
A deep dive into Colorado’s billion-dollar budget deficit
During COVID, Colorado enjoyed a glut of one-time federal money and higher-than-expected revenues.

During COVID, Colorado enjoyed a glut of one-time federal money and higher-than-expected revenues.

This double-barreled blast of flat tax and expenditure limitation lit Colorado’s economic engine into overdrive for three decades.

The flat income tax rate under TABOR is actually one of the fairest elements of the current system we have in Colorado.

The current political climate in Colorado for politicians is one of having their cake and eating it, too.

The credits are paid for out of excess revenue that would otherwise be refunded back to taxpayers.

The tax expenditure bills signed into law by Gov. Polis just in 2024 reduce state revenues by $10.9 billion over the next 10 years

Households and business owners being ground down by taxes and inflation won’t quickly or easily fork over more of their hard-earned money.

The far-left Sixteen Thirty fund nearly singlehandedly footed the bill in 2020 for the paid family medical leave ballot measure, which Gov. Polis openly supported and campaigned for.

If you see a tax hike which forever eliminates government revenue limits and your rights to a refund, just vote no.

Citizens in both Colorado and other states can breathe more easily: This particular threat to popular governance is over.

Just because the government wants more money, does not mean it can flagrantly disregard the will of the people.

Frankly, 295 is too modest but it is a fine start to rein in the “fee” monster the Supreme Court unleashed.
DENVER–The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) quarterly oil and gas lease sale in Colorado generated over $8 million, the most successful such sale the federal lands agency has enjoyed in recent years. The BLM, as well as energy policy experts credit the successful lease sale in large part to the Trump administration’s pro-energy production policies.
According to its recent press release, the BLM on March 31 leased 68 parcels of federal land for drilling in Colorado, generating $8.1 million. Over 42,000 acres were leased across Weld, Jackson, Routt, Arapahoe, Delta, Mesa, Rio Blanco, Gunnison, and Garfield counties.
This sale was conducted with lower royalties embedded in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act(OBBB), which reduced the royalty rate of onshore oil and gas production on federal lands to a minimum of 12.5%. Previously, the royalty rate sat at 16.67% under former President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill Act reduces the cost of doing business on public lands, making oil and gas development more economically attractive to industry,” the press release reads, predicting that the sale will spur on additional leasing and drilling.
The BLM sale is also congruent with Trump’s day-one Executive Order 14154 ‘Unleashing American Energy,’aiming for energy dominance and increased domestic drilling.
Amy Cooke, Director of the Energy and Environmental Policy Center at Independence Institute, a free market think tank in Denver (as well as publisher of Complete Colorado) says that the surge in Colorado leases is a sign that energy markets are responding well to energy friendly policy.
“The size and scope of the lease sale are a clear signal that markets are responding to both stronger price conditions and the shift in federal policy toward energy abundance under President Trump, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum,” Cooke told Complete Colorado. “For the first year of the Trump administration, an abundant supply kept oil prices low for consumers. As prices have risen, producers are doing what markets are designed to do: invest in new production.”
Cooke predicts the new drilling will help Colorado’s energy sector back on its feet, as production has declined over the last several years due to significant new restrictions on energy development put in place by a Democrat-controlled legislature and Gov. Jared Polis.
“What’s important to note in Colorado is that all these leases are on federal land. It’s where investors are comfortable putting their money,” said Cooke. “That’s because state regulation has made it increasingly difficult to permit new wells on private or state property, effectively stifling new production.”

The US Department of Energy is looking for states interested in nuclear energy… what are the chances that Colorado is one of them? PowerGab Hosts Jake Fogleman and Amy Cooke discuss this with Matt Solomon, the project manager of the Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative.
Show Notes:
https://agnc.org/economic-development/northwest-colorado-energy-initiative/
Because the grid could use a backup plan.
Yes, we’re giving away a Predator Generator.
No, this is not a drill.
Yes, it’s because reliability apparently isn’t fashionable anymore.
Starting with the first show of 2026, drop a funny, clever, or pithy comment in the show’s comment section.
That’s it. No forms. No fine print to initial. No ESG questionnaire.
At the end of the session, we’ll select our top 3–5 favorite comments.
Then you vote on the winner.
Democracy still works here. Mostly.
Winner announced on the last show in May 2026.
One comment.
One generator.
Because when the grid wobbles, satire won’t keep your lights on — but a Predator Generator will.

What if outside organizations could place their own people inside government? We break down a little-known Colorado scheme where privately funded staff are embedded within the legislative process—raising serious questions about transparency, influence, and who’s really shaping policy behind the scenes. Is this harmless expertise… or something more?