Author: The Sum & Substance
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Jared Polis seeks EPA waiver for gas mandate that he says would hurt economy and environment
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Gov. Jared Polis has submitted a last-ditch waiver request to try to prevent northern Front Range gas stations from having to sell reformulated gas this summer, saying the federal mandate could cost Coloradans 60 cents per gallon and actually increase air pollution. The request, submitted…
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Colorado lawmakers criticize state agencies as they look to upend recent environmental rulemakings
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Three years after passing the “Environmental Justice Act” to target polluters throughout Colorado, environmentally focused legislative Democrats returned on Thursday with a similar bill that has a new target — a state government they claim is not following their orders. House Bill 1339, which passed…
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Businesses expected the worst in 2024 — they got ‘the most successful session in years’ | ANALYSIS
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save At the start of the 2024 legislative session, Colorado business leaders cringed at the thought of frustrated progressives not just bringing back bills that were killed by moderates in 2023 but pushing for even greater regulation. Yet, as Capitol custodians begin cleaning out the debris…
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Bill to raise short-term rental tax rates suffers defeat
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A bill that sought to quadruple tax-assessment rates for Colorado owners of active short-term rental properties died at its first legislative committee hearing on Tuesday, even after its author attempted to scrap the controversial tax hike in favor of studying the issue instead. Sponsoring Sen.…
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Large, contested fiscal notes could be obstacles for air quality bills
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As Colorado legislators sit down in the coming weeks to try to fit a large swath of spending bills into a small budget allocation that’s been left for them, three high-profile bills that came from an interim ozone committee face a two-tiered set of obstacles to becoming law. First, the proposals — Senate Bills 165…
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Panel of lawmakers considers whether carbon capture holds future in Colorado
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save As Colorado aims to achieve 100% net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, leaders of key state agencies argue that they can’t meet that goal without employing carbon-capture-and-sequestration techniques in hard-to-decarbonize sectors. But several environmental advocates — sometimes pitted against fellow environmental organizations — are pushing back…
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Senate committee kills bill to give regulatory relief to appraisers
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Appraisers, an aging and thinning sector crucial to Colorado leaders’ goal of increasing the supply of housing statewide, will not get the regulatory relief this session that some industry leaders have said is crucial to avoiding further flight from the profession. A Senate committee killed…
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Senators advance seasonal oil-and-gas activity pause, industrial fine increases
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Legislators looking to ramp up both regulations against air-quality violators and the enforcement of those laws advanced two major pieces of legislation Wednesday amid warnings that they could lead to economic upheaval and shutdowns of large employers. During a 10-hour hearing that stretched nearly to…
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Advancing workforce-development bills aim to give learners in-demand skills
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Colorado legislators this month advanced two significant pieces of workforce-development legislation — one bill to create regional talent-development plans and grow an existing grant program, and another to create a system to track student success more closely. Both House Bill 1364 and HB 1365 are…
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Legislators at odds on broadband right-of-way fees
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save While state broadband officials ready their action plan to expand fiber to 99% of Colorado, a dispute over the amount of fees that telecommunications companies must pay to install lines along public rights of way…