Western Slope opioid addiction treatment programs receive $1.1 million
The Colorado Opioid Abatement Council has awarded $11 million to 24 organizations and local governments in its most competitive infrastructure funding round to date, expanding opioid treatment, recovery, and prevention services across the state. Two of the funded projects will directly serve Montrose, Delta, and Gunnison counties. Statewide, $11 million was available, with 54 applications requesting nearly $40 million. Southwest Colorado Regional Opioid Council was awarded approximately $1.1 million, an investment that will directly support expanded services and coordination to address the opioid crisis in the region. One of the projects that received funding, Pretrial Services and Access to Treatment, is a collaborative effort between Porch Light Health and the Pathways Project, focused on improving connections between the justice system and treatment services. The Building Bridges Recovery Project, which aims to support justice-involved individuals in rural communities, also received funding.
Colorado bill regulating data center environmental impacts fails
Colorado lawmakers abandoned a last-minute effort Monday to pass environmental regulations for data center development in the state. Senate Bill 102 would have required data center companies to pay the full cost for the power needed to run their facilities. It also would have ensured that data centers don’t interfere with the state’s greenhouse gas emission reductions targets.The Colorado Sun reports that Senator Cathy Kipp, a Democrat out of Fort Collins who introduced the bill, had added a last-minute tax incentive to the draft of the bill, hoping to sway enough lawmakers to vote in its favor during the last three days of the legislative session. Ultimately, The Senate Transportation and Energy committee voted down the legislation unanimously. Kipp has stated that she intends to reintroduce the bill during the next session.
Wildfires impact recreation
Wildfires can close trails and char campgrounds. But as the Mountain West News Bureau's Rachel Cohen reports, new research shows some fires impact recreation more than others.
