Hosted by the nonpartisan Colorado Health Institute, the event has convened the state’s leading thinkers to discuss pressing issues related to health and health care for nearly 20 years. The 2019 Hot Issues in Health Conference will take place on Thursday, December 5, 2019 and Friday, December 6, 2019 at the Hilton Denver Inverness in Englewood, Colorado Moderator: Karam Ahmad, …
Financing Freedom from Fossil Fuels: Retiring the entire US coal fleet today would cost $35–40 billion –less than one year’s worth of fuel cost to run America’s coal and gas plants. The critical importance of public banks is a common theme.
Utilities can refinance or seek partial debt relief, passing on as much as $6 billion in cost savings every year to customers when they retire coal plants. Using some of those savings for transition assistance and repurposing land and infrastructure can provide new jobs and economic opportunities for coal communities. Better yet, recycling saved capital into clean energy that is …
Community Planning – Denver East Area Plan
Think Colorado is getting more crowded? It is. According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, Colorado’s population has added the equivalent of an additional Denver since 2010. The total population of the state was 5,029,126, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. As of July 1, 2018, the figure had risen to 5,695,564. That means Colorado attracted 666,368 new residents over an eight-year …
Democrats’ Climate Plans Lack Vision for City Transit
By Angie Schmitt, Sep 4, 2019, 12 The Democratic presidential candidates are racing to release their climate proposals ahead of Wednesday night’s primary debate. But we’ve yet to see a candidate come forward with a really compelling vision for addressing America’s unhealthy relationship with cars. Senator Elizabeth Warren today unveiled her climate plan, borrowed largely from that of Washington Governor Jay Inslee. But even …
Performance-Based Regulation: Getting Down to Business Model Reform in Colorado
September 18, 2019 | By Cory Felder and Dan Cross-Call RMI This Spring, Colorado ascended to the top tier of state-led clean energy policy in the United States. In the final days of May, Governor Jared Polis signed 11 bills ushering in a wave of key policy changes to advance decarbonization and clean energy in the state. The legislature codified an electricity sector greenhouse gas (GHG) …
Legislation establishing an Independent System Operator (ISO) to manage the electric transmission grid in Colorado
This document describes an idea of central importance to Colorado’s energy future: a statewide unified transmission grid managed by a non-profit Independent System Operator (ISO) under a common transmission tariff. The purpose of this document is to explain the concept and attract the attention of one or more legislators who are knowledgeable about energy and might appreciate how transformative a …
Hickenlooper presided over a 400% increase in Colorado oil production and threatened to sue any local jurisdiction that tried to stop fracking
The vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels. Each new well pad adds to the supply of these greenhouse gas-emitting fuels at a time the IPCC says we should be reducing their use. Hickenlooper has never apologized to the local jurisdictions that tried to stop the expansion of fracking into residential neighborhoods and were thwarted by …
Denver’s 2020 budget will fund just five miles of new sidewalks out of more than 2,000 miles that are missing or sub-standard
Streetsblog Denver, Sept 2019 The Denver Streets Partnership told members of the council that mobility funding within Hancock’s $1.49 billion proposed budget is so paltry that it would take 400 years to build out a complete sidewalk network. “Mayor Hancock’s proposed 2020 budget will fund just five miles of new sidewalks out of more than 2,000 miles that are missing …
Why the zero emission vehicle standard matters — and what it means for Colorado
Expanded vehicle choice and more electric vehicles on Colorado roads will help provide air quality, health, and economic benefits across the state. Multiple studies show that Colorado will see significant economic benefits with higher levels of electric vehicle adoption, including driver savings, downward pressure on electric rates which benefits all ratepayers, and emissions reductions. Colorado is uniquely positioned to help …
Grasslands More Reliable Carbon Sink Than Trees
Tree initiative in Denver – further down. In Wildfire-Prone California, Grasslands a Less Vulnerable Carbon Offset Than Forests. Increased drought and wildfire risk make grasslands more reliable carbon sinks than trees Grasslands should be given opportunities in state’s cap-and-trade market as long-term investment By Kat Kerlin | Jul 9, 2018 Forests have long served as a critical carbon sink, consuming about a quarter of …