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Colorado to consider state rules on massive federal 340B drug-pricing program
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Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

Colorado to consider state rules on massive federal 340B drug-pricing program

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Many employers know little about the $66 billion 340B federal drug-pricing program and its impact on them. But that likely will change in 2025, when a schism between hospitals and drug makers over the rapid growth of the program will take center stage at the Legislature. The Colorado Hospital Association is working with a group of lawmakers to introduce a bill early in the session that would prohibit drug manufacturers from limiting the use of the discount program to certain pharmacies. Eight states have passed similar laws and about a dozen others are expected to consider them next year, making it arguably the most divisive health-care debate in America today. Created in 1992, the 340B program requires pharmaceutical companies participatin...
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CBI says more than 1,000 cases impacted by former forensic scientist who allegedly manipulated data
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Approved, Fox21, State

CBI says more than 1,000 cases impacted by former forensic scientist who allegedly manipulated data

By Heather Willard | Fox 21 After over a year of investigating, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said a comprehensive review of a former forensic scientist has been completed. In doing so, the agency found that about 1,003 cases were impacted in her nearly 30-year career. The agency previously announced that 652 cases between 2008 and 2023 were identified as being affected by the scientist’s data manipulation. On Nov. 6, 2023, CBI announced that Yvonne “Missy” Woods, a forensic scientist within the agency for about 29 years, was no longer working there and was subject to internal affairs and criminal investigations because of DNA anomalies in her work. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 21
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Health department monitoring Colorado renewable energy plant for excessive fumes
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Approved, CBS Colorado, State

Health department monitoring Colorado renewable energy plant for excessive fumes

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado State health officials have begun monitoring a facility that converts cow manure into natural gas after elevated levels of an unhealthy and flammable - but also naturally occurring - gas were recently detected. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported excessive amounts of hydrogen sulfide were discovered through instruments readings at Platte River Biogas near Lasalle. Hydrogen sulfide, informally referred to as "swamp gas" or "sewer gas," is known for its odor that is similar to rotten eggs. The gas occurs naturally in crude petroleum, natural gas, volcanic gases, and hot springs, according to the National Institute of Health. It is also produced by human and animal wastes and results from the bacterial breakdown of organic m...
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It’s lower basin states versus the upper basin in fight over Colorado River water
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

It’s lower basin states versus the upper basin in fight over Colorado River water

By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice As he prepares to begin his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, on priority for U.S. Rep.-elect Jeff Hurd will undoubtedly be protection of water in Western Colorado, via the Colorado River. During a Dec. 5 conference in Las Vegas, Nev., representatives of the seven states that utilize water from the Colorado River Basin were so at odds over what states and how much water use needs to be cut that they couldn’t even be on stage at the same time.  Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico make up the Upper Basin. California, Arizona and Nevada represent the Lower Basin. The current rules for sharing water expire in 2026, and each group has submitted a separate proposal for new guidelines thereafte...
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In 75th session, 6 of 10 Colorado Senate committees have one-seat Democratic majority
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

In 75th session, 6 of 10 Colorado Senate committees have one-seat Democratic majority

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Senate leaders on Friday announced committee assignments for the 2025 session that begins on January 8. There will be 10 committees in the 2025 session, six of which will have a narrow one-seat majority, according to Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, D-Denver, and Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument.  Democrats retained 23 seats following the November election, while Republicans held onto 12.  Only 20 members of the Democratic caucus are assigned to committees; 11 out of 12 Republicans have committee assignments. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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23 Colorado cities must replace at least 20,000 lead pipes that could taint drinking water, survey finds
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

23 Colorado cities must replace at least 20,000 lead pipes that could taint drinking water, survey finds

By Jerd Smith | The Colorado Sun A new statewide survey shows that 23 Colorado cities have aging lead water delivery pipes, roughly 20,000 of them, that could potentially taint drinking water.  Under federal rules, those cities must identify all contaminated pipes and replace them by 2037, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. But the initial survey, completed in October, also found that 170,000 additional water lines still need to be examined. Cities that have untested water delivery pipes are notifying customers of the risk and have November of next year to finish the identification process, according to Seth Clayton, executive director of Pueblo Water. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Commission approves ‘extremely aggressive’ emissions cuts for midstream oil & gas sector
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Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

Commission approves ‘extremely aggressive’ emissions cuts for midstream oil & gas sector

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Colorado air-quality regulators on Friday approved the state’s first emissions-reduction rules for the midstream sector of the oil-and-gas industry — rules that officials acknowledged will be expensive to comply with but said are necessary to curb pollution. During a two-day hearing, energy companies warned that the 20.5% reduction in emissions versus 2015 levels come at too high a price — an estimated $86.3 million per year in sector-wide compliance costs that would rise if the sector experienced significant growth. Meanwhile, environmental groups argued that the rules fell short of achieving the emissions cuts called for in the state’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap and don’t guarantee substantial help for disproportion...
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Colorado approves $10M in incentives; largest award aims to poach major solar factory
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Colorado approves $10M in incentives; largest award aims to poach major solar factory

By Bernadette Berdychowski | Denver Gazette The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved more than $10 million in tax incentives Thursday to three companies looking to expand along the Front Range. The largest incentive of $6.25 million was awarded to an unnamed solar manufacturer looking for other options to build its first solar cell factory under the code name “Project Phoenix.” It’s considering developing in El Paso County, in or near Colorado Springs. The EDC typically keeps the names of companies seeking incentives confidential in the competitive process to attract businesses from going to other states. At Thursday’s EDC meeting, Hari Achuthan spoke on behalf of Project Phoenix. Achuthan is the CEO and founder of solar manufacturer Convalt Energy. READ THE FULL S...
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Colorado’s budget deficit may be smaller than the $1 billion hole originally predicted
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado’s budget deficit may be smaller than the $1 billion hole originally predicted

By Jesse Paul | The Colorado Sun Colorado’s state budget deficit next year is forecast to be about $250 million smaller than previously anticipated, economic prognosticators told state lawmakers Thursday, news that will make carrying out a fiscal trapeze act slightly easier.  Nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff and the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting, which presented their quarterly budget and economic forecasts Thursday to the Joint Budget Committee, said the state budget hole is more like $750 million, if not lower. That’s down from the roughly $1 billion hole originally estimated for the fiscal year that begins July 1 if the JBC maintained its current spending plans. The deficit is being caused by a number of factors, including decre...
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Coyote killed near the child attack in Colorado Springs had human DNA on its paws, wildlife officers say
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Coyote killed near the child attack in Colorado Springs had human DNA on its paws, wildlife officers say

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun Human DNA found on the paws of one of two coyotes killed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife suggests the animal was the one that attacked a child in Colorado Springs on Thanksgiving.  The capture comes after weeks of CPW trapping multiple coyotes in and around the northern Colorado Springs neighborhood where the attack occurred when the girl and a friend approached the animal hoping to feed it after mistaking it for a dog.  CPW spokesperson Bill Vogrin offered no details on how the coyote’s paws still had DNA on them three weeks after the attack, citing an ongoing investigation.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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