Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate, Rep. Mark Udall, says he prefers continued federal support for corn-based ethanol over increased domestic oil production. "I think there are some areas that we've decided as a society have value greater than the oil and gas you could produce off them," he recently told the Durango Herald.
Hundreds of people, including several state lawmakers, turned out to Denver's Paramount theater Monday for the the first day of a week-long rulemaking hearing by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. While "balance" and "reasonable" were the buzzwords of the day, the debate quickly heated up on how to craft energy policy that would protect both jobs and the environment.
As gas prices reach an all-time high in Colorado — with the average price hitting $4 a gallon for the first time Thursday — local Republicans are charging that Democrats controlling state government are to blame in part due to their continued alienation of the energy industry.
Following the decision of the Jefferson County Sheriff to send deputies to Denver to help provide security for the Democratic National Convention in August, the county's courts are responding by attempting to leave criminal dockets empty during that time.
While Democrats are alleging special treatment in a recent decision by Secretary of State Mike Coffman to allow three Republican state legislative candidates to appear on the November ballot, government officials, together with GOP activists, claim recent court decisions compelled Coffman to allow the trio on the ballot.