A new trade deal will make it easier for Colorado ranchers to develop new markets in Japan without risking increased tariffs on beef. Japan is Colorado’s fourth largest trading partner for beef and the deal signed earlier this month by U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai raises the threshold in sales that triggers an increase in […]
tariffs
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: A solar-energy trade dispute erupts at exactly the wrong time
Colorado is on track to phase out the last of its coal-fired power plants by 2031, or less than a decade from now. If successful, that would be a truly remarkable feat. In 2000, coal generated 80% of the state’s electricity. Today it still generates around 40%, according to preliminary 2021 data from the U.S. […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Federal inquiry that stalled solar installations follows the law, commerce secretary tells angry senators
By Matthew Daly, The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo pushed back forcefully Wednesday against critics — including some within the Biden administration — who say a government investigation of solar imports from Southeast Asia is hindering President Joe Biden’s ambitious climate goals. Testifying on her department’s budget, Raimondo told a Senate panel […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News
Colorado solar companies delay work, warn of catastrophe from U.S. Commerce import probe
Colorado solar projects big and small are getting delayed into 2023, threatening jobs and clean energy progress, after federal officials agreed to probe a California company’s complaint that Asian companies avoid tariffs and dump cheap solar panels in the U.S., industry leaders said. The supply of solar panels for home or utility-scale projects has dried […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, News
What’s the state of solar power in Colorado? Here’s a Q&A with a key player to find out.
Where’s all that clean solar power promised to sunny Colorado? The solar industry, which had its annual Colorado meetup this week, says a lot of that clean power is already here, a lot more is on the way, and there’s a lot that state regulators and lawmakers could be doing to bring even more, even […]
Posted inBusiness, Culture, News, Politics and Government, Transportation
Why a global fight over airplane manufacturing is affecting wine lists in Colorado restaurants
Nate Klatt, his wife and a college friend had built up a small but good business selling imported wine to Colorado restaurants and wine stores. And then the troubles began. First, in October, a 25% federal tariff was imposed on imports of French, German and Spanish wines as part of a dispute over European airplane […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Growth, News, Politics and Government
Colorado farmers hopeful as revised free-trade deal with Mexico and Canada approved
Colorado farmers finally see some certainty in their future after two major trade deals passed this week. The U.S. Senate approved the new North American trade deal — the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — on Thursday and President Donald Trump signed an agreement with China a day earlier. “It gives us assurances where we can go […]
Posted inHealth
For farmers in a mental health crisis, it’s often tough to seek help. A Colorado program aims to begin conversations.
Maggie Hanna grew up a typical rural kid: in school on weekdays; helping with the cattle on her family’s ranch southeast of Colorado Springs on weekends. Except Hanna had something else to contend with. When she was 9, her father, Kirk Hanna, died by suicide. Now, she’s working to bring more mental health resources to […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Congress needs to have a vote on tariffs
Tariffs are taxes by another name. Sen. Michael Bennet recently had it right: “This is a tax on our workers, this is a tax on our farmers, this is a tax on our ranchers.” Last year, he introduced legislation to give Congress the opportunity to vote on reversing the tariffs placed on steel and aluminum […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government
Why Colorado’s corn farmers are getting hurt by China’s soybean tariff
When China added a 25% tax on soybeans in retaliation to U.S. tariffs last year, Colorado’s farming community shrugged it off. Soybeans aren’t much of a crop here. But nationwide, large patches of Midwestern soybean farmland switched to corn. That, in turn, meant more corn would stay in the U.S., driving down prices for Yuma […]