Headlines – September 8, 2023

Another Colorado E-Bike Rebate Round Starts Monday

If you’re interested in getting an e-bike, the Colorado Energy Office is opening up another rebate application round on Monday at 10 a.m. Income-eligible Coloradans have until Monday, September 18 to register their email for the lottery-style system. Base rebate amounts start at $1,100 for low-income residents and $500 for moderate-income residents.

Colorado Tribes To Receive Opioid Settlement Funds 

The Southern Utes and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribes will receive a share of the state’s opioid settlement funds. KGNU’s Ivonne Olivas has the story. Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Thursday that the tribes will be given one-time funding for drug prevention education, recovery and treatments to address the opioid crisis. The money for each tribe is based on the harm opioids have done to each community. 

Over $1 million will be allocated to the Southern Ute tribe and a little over $700,00 will go to the Ute Mountain tribe. The money comes from the State Share, or 10% of all opioid settlement funds coming to Colorado.

The rest of the opioid settlement money shared by the state is overseen by the Colorado Opioid Abatement Council. 

Suncor To Pay $760,000 Settlement For EPA Violations

Suncor Energy will pay $760,000 in civil penalties and public subsidies to the Environmental Protection Agency, for air pollution violations. The EPA says the settlement is Suncor’s way of resolving “alleged violations of the Clean Air Act’s fuels requirements” at Suncor’s Commerce City refinery.

These claims relate to the benzene content and Reid vapor pressure of Suncor’s gasoline.

Suncor responded this past Wednesday by saying they reported the violations to the EPA but when they calculated the emissions from the east and west plants together, their benzene levels did not violate any air quality standards.

The company denied introducing excess benzene into the environment and claims the volumes are below the standards set by the EPA.

The company will pay a $160,660 civil penalty and has agreed to spend at least $600,000 purchasing or subsidizing the purchase of electric lawn and garden equipment for residents, schools, and local governments in the Commerce City/Denver area.

Colorado Republican Spotlights Eastman For Unaffiliated Voter Case

Former Trump advisor John Eastman, who appeared in federal court last week as a co-conspirator in plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, was chosen as a lead attorney in a lawsuit filed by Colorado Republicans on Monday.

According to Colorado Politics, former Colorado state Sen. Kevin Lundberg told the publication Eastman is “the right man” to represent a lawsuit arguing that unaffiliated voters should not participate in state primaries.

Eastman is one of two attorneys leading the case, which seeks to overturn Proposition 108. 108 opened state primaries to unaffiliated voters when it was passed as a ballot measure in 2016. Since 2018, voters who register as unaffiliated – almost half of Coloradans – have been able to vote in either Republican or Democratic primaries.

Trump pleaded not guilty last Thursday to charges that he and co-conspirators tried to block the peaceful transfer of power to President Joe Biden. Eastman hasn’t been charged in the Trump case, but is identified in the indictment as “Co-Conspirator 2.”

Kroger, Albertsons Mull Selling 400 Stores To Ease Monopoly Merger Concerns

Kroger and Albertsons are negotiating the sale of over 400 stores throughout the country, according to several news sources. The move is seen as an attempt to help the two grocery store giants to merge with fewer legal roadblocks.

The corporations’ proposed $25 billion merger was made public in October. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and State Treasurer Dave Young criticized the plan, saying it could create a monopoly. They urged the Federal Trade Commission to block a merger, citing concerns that allowing it could create unfair price hikes for consumers, lower employee wages, and push out competition. 

Bear Spotted In Westminster, Other Metro Suburbs

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is warning Denver metro residents to keep pets indoors and clear food and trash from outside their homes after a bear was sighted in Lafayette, Broomfield, and Westminster.

Police in Broomfield and Lafayette received several calls reporting sightings of what seemed to be the same large bear. They are asking people to call 911 if they see the bear in their area.

CU Boulder Moves Decades-Old Beehive

 Two 80-year-old beehives were found in the walls of the University of Colorado’s Old Main building. 

The beehives were originally discovered during the inspection of the building in preparation for a 2024 preservation project. The hives collectively housed an estimated 200,000 bees.

A CU Boulder statement indicates relocation efforts began on August 15. Miles McGaughey, owner of Mountain Warrior Honey, was called upon to oversee the relocation. 

Thermal imaging showed the hives were established in hollow buttresses that were each around 2 feet and four feet long. Settled debris indicated the hives may have been active for as many as 80 years. 

McGauhey has relocated the bees to a temporary location, allowing the bees to prepare and build up reserves for the winter. He plans to move the bees to a permanent location next summer. 

The bees are credited with contributing to biodiversity around campus. 

The Old Main preservation project is still awaiting clearance from the University’s board, but they plan to fill the non-structural buttresses to prevent new hives in the future.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download