Government overregulation - Rocky Mountain Voice

Walcher: We built it, and they still won’t come

GregWalcher.com, Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice / April 29, 2025 / Economic development, Government overregulation, Housing Crisis, Land use policy, Mesa County, Permitting reform

Building a new subdivision is complicated. Almost every city and county in America have master plans dictating “conforming uses” of land. Most specify lot and home sizes, rules for vehicle access, water supply, sewage disposal, flood control, affordable housing, and park space. Those are addressed in lengthy application processes and public hearings, all preceding building the infrastructure, and then the homes.

The National Association of Home Builders says government regulations account for 24 percent of the final price of new homes. Sixty percent of that comes during planning and development, only 40 percent during actual construction.

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Uber warns it may leave Colorado if new rideshare bill becomes law

denvergazette.com, Approved, State / April 23, 2025 / 75th Colorado Legislature, Democrat Lawmakers, Government overregulation, House Bill 1291, Uber

The largest rideshare company in the US says it will be forced to stop operations in Colorado if a bill that places certain regulations on transportation network companies becomes law.

House Bill 1291, sponsored by Reps. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn, and Meg Froelich, D-Englewood, and Sens. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, and Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, would require rideshare companies to conduct background checks on drivers every six months and prohibit them from hiring applicants who have been convicted of crimes including domestic violence, stalking, and harassment.

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Rural towns squeezed by state’s bureaucratic delays and shifting wastewater mandates

Water Education Colorado, Approved, State / April 16, 2025 / Administrative state, CDPHE, Government agencies, Government overregulation, Rural Colorado, Wastewater treatment permits, Water issues

Dozens of small towns in Colorado have banded together to protest new wastewater treatment permits that are designed to protect state rivers and streams, saying they contain new rules that are too costly to implement and they haven’t had time to make the necessary changes to comply.

The controversy comes as climate change and drought reduce stream flows and cause water temperatures to rise, and as population growth increases the amount of wastewater being discharged to Colorado’s rivers.

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