The demise of the oil and gas industry in Colorado — predicted after the passage of legislation and regulations focused on protecting public health, safety and the environment — does not appear to be imminent. Plans for nearly 1,900 new oil and gas wells are before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2022 […]
Mike Foote
Posted inBusiness, Energy, Environment, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s largest oil and gas producer wants permission to drill closer than 2,000 feet from homes
The buffer between homes and oil and gas drilling in Colorado is by rule 2,000 feet, except when it isn’t, and a move to drill in the middle of a residential area in Firestone is raising questions about how secure that buffer will be. The state’s biggest operator, Occidental Petroleum, through its Colorado subsidiary Kerr-McGee, […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Colorado gave local governments more power to regulate oil and gas. And some are using it.
Empowered by a new state law and regulations, towns, cities and counties across the Front Range are flexing their muscle and moving to regulate oil and gas operations that come to town. Two years ago this month, sweeping legislation was signed into law reorienting Colorado’s approach to regulating oil and gas development. That in turn […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Proposition 113 and the national popular vote will make Colorado relevant again
Once enacted by enough states, the National Popular Vote will dramatically improve the way we elect our president in three ways: (1) one person will truly equal one vote no matter where that person lives; (2) the presidential candidate who earns the most votes nationwide will win the election with no exceptions; and (3) presidential candidates […]
Posted inElection 2020, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s Proposition 113 is a linchpin in national popular vote campaign but major hurdles remain
Colorado’s decision on whether to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could have implications across the country. But even if Colorado voters opt to keep the state in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, experts say it’s still a long shot that the U.S. will change the way it elects presidents. Proponents will have […]
Posted inElection 2020, News, Politics and Government
Is the Electoral College systemic racism? Some advocates and experts think so.
The current national reckoning on racial inequality is leading Americans to grapple with questions of systemic racism throughout many of the nation’s most long-standing institutions, whether policing, education or housing. One more disputed institution that Colorado voters will confront in the November election: the Electoral College. The Electoral College is connected to slavery, according to […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Effort to give Colorado child sex assault survivors unlimited time to sue abusers is rejected
In a stunning reversal on Friday, a lead sponsor on a bill that would have given future child sexual assault victims in Colorado unlimited time to sue their abusers and those who allowed their abuse to happen asked that the measure be rejected. Instead, state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat, said she wants to […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s sweeping police accountability bill now requires officers to face imminent threat before using deadly force
Colorado Democrats’ sweeping police accountability bill won preliminary approval Monday in the state Senate after undergoing a number of changes, including the addition of a prohibition on the use of deadly force by officers unless they face an imminent threat. Currently, officers may use deadly force if they reasonably fear for their lives or the […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Teen vaping cannot be Colorado’s new normal. This is a preventable epidemic
Just when I thought we were making significant strides at preventing teens from smoking traditional tobacco, the tobacco industry invented vaping and Colorado’s teen vaping epidemic ensued. I have had to change my practice, the questions I ask my patients, and the counseling I offer because the tobacco industry has been very successful at getting […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Nicolais: Humane Pet Act is a long-overdue step toward compassion for dogs and cats
When I popped onto the Colorado General Assembly’s website a few days ago, I noted one of the three most accessed bills highlighted on the page included “Requirements for Dog and Cat Breeders and Sellers” or, more lyrically, the Humane Pet Act. Interest piqued, I clicked on the link and read the bill. Effectively, it […]