There are a number of historical issues in Colorado that are examples of corporate rights and state preemption harming local communities.
Historical Issues
Recent Posts
State Community Rights Constitutional Amendment and Worker Rights
“A living wage should be the right of all Americans.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The only reference to labor in the U.S. Constitution is linked to slavery. In addition, today “human resources” are treated as an element of Commerce. But workers are people, and not the kind of “people” that include corporations per current judicial doctrine.… Read the rest
Abandoned mines
Colorado has an estimated 23,000 abandoned mine lands, according to the Colorado Geological Survey. At least 230 of those mines are leaking heavy metals into the headwaters of our state rivers. State officials have estimated that approximately 1,645 miles of waterways have been polluted by mine runoff, including the Arkansas, Animas, Eagle, Big Thompson, Gunnison, South Platte and Uncompahgre rivers. Colorado Preemptions of Local Government: The Need for the Colorado Community Rights Amendment to fight fracking
By Michele Swenson
Following is a list of some legislative and judicial preemptions of local government in Colorado:
State Preemption of Community Broadband
Telecommunications companies, i.e., Qwest and Comcast, lobbied the 2005 Colorado legislature to pass state preemption of municipal broadband, pending success of a restricted voter referendum process.
State Preemption of Local Gun Safety Laws
In 2003, an ALEC-NRA model bill for state retroactive preemption of local gun safety laws (SB-03-25) was signed by Colorado Governor Bill Owens, rendering local gun ordinances unenforceable.… Read the rest
Summitville Mine Disaster
“High in the Colorado San Juan Mountains, the Summitville Mine was operated by Canadian mining company Galactic Resources as a cyanide heap leach mine from 1986 until abandoned in 1992. Acid mine drainage resulted in continuous contamination of water used by downstream neighbors, including farmers, ranchers, fishermen and wildlife. Named a Superfund site in 1994, the Summitville Mine killed off 17 miles of the Alamosa River, requiring permanent water treatment at the river’s headwaters.”… Read the rest