Author: Tom Ramstack
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How Colorado’s congressional delegation voted this week
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H.R. 1625: Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 This was a vote in the House to pass the revised version of H.R. 1625, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. The $1.3 trillion spending bill passed Thursday with serious doubts whether the Senate would approve it before the federal government budget is depleted at midnight Friday. The…
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Tipton advocates energy leases to pay for national park maintenance
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WASHINGTON – Federal lands would become a bigger source of revenue that helps maintain the infrastructure of national parks under a proposal supported this week by Colorado U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton. Tipton, R-Cortez, asked expert witnesses during a congressional hearing about the possibility of using leases and fees on energy companies to clear away an…
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Congress seeks wildfire prevention as new burning season begins in Colorado, the West
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WASHINGTON – Congress considered legislation Tuesday that seeks to avoid a repeat of the disastrous 2017 wildfire season that ravaged Colorado, California and other western states. A bill discussed during a U.S. House hearing would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to focus more on prevention of wildfires rather than emergency responses. “There is a…
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How Colorado’s congressional delegation voted this week
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S. 2155: Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act This was a vote to pass S.2155 in the Senate. This bill would reduce the broad limitations placed on banks by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was enacted in 2010 as a response to the recession that started in 2008.…
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Colorado official requests immunity for environmentalists cleaning up mines
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WASHINGTON – A Colorado Department of Natural Resources representative told Congress Thursday that the federal government needs to grant immunity from liability to groups that try to clean up abandoned mines before their hazards can realistically be eliminated. About 23,000 mines – many of them abandoned – dot Colorado’s landscape, said Jeff Graves, who oversees…
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U.S. House approves bill to protect Colorado fish and water resources
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The U.S. House approved a bill this week to extend a program that seeks to protect four endangered fish species in Colorado. It also would allow members of the public to continue using the Upper Colorado River and San Juan River basins for drinking water, agriculture and recreation. “Communities across the 4th Congressional District rely…
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Gardner urges Trump to negotiate cautiously with North Korea on denuclearization
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North Korea can be trusted to denuclearize only if its promises can be verified and China participates in the treaty, Colorado U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said Friday. Gardner, a Republican who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy, has long advocated a hardline toward North Korea. On Thursday, President…
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Colorado congressmen seek national park maintenance funding
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Donors who help fund maintenance and restoration of federal park land would get more public recognition under a proposal Tuesday from a Colorado congressman. Colorado U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn discussed ideas for eliminating a $16 billion backlog of maintenance at national parks and other federal lands during a hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee.…
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Colorado congressman’s bill disrupts “burrowing” civil servants
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The U.S. House approved a bill Tuesday co-authored by a Colorado congressman that would make it harder for political appointees to switch to career jobs in the federal government. The bill would require a two-year “cooling off” period after a political appointment ends before appointees could join the civil service. The appointments usually end when…
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Colorado nominee to lead U.S. Geological Survey pledges scientific integrity
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Senators at a confirmation hearing Tuesday for geologist and astronaut James Reilly of Colorado Springs sought assurances he would not allow political manipulation to interfere with good science if he is chosen to lead the U.S. Geological Survey. “It has been my experience that good science is absolutely critical to the development of good policy,”…