Leviathan by Loophole: the Growth of Colorado’s State Government After TABOR
Click here for a one-page summary of the report. Introduction and Key Findings In 1992, Coloradans passed Amendment 1 to enshrine Article X, Section 20, known as the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), in the state constitution.[1] The preferred interpretation of the measure, as stated in the ballot language, was to “reasonably restrain most the […]
How the Co-Ops are Coping: Colorado Distribution Cooperatives and the ‘Green Energy’ Transition
By Ethan Cornell* Introduction Colorado’s electric distribution cooperatives are undergoing a period of rapid and uneven transition as they renegotiate wholesale power contracts, diversify their resource portfolios, and respond to state-level decarbonization pressures. The landscape is defined by three major suppliers: Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Guzman Energy, and CORE Electric Cooperative, which are pursuing strategies […]
Denver’s Flavor Ban a Poor Solution Looking for a Problem
Voters residing in a city home to more than 70 breweries, 2,000 liquor-licensed establishments, 300 cannabis dispensaries, and psychedelic mushroom clinics will soon decide if they’re willing to prevent consenting adults from purchasing at least one commonly used substance: flavored nicotine products. As part of their 2025 ballots, Denver voters will be asked to weigh in on Referendum […]
The Case Against a ‘Progressive’ Income Tax in Colorado
The battle over Colorado’s future tax system has officially begun, and the stakes for families, businesses, and the state’s economy couldn’t be higher. Backed by a coalition of advocacy groups that consistently push for higher taxes as the solution to Colorado’s challenges, the Bell Policy Center submitted proposed language for the 2026 ballot that would […]
Independence Institute Tells the Public Utilities Commission to Reconsider Forced Electrification Rulemaking
In the 2021 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly passed SB21-264, a first-in-the-nation law requiring the state’s gas distribution utilities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 4% by 2025 and by 22% by 2030, from a 2015 baseline, by filing “Clean Heat Plans” with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Since then, Colorado gas utilities like […]
SB 276: Colorado’s Venezuelan Gang Protection Act
SB 276 is not only dangerous, it’s constitutionally absurd.
HJR 1023: Colorado lawmakers’ constitutional ignorance on display
When the federal government certified the Colorado Constitution as “republican” in 1876, the Colorado constitution limited the legislature more than TABOR does.
Colorado Utilities Signal Pain Ahead for Energy Transition
Sample excerpt here…
Colorado’s spending joyride on a collision course with reality
It is well known by now that Colorado’s budget is on an unsustainable path. While there’s considerable disagreement about what is driving the issue and what the solution might be, one thing is for sure: trying to lay blame on the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) is just pure deflection. As I have written previously, […]
Fast Facts About Colorado’s Electricity Sector in 2024
Note: This post represents the latest edition of Independence Institute’s annual analysis of federal electricity data distilled for Colorado. Click here to see past editions. While Colorado’s electric grid has been in flux for years, 2024 may come to be remembered as the turning point for Colorado’s energy future. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) […]
Colorado Legislature’s Over-Spending Problem Explained
Colorado legislators are discovering first-hand the impossibility of having their cake and eating it too. The Joint Budget Committee continues to meet with dozens of departments to reconcile an approximately $750 million budget shortfall in 2025, with some absurdly claiming that deficit is purely a result of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) at work. […]
Course Correction Needed for Colorado’s Economic Outlook
The University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business recently released their 60th annual Business Outlook for 2025, and, despite a moderate outlook in 2025, the report includes some disturbing trends in the Colorado economy. Let’s take a look at some of what’s going wrong. Troubling trends As pointed out by Denver Post business writer Aldo Svaldi, Colorado was the […]
