Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Electric vehicles

Colorado Budget Shortfall Sparks Questions Over Spending Priorities
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Budget Shortfall Sparks Questions Over Spending Priorities

By Rep. Scott Bottoms | Commentary, Complete Colorado The Colorado House of Representatives recently received the unwelcome news that the state faces a $1.5 billion shortfall as they craft the state’s budget for fiscal year 2026-27. This troubling development comes on top of last year’s $750 million deficit. The shortfalls are odd because overall government spending has increased dramatically: since 2019 (the year Democrats took over the House, Senate, and governor’s office), Colorado’s population has increased by 4.4%, while at the same time, the state’s annual budget has increased by 43.6% (roughly 10 times the rate of population growth). Think about that. Fiscal malpractice In the midst of these fiscal straits, you’d think legislators...
Colorado Progressives Blame TABOR For $1.5B Budget Gap While Expanding Costly Tax Credits
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Progressives Blame TABOR For $1.5B Budget Gap While Expanding Costly Tax Credits

By Nash Herman | Commentary, Complete Colorado Karl Marx, co-author of The Communist Manifesto, once wrote “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.” We’re watching a version of this play out at the Colorado State Capitol. Like thousands of enlightened technocrats who came before them, Colorado’s progressive legislators believe that they are uniquely endowed to once and for all fix structural flaws in the state’s budget and finally bring “fairness” and “equality” to Colorado.  If they could only eliminate the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR, heavily tax the rich, and preserve their preferred special interest tax breaks, then Colorado would have heaven on Earth.  Really, this farcical display will only serve to destroy Co...
Trump Administration Rolls Back EPA Climate Authority, Phil Weiser Vows Yet Another Lawsuit
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Trump Administration Rolls Back EPA Climate Authority, Phil Weiser Vows Yet Another Lawsuit

By Michael Booth | The Colorado Sun It’s a regulatory win for conservatives that will set back state’s antipollution efforts and greatly impact the car and truck economy, officials say. he Trump EPA’s Thursday repeal of an Obama-era “endangerment finding” that allowed federal regulation of greenhouse gases from vehicles and other sources will set back Colorado air pollution efforts, but progressive environmental groups and supportive state officials vowed to “play the long game” to restore key controls.  Repealing the EPA’s right to set greenhouse gas controls was a long-stated target of GOP politicians and conservative business groups, who find the regulations excessive and question the practicality of slowing global warming. The immediate impact of negating th...
Trump Ends Biden Efficiency Mandates to Protect Auto Jobs and Vehicle Affordability
Daily Wire, Approved, National

Trump Ends Biden Efficiency Mandates to Protect Auto Jobs and Vehicle Affordability

By Mary Margaret Olohan and Zach Jewell | The Daily Wire "This is a win for customers and common sense," said Ford CEO Jim Farley. WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is resetting federal fuel standards that were used by President Joe Biden’s administration to impose severe regulations on American car manufacturers. The president unveiled the changes in the Oval Office, promising that the reset of the Biden-era fuel economy standards will save American families a combined $109 billion. The president said he will realign the standards with real world market conditions. “Combined with the insane electric vehicle mandate, Biden’s burdensome regulations helped cause the price of cars to soar more than 425%, and in one case, they went up 18%...
Colorado’s “Budget Crisis” Rings Hollow Amid EV Giveaway Surge
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s “Budget Crisis” Rings Hollow Amid EV Giveaway Surge

By: Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Colorado’s governor just made this statement “The market has made it clear, EVs (electric vehicles) are here to stay.” I agree with him. Electric cars, unlike 8-track tapes and rotary-dial phones, will continue to be available to consumers for a long, long time. Cool. But why he made the statement puzzles me. He did so while touting his decision that the state will increase one of its subsidies to buy a new EV from $6,000 to $9,000. Wait a second. Which one is it? Has the market made clear electric vehicles are “here to stay”? Or do we need to increase the EV subsidy by a third to keep its market alive? And it begs another question: If the state is in a budget crisis, why spend our very scarce money buying people cars instead...
Xcel’s costly coal exit: Public interest group warns plan could stick consumers with the tab
Westword, Approved, State

Xcel’s costly coal exit: Public interest group warns plan could stick consumers with the tab

By Catie Cheshire | Westword One consumer protection group is calling for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to shrink Xce's giant proposal. As Xcel Energy works to decommission coal plants across Colorado, one proposal is catching heat. Watchdog organization Colorado Public Interest Research Group believes Xcel’s proposal to replace the Comanche 3 coal plant in Pueblo will result in unnecessary costs to customers. The group's executive director Danny Katz, says the proposal is too big for southern Colorado as his organization calls on the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to pare back the proposal. According to Xcel’s filings with the PUC, the utility wants to replace energy production from Comanche 3’s coal units with a mix of wind, solar and natu...
‘It shouldn’t be free’: In Grand Junction, EV owners will pay at city-owned charging stations
Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Western Slope

‘It shouldn’t be free’: In Grand Junction, EV owners will pay at city-owned charging stations

‘The majority of the power is coming from coal,’ City Councilman Cody Kennedy says Electric vehicle operators will no longer have a free ride from the City of Grand Junction. City Council unanimously supported the implementation of a fee structure Wednesday, similar to fees implemented by some other local governments to cover public expenses related to charging stations. “I used one of the EV charging apps and there are 40 some odd places in town where you can charge for free,” said City Councilman Scott Beilfuss, also indicating he didn’t support a free-use structure. The proposed rates are comparable to what a gas or diesel-powered vehicle owner might expect to pay for metered parking, City Manager Greg Caton said. “There is a significant amount of public investment in thi...

FD863768-0ACF-495E-9D21-2EF784DFFA6B[1]

Join us at RMV's Freedom Festival

Click Here for Tickets!

This will close in 0 seconds