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Tag: Government overregulation

Chamber report flags 200K Colorado regulations as “excessive or duplicative”
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Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Chamber report flags 200K Colorado regulations as “excessive or duplicative”

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Colorado's regulatory framework took the center stage during this year's legislative session, where lawmakers clashed over proposed measures that — depending on who is asked — either benefit workers or create new burdens on businesses. Behind these two competing frameworks are the Colorado Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Fiscal Institute. On the one hand, the chamber and its allies argue that regulations have increased significantly over the past decade, putting up unnecessary barriers for businesses. On the other hand, the Colorado Fiscal Institute and its supporters maintain that the rules are essential to protect workers and consumers from harmful practices. One of the most frequently cited statistics during the session...
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Ratepayer risk? State law forces Xcel into costly ‘Markets+’ grid deal
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Ratepayer risk? State law forces Xcel into costly ‘Markets+’ grid deal

By Mark Jaffe | Colorado Sun Xcel Energy must join wholesale electric market to meet Colorado law. Execs say big upfront cost is best economic and operational choice. Xcel Energy’s plan to join a short-term, wholesale electric market is drawing fire from critics who, in hearings before state regulators this week, said that the price tag is too high and the benefits are minimal. The market for purchasing day-ahead power Xcel Energy wants to join, Markets+, is run by the Southwest Power Pool, or SPP, whose grid stretches across all or parts of 14 states from Texas to North Dakota. In hearings before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, business and consumer groups are challenging the $30 million in upfront costs to join Markets+ and Xcel Energy executives are defen...
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Walcher: We built it, and they still won’t come
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Approved, GregWalcher.com, Rocky Mountain Voice

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

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com 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. Those costs are many times higher when building businesses or industries. So, how much cheape...
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Uber warns it may leave Colorado if new rideshare bill becomes law
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

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

By Marissa Ventrelli | Denver Gazette 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. The bill also requires companies to investigate complaints about drivers within 72 hours. If the allegations are found to likely be true, they must deactivate the ...
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Rural towns squeezed by state’s bureaucratic delays and shifting wastewater mandates
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Approved, State, Water Education Colorado

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

By Jerd Smith | Water Education Colorado 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. In response to the towns’ concerns, the water quality control division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has taken the unusual step of holding off on taking enforcement action against at least some of the towns that say they can’t...
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