An oil pump jack is pictured in the middle of a traffic circle at a new residential development in Weld County on June 24, 2020. (Andy Bosselman for Colorado Newsline)
Democrats in the Colorado Senate on Saturday approved a pair of bills levying a new fee on oil and gas production and tweaking pollution laws, sending the compromise package negotiated by industry and environmental groups to the House with just a few days remaining in the 2024 legislative session.
Senate Bills 24-229 and 24-230 were unveiled by Gov. Jared Polis and legislative leaders last week, as part of a sweeping agreement to withdraw a series of tougher anti-pollution measures under consideration by lawmakers and keep competing sets of high-stakes initiatives off of Colorado’s 2024 ballot.
Both bills were passed on party-line votes in the Senate on Saturday. To become law, they will need to be passed by the House before the General Assembly adjourns for the year Wednesday and signed by the governor.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX