Author: Colorado Politics
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Quiet at the state Capitol doesn’t mean silence on energy policy | GUEST COLUMN
By Carly West By many accounts, Colorado’s 2026 legislative session was unusually quiet on oil-and-natural-gas policy. There was no sweeping new oil-and-natural-gas package. No major new production restrictions. After years of contentious energy debates dominating the Capitol, the relative quiet of this year’s session stood out. But though fewer major energy bills moved through the…
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The history, and future, of extinction in Colorado | GUEST COLUMN
By Eric Washburn When I was a kid growing up in Aurora in the late 1960s and early 1970s, one of my favorite things to do was to go to the Denver Museum of Natural History and spend countless hours wandering around looking at the dinosaurs. That experience challenged my imagination to envision these massive…
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Colorado is too wealthy to keep cutting basic services | GUEST COLUMN
By Kathy White and Lydia McCoy Colorado is a wealthy state. It may be hard to believe right now because so many of us are feeling the strain. Costs are high. Many families are struggling to keep up. There is a growing sense of uncertainty about where the economy is headed. But zoom out, and…
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SPONSORED: What you’re missing about housing — an open letter to all of Colorado’s candidates for governor
By Colorado Homes For All You say affordable housing, we say housing we can actually afford. As working-class people from across the state who are renters, we are struggling to keep up with our housing costs and we are being forced into impossible choices between rent and groceries, between staying rooted and being pushed out.…
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Colorado’s prisons are underfunded, not overcrowded | PODIUM
By John Kellner The state does not have a “prison crowding” problem. It has a prison under-capacity problem. This is a crucial distinction for lawmakers and the public to understand. If it is not properly understood, the state risks falling into the same kind of criminal justice system spiral that mistakes leniency for clemency. This…
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As the AI age evolves, Colorado must step up to protect our kids | GUEST COLUMN
By Ann O’Leary Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities for young people to learn, create, explore and build confidence. It is opening new doors for students in Denver, on the eastern plains and on the western slope. But as our kids enter the AI era, we need to put the right guardrails in place to…
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Strengthening Colorado’s mental-health workforce | GUEST COLUMN
By Kyle Brown and Lindsay Gilchrist More than 1.2 million Coloradans live with a diagnosed mental health condition, and in 2023, one in five people seeking care were unable to get the treatment they needed. Overwhelmingly, insurance delays and inadequate provider networks are to blame. A recent study found credentialing for providers takes up to…
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Colorado’s health care cuts are painful — what comes next could be worse | PODIUM
By Ross Brooks and Beverly Razon Last December, a broad coalition of consumer advocates, safety net providers, hospitals, health plans and physicians statewide published a warning: our state was facing a health care crisis, and fragmented policymaking would make it harder to solve. These members of the Colorado Health Policy Forum called on Gov. Jared…
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Gov. Polis, please veto House Bill 1210 | FEEDBACK
As Gov. Jared Polis reviews House Bill 1210, I hope he will think about families like mine. For people trying to balance work, parenting and rising costs, discounts from delivery apps are an important part of how I take care of my family. Let me explain: for a long time, I didn’t have a car.…
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The rural voice missing from the Nexstar debate | GUEST COLUMN
By Donald Valdez As a former state representative for District 62, in the southern part of the state, I spent years fighting to make sure the voices of rural Coloradans were heard in state decision-making. As a lifelong farmer, I know firsthand what comes with living in a rural community — and the unique needs…