The tug-of-war continued Tuesday over the Colorado Energy Office, which faces a July 1 sunset deadline unless lawmakers reauthorize its budget within Gov. John Hickenlooper’s administration.
A day after the to shift the office’s focus away from renewable energy, House Democrats voted to strip many of the provisions from the bill.
That sets up a showdown between the chambers on Wednesday, the final day of the session, with the Democratic governor caught in the middle.
Republicans had sought to use the office’s extension to add nuclear energy to its mission, add provisions to boost the natural gas industry and repeal a handful of outdated renewable energy programs.
At the urging of Democratic Majority Leader KC Becker, the House restored a proposed $1 million budget cut and stripped out a major part of the legislation that directed the state’s Public Utilities Commission to create a system to allow investor-owned utilities to buy natural gas reserves. The House also removed a provision directing a statewide review of oil and gas operations — something the governor already ordered.
The measure received preliminary approval from the House on a voice vote Tuesday with minimal discussion.
The lack of debate stood in stark contrast to fight a day earlier on a Democratic bill to require mapping of natural gas pipelines after a home explosion in Firestone killed two people. The debate stretched past a midnight deadline, effectively killing the bill before a vote could be taken.
Lawmakers moving fast before adjournment
The General Assembly entered its penultimate day with more than 190 bills outstanding and cranked through the list like a sausage factory, approving most and defeating others.
The legislation that moved forward included a new program to in drinking water at public schools; the extension of energy-efficiency mandates on public utilities to 2028; a resolution urging the state to sue the EPA for its role in the ; and funding measures — the School Finance Act and a bill that could send .
In the Senate, lawmakers gave initial consent to a major overhaul for the Division of Youth Corrections to address concerns about a House Bill 1329 starts by renaming the agency to the Division of Youth Services, a move that reflects a new focus on behavioral changes and banning the as part of a pilot program. The measure still needs a final vote and agreement from the House before it goes to the governor.
The House and Senate came to agreement on a marijuana measure but only after removing provisions designed to from a potential federal crackdown. The original would have allowed recreational marijuana dispensaries to convert their operations to medical marijuana in the event of a federal policy shift, but the provision was removed on its way to the governor.
The two chambers will continue to negotiate on a measure to redirect a fee for phone services toward extending high-speed internet to rural areas after the House added new provisions without much vetting.
A state income tax credit for employer-assisted housing in rural areas cleared the House on Tuesday, only to be rejected by a Senate committee the same afternoon. But another effort aimed at rural Colorado is still alive. The Senate on Tuesday agreed to appoint a conference committee for redirecting a telecom fee to fund rural broadband services.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the effect of Senate Bill 192. The bill no longer includes marijuana transfer provisions.