GOV PRAISES TOUGHER DRILLING REGS
DENVER (AP) – Gov. John Hickenlooper says Colorado’s new air pollution curbs on the oil and gas industry are the nation’s strongest. The new rules include the nation’s first statewide limits on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. They also call for infrared cameras to detect air pollution at oil and gas sites.
FRACKING VOTE TO BE DETERMINED BY JUDGE
BROOMFIELD (AP) – A judge will decide the fate of Broomfield’s embattled election and whether to throw out a fracking ban that passed by just 20 votes. The Broomfield Enterprise reports lawyers have wrapped up closing arguments in the two-day trial that focused on how ballots were handled during and after the election. The trial is the result of a challenge by pro-fracking groups.
THE POOR SHOULDN’T BE JAILED FOR FAILING TO PAY COURT FINES
DENVER (AP) – Colorado lawmakers will debate a bill that tries to address concerns over poor people being jailed for failing to pay court fines. The proposal was prompted by research from the American Civil Liberties Union that found it is common for municipal courts to issue warrants for failure to pay. It’s a practice the ACLU says is unconstitutional.
BILL TO BAN TANNING BED FOR MINORS MOVES FORWARD
DENVER (AP) – A ban on the use of commercial tanning beds by children has won initial approval in the Colorado House. The House approved a bill Wednesday to prohibit anyone under 18 from using a tanning salon. Colorado is one of the few states with no restrictions on minors in tanning beds, though many Colorado salons place voluntary limits on childhood use. Some Republicans tried to amend the bill to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to visit tanning beds if they have parental permission. Democrats rejected the amendment, citing doctors and cancer advocates who say tanning beds are like tobacco and should be considered off-limits to children. One more formal vote is required before the bill heads to the Senate.
