Bills-&Amp;-Laws

By Wildlands Defense In Colorado, a house bill has been introduced to the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee entitled " A bill for an act concerning the authorization process for the release of destructive rodent pests into a county." If passed, this bill will make it increasingly difficult to save prairie dogs and the land and wildlife they maintain. The purpose of this bill is to make relocations more difficult than they already are since more people are showing concern and love for this keystone species which is making developers and ranchers nervous. This bill will require the approval of county commissioners and at least two additional entities prior to ANY proposed relocation throughout the state within counties. These restrictions are already required between counties and have effectively limited the conservation of wildlife communities since commissioners rarely approve prairie dog relocations. ...

ALL HANDS ON DECK! A new law proposed by conservative State senators in the Colorado State Congress seeks to preempt local regulation of oil & gas drilling and prevent local cities and communities from having ANY control over oil and gas activities within their boundaries. The bill– SB 12-088–comes on the heels of drilling moratorium in several Colorado counties, including Boulder, Longmont, and Colorado Springs, and is obviously a gift to the oil and gas industry. Now that the industry has begun to lose when it plays by the already biased and rigged rules, it has decided to change the rules altogether and forbid local control of oil and gas operations.