Press Release- May 29, 2007
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2007
Contact:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370
GOV. RITTER SIGNS 12 KEY NATURAL RESOURCES, NEW ENERGY ECONOMY AND HEALTH CARE BILLS TODAY
Governor makes stops in Frisco, Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction
to sign important pieces of 2007 legislation into law
Gov. Bill Ritter is visiting Frisco, Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction today to sign 12 of the most important bills from the 2007 legislative session into law.
Among the bills are measures to help offset devastation from the mountain pine beetle, reorganize and change the mission of the state's oil-and-gas commission, and create a Clean Energy Fund that will bolster Colorado's New Energy Economy.
"The bills I'm signing today send a very clear message that we will be stubborn stewards of Colorado's natural resources, Colorado's environment and Colorado's future," Gov. Ritter said. "It was important to me that we sign these bills in the communities where they will have the most impact and where they will do the most good."
In a morning stop at the Frisco Peninsula, Gov. Ritter signed three bills:
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House Bill 1130, Forest Restoration (Gibbs/Fitz-Gerald). This bill creates a $1 million fund for the state to help finance experimental pine-beetle mitigation and forest restoration projects.
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HB 1298, Best Management, Wildlife (Gibbs/Tochtrop). This is a companion measure to HB 1341, which reconstitutes the membership of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and expands its policy focus to consider public health, environment and wildlife impacts. HB 1298 requires the Commission to use best management practices to minimize harm from oil-and-gas development.
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HB 1229, Chain Law (Gibbs/Fitz-Gerald). This bill increases fines for failing to comply with chain laws. The Colorado Department of Transportation also is spending $2.5 million to create new chain-up areas and improve existing ones.
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HB 1139, Severance Tax (Curry/Penry). Doubles the percentage of severance tax revenues, from 15 percent to 30 percent, that flows directly to energy-impacted communities based on their energy-industry employee populations.
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HB 1252, Surface Rights (Roberts/Isgar). Requires oil-and-gas drillers to minimize surface intrusion and damage by using the latest drilling technologies.
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HB 1180, Reporting at Wellhead (White/Isgar). Requires the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to establish new rules by Jan. 1 to ensure the accuracy of oil and gas measurements at wellheads.
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SB 91, Renewable Resource Development Areas (Schwartz/Massey). Calls for the state to create a map by Oct. 31 showing all electricity generation and transmission lines across Colorado to determine which areas could support renewable energy projects.
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HB 1301, Cervical Cancer Immunizations (Buescher & Primavera/Williams). Directs the state Department of Public Health and Environment to increase public awareness about cervical cancer and the benefits of being immunized against it. An estimated 40 people die of cervical cancer in Colorado each year.
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HB 1346, Pre-Paid Inpatient Health Plans (Buescher/Tapia). Allows the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to seek federal approval to enter into Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan agreements to revitalize Medicaid managed care.
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HB 1341, Oil and Gas Commission Reorganization (Curry/Isgar). As one of Gov. Ritter's biggest accomplishments of the legislative session, this bill expands the number of Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission members from seven to nine; brings a better balance of interests to the membership; and adds public health, environment and wildlife impacts to the commission's mission.
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SB 246, Clean Energy Fund (Fitz-Gerald/Buescher). Establishes a $7 million Clean Energy Fund to finance renewable energy projects.
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SB 200, Uranium Mill Tailings (Isgar/Buescher). Extends a program created in 1990 that was about to expire that allows for remediation of uranium mill tailings.