The Colorado House on Tuesday advanced an omnibus bill to ban plastic bags and polystyrene containers after a debate that stretched more than three hours and saw the chamber shoot down 20 Republican amendments.
Under House Bill 21-1162 from Democratic Reps. Alex Valdez of Denver and Lisa Cutter of Littleton, stores and restaurants would have to stop using single-use plastic carryout bags by Sept. 1, 2022. The ban would not apply to existing inventory, but that has to be used up by March 1, 2023, and businesses could sell those single-use bags for 10 cents each until then.
Between Sept. 1 of this year and Sept. 1, 2022, stores can furnish a recycled paper carryout bag or a single-use plastic carryout bag, also for a 10-cent per bag fee. Recycled paper bags would be available after Sept. 1, 2022, for a 10-cent per bag fee.
The legislation would have forced the Public Employees’ Retirement Association to ditch about $1.5 billion in fossil fuel securities from its roughly $60 billion portfolio of mostly globally traded equities and fixed-income securities. Legislative budget analysts said the move would rack up $21.6 million in fees to divest and reinvest.
The strike against climate change, however, would be mostly symbolic, based on what I heard from Amy McGarrity, PERA s chief investment officer.
If Colorado gets rid of its fossil fuel stocks, someone else will just buy them, she said. If the goal is to send a message about cleaning up the air, though, Colorado would have a louder voice as a shareholder than a bystander.
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Bride Olivia Burns and groom Kyle Lehman take the Silver Queen Gondola to the top of Aspen Mountain to celebrate their wedding on March 4. Dylan Roberts, who represents portions of Eagle and Routt counties in the Colorado House of Representatives, is a sponsor of House Bill 21-1263 and amended it to take out language that would differentiate weddings and personal events from business conferences and professional events.
Kelsey Brunner / The Aspen Times
A bill to give state-sponsored rebates to event organizers passed its first test on Thursday, receiving a nod of approval from the Colorado House Committee on Business Affairs & Labor.