Today is Dec. 6, 2023, and here’s what you need to know:

While local officials welcomed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 1,690-page final rule that, for the first time, will regulate methane emissions from the oil and gas industry nationwide, the latter’s representatives in Colorado called it punitive and unnecessary.

Some also complained that the rule will grant investigatory authority to non-governmental organizations, such as environmental groups, to monitor for methane emissions and demand that operators repair leaks, and take away power from the state. 

Supporters say it’s a long-awaited move that establishes limits on methane pollution from both new and existing oil and gas sources.

Critics counter that it’s a regulatory overreach that applies unconstitutional and illegal provisions, which will damage oil and gas companies and usurp states’ pollution management authority.

Colorado is well ahead of the methane game, according to state officials.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on Tuesday urged Denver residents, particularly those who are bilingual, to apply for jobs to help the city as it grapples to respond to the thousands of immigrants who have arrived in Colorado’s most populous city. 

Denver officials did not share the city’s total budget for hiring 150 positions, which would be deployed to shelters currently accommodating roughly 2,700 immigrants.

But averaging $28.50 an hour for 35 hours a week – depending on whether they work part-time or full-time – means Denver would spend an extra $7.9 million if the workers are kept on year-round. That translates to nearly $650,000 for a month, if the Johnston administration only requires their services through the holidays.

“Right now, the good news is we have facilities that are open. We are being able to welcome newcomers and get them into housing,” Johnston said at a news conference on the steps of the city and county building on Tuesday. “The most important crisis we have right now is staffing. We need the people of Denver to be able to step up and actually help us make sure the city remains welcoming through the holidays.”

Denver has spent roughly $33 million over the past year responding to the unfolding crisis that has seen nearly 30,000 immigrants who crossed the U.S. border with Mexico arriving in Denver. Many of the new arrivals are from South and Central America, particularly Venezuela.

The state of Colorado late last week pushed back against the federal government, disputing the allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice that the state discriminates against disabled people by forcing them to languish in nursing homes rather than receiving available care at home.

On Sept. 29, the Civil Rights Division filed a sweeping lawsuit against the state, alleging that Colorado violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to adequately help eligible disabled people transition out of nursing homes.

In that lawsuit, the federal government accused Colorado of inefficiency and repeated delays in coordinating the available Medicaid-funded services so disabled people can leave restrictive settings.

But on Friday, the Colorado attorney general’s office filed a 31-page rebuttal, not only accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of being overly vague and lacking specific examples, but also disputing the core of the federal government’s case.

Gov. Jared Polis and several other governors urged the Biden administration to “reschedule” cannabis, a move that could remove financial and legal barriers to the marijuana industry.

That decision has been pending since August, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended that the Drug Enforcement Administration reschedule the drug – previously listed as a dangerous drug that poses the same risks as LSD, peyote and heroin under Schedule 1 – to a Schedule 3 substance.

In addition to Polis, the signatories included the governors of Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, New York and Louisiana. All the governors are Democrats.

“We hope that DEA will follow suit and reschedule cannabis to Schedule III this year, given that 88 percent of Americans are in favor of legalization for medical or recreational use,” the governors wrote. “Rescheduling cannabis aligns with a safe, regulated product that Americans can trust.”