From the Denver Business Journal (Cathy Proctor):
“We’re opposed to them,” said Dan Pfeiffer, director of regional government affairs for Xcel Energy Inc., the state’s largest utility. “They would basically remove our water rights and could raise our costs if we can’t use our water [to generate electricity].”
Xcel is a member of the Colorado Water Congress, whose 350 members include river conservancy districts, environmental groups, cities and towns, water districts, agriculture and other business.
More coverage from John Stroud writing for the Glenwood Springs Post Independent. Here’s an excerpt:
The Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC), whose members include Garfield, Mesa, Rio Blanco, Moffat and Routt counties, voted unanimously to support the River District in its previously stated opposition to Initiatives 3 and 45. Garfield County Commissioner Mike Samson, who chairs the AGNC board, said the measures would have “massive negative impacts” throughout Colorado. They are also too punitive and would likely result in decades of litigation, he said. “It would be difficult for anyone to understand the consequences and long-term damage to the economic well-being of Colorado,” Samson said in a press release sent out Thursday by AGNC, which has its offices in Rifle…
Routt County Commissioner and AGNC Vice Chairman Doug Monger stated, “All Coloradans must be overprotective of their water rights and cast suspicion on any attempt to throw the true and tested historic Colorado water law into the trash.”
More Initiatives 3 and 45 coverage here.