for other countries to get a sneak peak at the Adventure Sports Center, which will be home to the 2014 ICF Slalom World Championships, Sept. 16-21, 2014.

Last week was icing on the cake for Lokken, who kicked off the 2013 season with a gold medal at the Pan American Slalom Championships in Union de Tula, Mexico, on March 2-3.

Lokken started paddling at an early age in Durango, training with former U.S. Champion Ryan Bahn. He graduated from Durango High in 2012 and now trains with Rafal Smolen at the Nantahala Racing Club, in North Carolina. He has been a member of the Slalom Junior team since 2009 and the Senior Team since 2010.

– Missy Votel