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In May 2019, as Democrats in the Colorado General Assembly advanced a bill launching the state’s efforts to ensure a “just transition” for coal workers impacted by the shift to clean energy, Republicans were incensed. In a tense, late-night floor debate over House Bill 19-1314, which created a new Office of Just Transition in the state’s labor department, Senate Republicans called the legislation “laughable” and “offensive.” It was an “insulting and egregious bill.” Senator Bob Gardner, a Republican from El Paso County, advised Democratic lawmakers traveling to the communities impacted by the bill to “leave town pretty quickly,” because “your welcome might be pretty short.” ....
A state House panel on Thursday advanced a $15 million stimulus measure to put funding behind Coloradoâs plan to support workers and communities reliant on jobs in coal mines and factories as the state s energy economy transitions toward cleaner generation sources. The funding in House Bill 21-1290 from House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, and Rep. Perry Will, R-New Castle, would represent the first real money pumped into the Office of Just Transitions. That office came about through 2019 legislation that called for creation of a transition plan to assist communities and workers whose coal-related industries and jobs are subject to significant economic transition. ....
Steamboat Pilot & Today Coal trucks at Trapper Mine are seen in the I pit in early January. Craig Station can be seen in the background. (Joshua Carney / Craig Press) For more than a year, Colorado Office of Just Transition Director Wade Buchanan has been a one-man show running the new state office that aims to help communities and workers move away from coal. After pandemic-related disruptions to state hiring, Buchanan now has help on the way with approval to add employees by summer to oversee the implementation of the ambitious Colorado Just Transition Action Plan finalized on Dec. 31, 2020. Buchanan hopes to be able to expand his office to some five employees throughout this year. ....
POLITICO Communities in Transition – The Future of American Energy President Joe Biden is pushing for an ambitious agenda to tackle the climate crisis in a gridlocked Washington. Biden s Build Back Better plan includes a $400 billion investment in clean energy research, setting up a new agency to focus on climate, and separately, imposing tariffs on imports from countries that lack adequate climate change policies. Also included is a push to develop a low-carbon manufacturing sector in each state, which would involve tax credits and subsidies to encourage employers to pursue clean technologies and hire the workers to do so. Democrats are also pushing a number of clean-energy workforce bills. Supporters of these bills say they could create good-paying jobs and help the country transition to a “clean energy future” that is less dependent on fossil fuels. Critics say the legislation is full of mandates and that it distracts from Covid economic recovery efforts. ....
The Molly Brown dragline at Trapper Mine moves dirt around on a clear winter day in early January. (Joshua Carney / Craig Press) The Office of Just Transition’s comprehensive 20-page final action plan looks to help coal workers and their families, and coal communities as a whole, transition away from coal as an economic driver. The OJT laid out some important suggestions for transitioning communities and workers, but there’s one question that consistently pops up with the action plan: how will this transition be funded, especially with the state of Colorado struggling with a decreased state budget due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic? ....