Do as you're told on housing density and renewables and everything will be fine. CPW is dragging their feet & Polis won't show leadership.
Do what those running the state think is best about land use for renewables and housing density. Don't argue, just do what they say.
I wanted to post about a couple of bills. One is just now (finally) introduced and the other is making its way through the process.
Nominally, they're about different topics, but both share the thematic element of being about how some of the more progressive politicians think you ought to live, and how they ought to change your mind if you disagree.
You see, because for some, it's not about persuading you. It's not about letting you do things as you see fit.
I think the attitude can be encapsulated pretty well with a quote from the CPR article linked first below. This is Rep Woodrow, a sponsor on one of the bills.
“'Simply asking nicely isn't going to work with everyone,' said Rep. Steven Woodrow, a Democratic sponsor of the measure. ' … Some communities are working really hard and doing the right thing. And it's not equitable or fair to them to keep shouldering their share of the burden of a state's housing burden, while other communities just say we're not going to participate.'”
Indeed. If you're not thinking right, the proper response is to stop asking nicely and force you. The forcing in the case of Rep Woodrow's bill (see the second link below) being that, if it passes, the state would withhold money til you get your zoning as those who agree with Rep Woodrow think it ought to be.
The second bill relates to land use for renewables. I have written about this one in the past and put a link to my previous post third below if you want some of the context. The bill itself is linked fourth below.
This bill has changed since I first wrote about it. The state-level control has been watered down but it's still there as a quick look through the bill's language can easily show.
I am going to focus my time on the land use for renewables bill, but if either of these are a concern for you, I urge you to add the bill links to your list and speak up. Write your rep. Write your senator. Write the committee members before it comes to committee.
Moving more and more of what used to be local control up to the state level is a sure way to find out that the values of those in Denver and Boulder dominate the entire state to a degree that they haven't before.
Speak up for local control. Speak up for your ability to have some measure of control over the way in which you live.
https://www.cpr.org/2024/04/23/housing-density-near-transit-oriented-areas-highway-dollars/
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1313
https://coloradoaccountabilityproject.substack.com/p/land-use-bill-for-renewables-you?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-212
CPW could be helping ranchers protect their livelihood, but they are dragging their feet.
And Governor Jared Polis (yet again -- just as with property taxes) refuses to show leadership with CPW to try and speed them up.
The Sun article linked first below details a series of letters from cattle and sheep groups to the Polis administration asking for some sort of movement on wolf kills of livestock. There has been a total of 6 letters to both him and the EXECUTIVE BRANCH agency CPW.
The second article is to a good op ed by Rachel Gabel about the pinch ranchers are feeling with wolf depredation on the one hand and the political reality they face from wolf advocates.**
Both are worth a read.
For weeks now CPW has been dragging its feet on defining "chronic depredation" by wolves, a designation that would help define when and how a wolf that is attacking livestock can be killed.
For weeks. The need to act, the call to act are not new. Ranchers have been pushing for some time. And yet here we are.
CPW is still dragging its feet while the cattle killed mount up. Still dragging its feet while the costs to ranchers mount up.
I was texted with a friend yesterday about this and the question came up as to whether or not Polis has any hand in this; whether or not Polis is behind the scenes telling CPW what to do and possibly what not to do.
I would say it's likely given what I know of his backroom infuencing, but whether or not he is with wolves and CPW is immaterial to me.
The reason why is that CPW, which falls under the Department of Natural Resources, is an executive agency and our governor is the chief executive of the state.
So far, about all I have heard out of the governor's office is the attached screenshot. This comes from a CBS video story.
After reading, I want you to reflect on this.
Polis took time out of his schedule, more than once, to call on the Public Utilities Commission (another of the agencies under the executive branch umbrella) to act on things like investigating power outages and prices.
Similar letters telling CPW to get off their rear and act have not (repeat: have not) come out of his office. What has come out is pablum you see in the screenshot.
This is not okay. Whether or not Polis is directly involved in the decisions about wolves he sure as hell is the boss. He could be showing some actual leadership here. The fact that he hasn't is telling.
Meantime, CPW continues with the same company line about needing more study on the matter. Typical bureaucratic response, bad enough while people are inconvenienced, worse when peoples livelihoods are at stake. Terrible while one of the state's largest industries is facing the problem ranchers are.
**As you will see in both op ed and article, there are more consequences to wolves preying on livestock than the cows they kill. There are the consequences to the stockpeople. There are also the consequences to the cattle: stress of being prey means less weight gain and lower birth rates. I want you to remember that the compensation that wolf advocates go on about only pays for dead cows. It pays nothing for the other economic and psychological tolls.
https://coloradosun.com/2024/04/23/ranchers-demand-colorado-kill-depredating-wolves/