House Bill 1067: Healthy Rivers - Full Text of Bill

(House Vote #1, Senate Vote #1)

HB 1067, sponsored by Representative Jack Pommer and Senator Al White, creates a financial incentive for water rights owners to donate water to the state in order to improve the health of our rivers. HB 1067 creates incentives by giving an income tax credit when water is donated to the state. These donations will put more water in Colorado’s rivers and bolster the state’s critical recreational industries, such as fishing and white-water rafting, adding much needed revenue and jobs in Colorado’s rural communities. HB 1067 passed the House 56-8 and Senate 31-4. YES was the pro-environment vote.

Senate Bill 108: Transportation System Planning and Funding – Tolling Amendments

(House Vote #2, Senate Vote #2)

As introduced, SB 108 or FASTER, included the authority to toll on existing roads to raise money and alleviate congestion, as long as 100 percent of the affected local communities in the area to be tolled approve of the action. This tool is pro-environment because tolling encourages people to reduce trips during peak hours, take alternative modes of transportation, and it can be used to raise money to build transit. In the Senate, this provision was stripped out of the bill on an amendment by Senator Mary Hodge and then put back into the bill through an amendment by Senator Dan Gibbs on a 20-15 vote. In the House, Representative Edward Casso introduced an amendment to strip the tolling provision out of the bill. The Casso amendment failed on a 34-31 vote. YES on the Gibbs amendment was the pro-environment vote in the Senate. NO on the Casso amendment was the pro-environment vote in the House.

House Bill 1284:Traffic Reduction Planning – Full Text of Bill

(House Vote #3, Senate Vote #3)

HB 1284, sponsored by Representative Claire Levy and Senator Suzanne Williams, would have encouraged local governments, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and metropolitan organizations to plan together to accommodate increased traffic. The bill would have helped to ensure that those who approve development coordinate with those who build and maintain highways, so taxpayer dollars are used efficiently. The bill passed the House 36-27 and failed in the Senate 15-16 on a committee of the whole vote. YES was the pro-environment vote.

Senate Bill 94: Create Transit and Rail Division – Full Text of Bill

(House Vote #4, Senate Vote #4)

SB 94, sponsored by Senator Suzanne Williams and Representative Claire Levy, creates a much needed transit and rail division within the Department of Transportation to plan for and develop a statewide transit system. Historically, states and the federal government have spent the lion’s share of transportation funding on building, expanding, and fixing highways and roads. As traffic congestion, air pollution from automobiles, and greenhouse gas emissions have increased, this focus is slowly changing. More attention is now being paid to building a sustainable transportation system with rail, bus, and other transit options. This bill will play an important role in developing these options. The bill passed the House 39-26 and the Senate 24-11. YES was the pro-environment vote.

House Bill 1331: Fuel Efficient Cars – Full Text of Bill

(House Vote #5, Senate Vote #5)

HB 1331, sponsored by Representative Sara Gagliardi and Senator Betty Boyd, modernizes and extends the hybrid vehicle tax credit. HB 1331 supports the “next generation” of hybrid, compressed natural gas, and alternative fuel vehicles. The bill extends the tax credit, removes low-performing vehicles from qualifying for the credits, and adds critical incentives for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles – the cleanest cars on the market. The bill passed the House 61-4 and the Senate 28-7. YES was the pro-environment vote.

House Bill HB 1312: Renewables for Schools - Full Text of Bill

(House Vote #6, Senate Vote #6)

HB 1312, sponsored by Representative Andy Kerr and Senators Gail Schwartz and Chris Romer, creates an innovative financing program to provide schools access to affordable clean energy by offering them low-interest loans. HB 1312 will give school districts the tools they need to participate in building a clean energy economy by helping avoid the up front costs of renewable energy improvements. By producing energy onsite with wind and solar, schools can reduce their utility bills, create a buffer against future energy price spikes, and put more money toward educating our children. The bill passed the House 43-21 and the Senate 23-12. YES was the pro-environment vote.

House Bill 1312: House Amendment – Renewables for Schools

(House Vote #7)

During the floor debate on HB 1312, Representative Carole Murray passed an amendment that dramatically limited the usefulness of the bill by requiring a school district to first be turned down by a private lender before it could take advantage of the financing program through the state. This would have effectively eliminated the opportunity for the school district to benefit from a lower interest loan offered through the Renewables for Schools program. Representative Andy Kerr’s amendment stripped the Murray provision. The Kerr amendment passed the House 36-28. YES on the Kerr amendment was the pro-environment vote.

House Bill 1149: Solar Ready Homes - Full Text of Bill

(House Vote #8, Senate Vote #7)

HB 1149, sponsored by Representative Mike Merrifield and Senator Morgan Carroll, makes clean energy more accessible to more Coloradans by requiring developers to offer new homeowners the option to have their homes pre-wired for solar. Just as homebuyers currently are offered options for counter tops or appliances, Coloradans will now have the opportunity to choose to power their homes with clean energy and reduce their monthly energy bills. Making an investment in solar up front during construction reduces the overall cost for the system, shortens the payback time, and gives a homebuyer the ability to roll the cost directly into their mortgage. The bill passed the House 57-6 and the Senate 24-9. YES was the pro-environment vote.

Senate Bill 39: Consumption Based Energy Pricing - Full Text of Bill

(House Vote #9, Senate Vote #8)

SB 39, sponsored by Senator Gail Schwartz and Representative Kathleen Curry, enables cooperative utilities to use a market-based mechanism to help cut back on residential energy consumption and drive smarter consumer choices about energy use. Cooperative utilities can now adopt graduated rates based on energy consumption, allowing them to reward customers who conserve electricity and to help drive others to use energy more efficiently. SB 39 passed the House 48-16 and the Senate 25-9. YES was the pro-environment vote.

Senate Bill 51: Renewable Energy Incentives - Full Text of Bill
(House Vote #10, Senate Vote #9)

SB 51, sponsored by Senator Morgan Carroll and Representative Claire Levy, encourages renewable-energy development in Colorado by making incentive programs more widely available. SB 51 facilitates several different financing options, including third party leases, for residential and business clean energy improvements and efficiency upgrades. By reducing the up front costs for renewable energy systems and large-scale efficiency improvements, we can make clean energy mare accessible to Coloradans of all income levels and continue to build the clean energy industry, bringing new jobs to the state. SB 51 passed the House 40-24 and the Senate 24-11. YES was the pro-environment vote.

House Bill 1292: Updated Oil and Gas Drilling Protections - Full Text of Bill

(Senate Vote #10)

HB 1292, sponsored by Representative Anne McGihon and Senator Jennifer Veiga, ratified new protections, ensuring that oil and gas drilling is done responsibly while also protecting Colorado’s water, wildlife, and communities. The landmark protections, the first comprehensive updates in decades, were passed unanimously by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in December of 2008 and reflect substantial input from local governments, the oil and gas industry, landowners, sportsmen and conservation groups. HB 1292 passed the Senate 21-13. YES was the pro-environment vote.

House Bill 1292: House Anti-Wildlife Amendment

(House Vote #11)

Representative Cory Gardner offered an amendment to HB 1292 that would have stripped critical wildlife protections by mandating that wildlife concerns could not be the basis for denial of a drilling permit, and giving landowners an absolute veto over all recommended wildlife measures. The amendment failed in the House 28-37. NO was the pro-environment vote.

House Bill 1292: House Anti-Health and Wildlife Amendment

(House Vote #12)

On this same bill, Representative Cory Gardner offered an amendment that would have significantly reduced the ability of the Department of Public Health and Environment and the Division of Wildlife to intervene in drilling decisions on behalf of public health or wildlife. The amendment failed in the House 27-37. NO was the pro-environment vote.

House Bill 1292: Senate Anti-Health and Wildlife Amendment

(Senate Vote #11)

Senator Josh Penry offered an amendment to HB 1292 that would have made significant changes to the updated oil and gas drilling protections, including eliminating the ability of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Division of Wildlife to provide consultation on the impacts of a potential oil and gas development. Additionally, the amendment would have required that a landowner consent to any proposed drilling location changes that would better protect public health or wildlife. The amendment failed in the Senate 12-21. NO was the pro-environment vote.

Senate Bill 235: Habitat Stamp Reauthorization - Full Text of Bill

(Senate Vote #12)

SB 235, sponsored by Senators Dan Gibbs and Jim Isgar and Representative Mike Merrifield, reauthorizes the Habitat Stamp program to protect wildlife habitat, streamline the process for wildlife enthusiasts to support habitat conservation, and assure that conservation projects are chosen fairly. Hunting and fishing in Colorado generates $1.8 billion for the economy and supports 21,000 full time jobs, so protection of wildlife habitat is critical to the future of tourism and recreation. The bill faced tremendous opposition in the House Agricultural, Livestock, & Natural Resources Committee, led by Colorado Farm Bureau and Cattleman’s Association. Ultimately an anti-environmental amendment offered by Representative Cory Gardner passed. The amendment will delay implementation of the program and requires a legislative review of the program before and during the 2010 legislative session.  Leaders in the sportsman and environmental community will work over the summer to make sure that SB 235 moves forward as passed by the Senate. SB 235 passed the Senate 24-11. YES was the pro-environment vote.

Senate Bill 03: Auto Emissions Reduction - Full Text of Bill

(House Vote #13, Senate Vote #13)

SB 03, sponsored by Senator Bob Bacon and Representative Randy Fischer, expands the vehicle emission program to include Larimer and Weld Counties. Ground level ozone pollution is a serious public health concern. It can cause asthma attacks, has lead to increased emergency room visits, and may contribute to premature death in people with heart and lung disease. In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency designated the Denver Metro and North Front Range areas as out of compliance with healthy ozone standards. While the state is working vigorously to reduce ozone pollution in these areas, changes are needed to meet tough new national ozone standards. SB 03 requires that vehicles in Larimer and Weld Counties go through the same emissions check system that currently exists in the Denver Metro area, as well as ensure that the worst polluting vehicles get repaired. SB 03 passed the Senate 20-13 and the House 36-29. YES was the pro-environment vote.