KFFR Forum Question 3: Drought, Suncor Litigation and Taxpayer Money
I joined Commissioner George, Liz Newsom, and Clerk Linke for a forum at the KFFR studios on Thursday, September 17. We each answered prepared questions in front of a studio audience. The event was broadcast live, streamed, and recorded.
Here is the third question of the evening:
Grand County is currently in exceptional drought, with record-low snowpack affecting water supplies and wildfire risk, while much of our economy depends on snow, recreation, and healthy natural resources.
In May, Grand County Commissioners committed up to $5,000 and joined an amicus brief supporting Suncor and ExxonMobil in litigation challenging climate-related claims brought by Boulder County and other local governments.
Was that an appropriate use of Grand County’s voice and taxpayer money? And what should the county’s role be in addressing the economic costs and local impacts of climate change?
Furthermore, what standard should commissioners use when deciding whether Grand County should commit taxpayer money to litigation in which the county itself is not a named party?
Grand County's May 19 Commissioners Corner confirms both the decision to join the amicus brief and the commitment of up to $5,000 pending legal review.
And my response:
The money earmarked was not an appropriate allocation of taxpayer funds, or an accurate representation of Grand County values.
When people ask me what county commissioners actually do, I tell them three things: they manage our money, they make local policy, and they represent us. This decision was about their responsibility with our money and representation.
This court case does not affect Grand County operations. Instead, it serves to protect large corporate interests and maintain the status quo. Yet, our commissioners agreed to earmark $5,000 of our tax money with almost no discussion and zero public input about our priorities and our intent for taxpayer dollars.
The commissioners even admitted that the reading materials were confusing, but they didn’t really take any action to clarify them.
During my time at the land trust, I helped draft the 2023 Open Lands, Rivers, and Trails Fund renewal, which passed with over 70% of the vote, proving that conservation and outdoor recreation are strong shared values in Grand County, and our citizens care deeply about how their tax dollars are spent to protect our natural resources.
In a situation like this, I would have held a public hearing and made sure the issue was explained in plain, simple language for everyone to understand. Our priority is to represent Grand County’s best interests, and we should use as a metric to weigh decisions like this.
You can listen to the full forum here: https://kffr.org/elections/
