GLUE Report: 08-18-11

Just a quickie report on Senator Coburn’s Town Hall meeting yesterday in Langley. We requested and were granted a private meeting with Coburn following the town hall gathering to discuss the lake level issue and our lake’s relationship with FERC. Joining me were Joe Harwood, Dr. Doug Cox, Terry Jones, Representative Cox’ field rep and Connie Pierson, Coburn’s field rep who arranged for the meeting.

Dr. Coburn is well versed on the contentious relationship with FERC and the lake level issue. The first time I met with him about this issue was late 1998 when the initial flood damages litigation was just getting underway against the GRDA and he was the second district congressman.

We updated him on this last round of effort and the GRDA rule curve amendment application, which was denied by FERC, and pointed out this issue was never about flooding. He understood fully and when we asked for his help he was very honest in his response. He felt if we were to get anywhere moving the ball on this issue, it would have to come from his fellow Senator Jim Inhofe.

He said his staff would contact Inhofe’s staff and voice his support for fixing this problem, but that Inhofe, with his position as the chair of the Environmental Committee, was where the power was.

I’ll be drafting a letter to Michael Lee on Senator Inhofe’s staff this am requesting a meeting to discuss this issue. We’ll shoot for having the meeting when the lake is at its lowest level this fall and we’ll include some of the photo’s shot of Harwood standing in shallow water used in his campaign last fall. If any of you are well connected with Senator Inhofe, I’d like to hear from you to see how you might possibly help in this continued fight. I’ll send out a copy of the Inhofe letter when completed.

Cheers from Gray’s Hollow