Government
Colorado’s greenhouse gas rules are still a year or more away
Clean-energy experts, environmentalists, community advocates and state officials have a long list of ideas about how Colorado can ramp up its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change — but it will likely be a while before regulators implement any of them. Members of Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission held a special […]
Gross Reservoir expansion receives final federal approval
Denver Water — which provides water to around a quarter of Colorado’s population — received final approval Friday from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to move forward with the expansion of Gross Reservoir in Boulder County. The expansion of the reservoir will raise the facility’s dam 131 feet and will increase the capacity of the […]
Gov. Polis announces statewide mask order in Colorado
All Coloradans older than 10 will be required to wear masks while in public starting at midnight July 16, Gov. Jared Polis announced today at a news briefing. Exceptions include when eating at a restaurant, exercising alone, receiving a beard trim or facial, speaking to a TV audience, and showing your face for identification purposes. […]
Groundbreaking law opened police internal affairs investigations records. But more transparency is needed.
By Jeffrey A. Roberts Fourteen months before Colorado lawmakers passed the sweeping law enforcement accountability and transparency bill recently signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis, they approved a measure to shine a light on how police departments police themselves. House Bill 19-1119 was groundbreaking, introducing a statewide standard for the disclosure of records on completed internal affairs investigations. Before […]
Trump’s easing of key environmental law slammed by top Colorado Democrats
Top Democrats and environmental advocates in Colorado had harsh words for President Donald Trump’s decision to weaken a longstanding environmental law that requires extensive federal review processes for large industrial and infrastructure projects. The White House Council on Environmental Quality announced on July 15 that it had finalized work to “modernize” certain provisions of the […]
Net-zero emissions by 2040? Council committee advances bill to achieve ‘aggressive plan’
A proposal to increase Denver’s sales tax to better fund the city’s efforts to address climate change is one step closer to appearing on the November ballot. In a unanimous vote, Denver City Council’s Safety, Housing, Education & Homelessness Committee gave preliminary approval on July 15 to a bill that, if passed by the full […]
Colorado ranked 9th in U.S. for gap between renters’ income and housing cost
Workers earning minimum wage in Colorado — many of whom have served as essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic — need to work a total of 71 hours per week to afford a fair market, one-bedroom rental home, according to a national study published on Tuesday by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a research […]
Gov. Polis signs bill that bans housing discrimination based on source of income
Gov. Jared Polis signed into law on Tuesday afternoon a bill that bans housing discrimination based on a tenant’s source of income. Under the new state law, House Bill 20-1332, landlords are prohibited from refusing to rent or lease an apartment based on a person’s source of income or if the individual uses housing subsidies […]
Gov. Polis extends order requiring 30-day eviction warning
Gov. Jared Polis has extended an executive order requiring Colorado landlords to give tenants a 30-day warning before initiating eviction proceedings for nonpayment of rent, as advocates continue to call for stronger action to prevent a looming eviction crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “To be Safer at Home, Coloradans impacted financially by COVID-19 must […]
Voter registration lags in Colorado amid lockdowns, distancing
Heading into the 2020 election, Salvador Hernandez, the Colorado state director of Mi Familia Vota, was hoping to register at least 12,000 new voters as part of the group’s mission to activate the Latinx voting base. Then came COVID-19. Plans to reach teenagers in high school classes had to be put on hold as classes […]
Battle with Trump over renaming military facilities that honor Confederates expected
WASHINGTON — Key U.S. senators are preparing for battle with the White House over renaming military facilities that honor Confederates — and they’re expecting to win. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who backs the effort, said he believes the GOP-controlled Senate would override a possible presidential veto of a defense policy bill that, with […]
This is what Gardner says he’s accomplished. Impressed?
Only rarely do Coloradans get to enjoy a Cory Gardner sighting, so when one occurs it’s notable, whatever other news the junior senator makes by what he says, or doesn’t say. Gardner spoke with CPR’s Ryan Warner in an interview that was broadcast July 1, the day after former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper won the […]