You didn't really want a gas-powered car or a gas furnace right? Legislative studies aplenty, what do you suppose they'll find? Brave progressive lawmakers soldiering on despite low pay!

You didn't really want to be able to buy a gas powered car past  2035 or a gas furnace after 2030 did you?

I got an email from a reader a couple days ago and the email contained a list of bills (either proposed or already filed) for the Assembly session dealing with oil and gas ...


And whether or not you can buy an internal combustion powered car or gas powered furnace!


The list I got in the email is below.  The one about cars and furnaces is the 4th on the list.



ECMC Permitting Phaseout

Senators Jaquez Lewis and Priola and Representatives Boesenecker and Marvin.

No new permits will be issued after January 1, 2030
Wells under permits issued after the bill is enacted and before January 1, 2030, must begin drilling before the end of 2032




Permitting

Representatives Bacon and Willford and Senator Cutter

Aggregates permit emissions, permit must meet 1 hour NOx standards, avoid DI communities, and remove as many emissions as it brings online
Would require an air permit to be acquired before ECMC permit.



APCD Enforcement

Senator Winter and Representative Froelich

Bill allows private citizens the right to sue repeat violators, increases fines, and forces repeat violators to reduce emissions from its facilities by the amount they have gone over.  For instance, if a violator goes over their permit by 200, your new permit threshold will go down by 200.  Increase the maximum fines local governments can levy for violations of local air quality regulations;



Air Quality Pollution Reduction Measures (catch all bill)

Senators Priola and Cutter and Representative Rutinel

No internal combustion engines sold in Colorado by 2035, phase out gas furnaces (90% phase out by 2030), amend indirect source rules, amend off-road diesel fleet vehicle standard, Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) reduction measure, codify NOx emissions reductions from Gov, and pause seasonal O&G drilling (May through September)



I only have one link to share because only one of the bills is out so far (at least that I'm aware of, if you know of others, add to the comments).  That bill is linked below, it's #1 from the list.  It's been assigned to the Senate Ag committee but I don't see a hearing date yet. 

Others are still in the draft/proposed stage right now, so I added a couple of them to my watchlist.  I'll have updates as I know more.  

If you see something on this list you want to watch and/or advocate on, I think the best way is to bookmark the legislators' pages and check every couple days or so.

If you see or hear something and don't see it on my page/Substack, shoot me a message and I'll get it posted.

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-159

Related:

Let me take a notable quote from the Gazette's Op-ed about one of the proposed bills from above:

"Drafted by Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, D-Boulder, the proposed ban on new drilling would lead to the globe losing a significant source of oil and gas — a major Colorado export that supports more than 300,000 jobs and makes up 7.7% of Colorado’s employment. The oil and gas sector provides $34.1 billion in labor income and tax revenues we depend on."


https://denvergazette.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-extreme-anti-energy-proposal-would-kill/article_2c2b89f3-aba1-5080-947c-99140f260734.html#google_vignette

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Study, upon study, upon study, upon study.  And what will the end result be do you think?

The quartet of bills below share many things in common.  Lots of the sponsors line up.  They share a high degree of alignment on the progressive leanings of the sponsors.

But the commonality I want to highlight is in their purpose.  All four are studies.  They look at (for?) either racial disparities in the state or problems in the criminal/juvenile justice system.  

Do you suppose they'll come back empty handed?  Do you suppose the purpose will be to simply have things to look over, or will they be used (as studies mandated by law often do) to justify policy next year?  

Meaning will we be looking for things that need to be fixed, or will we be looking for reasons to justify what some already have decided need to change?

Call me paranoid, but I look at the sponsors here, I think back to what I've seen from these same folks in the past, and I can't help but think it's the latter.  

I get the same feeling when I look at who will be taking part in the studying.  See screenshots 1 - 4.  

If these bills pass, do not be surprised if you hear the "friendlier" (to the sponsors) conclusions reached come next Assembly session.

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-030


https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-029

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-027

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-053

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Yeah, clearly legislators are suffering and poor as church mice, especially those brave progressive crusaders ...

Somewhere between Assembly sessions (I don't recall a pattern offhand but usually this happens when the state's budget cycle begins) the Sun will run an "article" talking about how the younger crop of progressive, it's almost always young progressive lawmakers, legislators can't make ends meet on their legislative salary.**

The Sun's 2023 effort is linked first below if you want to see an example.  

Someone airlift those folks in some money!  Quick before they're too weak from hunger to pass laws!

Put aside the issue of how much part-time lawmakers should make and let me share something with you.  

Look at the attached screenshot from X I saw recently.  Apparently some (legitimately not all) of the uber-progressive wing of the Democrat party here in Colorado are doing, well, let's say more than alright.  

Not trusting what I saw on social media, I did my due diligence and followed up on the claim, and it's accurate.  Lorena Garcia appointed to her seat in 2023 (District 35--Adams Jefferson) is the executive director of the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition which paid her a yearly salary of about $122K.  See the second screenshot attached--taken from the Parent Coalition's Pro-Publica page below.  

Just a friendly reminder:

--Ours is a part-time, non-professional legislature.  This is not meant to be, nor has it ever been meant to be, the full time occupation of those who hold the seats.

--Even those legislators closely associated with highly progressive groups like Democratic Socialists of America (at least prior to Israel's war with Hamas) are not necessarily men and women of the people.  They're doing just fine money-wise.

Something to keep in your pocket for next year's Sun article.

**Oher notable things from the Sun?  Teachers (union esp) need more salary.  Oh, and government workers (now union too) need more.  And, yes, these article appear around budget talks at the Capitol too.    

https://coloradosun.com/2023/06/09/colorado-lawmaker-pay-equity/#:~:text=State%20senators%20whose%20terms%20began,which%20through%202026%20is%20%24175%2C908.

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/742563848