By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice
When the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) held their meeting in Rifle, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, much of the discussion concerned how the region would plan for energy needs, housing shortages, and workforce development and retention. The loss of severance tax dollars was also front and center throughout the conversation.
AGNC is comprised of elected officials from Garfield, Mesa, Moffat and Rio Blanco Counties, as well as elected officials from municipalities from Craig, Colbran, Battlement Mesa, Debeque, Dinosaur, Rangely, Fruita, Hayden, Meeker, New Castle, Palisade, Rifle, Silt, Parachute and Yampa.
Future of energy in Western Colorado
With the imminent closing of Craig Power Station, because of what some describe as the never-ending war on fossil fuels from state and federal administrations, the members of AGNC have been working on a plan to replace the loss of jobs, revenue and to meet the energy needs that are soon to drop offline as a result of the closing.
To that end, AGNC through Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative (NCEI) has been conducting a grant-funded survey.
“The focus of NCEI has been to facilitate fact-based discussions around the energy transition … This is not possible without the support of the communities, local media and elected officials,” said NCEI Project Manager Matt Solomon.
This study was conducted by the Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative (NCEI), operating under the purview of the AGNC.
As Northwest Colorado considers options for replacing coal-fired, electricity-generating power plants, this survey was launched to hear the views of stakeholders on one of the options, nuclear energy, as it compares to the other options being considered. The focus on nuclear energy in this survey came as a result of questions and comments from 2023 outreach efforts.
“We have opened up eyes nationally on what’s going on in Northwest Colorado,” Solomon told officials in the AGNC meeting.
Supporting the needs of seniors
Serving the aging community of Northwest Colorado is also a concern for many.
“We are constantly looking for more funding for programs for the elderly,” said Heather Jones, representing the Area on Aging (AAoA) NW Colorado. The agency was established under the Older Americans Act (OAA) in 1973 to respond to the needs of Americans aged 60 and over in every local community.
The agency plans, coordinates and offers services that help older adults remain in their home if that is their preference, aided by services such as Meals-on-Wheels, homemaker assistance, and other programs needed to make independent living a viable option.
Unfunded mandates, a loss in funding, along with an increase in the aging population are creating a strain on communities, and the elderly are being left behind, Jones said.
Inflation is also contributing to a greater need in aging populations, as their Social Security checks aren’t going as far and certain Medicare insurances are not covering some of the things that seniors need, she added
In recent public statements, 3rd District U.S. House candidate Jeff Hurd has said that Medicare Advantage Plans are not working as well as they need to in rural Colorado. It’s something he plans to work on, should he be elected to represent the largely rural district. He has prioritized making health care more affordable in rural Colorado during his campaign.
Planning for the future workforce
“The unemployment numbers have gone down a notch,” said Carolyn Tucker of Colorado Workforce.
There are several elements stressing the workforce in Northwestern Colorado, she says. In particular, housing, daycare, transportation, inflation and skill deficits need to be addressed in order to keep a strong workforce in the future.
“There are not as many people in the prime workforce age,” she said, noting there is a slowing in population growth in the region. “We need to be talking about succession training and up-skilling current employees so they will be able to fill in, as people retire. It’s also critical to retain employees.”
According to Tucker, there have been recent efforts in workforce development. She noted several ongoing projects focused on manufacturing in Montrose, early childhood education also in Montrose, and broadband efforts in Southwest Colorado.
Elected officials should continue to consider ways they could upscale current and future employees by making sure that there are opportunities for employees to get new certifications that would lend to increased pay, and to consider programs like apprenticeships, she said.
Impact of election on legislation
When it comes to the immediate future, the unknown is the outcome of down-ballot elections, AGNC heard.
“Elections are going to determine a lot of things this year,” said Richard and Diana Orf, who track legislation for the group. “All eyes are on the elections and, depending on who wins, will be determinative in how some of these upcoming legislative bills impact us.”
Democrats control the Colorado House and Senate, with a supermajority in the House and a near supermajority in the Senate. Republicans are hopeful to regain enough seats to eliminate the House supermajority and prevent it in the Senate.
“We are going to see bills coming out of the Agriculture and Water Committee, a bill that clarifies the definition of ‘ranch’ for tax purposes, a petition not to introduce more wolves, a Lion Hunting Ban, and a bill to set up water infrastructure funding when severance taxes dry up,” Richard said.
There is going to be legislation that deals with wildfire management, they say, specific to limiting civil liability on private property, which would protect civilians who provide Good Samaritan aid on private property.
Also of concern is pending legislation that deals with oversight on tax policy.
“Colorado is facing a $1 billion shortfall in meeting obligations this year. We will have to be on the defensive because things [funding] will be very competitive,” Richard said. “I think we are going to continue to see the state run bills to get rid of TABOR (Taxpayers Bill of Rights).”
Addressing the Western Slope housing crisis
Housing affordability and availability have reached a crisis point in Western Colorado.
“Housing has become a big deal,” said Eric Bergman, director of the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). “We currently have 31 different grant programs. We should all be making data driven decisions on housing.”
Currently, DOLA has a focus more toward the Front Range, and budgets are strained.
“We need more funding for a revenue increase,” Bergman said, noting DOLA has largely been funded by severance tax generated from fossil fuel development.
As the state and federal governments have been tightening regulations resulting in significant loss of revenue involving coal and oil and gas operations in Colorado, it has also greatly impacted communities that traditionally had these industries and jobs. Western Colorado has been significantly impacted by the loss.
“Housing in my area is not affordable. I have homeowners that can afford property and I have people in rentals and in programs, but there is a donut hole of people that are caught in between,” said Jim Mann, town manager of Silt. “I have a lot of people in my area who are living in old trailers [they] can’t afford to upgrade. They can’t get insurance on their homes and they are just one spark away from losing everything they have in life.”
Governmental regulation is prohibitive to building, he says.
“Fees on housing are in the neighborhood of $100,000 before you break ground on any build due to the regulatory burden,” Mann said. “Our communities are getting killed by the ‘lofties’ in Denver who are passing these regulations without thinking about the impacts to these small communities.”
Some of the burdens include regulation and fees on water systems, sewer systems, environmental, eco-building codes and impact fees. Communities used to receive robust grants through DOLA to assist with these infrastructure needs.
Chris Nichols, Mayor of Craig, asked Bergman, ”Severance tax dollars are drying up. Where are you looking to replace that funding?,” Craig Mayor Chris Nichols asked.
Bergman didn’t have an answer.
“Are we going to have to tax renewables? I don’t know for sure,” he said “Right now, they are getting tax incentives. DOLA is also aggressively pursuing funding at a time when revenues are down and prices for everything is up.”