FEATURE: Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports that Colorado has big goals for reducing its carbon emissions, and becoming a leader in green and renewable energy. But to reach those goals, it needs a workforce that can reliably and efficiently install the infrastructure the state needs to upgrade its grid and make communities more resilient and efficient.
WATER NEWS: The Western Slope effort to acquire major and historic Colorado River water rights will receive up to about $40 million in federal funding, reports the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
The money to buy the Shoshone hydroelectric power plant water rights is part of $388.3 million in total that the Bureau of Reclamation announced last week under its Upper Colorado River Basin Environmental Program. The program aims to improve wildlife and aquatic habitats, ecological stability and resilience against drought. Federal money will support 42 projects in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, as well as tribal initiatives. In addition, tens of millions of dollars will go to other western Colorado projects besides the Shoshone project.
The Colorado River District is working with partners to raise $99 million to pay Xcel Energy for the water rights associated with the power plant in Glenwood Canyon. Between $20 million apiece pledged by the river district and state of Colorado, and fundraising efforts involving Western Slope governments and other entities, more than $56 million previously had been committed to the purchase. The federal pledge means the fundraising effort is now close to reaching its goal.
ECONOMIC NEWS: Montrose County’s Gross Domestic Product for 2023 grew by 3.8% compared to 2022, according to the latest economic report produced by Colorado Mesa University.
Dr. Nathan Perry, author of the quarterly economic report, noted that Montrose County median household income showed a modest increase in 2023. Montrose county continues to show a strong upward trend in median household income since 2017.
Also on the positive side, The Census Department’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates reported that Montrose County’s poverty rate fell from 11.7% in 2022 to 10.7% in 2023.
Personal income per capita also increased roughly S2,000 dollars from 2022 to 2023. Per capita personal income is a measure of all personal income in the county divided by the population. Per capita personal income has increased drastically over the last decade.
LOCAL NEWS: KVNF's Brody Wilson reports that the La Raza Neighborhood in Montrose is starting down the path of a meaningful historic designation.