$66M to Bolster Rural Economies, Mitigate and Respond to Disasters northfortynews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from northfortynews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In May 2019, as Democrats in the Colorado General Assembly advanced a bill launching the state’s efforts to ensure a “just transition” for coal workers impacted by the shift to clean energy, Republicans were incensed.
In a tense, late-night floor debate over House Bill 19-1314, which created a new Office of Just Transition in the state’s labor department, Senate Republicans called the legislation “laughable” and “offensive.” It was an “insulting and egregious bill.” Senator Bob Gardner, a Republican from El Paso County, advised Democratic lawmakers traveling to the communities impacted by the bill to “leave town pretty quickly,” because “your welcome might be pretty short.”
By BETH MELTON and DENNIS DOUGHERTY
For Coloradoâs coal communities and workers, ensuring that the workers who have powered our grid for generations are taken care of as we transition from fossil fuels to clean energy isnât just a goal â itâs an absolute necessity to keep families afloat.
Thatâs why, after years of engagement through the stateâs Just Transition Advisory Committee, leaders in the Colorado Legislature have set aside between $10 and $15 million in stimulus funding to begin this essential work as part of the Colorado Recovery Plan.
While this early, one-time investment wonât be enough to address all of the economic uncertainty in our communities, itâs enough to get started on some of the most important priorities and plan for future community needs.
Colorado Forges Ahead on Just Transition for Coal Workers Communities / Public News Service publicnewsservice.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from publicnewsservice.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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RBC | Instability in the energy industry comes as no surprise. For decades energy market volatility drove the economic boom and bust cycles that shaped the landscape of northwest Colorado for better or worse. As changing technologies and a shifting focus toward renewable energies begin to take a heavy toll from communities dependent on fossil fuel revenue, the state is jumping in with a plan.
Two years in the making, the Just Transition Action Plan was released to the public on Dec. 31, 2020. The 20-page memo is intended to provide a summarized plan of action for replacing the jobs and revenue now subsidized by fossil fuels with sustainable alternatives.