March 6, 2014
50 cents Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 30, Issue 36 A publication of
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Veterans outpatient clinic opens
TOUGH COMPETITION
Facility offers medical services, compensation exams By Amy Woodward
awoodward@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Wheat Ridge’s well-under 6-foot point guard Nicco Young doesn’t stand much of a chance against South’s big men during the playoff game Friday. See story on Page 16. Photo by Daniel Williams
Hickenlooper touts ‘rigorous’ new oil and gas rules Says air will be cleaner ‘than it was before fracking’ By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com Gov. John Hickenlooper was lauded by energy industry leaders and environmental groups on Feb. 25, two days after a state commission approved sweeping new air pollution rules that will regulate oil and gas activity in the state. The new rules will make Colorado the first state to impose regulations designed to detect and reduce climate-harming methane emissions. “They are the strongest rules on air pollution ever adopted in the U.S.,” Fred Krupp, the national leader of the Environmental Defense Fund said. “It is really a model for the nation.” The rules, approved by an 8-1 vote of the Colorado Air Quality Commission on Feb. 23, was a result of Hickenlooper’s calls for tougher rules aimed at protecting Colorado’s air. “We (now) have the most rigorous air and water regulations around oil and gas in the country, without question,” the governor said at a Capitol press conference. “I think that goes a long way toward demonstrating to people that this trio of (environmental) nonprofits, the (oil and gas) industry, and the government, that if we work
Gov. John Hickenlooper touts new rules for oil and gas activities during a Feb. 25 Capitol press conference, as Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Director Larry Wolk (right) and Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund (center) listen. Photo by Vic Vela hard enough and are willing to make those compromises, we can make real progress.” Larry Wolk, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said the new regulations “truly are a significant achievement.” Wolk said the new rules will reduce more than 92,000 tons of organic compound emissions annually. The VOC emissions
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contribute to “ground-level” ozone depletion and smog, which can lead to health affects such as increased asthma attacks and respiratory conditions. The rules also aim to reduce 60,000 tons of methane emissions each year. The natural gas causes a greenhouse effect when in the atmosphere. In addition, the rules target hydrocarbon emissions that also have ozone and climate change impacts. The new rules are expected to take effect mid-April. However, Wolk said it will take several years to implement all the regulations. The key will be the installation of infrared cameras that will be used to detect air pollution at oil and gas sites, he said. The work in getting the regulations put in place made for strange bedfellows among environmental advocates and those in the energy industry. Rules continues on Page 10
With the opening of the newest veteran’s outpatient clinic in Golden, about 42,000 Jeffco veterans will now have a more spacious facility that offers a spread of medical services along with compensation and pension exams. The Golden clinic located at 1020 Johnson Road is a brand new two-story 39,634-square-feet building that replaces the Lakewood VA Clinic at the Denver VA Regional Office on Van Gordon Street. The Lakewood location was considerably smaller than the Golden clinic at approximately 2,000 square feet in size. “We’re the third largest county for veterans’ population in the state of Colorado,” said Peter Mortaro, veterans service officer at Jeffco Human services. We’re second to Arapahoe County which has about 800 more veterans than we do,” he said. As the Jefferson County Veterans Service Officer, Mortaro’s job is to provide assistance for the filing of claims for veterans injured while on active duty. Mortaro can also assist with state benefits including service connected compensation, none service connected pension, Survivors Pension, burial benefits, educational benefits such as the GI Bill and enrollment in the VA Health Care System, he said. Patients can expect a wide range of services to be available at the Golden facility including primary care, mental health, Xray, physical therapy and labs. Services for compensation and pension exams have been consolidated to one location contributing to a more comprehensive service center for veterans. “It is going to be great for the veterans and families to get to with the light rail just up the street from the building,” County Commissioner Faye Griffin said. Jeff Birdwell, U.S. Army veteran and adjutant for Chapter 1041 for the Military Order of the Purple Heart in Arvada, said the new facility will help tremendously by relieving the large case load from the main hospital. The Military Order of the Purple Heart is a volunteered based organization run by veterans who are dedicated to working on community based projects including providing funds to VA hospitals. Birdwell, a Purple Heart recipient after his military experience in Vietnam, hopes to open up a coffee and popcorn kiosk at the outpatient clinic. For more information visit: www.denver. va.gov/locations/Lakewood.asp.
The new veteran’s outpatient clinic in Golden opened Friday, Feb. 21. The new facility is a two-story 39,634 sq. ft. facility will provide many medical services including compensation and pension exams. Photo by Shawn Fury