Just as fall leaves drop from the trees, election ballots will be arriving in your mailbox. The fall season reminds us that shorter, colder days are ahead, and that an important election is ahead of us.
You can’t turn on any television news program without being told that the 2020 General Election “is the most important election in our nation’s history” from political candidates and commentators representing differing political parties and political persuasions. Perhaps that is true, yet we hear that same pronouncement every election cycle.
What we do know is that Colorado has become a “testing ground” or “national model” for new ways to regulate the nation’s economy. Take, for example, Governor Polis’ Draft GHG Pollution Reduction Roadmap is designed to eliminate fossil fuels from Colorado’s energy portfolio.
While CMA doesn’t support the Roadmap’s goal of eliminating coal fired power plants, Colorado should retain and grow it’s capacity to produce the critical minerals needed to manufacture those products we use in our every day lives and are important elements in renewable technology (some of which hasn’t yet been developed on an economic scale) which energy policy makers tout as the replacement for electricity generated from coal and other fossil fuels.
Two ballot measures which the CMA Board voted to oppose if passed would harm Colorado and its business community.
First, Proposition 113, if passed, directs Colorado to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which would give the states nine electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote if states representing at least 270 Electoral College votes adopt the compact. The bottom line is Colorado would join other states wishing to eliminate the electoral college. Elimination of the electoral college would dramatically reduce Colorado’s influence on federal issues as Colorado would have its voice drowned out by larger states.
Colorado’s fragile economic recovery is threatened by Proposition 118, establishing a paid family and medical program funded by a new payroll tax on both employers and employees. Colorado’s legislature passed a paid family and medical leave act without a payroll tax in June. The campaign money to pass Proposition 118 comes almost entirely from out-of-state donors.
I also encourage you to get to know the candidates pursuing federal and state office representing Colorado. In Colorado, CMA Lobbyist Dianna Orf and our members representing companies at the State Capitol, work with legislators, many of whom do not know about Colorado mining, and are eager to learn about the resources our members develop. Of course, some legislators have led the fight to eliminate coal mining in Colorado in pursuit of higher cost energy.
We encourage members to consider contributing financial resources to candidates they believe will support mining in Colorado. Click here for a list of candidates we recommend for financial support. We established this list which includes Individuals and political committees (as defined by Colorado law) that can contribute a total of $400 maximum for the combined primary and general election cycle. If you have any questions about any Colorado candidates, please feel free to contact me or Dianna Orf.
I encourage every CMA member to vote. Study the details of all statewide ballot measures, they all have large implications for individuals living in this state. Colorado publishes a Blue Book, or Ballot Information Booklet that explains the contents of ballot measures, including arguments for and against the measures. No matter the election results, CMA stands ready to promote Colorado mining to elected officials and the public.
