Author: Peter Marcus
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Gas line linked to fatal Firestone home explosion stirs political storm
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Evidence that a home explosion that killed two people in Firestone was caused by natural gas leaking from an old pipeline has kicked off a broader political conversation. In many ways the conversation is not new. Concerns surrounding oil and gas activities have stirred for years. But drawing a direct connection to the tragedy in…
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New plan unveiled to raise money for critical Colorado state services with days left in legislature
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Despite a dramatic back-and-forth Monday over a plan to free money for critical state services, legislative leaders say they are close to a compromise. The proposal would create a 20-year bond program to direct $1.8 billion towards critical infrastructure, including roads and highways. The first iteration of the legislation started with a $1.35 billion bond program. Lawmakers…
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Republicans accused of ‘hijacking’ education funding in the name of charter schools
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Democrats and the state’s largest teachers’ union say Republicans have hijacked a critical school funding measure in the name of charter schools. The annual School Finance Act, which lawmakers are constitutionally obligated to pass each year, was amended on Thursday to include equitable funding for charter schools. Republicans, led by Sen. Owen Hill of Colorado…
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Hickenlooper vetoes tax credit extension for cigar retailers
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Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday vetoed legislation what would have addressed a tax credit on cigars shipped out of state. The bipartisan Senate Bill 139 would have allowed cigar retailers to claim a tax credit on the state’s 40 percent excise tax for out-of-state sales. The credit is set to expire in September 2018. The…
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Insights: On Hospital Provider Fee, ‘I’m still waiting… I’m still waiting… I’m still waiting…’
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I’ve been walking around the Colorado Capitol lately with the Talking Heads’ song “Crosseyed and Painless” stuck in my head. It’s really just a few lines in the song: “Facts are simple and facts are straight. Facts are lazy and facts are late… I’m still waiting… I’m still waiting… I’m still waiting…” But it hasn’t…
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Sweeping changes to energy policy proposed with days left in Colorado legislative session
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Republican state Sen. Ray Scott has proposed sweeping changes to energy policy and statutes in Colorado with only days left in the legislative session. The 57-page bill from Scott, Senate Bill 301, addresses everything from increasing registration fees for electric vehicles, to a restructuring of the Colorado Energy Office. “The Energy Office’s original focus on…
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Investigation into oil and gas ties to deadly Firestone explosion renews setback talks
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An investigation into a well operated by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation in connection with a house explosion that killed two in Firestone last week offers fodder to setback conversations. Anadarko, one of Colorado’s largest oil and gas producers, announced Wednesday that it has shut down more than 3,000 wells in northeast Colorado. A well sits 178…
