Year after year, Colorado lawmakers in both parties make finding money for road and transit projects a top priority only to see a big deal get downsized — or more often, collapse entirely. “We are Charlie Brown and we are hoping we are going to get that football,” said state Rep. Matt Gray, a Broomfield […]
Colorado Concern
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: An open letter to Colorado lawmakers from Colorado Concern
Dear Legislative Leaders, This session has been far from typical. The Colorado of January is all but unrecognizable today and your willingness to remain engaged, and work for the betterment of our state, is greatly appreciated. Many priorities have needed to be set aside because we no longer have the money to fund them or […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Health, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers focus on essential workers amid coronavirus, push to make paid sick leave a right for all
To lift public health restrictions and reopen Colorado, Democratic lawmakers say the first step is to protect essential workers like Mirja McDade in the retail and service industries. McDade’s past jobs in the restaurant industry didn’t include paid sick time, so she worked regardless of her health. “The food industry is probably the worst as […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Coloradans deserve better than a clunky, confusing system that keeps too many in the dark
The state legislature is actively considering House Bill 1039, a bill that would create a website to quickly find proposed new state regulations. You might be thinking: “Doesn’t this exist?” A website where you can easily find what’s under consideration seems common sense in today’s digital age. But right now, information on agency rulemaking is […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Growth, Politics and Government
Colorado’s oil and gas battlefield (and campaign cash) is shifting to local elections
Gov. Jared Polis suggested Colorado’s “oil and gas wars … are over” when he signed sweeping new industry regulations into law this month. But really, the battlefield just shifted. The new law empowers counties and municipalities to exert more authority over oil and gas development, reversing the prior approach that gave the state preemptive control […]
Posted inBusiness, Politics and Government
Major corporations and political interests gave big money to Jared Polis’ inaugural committee
An organization of top business leaders and an affiliated dark-money organization topped the list of donors to Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ inauguration. Colorado for All, the nonprofit that hosted the Jan. 8 inauguration and “Blue Sneaker Ball,” raised $1.5 million total and spent $1.3 million, with the remainder donated to charities, according to numbers provided […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Politics and Government
Here’s how much the oil and gas industry spent on the 2018 election in Colorado
Seven of the top 10 corporate and nonprofit donors in Colorado’s 2018 midterm election were oil and gas interests that combined to spend more than $34 million — a total that exceeded the campaigns for both candidates in the governor’s race. The money primarily went to support or defeat two competing ballot initiatives. But oil and […]