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DENVER – The Colorado Chamber of Commerce today released the following statement from President and CEO Loren Furman regarding the defeat of Senate Bill 159, which would have banned new oil and gas permits statewide after 2030:
“SB 159 was one of the most hostile bills targeting the energy industry we’ve ever seen, and its impact would have resonated far beyond oil and gas. The disturbing volume of bills coming from the Capitol that create an unwelcoming environment for business sends the wrong message across the state. This is about preserving jobs, and members who voted ‘no’ tonight acted in support of the hundreds of thousands of Coloradans directly or indirectly employed by the energy industry. We applaud their courage and support of the statewide business community.”
The proposal failed on a vote of 2-5. Senators voting against the bill were: Chair Dylan Roberts, Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, Sen. Janice Marchman, Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, and Sen. Cleave Simpson.
The Colorado Chamber included SB 159 on its “job killers” list announced earlier this month. The Chamber also led a grassroots action alert against the bill emphasizing its impact to the broader business community, which garnered over 700 messages sent to members of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee urging their opposition.
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The Colorado Chamber of Commerce champions free enterprise, a healthy business environment and economic prosperity for all Coloradans. It is the only business association that works to improve the business climate for all sizes of business from a statewide, multi-industry perspective. What the Colorado Chamber accomplishes is good for all businesses, and that’s good for the state’s economy. It was created in 1965 based on the merger with the Colorado Manufacturers’ Association.