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Walcher Leaves, George Arrives: Greg Walcher resigned as DNR Executive Director on Jan. 9. DOW Director Russel1 George will replace him. George, born and raised in Rifle, was named director of the DOW in September 2000. Prior to . this he served as Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he had a private law practice in Rifle for 24 years. He and his wife Neal, a Rifle public school teacher, have four sons. Governor Bill Owens appointed Wa1cher to the cabinet post in January 1999. "Colorado is Back," Says Gov. Owens: Declaring That "Colorado Is Back," Gov. Bill Owens on Jan. 8 delivered his annual State of the State Address. He offered an agenda for 2004 that includes action on education, the environment, Medicaid and criminal justice. About the economy the Governor said "Our revenue forecasts are up substantially. And the economic signs are promising..." About water, the Governor said, "...looking back at 2003, I can't say I got everything I wanted. Take Referendum A. Let's remember, though, where we were just one year ago. A drought that experts confinned just this week as the worst in 300 years. Farmers' crops failing. Ranchers selling off herds. Water rationing in the Front Range. But, as Referendum A fades in our rear- view mirror, our water challenges remain. Even with some good news on our snowpack, forecasters tell us that the Front Range will need a wet spring to avoid water shortages and fire danger. I heard often during the debate over Referendum A that "there is no disagreement about the need for more storage." It was just, some said, that Referendum A wasn't the best way to address the issue. I am eager to hear new ideas for addressing what everyone recognizes is a need for more storage. One point is clear: we can't develop a plan for a single county or region and think that we're developing a statewide water policy." The Governor's speech can be read online at http://www.state.co.us/owenspress/Ol-08-04b.htm. . Secretary Of Agriculture Approves Owens' Request For Drought Assistance: On Nov. 24, U. S. Secretary Of Agriculture (USDA), Ann Veneman, approved a request from Gov. Owens for drought assistance for 43 Colorado counties where damage assessments have shown substantial production losses to crops and livestock forage as a result of the continuing drought. The federal designation makes farm and ranch operators eligible for low interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). It also gives the FSA the ability to permit fanners and ranchers to use Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands for haying and grazing. The USDA designated the following 26 counties as primary natural disaster areas: Alamosa Crowley Hinsdale Mesa Pueblo San Miguel Archuleta Custer Huerfano Mineral Rio Blanco Chaffee Dolores La Plata Moffat Rio Grande Conejos Fremont Lake Montezuma Routt Costilla Garfield Las Animas Otero Saguache. The USDA also approved the following 17 counties as contiguous disaster areas: Baca Eagle Gunnison Lincoln Park Summit Bent El Paso Jackson Montrose Pitkin Teller Delta Grand Kiowa Ouray San Juan Sen. Evans Sends Rulemaking Advice: The Attorney General recently received a letter from Senator Evans, Chair of the General Assembly's Committee on Legal Services, expressing concern over agency use of administrative policies as a substitute for rulemaking. Senator Evans . citc:s the use of memoranda of understanding and letter interpretations of statutory requirements as examples. Senator Evans pointed out that when an agency wishes to adopt a "statement of general applicability and future effect implementing, interpreting, or declaring law or policy or setting forth the procedure or practice requirements," it must follow the rulemaking requirements of the AP A. Appropriate public participation and legislative oversight then occurs automatically. 6