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A fee by any other name? Colorado’s climate charge faces a constitutional reckoning
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

A fee by any other name? Colorado’s climate charge faces a constitutional reckoning

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Colorado’s climate fee law, SB24-230, is now at the center of a constitutional fight, but the lawmakers and advocacy groups that once championed its goals have offered no explanation as the legal questions mount. SB24-230 took effect in July and is expected to pull in more than $175 million next year from oil and gas producers. Lawmakers insist those charges are "remediation fees," meant to cover environmental damage they say comes from drilling. Advance Colorado views the structure differently. Executive Vice President Kristi Burton Brown stated, “That’s not the standard. A real ‘fee’ has to fund a service being received by the person paying. ‘Fees’ are not designed to be penalties for industries the state doesn’t favor, and no ...
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Unsolicited advice the Sierra Club probably won’t take–but should
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GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, National

Unsolicited advice the Sierra Club probably won’t take–but should

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com After the 2020 George Floyd murder, the Sierra Club called for defunding police and reparations for slavery. It touched off an internal battle that tore the organization apart, leading to the ouster of two consecutive executive directors, employee layoffs, office closings, loss of members, and financial freefall. It also invited some unsolicited advice – from me. My column, during the worst of the Club’s turmoil, strongly advised its leaders to “stay in your lane.” “Stick to what you are known for, and good at, and you will remain effective and relevant,” I advised. You may be shocked to learn that they did not heed that advice. Perhaps they considered it unfriendly? Psychology Today just published suggested respons...
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Colorado Legislature Opens Special Session With Taxes and Spending Bills
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State, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Colorado Legislature Opens Special Session With Taxes and Spending Bills

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado legislators began to advance proposals dealing with an $800 million budget shortfall on Thursday, just hours after the legislature officially re-convened to deal with the revenue shortfall.  They started with a hearing on Senate Bill 1, which adds a requirement to the existing state law that outlines the governor's authority to make spending reductions in case of a significant drop in revenue. Under SB 1, Gov. Jared Polis would be required to develop a plan and present it to the Joint Budget Committee before it goes into effect. Lawmakers and the Polis administration have indicated that budget cuts should be put into place by Sept. 1 in order to spread out any reductions over 10 months, instead of waiting until next Februa...
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Gaines: Watch the framing—Karlik’s slant and Polis’ quiet appointments
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Gaines: Watch the framing—Karlik’s slant and Polis’ quiet appointments

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Colorado Politics' Karlik lets his bias slip (again). Colorado Politics judicial reporter Michael Karlik is back at it (see the first link below for an earlier post about his reporting). If it's not using his pen to question the motives of a conservative judge, it's tossing softballs at a liberal judge rather than challenging him. It's framing his questions in such a way as to clearly indicate what the point of the whole endeavor has been. The Colorado Politics article linked second below is a Q and A Karlik had with retired judge John Leopold** to discuss Leopold's signing an amicus brief about the arrests of Minnesota Judge Hannah Dugan. She was the one who hustled someone ICE had a warrant for out the back door whe...
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