US lawmakers, including 4 Colorado Democrats, challenge rollback of Obama-era methane rule
DURANGO – More than 50 U.S. lawmakers are supporting a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s effort to roll back a rule that forced oil and gas companies to capture methane.
The Durango Herald reported Thursday that lawmakers signed on to an amicus brief that claims the U.S. Interior Department violated federal law by lifting the Obama-era waste prevention rule.
Attorneys general for California and New Mexico filed a federal lawsuit last year looking to reinstate the 2016 rule.
The Bureau of Land Management said in a statement the rule was revised to cut back the regulatory burden.
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, who was among the four Colorado Democrats to sign on to the brief, says the release of methane is one of the leading contributors to global warming.
Highway 115 fire blows up, road closed south of Colorado Springs
Nick Smith
nick-smith@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 5 hours ago
A fast-moving fire burning along Colorado 115 south of Colorado Springs blew the containment line Thursday, spreading farther east onto Fort Carson and scorching nearly 700 acres, officials said. The blaze was fully uncontained as of late Thursday afternoon, officials...
Public figures have limited path to sue over accusations of criminality, says appeals court
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 8 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last week that a public figure cannot sue for defamation solely because a person publicly accuses them of committing a crime, as the statement may be constitutionally protected opinion. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel narrowed...
Proposed data center regulation in Colorado draws critics, backers
Scott Weiser
scott.weiser@gazette.com
Updated 6 hours ago
A packed marathon hearing at the state Capitol in Colorado highlighted the sharp divide between two competing approaches to the effects of data centers, one of America’s fastest-growing technology sectors. Data centers are the physical facilities that host the servers,...
Conservation Colorado proposes measures aimed at oil and gas companies
Marissa Ventrelli
marissa.ventrelli@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 8 hours ago
The environmental group Conservation Colorado has introduced four ballot measures it says are in response to an initiative that aims to enshrine Colorado businesses’ and consumers’ right to purchase and sell natural gas in the state’s Constitution. Filed with the...
Colorado revenue forecast worsens, pushing budget shortfall to nearly $1.5B
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 6 hours ago
The latest revenue forecasts from economists in both the governor’s office and the Colorado legislature show that the state’s budget predicament has worsened — by hundreds of millions of dollars more. That, in turn, means cuts programs and services in...
Federal judge to consider sanctioning ex-Colorado judicial discipline director
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 7 hours ago
A federal judge ordered Colorado’s former head of judicial discipline on Wednesday to explain why she should not sanction him for making inaccurate statements about the defendants in his lawsuit against the Colorado Supreme Court and related entities. U.S. District...
With jails overcrowding, Gov. Jared Polis asks for new prisons as lawmakers face budget shortfall
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 6 hours ago
The Polis administration is asking for hundreds of millions of dollars to expand the state’s prison system, just as Colorado’s legislators are bracing for a worsening fiscal outlook. The request sets up a clash over priorities at a time when...
Costs explode for Colorado program covering pregnant women and children living in the U.S. illegally
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 15 hours ago
A state program providing health care to pregnant women and children living in the country illegally is costing far more than lawmakers expected, with expenses nearly tripling in just a year and threatening to squeeze Colorado’s budget amid a nearly...
Costs explode for Colorado program covering pregnant women and children living in the U.S. illegally
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
A state program providing health care to pregnant women and children living in the country illegally is costing far more than lawmakers expected, with expenses nearly tripling in just a year and threatening to squeeze Colorado’s budget amid a $1...
Universities sue to block dismantling of Boulder’s NCAR
Scott Weiser
scott.weiser@gazette.com
Updated 11 hours ago
A consortium of universities filed a federal lawsuit Monday, alleging the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research is unlawful retaliation against Colorado. The group also argued that the move violates federal law. The University Corporation...
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2020 ELECTION: Colorado Senate President Garcia quizzes Mayor Pete; Hickenlooper talks about Latino opportunities
Colorado was well-represented Friday when presidential candidates spoke at a conference of Latino leaders in Miami. The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials was billed as the nation’s largest gathering of Latino political leaders. Former Gov. John Hickenlooper — now running for president — answered questions on stage, and Colorado state Senate President […]
ICE raids targeting migrant families slated to start Sunday in Denver, other major US cities
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will reportedly begin a massive operation this Sunday to roundup 2,000 families facing deportation. ICE will likely begin the plan, known within the agency as the “family op,” with pre-dawn raids in major U.S. cities, according to the Washington Post. The raids will target migrant families that have deportation orders in […]