U.S. Senate See Full Big Line

(D) J. Hickenlooper*

(R) Somebody

80%

20%

Governor See Full Big Line
(D) Phil Weiser

(D) Joe Neguse

(D) Jena Griswold

60%

60%

40%↓

Att. General See Full Big Line

(D) M. Dougherty

(D) Alexis King

(D) Brian Mason

40%

40%

30%

Sec. of State See Full Big Line
(D) A. Gonzalez

(D) George Stern

(R) Sheri Davis

50%↑

40%

30%

State Treasurer See Full Big Line

(D) Brianna Titone

(R) Kevin Grantham

(D) Jerry DiTullio

60%

30%

20%

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

(R) Somebody

90%

2%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

(R) Somebody

90%

2%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Hurd*

(D) Somebody

80%

40%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert*

(D) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Crank*

(D) Somebody

80%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

(R) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) B. Pettersen*

(R) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(R) Gabe Evans*

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(D) Joe Salazar

50%

40%

40%

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
April 07, 2011 11:01 PM UTC

Coal Industry Gasping To Oppose "Clean Air, Clean Jobs"

  • 6 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

We’re watching for news on a bipartisan bill, House Bill 1291, that’s headed to the House floor after passing the House Health and Environment Committee earlier in the week. This is a final piece of implementing legislation for last year’s grand bargain between environmental groups, Governor Bill Ritter, and Xcel Energy to replace coal-fired electricity generation along the Front Range with natural gas by 2017. The bill would grant approval to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP).

Really the only interest that loses in the aforementioned deal is the coal industry, so their easily-identified supporters have fought this every step of the way–and lost. They lost at the General Assembly when the original legislation passed last year, at the Public Utilities Commission, and at the Air Quality Control Commission. Polls show lopsided majorities love this plan.

We fully expect they’ll lose again in the House, where HB-1291 is sponsored by Speaker Frank McNulty, but this is where any obligatory attempt to kill it by the industry’s well-paid lobbyists will be made. Apart from a few legislators with actual coal mines in their district, their efforts stick out like a sore thumb–as their uncompensated friends are, when you get down to it, quite few.

Tweet
Share

Comments

6 thoughts on “Coal Industry Gasping To Oppose “Clean Air, Clean Jobs””

  2. between environmental groups, Governor Bill Ritter, and Xcel Energy to replace coal-fired electricity generation along the Front Range with natural gas by 2017.”

    You forgot the biggest winner, the multinational oil & gas industry, i.e., BIG OIL.

  3. It’s amazing that, while Colorado wisely tries to lower the amount of coal burned for electricity in this state, the crazy Tea Party hacks in Congress want to prevent EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

    If they succeed in that quest, and in otherwise blocking necessary environmental regulation, our public health and the quality of all of our lives will get much, much worse.

    It’s remarkable that some semblance of reason can prevail in the Colorado capitol building, but not among the Republicans in Washington, DC.

  4. In a reality TV first:

    In the debut of “Coal,” a worker at the Westchester mine in McDowell County used the wrong tool – a 12-inch pick hammer – to pull down loose roof rock for a dramatic collapse that was caught on camera. The Mine Safety and Health Administration said the tool was too small for the job and put workers at risk of being struck by falling rock.

    MSHA also cited Cobalt for moving the continuous mining machine when it wasn’t cutting coal and allowing a worker to walk alongside, creating the potential for a crushing injury.

    It’s the first time MSHA has written a violation based on TV footage, spokeswoman Amy Louviere told The Associated Press.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Gabe Evans
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

61 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!