State Representative Matt Jones on Thursday linked the highly controversial oil and gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to the recent federal government crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools in Colorado.
Colorado conservation groups are questioning the makeup of a special state committee set up by Gov. John Hickenlooper to explore hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics – an ominous sign in light of environmental concerns that in part led to Colorado voter rejection of the 1976 Olympics.
If Gov. John Hickenlooper has anything to say about it–and he will–most of a potential increase in state tax collections this year and in 2012 will go to restore some of the money cut from K-12 budgets in the past few years.
Colorado now has an official exploratory committee to look into hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics, but U.S. Olympic officials are still playing hard to get in the midst of an ongoing revenue-sharing dispute with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
According to a poll released Thursday by Public Policy Polling, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper is the second most popular governor in the country. Also, according to the poll, if an election were held today Senator Mark Udall would cruise to victory.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released draft findings in its ongoing investigation of contaminated well water near natural gas drilling in Pavillion, Wyo. The draft report “indicates detection of synthetic chemicals … consistent with gas production and hydraulic fracturing fluids.”
Governor Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island and Governor Christine Gregoire of Washington have petitioned the federal government to change the schedule of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, a move they claim will remove the conflict between federal drug laws and state laws that allow the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries. Colorado will file its own request before the end of the year.
Most of the criticism thus far of Colorado’s proposed changes to rules governing hydraulic fracturing chemical disclosure – and the vast majority of online comments – has centered on the so-called “trade secret” loophole that would allow oil and gas companies to obtain exemptions from disclosing certain chemicals for proprietary reasons.
It was the most significant tax measure to appear before any U.S. voters this year and early returns suggest voters wanted nothing to do with it. Colorado’s Proposition 103, which would have marginally raised state income and sales taxes to fund education, was drawing roughly 35 percent support in the hours after polls closed.
An independent review of Colorado’s oil and gas drilling regulations pertaining to hydraulic fracturing was released late last week, with at least one conservation group finding it noteworthy for what isn’t in the report.
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