Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Federal funding

RTD requests additional $1.6 billion in funding for rail expansion project
Fox31, Approved, Local

RTD requests additional $1.6 billion in funding for rail expansion project

BY Jared Dean | FOX 31 NEWS DENVER (KDVR) — Over 20 years ago, voters approved RTD’s expansion program, the largest in the nation. 113 miles of both commuter and light rail systems, 78 rail transit stations, and 18 miles of rapid bus transit were set to hit the metro. “We have a lot of challenges in terms of completing the program in a shorter period of time. And I know everybody’s anxious about it, but we really do need other sources of revenue in order for us to kind of be able to complete it in a reasonable amount of time,” senior manager for transit-oriented communities for RTD Bill Sirois said. Major hits to the economy and a massive decline in ridership have made funding the project nearly impossible. RTD is now asking for $1.6 billion to get the project done by 20...
Douglas County water future tied to $2.75M in federal budget
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Douglas County water future tied to $2.75M in federal budget

By: Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette Select Douglas County water districts are poised to receive up to $2.75 million combined for projects dealing with sustainable drinking water or new pipelines. That’s on top of $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding already allocated for a wastewater project in northwest Douglas County. Back in May, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, had requested $9 million in federal funding for the Louviers Water & Sanitation District’s drinking water distribution replacement and Castle Rock Water’s Plum Creek to Reuter-Hess Reservoir pipeline projects. On July 22, the federal House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that included $1.75 million specifically for Castle Rock’s project. The panel also a...
Colorado’s unelected energy board moves to give Xcel control over your appliances
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s unelected energy board moves to give Xcel control over your appliances

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project, Substack Low energy, low carbon, and higher upfront cost energy codes are now complete I have written in the past about our state's model energy code.** Per the quote (with link left intact) coming from the link at bottom:"The Model Low Energy and Carbon Code, which is required by state law HB22-1362, becomes Colorado’s new minimum energy code on July 1, 2026. Any municipality or county that updates any of its building codes after that date must adopt the model code, or a code that will achieve greater energy efficiency and pollution reductions."That second sentence there is the operant one. Get ready to have this code forced upon your locality as soon as they update their building codes post 7/1/2026.I'll leave it to ...
Space Command exit shows economic cost of political games in Colorado
Captain K's Corner, Approved, Commentary, State, Substack

Space Command exit shows economic cost of political games in Colorado

By Capt. Seth Keshel | Commentary, Captain K’s Corner, Substack $1 billion in economic value is moving to Northern Alabama, and there is plenty more monetary damage to dish out if Colorado wants to keep political prisoners behind bars. Economic impacts can slice like double-edged swords. Everyone who voted for President Trump last year did so knowing tariffs could cause short-term pain to some of his own voters while simultaneously strengthening an America-first economic outlook. Likewise, one state getting richer in an industry’s move across state lines means another state is getting poorer, impacting not only employees, but those engaging in peripheral business or adjacent industries. We’ve seen this over and over in the culture war with gun and ammo dealers relocating from blue to...
DU scales back DEI programs to avoid losing federal funding
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

DU scales back DEI programs to avoid losing federal funding

By Evan Kruegel | Denver Gazette Chancellor Jeremy Haefner said he's concerned DU's access to federal funding could be at risk if it doesn't comply The University of Denver is scaling back its diversity, equity and inclusion work as it moves to comply with new directives from the Trump administration. In an interview with 9NEWS, Chancellor Jeremy Haefner said DU will no longer provide DEI training for staff and will end scholarships and programs once offered exclusively to students of specific racial groups. Haefner said the university previously had “gifts and scholarships that were directed towards protected classes that the Department of Justice memo has really now clearly articulated as unlawful.” Other colleges have already seen federal funding frozen or pulled after th...
Trump’s Census Push To Exclude Illegal Immigrants Would Restore Fairness To Elections
National, Approved, Commentary, The Daily Signal

Trump’s Census Push To Exclude Illegal Immigrants Would Restore Fairness To Elections

By Mike Gonzalez | Commentary, The Daily Signal President Donald Trump is correct in seeking to exclude illegal immigrants from being counted in the census. Census numbers determine the apportionment of congressional seats and spending. The illegal immigrant population should not be here in the first place, so it should have zero effect on seats or spending. But Trump must go further and finally fix the census, which the Left has used for years to thwart the assimilation needed to handle the high number of foreign-born residents. There are more than 50 million such residents in the United States, accounting for 15.6% of the population, handily beating the record of 14.8% set in 1890. Unbeknownst to most people, the administration has already done a great deal of good to stop th...
Selective reporting skews the Sun’s take on Colorado’s budget reality
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Selective reporting skews the Sun’s take on Colorado’s budget reality

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Paul's and Eason's disingenuous reporting on the special session The Colorado Sun article linked at bottom has the title "Frequently asked questions — and misunderstandings — about Colorado’s special session to close a nearly $1B budget hole", but the article itself fails to deliver on that claim. The article in reality devolves more into "what do conservatives and Republicans have wrong" editorializing than an informative piece.Don't misunderstand me, the article makes plenty of valid points. I would, in fact, include it on a list of required reading to get a partial understanding of Colorado's budget situation and also of the upcoming special session.But, it is that "partial" in there that is the operative word. What ...
Federal Government Threatens Colorado Over Sanctuary Laws
Approved, DENVER7, National

Federal Government Threatens Colorado Over Sanctuary Laws

By Óscar Contreras | Denver7 Attorney General Pam Bondi says in letter Colorado “engages in sanctuary policies that thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States”. DENVER — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday threatened Gov. Jared Polis with legal action and the pulling of federal funds if he fails to eliminate state laws the Trump administration believes impede with the president’s plans for mass deportations. The demand letter, which was also addressed to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, identified Colorado as a jurisdiction that “engages in sanctuary policies and practices that thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States.” It requests that Gov. Polis submit a ...
Colorado at risk of losing $156 million solar grant under Biden-backed EPA shift
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado at risk of losing $156 million solar grant under Biden-backed EPA shift

BY MICHAEL BOOTH | THE COLORADO SUN Subsidies for lower-income families to get access to solar panels and cheaper bills are under threat from the GOP administration The Environmental Protection Agency wants to cancel $7 billion in solar installation grants, including $156 million already awarded to Colorado, according to national news reports, and Colorado state officials and solar industry leaders are scrambling to learn what is happening to a highly touted program.  The Colorado Solar and Storage Association said the cancellation, if confirmed, would mean yet another federal blow to clean energy efforts, where Colorado has led the way nationally in converting power generation to renewable sources and promoting solar use in lower-income neighborhoods.  “It’s dev...
Feds unfreeze $4M for Upper Colorado River Basin watershed restoration
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Feds unfreeze $4M for Upper Colorado River Basin watershed restoration

By Jerd Smith | Colorado Sun The cash will allow work in fire-damaged watersheds and the Kawuneeche Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park to continue Millions of dollars in federal funding have been released to continue restoring lands and streams in the fire-scarred Upper Colorado River Basin watershed in and around Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park. The roughly $4 million was frozen in February and was released in April, according to Northern Water, a major Colorado water provider and one of the agencies that coordinate with the federal government and agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service to conduct the work.  Esther Vincent, Northern Water’s director of environmental services, said the federal government gave no reason for the  freeze and release of funds....