Each week, we talk with our colleagues at The Colorado Sun about the stories they're following. This time, Environment and Health Writer Michael Booth joins us to discuss what鈥檚 going on in Colorado with regard to and We also talk about how is transitioning to new ownership.
The latest state electrification effort from Colorado officials is focused on electric vehicle chargers. Specifically, electrification advocates want to increase apartment tenants' access to charging stations for electric vehicles.
Booth said electrification access is increasingly important to apartment dwellers.
The Colorado Apartment Association, however, believes the state is pushing for too many EV chargers on rental properties. The apartment association supports access to chargers but is concerned that adding too many chargers 鈥渨ill add to the cost of building new apartments and make Colorado's affordable housing problem even worse,鈥� Booth said.
Booth said he expects 40 to 60% of apartment parking spaces in the state to eventually be electrified in a way that is compatible with electric vehicle chargers.
At the same time, Gov. Jared Polis has ordered agencies to start cutting nitrogen oxide from oil and gas production in order to address the ozone problem in Colorado. Booth said Environmental groups are saying that's a good start, but it's not enough.
鈥淭hey are pushing for legislation that would broaden that out and make sure that there are even more cuts, and that the process for permitting air pollution in Colorado is really overhauled in quite an extensive way,鈥� Booth said.
In other news, the owner of Beau Joe's Pizza, an Idaho Springs-based pizza chain, is selling the restaurant to his staff. Last week, at a 50th anniversary event for the business, owner Chip Bair announced an employee ownership plan. Booth said the move is in line with the pizzeria鈥檚 local reputation for giving back.
鈥淭hey're involved in every charitable effort, every fundraiser. People say they have saved the town (Idaho Springs) during the bad times because there are always 650 people sitting there on a Saturday afternoon eating pizza.鈥�
Colorado U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse was at the 50th anniversary event. He told The Sun that the owner Bair鈥檚 generosity is 鈥渓egendary鈥� and called Beau Jo鈥檚 鈥渁 Colorado institution.鈥�
