U.S. Senate
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(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(R) Somebody
80%
20%
Governor
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(D) Joe Neguse
(D) Phil Weiser
(D) Jena Griswold
60%
60%
40%↓
Att. General
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(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Alexis King
(D) Brian Mason
40%
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30%
Sec. of State
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(D) George Stern
(D) A. Gonzalez
(R) Sheri Davis
40%
40%
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State Treasurer
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(D) Brianna Titone
(R) Kevin Grantham
(D) Jerry DiTullio
60%
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CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
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2%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(R) Jeff Hurd*
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80%
40%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert*
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90%
10%
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Somebody
80%
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CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
(R) Somebody
90%
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CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) B. Pettersen*
(R) Somebody
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CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(R) Gabe Evans*
(D) Yadira Caraveo
(D) Joe Salazar
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State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
July 31, 2007 08:12 PM UTC
10 Comments
what would you suggest to diversify our transportation system? More rail in urban corridors? A rail line up I-70? I’m assuming you would concentrate on the Front Range as it has the largest impact, but what about other rural transportation issues (old roads, necessary infrastructure improvements…)?
More nonsense from the enviro nazis.
transportation is a big issue in the state. Personally, I agree with most of what environmentalists have to say, but I don’t think they recognize the difficulties of what they propose.
I give envirocolorado a hard time, but my questions are legit. What are the environmentalists’ solutions? A gas tax? More funding for multi-modal transportation initiatives? More control for local governments to form RTAs or similar collaborations?
As with everything, it is easy to bitch but much more difficult to have workable solutions.
http://knowledge.fhw…
http://www.environme…
http://www.environme…
http://www.environme…
If we can build a transportation system that is more efficient, less money is needed. Diversifying the transportation system creates greater efficiency. The inefficiency of transportation corridors is often due to traffic congestion, and areas with the greatest congestion are those where diversification would provide the most benefits. Roadways can be managed through tolling on selected lanes which can generate revenue to improve public transit which increases ridership and lessens congestion. This has the dual effect of diversifying transportation modes (currently 75% of Americans drive alone to work) and increasing the efficiency of the system. Toll managed lanes can also create ‘virtual capacity’ – in a March 2004 report the Federal Highway Administration found that “upgrading existing free lanes could recover lost capacity with two toll managed lanes carrying as much traffic – at three times the speed – as moved in four free, but congested lanes.”
Tolls can provide new revenue sources so that funding for roadway maintenance and improvement are not affected. There is also the possibility of public-private partnerships in building and managing roadways.
Your question regarding other rural transportation issues is one that raises serious questions about the ability to continue to maintain and build roads to accommodate car travel without charging ‘user fees.’ Perhaps we can no longer afford the costs of free roadways? It may be that new taxes or tolls are needed to cover these costs.
We have a built up infrastructure. Our housing density is too low. Our employment centers are not centralized. Affordable housing is not co-located near jobs.
Pushing externalities into the cost of transportation is the right idea, but I would prefer to find solutions that are not regressive in the way they hit the poor. I have a few ideas in that area, but for brevity sake I want to tal more about zoning.
I think denver maybe a lost cause for at least 20 years, but if you want deal with traffic 1) need a zoning revamp to encourage high density-down zoning is the trend whether micro ranches in the exurban or R-3 down zoning to R1 or 2 in the city core 2) create affordable housing near the jobs–we already do alot of it in the mountains with public-private partnerships 3) improve the quality of life for people in high density areas (i.e. improve DPS)so there is less migration
we were talking about infrastructure so I didn’t talk about my ideas for scraping CAFE standards and replacing them with a carbon tax/rebate system to encourage the retirement of old ineffiecient vehicles, and the purchase of vehicles with low life cycle carbon impact.
I believe it’s critical to wean ourselves off our dependence on foreign oil (especially oil from the Middle East). A LOT of Coloradans serve in Iraq and are destined to go back again and again because we squandered the last 30 years and failed to do what it takes to reduce reliance on Middle Eastern oil.
My Dirty Dozen ideas for reducing consumption of gasoline that could be done in Colorado follows. Given the supportive nature of the ColoradoPols community, I suspect that most folks will simply attack the ideas they don’t like, tell me why an idea is impossible, or blame one party or the other for our lack of an energy policy. For those folks, my response – in advance – is “What’s your idea for making a change? If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”
1. Change the allocation of gaming tax dollars and lottery proceeds away from the Colorado Historical society, tourism promotion and GoCO to fund mass transit projects (requires a voter approved Constitutional Amendment). Similarly, change the allocation of mineral severance taxes to fund mass transit. All of these revenue sources generate several hundred million of revenues annually.
2. Require that all state and local government vehicles that are not emergency vehicles or construction equipment (e.g., dump trucks) to be hybrid vehicles or flex-fuel vehicles capable of burning fuels other than gas. Change in state vehicles could be accomplished with an executive order. Why are state and local government vehicles not already flex fuel or hybrid?
3. Eliminate state sales/use and property taxes on vehicles that are: (1) hybrid; (2) have MPG rating above 30 mpg; (3) run on fuels other than gasoline.
4. Eliminate state fuel taxes on ethanol.
5. Eliminate or prorate property taxes on gas stations that install and operate ethanol pumps. For example, if 50% (or you pick the number) of gasoline sales are ethanol, then property taxes are reduced by 50%.
6. Waive (or reduce) state income taxes on income earned from home based offices or home-based employment (rewards working from home). Provide a tax credit for amounts spent to install high-speed internet connections, office equipment and other expenses associated with setting up a home office.
7. Impose a $1/car tax/day on fee-paid public parking lots to be used to fund mass transit projects. Impose an annual $360/car capacity on free parking lots (e.g., malls).
8. Structure license fees and property taxes on vehicles to waive fees and taxes on vehicles with MPGs above a specified threshold (e.g., 35 MPG) or impose significantly higher taxes on heavier vehicles to discourage purchases of monster trucks and SUVs with poor gas mileage.
9. Impose a $2,000 (or you pick the number) new car excise tax imposed on any purchase of a new car, but that tax is waived if: (1) the car has MPG above a specified threshold; (2) it takes a car off the road that gets MPG that is 30% worse; or (3) it is replacing a car that is more than 10 years old. Encourages people to trade up MPG and not to trade in cars like a fashion statement (use cars longer).
10. Change school hours to 8AM to 5 or 6PM to eliminate the need to make that extra trip a 3PM to pick up the kids.
11. Impose a commuter tax of $2,000 (or you pick the number) per employee who lives more than 15 miles from the work site.
12. Provide a dollar-for-dollar state income tax credit for amounts spent by commuters who use public transit (buses, trains).
1. To harry to accomplish. Higher ed would argue they should get the money
2. Good idea, but it can not be done by executive order. A friend of mine wrote the bill requiring LEED standards for government buildings she has this ancient memo from leg counsel (I think) that is used as authority for limiting executive orders in CO. Governor’s power is limited.
3. I like this Idea in general except hybrids are actually environmentally ineffiecient and a nice tax credit already exist.
4. ethanol is a faustian bargain.
5. see above.
6. interesting, how about public/private incentives for remote corporate workers.
7. regressive, I hate these kind of taxes.
8. this is a version of my rebate/tax system for carbon efficiency.
9. see above
10. novel, but I’d have to look at how much traffic comes from pickups. I think afterschool activities make this unworkable.
11. regressive, I hate these kind of taxes.
12. why not just make it free?
We’ll never accomplish energy independence until and unless people start debating real-world ideas for change and think outside the box.
Too often, in my view, the political debate boils down to pointing out what’s wrong with the other guy’s ideas/proposals rather than actually suggesting any real-world solutions.
That’s how we pissed away the three decades since the first OPEC embargo without making much progress towards being energy independent under both Democratic or Republican regimes. Both parties were committed to an energy policy that attacked any and all proposals the other side made rather than actually implementing any significant change.
I have a hard time believing that the Governor cannot tell the agencies that report to him that they MUST purchase high-mileage or hybrid vehicles. He appoints the heads of those departments and can unappoint those who choose not to drink his Koolaid, right? Why aren’t federal vehicles high mileage vehicles? There’s lots of gas guzzlers in the federal motor pool that don’t need to be there.
I believe that we should commit ourselves to ridding ourselves of the Persian Gulf oil monkey. I’d gladly accept the Faustian bargains, environmental and economic inefficiencies of hybrids and ethanol and regressive taxes, if, at the end of the day, it means we import less oil from the Middle East.
What’s worse, living with the inefficiencies of hybrids/ethanol and regressive taxes or being held captive by OPEC and religious factions (Sunni & Shiites) who are still trying the settle a 10th century conflict?
In colorado governors are limited. They can NOT make policy they can only enforce law. Unless the G can show it is cheaper (as defined by the absolute inmpact on the budget), the G can not mandate the purchase of green vehicles. The L could pass a law and require it, but the G can not simply mandate it.