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02_11_25_Headlines Gabrielle Mendoza
Colorado Supreme Court deciding next steps on case against Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil
The Colorado Supreme Court will decide this week if Boulder’s lawsuit against Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil can move forward.
The 7-year-old lawsuit by the City of Boulder and Boulder County blames the two oil and gas giants for serious climate change-related harms like wildfires, droughts, and depletion of snowfall, and seeks compensation for damages caused by global warming.
Suncor and Exxon’s attorneys are expected to argue before the Court that the federal government is meant to regulate the companies’ greenhouse gas emissions, not individual states.
Lawyers representing Boulder, meanwhile, will assert that Colorado law allows local governments to pursue claims against Suncor and ExxonMobil. That’s because, they’ll argue, the municipalities are trying to receive compensation – not regulate emissions.
That’s all according to reporting by The Denver Post.
If the justices decide the case belongs in state courts, Suncor and Exxon could eventually have to pay millions of dollars to Boulder. If the court determines the matter isn’t a state issue, The Post says Boulder could struggle to bring the case in federal court.
The Supreme Court’s decision won’t come out overnight; typically, it takes several months for Colorado’s Court to issue an opinion after oral arguments are held.
Denver extends contracts for two homelessness micro-communities
Denver will continue to operate two of their micro-communities for the unhoused, after City Council extended contracts yesterday. KGNU’s Andraa Von has the details.
The sites are used as temporary communities, with simple structures and on-site services. They’re meant to be a transitional spot for those currently living in encampments, while they wait for the city to connect them with permanent housing.
The two sites that will stay up and running until the end of the year are in the Golden Triangle and Central Park neighborhoods. They cost a combined $3.1 million.
Denver has three micro-community sites so far, although The Denver Post says more may eventually be built. The decision to extend the contract for the third site was postponed until next week. All the sites are part of Mayor Mike Johnston’s All in Mile High homelessness initiative, which aims to bring 2,000 people off the streets and into city-operated temporary housing this year, and another 2,000 into more permanent housing.
The micro-communities have faced scrutiny from City Council and community members regarding their efficacy and security.
Judge blocks Colorado Springs’ effort to repeal recreational marijuana
A judge has blocked Colorado Springs’ attempt to ask voters to repeal recreational marijuana sales.
4th Judicial District Court Judge Hilary Gurney sided with two residents yesterday who filed a lawsuit against the city, and officially blocked the city from asking voters on an April 1 ballot to repeal Question 300. That ordinance to legalize recreational pot sales by existing medical marijuana dispensaries passed in November.
At the end of January, Colorado Springs City Council voted 7-2 to ask voters about repealing marijuana sales on the April ballot.
But, under Amendment 64 of the state constitution, local ballot measures seeking to prohibit the operation of licensed recreational marijuana businesses are only allowed to appear on a general election ballot.
Colorado postpones Senate Bill 3, other legislation news from this week
A handful of contentious bills will take center stage at the Colorado legislature this week.
The first full vote for Senate Bill 3 was delayed last week, now scheduled for Thursday. The bill would ban the purchase or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms that accept detachable magazines. Sponsors of the bill are in negotiations with Governor Jared Polis, who has not embraced the proposal.
Also on Thursday, lawmakers will vote on Senate Bill 5 for the first time. That measure would change a key union-organizing provision in Colorado labor law. Polis isn’t in favor of SB5, either.
Republicans are expected to oppose both bills. Still, the bills have a significant amount of Democratic support and are expected to pass the Senate and move to the House, according to The Colorado Sun.
Democrats are also pushing for Senate Bill 129 this week, which would further strengthen the state’s protections for abortion and reproductive health care. SB129 would act as a shield law of sorts for abortion providers in Colorado, protecting them against legal action or investigations in other states.
And finally, just yesterday, the Senate passed a Democrat-sponsored resolution that condemns the pardoning of people convicted for the Jan. 6 riot. The resolution comes just weeks after a mass pardoning by President Donald Trump. It’ll now move on to the House.
